A Reality Check With ... Jaslene (CW's "Top Model" WINNER)

On last night's cycle 8 finale of America's Next Top Model, Jaslene Gonzales was named the winner. She prevailed after not making it past the semi-finals in cycle 7. She consistently took strong photos as well as brought her big personality & passion to everything she did. Jaslene is the first Latina winner of America's Next Top Model. She takes time out of her busy schedule to sound off on everything from why she came back to her favorite photo.

On what it means to be the first Latina Top Model winner…
That means the world to me. Since the show started, I was sitting on the couch with my mom saying, “Mom, I wanna be on that show so bad! I wanna be the first Latina! I wanna be the first Latina!” My Latin community is ecstatic! They are going crazy, very supportive, everybody’s happy for me.

On her favorite model…
I admire Gisele, she’s been an idol of me. I wanna be a Puerto Rican version of her!

On why she came back for cycle 8…
I wanted to go back & they had called me back. It was a mix of both – them wanting me back & me wanting to go back.

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On Renee not being picked for final 2…
Hey, better for me! It was just one more girl to fight & that was easy.

On he favorite photo…
The weirdo – I loved that one!

On who she felt was her biggest competition…
I felt like Brittany was, she takes amazing photos.

On her biggest struggle in the competition…
I would say the acting, that was challenging for me. I’m horrible at that.

On who she’ll stay in touch with…
I talk to everyone. Renee & Dionne call often, Natasha texts all the time. I had a special relationship & kept it cool with all of them.

On what you need for the perfect runway walk…
Posture. Keep your chin up & you’ll have a great walk!

For all Top Model links, check out sirlinksalot.net

* photo courtesy of the CW network

A Reality Check With ... Dionne Walters (CW's "Top Model")

20-year-old college student Dionne Walters was the latest eliminated model on the CW's "America's Next Top Model" cycle 8. She takes time out of her schedule to sit down with RealityCheckByGina and dish about girls, her mean face, and Tyra's trick questions.

RC: Did you have any previous modeling experience before the show?
Dionne: No, I had no modeling experience so that was my first time. The casting call was in my hometown (Montgomery, AL) and they sent me to Atlanta for a callback. From there, they liked me again so they flew me out to L.A. & I had to participate in the semi-finals.

RC: Was it hard to leave your daughter for so many weeks? Were you able to talk to your family a lot?
Dionne: Of course, it was definitely hard to leave my daughter! She was almost two years old at the time. I did get a chance to talk to them but there was so much chaos with the phone – everybody was always fighting over the phone. I just thought: I’ll just talk to them whenever I have time. It kept my mind off of her.

RC: Tyra (and the others) always said you had a mean face in your pictures. Was that a result of you trying to look intense?
Dionne: I actually do know why I was doing that. That’s because it’s a natural look for me. I didn’t know I was doing that. Now that I’ve been home, I’ve been practicing on how to change that. I’ve learned how to make different facial expressions.

RC: What did your family & friends say about the photo shoot with Kim where you had to re-enact her kiss in the limo with another model?
Dionne: My mom was really ticked off about that. She thought that by the editing, it made it look like they were trying to say I liked females which is the complete opposite! Mom was saying, "If they pay enough attention, they would see that you clearly stated that you were not comfortable". That’s editing, it’s what they do! If anybody wants to know my true feelings, they can ask me!

RC: Which photo shoot was your favorite to work on?
Dionne: I think my favorite would be the first photo shoot where I was the vegan. My neck was full of fruit & I was nude.

RC: On the last episode, everyone banded together to get rid of Natasha. What was your issue with her?
Dionne: That is so untrue! We were not ganging up on her. Once again, editing! My issue with her is the language barrier. Sometimes she could understand a question I was asking and other times, she wouldn’t understand. I felt like she was being a little phony at times but that was because she didn’t understand.

RC: You were asked first by Tyra which model has the most potential. You said Jaslene. As the other girls kept saying that they themselves had the most potential, what was going through your head?
Dionne: When Tyra stated that question, she asked me “Dionne, who has the most potential out of the girls?” I thought she was asking about the girls behind me. I was thinking, "Ok well out of those 3..." When I was in the bottom two, I was thinking , "Oh s---! I just dug a hole for myself!" That was like a trick question. But there was so much pressure, you were confused. You live & you learn.

