"I Took The Judges’ Advice And Ran With It": An Interview with America's Next Top Model 4's Michelle

I don't want to sit here and say that I wasn't a Michelle fan, because deep down, I did like her. However, I did find her annoying, and her crying at times was just a little too much to handle. I was fortunate enough, as always, to get to interview Michelle. In this interview, she talks about who she connected with, what she thought of the experience as a whole and whose elimination shocked her the most. In my opinion, I don't think Michelle was ready for this show. She's a good looking girl, but I think the judges tore her up, especially when they knew they could upset her by critiquing her. Janice just had too much of a field day with her.

RealityNewsOnline: Had you watched previous seasons of the show, and what factored into your decision to apply? Did you send in a tape or go to an open call?

Michelle: To tell you the truth, I had no idea what America's Next Top Model even was. I was actually called by one of the producers of the show, who had seen my picture on a web page, and asked me if I was interested in being on the show. So we ended up meeting, I made a video, and I kept on moving through the process until I found myself in the semifinals! I never thought I would even get there!

RNO: From the beginning, did you feel like an outcast compared to the other girls?

Michelle: Yeah, I did a little bit in the beginning, but that's only because I thought all the other girls were so beautiful, and I didn't think that I really measured up to them. Over time though, I started to gain more self confidence, which helped me fit into the group a little more, but I'd says I was always an outcast.

RNO: Even though it seemed like you didn't seem to connect with the other girls, was there anyone that you felt a connection with?

Michelle: I'd say that I connected with Tiffany the most, although, when I "came out" to the three girls - Tiffany, Noelle and Brandy - I'd say they all got to know the real me. However, I really got to like Tiffany, and she was always there to listen, as I helped her when she was feeling sad about not having her baby around.

RNO: When you got impetigo, did you know what the other girls were saying about you, and did you feel it was blown out of proportion?

Michelle: God, I never knew they were overreacting the way that they were, or even saying half the stuff that was said. I think it was blown out of proportion, and the fact that we are all cooped up with nothing to do could have had something to do with it. I mean, some of the girls were more upset with it than I was, and it was on MY skin!

RNO: You noted several times that your self confidence had grown from the experience. Could you elaborate a little more on that?

Michelle: When I first started on the show, and went to LA for the semifinals, I didn't even think I was going to get picked. For some reason, I didn't feel like I deserved to be there, and didn't think that I was going to make it any further. When my name was called, I was in shock, since I was just hoping that Tiffany would make it after hearing her story from the season before -- so when they called my name, I didn't even know how to react. From that point on, I just started growing, and after each shoot, I became more confident with who I was.

RNO: You had been one of the last girls called at several eliminations. Each time this happened, did you think you were going home?

Michelle: Until the elimination when I was standing there with Keenyah, I was confident that I would be sticking around. However, for the elimination that I went home, as we were waiting while the judges deliberated, I knew that it was my time to go. The other five girls had worked just as hard as me, and deserved to be there. I knew that I would be the one going home at that point.

RNO: Being a wrestler, and probably a little more rough around the edges than some of the other girls, did you feel that you were at a disadvantage?

Michelle: Actually, I think being a wrestler helped me in the competition. I was toned and had the strength to work though the shoots. Also, I had no problem faking the grace, and I know how to walk in heels. I worked it out, but being a wrestler helped me in the competition.

RNO: What did you think of South Africa, and is it some place you could see yourself going to visit again?

Michelle: Oh, I would love to live there! I've always enjoyed other cultures, and I've read in books about the safaris and desserts and rainforests, but it was cool to see the other side of South Africa. It was just like Indianapolis, and I loved it there. It was so beautiful and I would love to go back again.

RNO: Do you feel that some of the girls underestimated you in the competition?

Michelle: I do feel like some of the girls underestimated me, but I never once underestimated any of them. I had taken what the judges had told me from each panel session and worked with their critiques. Every time another elimination went by, and I was still around, I think the other girls realized that I was a threat just as much as the next girl.

RNO: Honestly, were the lions really that close to the jeep that you might have been in any kind of danger?

