Kahlennel!

  2005.05.24. 13:32

Kahlen, the shy twenty-one-year-old restaurant hostess from Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a top model, had the joy of making it to the finals, only to be edged out in the final challenge. With a hoarse voice she ascribed to a cold, Kahlen was game enough to answer all my questions today - even the nosy ones about her boyfriendless past, not to mention what it was like to get so close to the win, then fail. But don’t worry about Kahlen, folks. Her positive attitude and friendly personality came through clearly, and that shy, self-conscious girl who started the competition has forever been vanquished by Tyra and Co.

Kahlen, thank you for speaking with me. First off, congratulations on achieving second place!

Thank you very much.

So you didn’t win in South Africa, and you couldn’t tell anyone what happened when you went back home. What was that like?

It was hard - I came back to Oklahoma and everybody wanted to know. Did you win, where did you go? I couldn’t say anything. Especially with my family, for a while they were like, “Come on, just tell us, we’re your family.” I was like nope, I’m not telling. It was fun also, having people not realize how far I went. I started working again, and people thought it meant I didn’t do very well, if I was already back home and working. So that was fun, it was kind of like hey, surprise!

You said in the audition show that you had never seen an episode of the show. How did you end up auditioning for the show?

I had never seen the show because when cycle 2 was airing, the O.C. was on at the same time and I love the O.C., so I watched that. I actually got on the show because some recruiters came into my restaurant in New York City and asked me to audition. I didn’t make it to the first audition, and they came back again and said, “Weren’t you supposed to show up?” So I went to the second.

Was being on the show different than you expected?

I had seen five minutes here or there so I kind of knew what was going on. It was what I expected.

Who were you closest to in the house?

(Playfully) Rebecca and Nai-yeee-mah.

Who did you feel was your biggest competition?

My biggest competition was probably myself, because I had to overcome a lot of insecurity in myself and confidence in order to continue on. In the end, Naima was a great competitor - she’s very focused, she’s very driven. She gives 100% all of the time.

Is it true that you’ve never had a boyfriend? How can that possibly be true?

I was just one of the guys growing up. I was Kahlen, the tomboy. I would hang out at football practices a lot. After the baseball game, it was always, “We’re going to Kahlen’s house,” it was never, “Oooh, that’s Kahlen, ooh, she’s cute.” Also, it’s probably because I wore pajamas every day and I never wore makeup. (Laughs)

I bet that’s different now.

Just a little bit. (Laughs)

Looking back to an early challenge, you were set up with a photographer that was being rude and demanding to see if you could keep your cool. After you were done, you cried and seemed crushed. Do you think the more confident Kahlen you are now would react differently?

Definitely, just going through that experience, you learn so much. Really, I learned so much doing the show that I think I’m prepared for almost anything out there. At the time it was hurtful, but now I think I can handle it. I learned a big lesson that day.

You were the only girl who didn’t win extra frames in the dance challenge. Wasn’t that really a compliment to your posing skill?

It was, it was, but at the time when I didn’t get pics, they said I didn’t need the extra frames, and I was like [in an irritated voice] “Okay, well, thank you.” But also, on the previous photo shoot. I really suffered and I didn’t like my picture, so I was kind of nervous. To have those extra frames would have been nice, because the other girls had an advantage over me.

Plus, I hate dancing and I’m not a good dancer, and I just knew there was going to be something about that in the photoshoot. I was really hoping I did get some extra frames.

What were you thinking when you were in the bottom two with Keenyah, and Tyra said that one of you had more potential than the other?

When it got down to me and Keenyah, I really thought I was going home. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind. The thing is with Keenyah, I felt that her pictures were so amazing all the time. She’s got an amazing walk. She’s very strong in almost every field that’s out there. Whereas with me, I suffered with the commercial. Keenyah was very confident when she went into that CoverGirl commercial, whereas me, I’m really bad at memorizing, and when you get down to that close, down to the final three, you really don’t have room to screw up because it’s not about having beautiful pictures or a beautiful runway walk, it’s every little thing.