RC: When you were in the bottom 2 with Natasha, did you think she was going home for not being able to pull through her shoot while being sick?
Dionne: You know what? I didn’t really think that I was gonna go home. You think one person’s going home & it’s the total opposite. I so hate that it was me.

RC: Are you going to continue modeling?
Dionne: When we go home, we’re not allowed to do any modeling. We can do some coaching. I went back to school & my old job. Just livin' life...

Be sure to check out the season finale of American's Next Top Model Wednesday at 8pm EST on the CW Network.

For all Top Model links, check out sirlinksalot.net

A Reality Check With ... Brittany Hatch (CW's "Top Model")

Before being a Top Model, 21-year-old Brittany Hatch was a bartender in Savannah, Georgia. The early frontrunner in the competition, Brittany did not receive a picture this week from Tyra. She sits down to talk to RealityCheck about her weave, her meltdown, and her short-term memory.



RC: Do you have any previous modeling experience before going on ANTM?
BH: No I didn’t. My mother tried to get me into it & because she wanted me to, I didn’t want to.

RC: Tell me about the audition process for the show. How were you chosen?
BH: I went to an open casting call in Atlanta. They line you up against the wall, pick out the girls that they think that have the right look and call them back for interviews.

RC: You started the season extremely strong – did you expect to be a frontrunner throughout?
BH: It was absolutely a surprise to me!

RC: Let’s talk about the weave for a second. What was the worst part about it?
BH: They dyed my hair 7-8 times before putting on the weave so my scalp had blistered & was bleeding underneath.

RC: Which photo shoot did you most enjoy?
BH: I really enjoyed the criminal shoot, it was more editorial.

RC: Was your outburst after being late for the go-sees addressed in the judging room? I thought for sure it would come up.
BH: They absolutely brought it up & I did apologize for my behavior. I was out of line.

RC: Watching the episode back, did you really not ask the driver to meet you or was that clever editing to make it look like you didn’t?
BH: I actually did ask the driver to meet me. I didn’t communicate it as well as I should have.

RC: Dionne called you out saying you remembered the scene with Efren Ramirez but not the Australian Cover Girl commercial script. What was that about?
BH: There’s a difference between short & long term memory. The long term memory exists after a half hour. Short term memory – you can read something quickly & regurgitate. I have no short term memory. I had two hours to learn the scene but only a few minutes for the Cover Girl shoot. It’s my fault for relying on the cue cards.

RC: Which model did you feel was your biggest competition?
BH: Probably Nastasha, she’s really fantastic.

RC: Speaking of Natasha, on next week’s episode, all the girls turn on her. Is this something that had been brewing in the house?
BH: I think that it was sort of growing. Natasha has a really interesting personality – they always showed her bubbly side but she can be cocky & mean at times. She had an issue with telling the truth a few times.

RC: What was the most challenging part of living with so many girls?
BH: I mean, really, it’s the same as any situation where you had to live with a lot of people. There’s going to be conflict.

RC: Who will you remain friends with?
BH: Jael absolutely, she’s a fantastic person & a whole lot of fun. She’s sitting next to me picking her nose right now. Sarah, Samantha, and Felicia – all of them, too.

RC: What’s in your future?
BH: I actually plan on going to New Yowrk this summer to pursue a modeling career & we’ll see how that turns out.

For more Top Model links, check out sirlinksalot.net!

ANTM: Bye-Bye To Brittany (5/2/07)

Last night, Brittany's tears, excuses, and inability to book a job left her without a photo from Tyra. The models first had to go on a series of go-sees in Australia. While Dionne, Renee, and Jaslene shined, Natasha & Brittany made it back too late to qualify. Natasha took the news well but the same cannot be said for Brittany who launched into a tyrade of expletives, blaming her cab driver. This week's photos were shot in part by Tyra. Male models were used to help the girls create two sexy photos on the beach - one aimed at females & one aimed at a male audience. Despite strong photos, Brittany found herself in this week's bottom 2 with Dionne but the judges felt they saw more in Dionne. Just like that, Brittany (an early frontrunner) was out of the competition. Check back here tomorrow (Friday 5/4) for an exclusive interview with Brittany!