Michelle: Well, they were about two feet away from us, and I feel like had the driver not pulled away, we would have been eaten. I wasn't all that worried, but when a lion is looking at you like you are a big meatball, you do get a little nervous!

RNO: Sometimes it seems like Brittany acts like she is in high school, with her being the popular girl and everyone having to pay attention to her. Was that the editing, or did she always need to be the center of attention?

Michelle: I think that's just Brittany's personality. She was an only child, and she's used to getting all the attention, but she's a great girl and just likes to have fun. The editing pretty much has her down, but under all that loudness, Brittany is one of the most caring girls you could know.

RNO: Knowing how long and stressful the whole process was, do you think you would do it all over again?

Michelle: Oh, I would do it again in a second. I learned so much from the whole thing that I would go through it all over again. Even Janice taught me some things, and when she would come down on me, that would want me to prove her wrong even more.

RNO: Whose elimination shocked you the most?

Michelle: I think the double elimination shocked me the most. I had thought it would be Rebecca when she was standing there with Tiffany, since she had been in the situation before. Then, when Tyra had the blank picture, I didn't know how to react. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but when she said that both of the girls were going home, nobody knew what to do since none of us saw it coming. That was the biggest shock for me the whole time I was there.

RNO:Since you have been on the show, have you gone back to wrestling, or are you going to try and pursue modeling full time?

Michelle: I have been doing some wrestling, but when the show is over in the middle of May, I think I'll be done with it. I'm going to move to NYC in June, and pursue modeling. A choice had to be made, and I could only do one or the other, and I want to do modeling. If it doesn't work out, I can always go back to wrestling, and how that maybe the WWE will give me a call -- I'm here, call me! I'll be all right.

RNO: What kind of advice would you give to girls that are thinking about applying to future seasons of the show?

Michelle: I would just say that if you want to do this -- go for it. Just be strong and know who you are. Don't take it too seriously, the way that I did. There is no reason to be as hard on yourself as I was. If you believe that you are a star, than you will be.

RNO: Thanks, Michelle!

Michelle will, perhaps, always be remembered for her unique look, ambitious spirit, her perseverance, and sadly, those unsightly (and temporary) facial sores. Overall, Michelle views her experience on the show as positive and a catalyst for improving her own self-image and confidence.

It’s not everyday that an aspiring model can brag that she was a wrestler. Can you tell us a bit about your wrestling background and why you chose the sport?

Well, I got involved in it about a year and a half ago. I actually went to watch a friend wrestle and I ended up enjoying it. I heard they were doing a training school so I went to one of the practices just to see what it was like and realized that I wasn’t really passionate about pursing it. But then I heard the guys saying that I wouldn’t come back because it was too rough. I was like, you know what, I’m going to prove these guys wrong. So, I came to every practice, and over time, I fell in love with the sport. I really like the aspect that you have to play a character, like an actress, while also being an athlete.

With regards to wrestling, who in the competition do you think would be a worthy opponent?

I would have to say Brittany. She’s really big, and I don’t know if she’s strong or not, but it would probably be a really amusing show.

It seems that most girls on the show would agree that out of everybody, you wanted to win the most. Looking back, do you think you were so driven because you really did want to become a well-known model, or did it have to do more with the competition and just winning and being the best?

Initially, I did want to win and be the best. But then I realized that I made it to the top six; I mean, in the beginning of the competition, I never even thought I would make it halfway there. Now, I truly have a drive for it and have moved to New York to try it out. But, no matter what happens, I’m going to continue to pursue it. If it doesn’t work out in New York, then I’ll move to London and try it there, or go around the world until somebody says they’ll hire me as a model and give me a job. So, modeling is definitely not something I will give up anytime soon.

Let me preface this next question with the confession that I too have endured the traumatic effects of impetigo. But, I had it around my nose. Yech! How hard was it to watch yourself deal with the sores?