I did really bad on the commercial and Keenyah did really well, so I thought it was going to be me. So when it wasn’t me to go home that night, it was weird, but it was great. That was the final night of me dealing with my confidence. After that night, I told myself that obviously they see potential in me, they see something in me; so I realized I had better start believing myself before they quit believing in me.

I absolutely loved your “Wrath” picture. What was your favorite photoshoot?

My favorite photoshoot was probably the first one, the alien photoshoot, because it was all fourteen girls, and it was shot by Nigel. I believe in first impressions. It was my favorite because it showed how much raw potential we had, since we hadn’t been trained yet, we hadn’t gone through any of the crash courses through the show. With the alien photoshoot, I thought it really separated who was going to make it further than the rest of them.

What was your least favorite photoshoot?

The Wonderbra photoshoot. The Seven Deadly Sins was hard to overcome but at the same time, I had to ask myself, is modeling something I want because I could have easily walked way. It was just a test for me and I’m glad I stayed through it. The Wonderbra one was hard for me because I was very uncomfortable and nervous. I broke out in hives. I turned bright red on national television.

We didn’t see much runway action on the show, but then you were challenged with a very unusual runway show. What did you think when you saw the runway was under water?

The first thing I thought was, Oh, great. I’m going to fall off of this somehow. I’m very clumsy, so if anyone was going to fall off it would be me. And then I saw the shoes we were going to be wearing, and I was like, you expect me to walk in clear shoes in water?

Your shoes were clear too?

Yeah. They were tied on with a little ribbon to keep them on our feet.

Once I found out they were going to put lights down on the ground so that we could see where the runway was, I wasn’t as scared. Plus we also got to practice on it, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was.

But at the very end of the runway show when me and Naima were dancing, I was so overcome with, oh-my-God-it’s-over, the whole adrenaline rush, and I was jumping around and getting it all out right then, I looked down and I was like, “Oooh, I’m about to fall off.”

And you said you had never been in a fashion show before, but you seemed to take to the adrenaline rush. Do you want to do more runway modeling in the future?

Absolutely. I’m moving back to New York in about a week, and I think I’ve made some great contacts through the show, so you haven’t seen the last of me yet!

What does your tattoo say/mean?

The tattoo on my side is five different symbols. One is my initials, and rest are just different symbols. One is “I fear nothing but God” which is the symbol for strength. Me and my dad went and got them together.

Your dad has the same ones?

Yes.

Do you read what people are saying about you online?

Yes, I do. I have a secret name on your site. I go in and read things about me and say, Oh, that’s not true! My dad is the same way, he has them all printed off, then he reads them to me. He calls me every five minutes to see if I’ve read the latest. I’m like, Dad, do you even work?

Did you follow any of the spoilers, which pointed to you as the winner?

I didn’t see the spoiler that said I was the winner, but I have a myspace account, and some of the fans got on there and congratulated me for winning, and I was like, “what?” Obviously there were rumors about me winning, which felt good, because to have somebody think I was supposed to win - it makes me feel good.

What were you thinking just before they announced the winner?

At that moment when I was standing next to Naima... at that evaluation, they went picture for picture, and I thought I was stronger with the photography. Then we watched the runway show, and I thought Naima did do better than me, but at the same time I thought I was very solid throughout that whole competition...so I really thought it was going to be me. So when I looked over at the screen, I was like wait, hold on you guys, that’s the wrong picture.

It’s all right, because me and Naima are really great friends, and we still talk and I’m really happy for her.

What advice would you give to any girls out there thinking of trying out for the show?

One thing I felt from the beginning was that a lot of the girls were fake and trying to draw attention to themselves. It just goes to show you that you don’t have to go over the top to make it on the show. If you’re going to go out for the show, you’ve got to be real to yourself, and if you’re fake, they’ll see right through it. And if it’s something you want, you shouldn’t give up.


Thanks to Kahlen for speaking with me today, and many, many thanks to UPN for granting us interviews.