So Long, Farwell... (Week of 3/26/07)

Wondering who's 15 minutes are up? Well 14 min & 59 seconds into it, I'm here to tell you who got the boot this week in reality world:

Dancing With The Stars: Paulina
I'm sure in her mind, she knew she was going. In the bottom 2 with Shandi Finnessey, Paulina joins the likes of Trista Rehn & Tucker Carlson - the first voted out of Dancing With The Stars. I actually didn't know who she was so ... I guess I'm not surprised.



America's Next Top Model: Diana
So Mr. Jay asks her why she wants to be in the competition and she answers: "Just ... 'cause ..." When will you people learn that Tyra boots the girls who lack the passion & drive? This week, the girls had to dress like men while their partners (male models) dressed like women. While girls like Natasha & Dionne flourished, Diana found herself in the bottom 2 with fellow plus-size model, Whitney. P.S. Whitney said she was a size 8. So am I. Apparenly, I'm a plus size model.




American Idol: Chris S.
Dammit! I wanted to call that he'd go home. I did say in my last blog that I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in the bottom 3. Poor Phil was there again along with Haley (I also called that one). But lo & behold, Captain Mohawk stays in the game. He just doesn't get it, does he? What will you do if he wins? Seriously, WHAT will you do? Ryan, no giving more attention to Sanjaya by wearing the hairstyle. (sigh) I'm shaking my head at producers.



There you have it, a trifecta of losers (I love that word ... trifecta, not losers.) We'll see you guys on MySpace awaiting comments from fans telling you how much you'll be missed.

SURVIVOR: SPECIAL TIME TONIGHT

Good thing I looked at AOL's TV page or I might've missed this. From their site:


Don't worry, you're looking at the right day. 'Survivor' is on Wednesday this week thanks to March Madness. About halfway through the season, 'Fiji' shakes things up by realigning the two tribes. Moto's been living large in their luxurious camp, but how will some of them fare when forced to live in Ravu's hellhole? And when two strong castaways are paired together, will anyone be able to challenge them?


Here are some other things to look forward to tonight:

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL: "The Girl Who Changes Her Attitude" - STRIKE A POSE - Watch out Madonna! The girls learn the art of posing with "vogueing" superstar Benny Ninja. The competition takes a nearly impossible turn during a high-tech mission where the models are challenged to duck, dive and pose through a laser maze.

TOP DESIGN: Bravo's "Top Design" is a real pressure cooker as the final five designers face their toughest challenge yet in an all-new episode. Even the carpenters feel the heat, as the contestants scramble to design a chef's private dining room, a space best suited for intimate social gatherings.


My DVR is on overload tonight, here's the lineup:
8PM CBS SURVIVOR (special time)
8PM CW AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
9PM FOX AMERICAN IDOL (results)
10PM ABC LOST (my favorite non-reality show)
10PM MTV THE REAL WORLD
10:30PM MTV ROAD RULES
11PM BRAVO TOP DESIGN (runs new at 10PM & 11PM)

ANTM: Back To High School (3/7/07)

Last night's episode of ANTM took the girls back to high school for both their challenge and their photo shoot. Miss J was in all her glory dressed up like a catholic school girl. Some of the girls found it weird but I should remind them that Miss J has a fiercer walk than any of them! She also donned a band uniform and this 80s prom dress:

Their challenge was to rock the runway in a prom-themed fashion show for high school students. It was bad enough that Jaslene ran her mouth about how great she was and then screwed up her entire time on stage. But when Sarah's boobs fell out & she didn't adjust? No no no, Miss Sarah! When the guest judge told her she should've covered up, she responded: "Sorry, I didn't know." Now you do. Brittany ended up winning the challenge and rightfully so. Her prize was a ridiculously large trophy about the size of her ... where is she going to put that???

Their photo shoot helped Jaslene's continued winning streak, much to the upset of many other girls. But you can't deny that Jaslene can take one hell of a picture. Now if we could only get her to stop talking:

Her name was called first followed by Felicia who took a great action shot as the school jock. In the end, Samantha was sent home for being too young & naive for the modeling world. I wish they sent Natasha home who also was in the bottom two but we can't all have our way. The combination of her cockiness mixed with her language barrier is really killin me. I think Brittany could win this whole thing but I'm going to keep rooting for Whitney or Felicia.

Has anyone seen former ANTM winners do things besides their Cover Girl commercials which apparently run only during the show? If so, send me links!