“I Looked Just A Little Too Much Like The Girl Next Door” – An Interview with America's Next Top Model 4's Noelle

RNO: Which shoot was your favorite to do, and which one would you like to take out of your portfolio?

Noelle: I had two shoots that I really loved. The first was the shoot that we did for 1-800-FLOWERS. I love animals, and working with the dogs was great. I also loved the “Got Milk?” photos that we did. I think it was the hardest, but it showed edge. The hardest photo, and probably the one I liked the least, was the shoot for the signs of the Zodiac. I wear a size 10 in shoes, so I have some pretty big feet, so it was hard for me to balance myself. I’m very clumsy, and had some real issues with the harness.

RNO: Was there ever a time besides the most recent elimination that you were concerned you might be going home?

Noelle: Oh yeah! I thought I was going home after the Zodiac shoot. I even went back and cried to all the girls thinking that it was my time to go. I had so much trouble on that shoot I figured that it was going to be Lluvy or myself.

RNO: What do you think Lluvy has that has allowed her to escape two eliminations so far, yet clearly has the weakest pictures of all the girls?

Noelle: You don’t understand how unique Lluvy’s features are. She has very full lips, she’s tall and has great eyes if she can pose them the right way. All that combined, she has shown that she has potential, and the judges want to see if they can pull it out of her.

RNO: When Brandy was eliminated, did things seem a little less tense in the house, or was she edited worse than she really was?

Noelle:Well, Brandy and I were really good friends prior to when we moved into the house. However, once the finalists moved in, we clicked with different people and slowly grew apart. The thing about Brandy was that she was very defensive and everything that happened to her in the house she took a great offense to. What you saw on TV were the same things we saw. I would say things were much more calm when she left, and MUCH more quiet.

RNO: It always seemed like when one of the girls had a problem, you were right there to listen. Do you think that trait comes with being a parent, or have you always been that way?

Noelle: Both! I have always considered myself a good friend. When I was going through problems, my friends were there to listen to me, and I wanted to be the same kind of friend and comfort people. However, being a mom, the instinct kicks in when you see people having problems. As a mom, you want to see everyone happy, so you do what you can to hear people out and let them vent, just like I did with Michelle. I’m the kind of person that when something is obviously bothering people, I confront them about it, and that’s what happened with Michelle. I didn’t go in there for her to tell me her secret, I went in there demanding why she was flipping out all the time, and she ended up spilling her guts.

RNO: As the number of girls began to dwindle, did any of the girls start to change their personalities from friendly to competitive?

Noelle: Some of the girls changed in that respect, but that’s the nature of the game. I think I was the same way. As girls were eliminated, I became more reclusive. Every step in the competition I got, I had to pull from within.

RNO: Which would you say is more painful -- having a child, or listening to Janice?

Noelle: I would compare Janice to a contraction. At times, she was okay, giving us pointers and telling us what and what not to do. Then, when we were in front of the judges, she would totally let loose. So at times she could be bearable, but then there were those times when you thought it was the end!

RNO:What's next for you? Did you want to try and still make it in the modeling industry, or do you plan to just focus on being a mom first.

Noelle: Oh, this is only the beginning from me. I want to do everything – modeling, acting, and whatever else comes my way. This is not the end of Noelle, no matter how much you want to get rid of me, I’m not going away!

RNO:Thanks, Noelle!

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.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent articles on this show at our America’s Next Top Model page and take a look at our sections on The Apprentice and Last Comic Standing. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about America’s Next Top Model, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: America's Next Top Model!