At first, it wasn’t that bad, but then it just kept getting worse and worse. I wasn’t freaking out as much as everybody else, but I was still worried about it. I never had any skin problems until, of course, I get on national TV in a modeling competition. I’m guessing it was caused by makeup because I had never really worn makeup before. Then the show taught me how to put on makeup and I started wearing it, and they packed it on for photo shoots, and I didn’t even realized that I could have problems from that. But, I’m glad it’s all taken care of now and that it wasn’t the flesh-eating virus like everybody thought it was. I actually thought it was quite amusing that the show went to that extreme. That just shows how bored they were.

The show changed her hair from brown to bleached blond? What color is your hair now?

Actually it’s still blond. Not too long ago it was red. I tried to dye it myself, and it turned out pinkish/purple. So, I put it back to blond, and everybody is used to that and accepts it.

On the show you were a bit wary of disclosing the fact that you were bisexual. Looking back, are you glad you told them when you did?

I’m glad that I expressed it. I think that was the perfect opportunity to do it because the girls didn’t see it as a big deal at all. When they accepted that, I was completely floored because I thought they were going to have huge issues with that. But they didn’t even care and were like, ‘yeah and your point is…’ It actually made me feel a lot better and was the first step towards building my confidence and accepting who I was. I started loving myself at that point.

Watching you on that African safari surrounded by lions made me nervous, and I wasn’t even there. What were you thinking when Brittany’s loud comment antagonized the lions and caused them to creep towards your vehicle?

I actually wasn’t scared at that point even though everybody else was. I was thinking this was so cool that lions were two feet from me. I was more excited than scared. After that, I was saying how awesome that experience was, and everybody thought I was crazy. But, I really enjoyed it.

What’s next for you in terms of goals?

Right now, the main thing is modeling. I’ve always wanted to do an Eco Challenge, and I’m going to start training for that and getting a team together. I just really really really want to do that. Also, I’m going to try to improve my acting skills. I’m going to take acting classes and take dance classes to try to learn more about movement. I plan to immerse myself in everything that has to do with that industry.

In the last photo shoot, you had to pose as a zebra. If Janice had to do the same photo shoot, what animal would you assign her to?

*lol* I think I would make her a hyena. I think that would be very amusing. *lol*

Thank you so much for speaking with us today.

I really appreciated it. It was fun!

Interviews: America's Next Top Model Elimination Interview with Michelle

SpyRI writes, "Michelle, the19 year old bisexual wrestler from Indiana became the 9th girl cut from UPN’s hit show, America’s Next Top Model. In our conversation today, Michelle talked about how she was portrayed on the show, her unshaken ambition, and how she’s been keeping up with online coverage of the show.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today, and congratulations on making it so far in the competition!

Oh, thanks!.

Well, my Mom, and Aunt and everyone were like, "are you eliminated, are you eliminated?" and I just kept telling them "watch the show!" I was amused watching, with the lion and everything, but you know, I did feel that sadness again from being eliminated, but again, I... Tyra was rooting for me, and her being such a huge name in the industry, that helps with that a lot.

Well, I’m used to dealing with little kids, I’m not used to dealing with all the teenage drama and the problems that a bunch of girls would have living in a house together. It was definitely a big change. I tried to stay out of all the drama. I guess I created my own drama, rather than get into theirs. (laughs) It was definitely something I had to get used to.

I don’;t feel it was, because me being open about it showed that I’m confident about who I am, and I was accepting myself, and loving myself even more, and that came out, and people were accepting of it. I think maybe that it could have hindered [me] a little bit, I don’t know if Cover Girl was ready for a bisexual spokesperson yet, but I think that one day they’ll call me up! So it’s ok.

You know, I’m not sure, but I really wish they would have done it. I’ve heard a lot of people say "Oh, Michelle wouldn’t look good in a beauty shot, she’d look horrible", but I’d just want to prove them wrong. I really enjoy doing that with people, but I try to do it in the nicest way possible! But yeah, I really wanted a beauty shot- just light makeup or something, that would have been perfect.

I never thought I would look good as a blonde, but now I absolutely love it. Now, since I got the whole first bleach job out of the way, with all the bruises and the scabs and blisters are gone, it doesn’t hurt as bad now. It barely even tingles or whatever. I thought I looked awesome. A little yellow, but I love being blonde.

