Trying to Be the Next Best Thing: An Interview with Heather Blumberg from “America’s Next Top Model 2”

From the beginning of the third episode of ANTM2, we got the impression that Heather would be the one eliminated that episode, and even though she did not spend that much time on the show, she came across as one of the sweeter girls in the competition. In this interview, Heather speaks out on why she felt like an outcast, what she liked about the whole process, and what was up with all the crying Catie was doing?

RNO: Did you expect the show to be so emotionally draining or the girls to be as cutthroat as they were?

Heather: Concerning the other girls, I was warned ahead of time that the competition might bet a little catty. I was on my guard for that because they even said that we shouldn’t be surprised if someone put gum in our hair or something! However, I didn’t expect the show to be so demanding. There is no way that in my wildest dreams I would have expected it to be so stressful on me either. I mean, I thought I would be able to handle it, but you saw how that turned out, haha.

RNO: What was your main motivation for being on the show and, looking back, do you think it was worth it?

Heather: Well, my main motivation was as simple as, “I want this, so I’m gonna go for it.” I do think the whole thing was worth it, but there are some things that I would have done differently. Although, I wouldn’t so much say that I would do things different as that I would just enhance myself a little more. You know, not be in the background as much. That’s just me though; sometimes I like to hang loose and other times I’m just goofy. It just didn’t work out in the end.

RNO: In the beginning of the episode you said that the other girls were forming cliques that you were not a part of. What were some of these cliques?

Heather: It wasn’t so much a big deal; I think I just dragged that whole thing out of proportion. Jenascia and Mercedes hung out a lot, and Sara was usually with them. Camille was in a league of her own, and since she talked to Catie most of the time, Catie soon found out that Camille was a bad apple. That’s when I finally started to hang out with Catie more. We are the same age and she understood what I was going through. I did bond with Bethany too, so when she was eliminated it hit me pretty hard.

RNO: Did you mention to Tyra or anyone else on the staff that your makeover didn’t include as much change as the other girls? Were you disappointed about that?

Heather: I was pretty disappointed about the whole thing, yes. I wanted more of a change and it upset me a bit when I didn’t get one. Concerning Tyra, I did mention to her that I was disappointed when all they did was made me more blonde. However, Tyra said that I shouldn’t be worried because that just meant that I was fine the way I looked and didn’t really need to have anything done. I think it’s obvious that wasn’t the case, but I guess I just have to deal with that. Makes me wonder if they knew I was going to be the one leaving.

RNO: If it was possible for you to get back into the competition, what would you do differently to last longer?

Heather: If anything, I think I would have worked harder on my body beforehand. That way, I would have walked in and blew them away with my body, making them want to keep me around as long as possible. I also think I would have tried to act a little more mature and not got upset over so much. Besides, if I could do it again, I wouldn’t feel so bad being away from home because at least I have finally experienced that. I’m only 18 so I had never been away from home for so long and it was a shock to me. Now I think I would be able to handle it much better.

RNO: Did you feel that being one of the youngest girls, that would come to play against you, or did you think that it would be an advantage?

Heather: Oh, I definitely thought it would be an advantage. I mean, even though I am 18 that is still pretty late for someone to get involved in the modeling industry. It is rare to see someone my age just starting, not to mention those in their lower twenties. I thought that my age would help me last longer than some of the others, but I guess they weren’t looking for me to be America’s next top model.

RNO: Of the photo shoots that you got to do and the challenges that you were a part of, which was your favorite and why?

Heather: I loved doing the nude photo shoot with the body paint; that was so cool. Nigel, the photographer, was so cute and nice. He made the whole thing fun by encouraging us and helping us find the best shot possible. It wasn’t like he was yelling at us or being degrading, he made the whole thing a fun process – it didn’t even feel like work.