---

Kahlen
Age: 21
Height: 5'8"
Hometown: Broken Arrow, OK
Occupation: Restaurant Hostess

Tyra told Kahlen on more than one occasion that she almost had the total package. Her photos were striking, she had a great sense of humour, and a perfect body for high fashion and runway modeling. The only thing Kahlen seemed to lack was self-confidence. That didn’t stop her from getting to the final two this cycle, and it seemed the judges were faced with a difficult decision in choosing the winner. Although Naima ultimately won the title, fortunately this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Kahlen.

Hi Kahlen, congrats!

Thanks!

During the initial interviews on the show, you said that you hadn’t watched Top Model on television. What was your motivation for trying out?

I was working in New York and the casting people, including Tyra, showed up near where I was working. The recruiters asked me to come by and audition so I decided to go for it. Modeling is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I thought this would be a great opportunity.

You were told over and over again that you lacked confidence in yourself. Has watching how well you did on the show helped to boost your self-esteem?

Absolutely. It really helped seeing what a good job I actually did on the show. While I was there I kept thinking to myself, “Well, I made it this far so obviously I don’t suck.” It took a long time though to actually believe in myself and realize that I can do this, I’m good at this. I’m very confident in my photos and my performance on the runway.

In the final episode, you said that there were people back home who didn’t think you could do this. What would you like to say to them now?

I would really like to thank them. I love to prove people wrong, and they made me push myself to do that. No one is going to believe in you until you believe in yourself; that’s one of the things I learned through this whole experience. And I do believe in myself. On the show, I would work harder just so I could prove those who doubted me wrong.

What would your dream modeling job be?

Runway for sure. I would love to do runway work for Alexander McQueen. He’s a genius and has such a wonderful vision. His clothes are great, his models are fantastic, I just love him. He’s so different from anything else you see out there.

After finding out your friend had passed away, you had to do a photo shoot in an open grave at a cemetery. Obviously that was extremely difficult for you, but the resulting photo was one of the best we’ve ever seen from ANTM. How do you feel when you look at that photo today?

Proud. It was a hard thing to do for sure, but it was also a personal test for me. I really had to overcome my feelings and just do it. It was a test to see if I wanted it badly enough, and I did. I wasn’t about to give up. I just pushed through it. I was detached from the situation, but at the same time I used my emotions and gave that photo all I had.

The girls who have finished in second place on America’s Next Top Model have so far done very well for themselves with modeling careers. Have you had any offers yet, and will you continue to pursue modeling?

I haven’t had any offers yet since the show literally just ended, but I’m going to make a go of it. I’m planning to move to New York next week and look for an agent. I made a lot of good contacts through the show, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and working.

What advice would you give to other aspiring models who are trying out for cycle 5?

When I first went in there I was so worried – I thought I had to be loud and attention grabbing just to get noticed. Fortunately I was wrong. You have to be real, and be yourself. If you’re fake and phony, they will notice and you won’t last long. They’ll see right through you.

Even when you were feeling uncomfortable about situations you were in, it seemed like your sense of humour pulled you through. Do you think the editors portrayed you as too serious and self-conscious?

When I was watching the show, I kept saying “Wow, did I really cry that much?” When stuff gets hard, I either cry or laugh it off. Apparently they caught me crying more than laughing or something. Really though, I try to laugh more. Nothing can be taken too seriously, or you just don’t have any fun. You have to be able to poke fun at yourself and roll with it.

I do think I was portrayed very well though. There is nothing else I would have added or not shown. That was me.

If you could put the four judges and Miss J through one of your photo shoots, which one would you choose and why?

Oh that’s easy. The wet and wild shoot! Remember that one? We had everything working against us; the winds were strong enough to blow the cars over, and you couldn’t tell but I think they transported that water in from Antarctica! It was freezing cold, and it was just such a shock to be standing there and all of a sudden you’re being pelted by icy cold water and hurricane winds.

I’d love to see them do that one!

Kahlen, thanks so much for your time! You were my favourite going in to the show, and it’s great to see how far you went. Best of luck to you for the future!

Oh, thank you so much!