"I'm Much More Self-Conscious About the Way I Act Now": An Interview with America's Next Top Model 4's Brandy

RNO: Looking back, is there really anything you could have done to stay longer in the competition?

Brandy: If I had just paid attention and listened, and learned that I was coming across as having attitude, I would have been around much longer than I was. It's the little stuff that I didn't realize I was doing that was turning people off. Like I said though, I've realized all these things now, and I've done a lot to change it. I think I'm much more self-conscious about the way people see me now, and I don't try to give off the attitude I was displaying in the past.

RNO:Every girl I talk to always says she knew she was going to be eliminated. Did you?

Brandy: Let me be honest -- I had no clue that I was going. I was so confident, that when I was eliminated I was in utter shock, and that's why I didn't hug any of the girls. I was more like 'Damn, I was just eliminated.' I just didn't understand why I was leaving. I was happy with my pictures, I didn't fight with any of the judges or the photographers for the shoot. It was such a total shock.

RNO: As a person, do you think the experience changed you, the way it changed Tiffany?

Brandy: Yes, I would say that as a person, I've changed. My perceptions of myself have changed, and I don't want to be known as "the bitch" because that's not me. I'm working it out though.

RNO: Do you feel that any of the judges were on your side or rooting for you?

Brandy: The only judge that I felt ever wanted me there was Tyra. I never really felt connected to any of the other judges, and they never showed me any kind of sign that they were rooting for me.

RNO: What have you been doing since the show has ended? Do you still want to continue on the modeling path?

Brandy: I definitely want to continue on the modeling path, but I'm being realistic and realizing that this is just the first step for me, especially since it was the first time I had ever modeled. I would love to get into fashion design as well though, so we'll see where it goes from here!

RNO: While watching the show, has anyone's actions surprised you, or are all the girls being edited pretty accurately as you remember them?

Brandy: Well, seeing that the first couple episodes focused on me and my bad attitude, I can't really say. Based on what I have seen of the other girls, I'd say that they are being edited how I remember them. I guess we'll have to see now that I'm gone and they start featuring some of the other girls.

RNO: What would you say was the hardest thing to adapt to on the show -- the lack of sleep, the other girls, or the cameras?

Brandy: The hardest thing for me was living with the other girls. I got used to the cameras being around and the lack of sleep wasn't a big deal for me. I lived with my two sisters growing up, and figured it would be just like that, but boy was I wrong! Once we got to the house, everything changed. Nobody was all that friendly anymore, and it was all about just being there, being ready and this being a competition.

RNO: What do you wish the viewers had seen about you that the editors didn't show?

Brandy:I wish the editors would have shown be being nice every now and then. I used to cook breakfast all the time, and when Brittany was almost eliminated, I was the one right there to hug her and lend her my Bible. I just wish they didn't make me out to be this angry girl all the time, since that's really not me.

RNO: Thanks, Brandy! You're going to do great!

Phil Kural is a recent graduate from Temple University, with a degree in journalism. You can reach him at pkural@gmail.com with any feedback that you may have.

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