It was definitely a mix between the bleaching and all that, and I never wore makeup before. I mean, never. And they were just putting so much on, just kept piling it on. My skin’s so pale, and it is sensitive, and I think it probably reacted to that, and plus the change of environment, and all that.

I’m the oldest of 10 grandkids, so I help out with the kids, and run them to cheer practice and tumbling and a number of things, and I help[ out a lot with my family, so when I do hang out with my friends, it’s probably in groups of 3 or 4 at a time, and that’s not very often.

Well, she just kind of came out with the question, and I was kind of surprised by it, I did feel alienated, but I feel like it was partially my fault, that I wasn’t part of the group, but um, actually, she is very sweet and probably wanted me to feel a part of the group and feel better, and in the competition and everything. She’s a very good person, and I think she just wanted to help out.

(laughs) Well, I’m not going to be living with a lot of females any time soon! So, I think that the easiest person to live with was Lluvy, she was just so sweet and I loved listening to the stories that she would tell. She’d do all different accents and hand movements and that was quite amusing, and then Naima. She is sensitive to other people, and she just wants to help out. Tiffany was the complete opposite of that, she’ll just tell you the flat out truth and that’s why I respect her so much, because she was just so blunt about things, and when she was really a person’s friend, she was just there for them, like with her and Brandy, she stuck by Brandy’s side till the end, she tried to help her out and all that, that’s just an amazing quality. That was great. And Kahlen, she’s a sweet girl. I didn’t get to spend too much time with her, just occasionally, but she is very genuine, and I think she’s going to make it far in life, but I think all the girls on the show are going to make it far, I mean, Brandy, if she works on her attitude, she is really an amazing sweet girl. Some of the people, you know, weren’t on my favorites list, but they’re going to make it far because they’ve overcome just as much as I have on the show, and I wish them all the best of luck.

Well, I was yeah. That shelf thing? That wasn’t too much fun. The thing was it moved, yeah, that didn’t make me too happy. The thing you didn’t see was that Rebecca and her five friends all got the shoes, and I volunteered to spend twice as much time in there, I mean, I hate being scared of anything, and if an opportunity comes up to challenge myself, I’m gonna take it and go with it. The grave thing, I was really really worried about that, but it was also kind of fun in a creepy kind of way, but they reinforced the sides, and everything, and I just tried to completely block it out of my mind and focus on Pride as much as possible.

I feel that that was wrong. I should have expressed myself more, I should have... Janice made some comment about me being too fragile or something, and I just wanted to say "No, you guys don’t realize that at the beginning, I thought I didn’t deserve to be here, and now, I’m here and trying to be more confident." I think the judging room and all that was just really intimidating, and I can handle the modeling industry, and I can handle the criticism, I can handle it all, absolutely.

I’ve been taking a few peeks, yeah! (laughs) And my Aunt, she’s been reading all the message boards, I hear all about them. But I hear that I have fans in Sweden and stuff like that, which is amazing, and it makes me feel even more that I can go out and that I can succeeded, and that people out there are cheering for me.

She calls every once in a while, just to check up and see how we’re doing, and how we like the show, and she checks up just to make sure that we’re doing good, and that we know that we have her as an outlet, if we need to ask for something. She’s always there.

Hell no! June 1st I’m moving to New York City, and if everyone in New York says no, then I’ll just hop over to London. I’ll just go around the world until I hear one person say yes. And if I don’t, I’ll just keep going and keep going until I make it.

I would love to go on Survivor- my Mom is addicted to all of those shows, Survivor, The Amazing Race, all of those, and if I had a partner I would love to go on the Amazing Race, but I don’t know anyone who would be able to handle that! I would definitely do something like that. I’ve always wanted to do Ecochallenge, I really want to train and try to become a better athlete.

Well, I have some people who aren’t on my favorite lit, but I think all five girls left deserve to be there. They’ve overcome a lot, and have changed, and prevailed. I just hope that the next person who wins will deserve this. Whoever wins, I’m just praying they deserve it.

Thank you!