“I Felt I Proved the Judges Wrong” – An Interview with America’s Next Top Model 7’s Brooke

I had placed Brooke in my bottom two for several weeks, but not because I felt that she deserved to go home. In fact, I thought she was one of the more talented girls this season. However, her lack of screen time and the way the judges dropped subtle hints set something off to me that she wouldn’t make it further than six or seven eliminations. That being said, Brooke was released from the competition when the judges felt she didn’t have enough “life experience” to continue on. Give me a break! It’s no secret I feel that she was more deserving than underachieving Eugena, complainer Jaeda, and self-doubting Anchal, even though I generally like them all. I talked with Brooke about her time on the show, and this is what she had to say:

RealityNewsOnline: Hey, Brooke! Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to talk with me today. Had you watched previous seasons of the show, and what factored into your decision to apply?

Brooke: Oh, yeah, I started getting into it around cycle 5, and my girlfriends and I would get together and watch it ever Wednesday night. Actually, it was my friend Lisa that really wanted to be on the show and talked me into going with her to tryouts in Dallas. I was only 17 at the time and didn’t even think they would allow me to apply. However, I was told that as long as I was 18 by the time taping started, I was okay. So I gave it a shot, and look what happened!

RNO: After being eliminated, you said that you could have been at graduation, but told Tyra you didn’t regret being there. Looking back, do you wish you had stayed home?

Brooke: No, not at all. I knew going into the process that I was going to miss my graduation by being there. You know what, though? I’d rather be on the show ten times more than being at graduation. It’s not like I didn’t graduate. I got my diploma, I just wasn’t at the ceremony. I’m not a dropout or anything!

RNO: In my interview with A.J. last week, she said that eliminations were based mostly on politics. Would you agree or disagree with that statement?

Brooke: In a way, I do think that politics factored in. However, I don’t know for sure, so I can’t really say. In some way, though, I do think that talent and politics are considered when certain girls are sent home.

RNO: Did you have any indication before your elimination that you might be coming across as too inexperienced or innocent to the judges?

Brooke: They pulled out the inexperienced card a few times. You know, I’m too young, no life experience, etc. Basically, I was told that I was too young to be a good model and I wasn’t seasoned enough. I felt I proved the judges wrong. Week after week, I felt that my photos were strong and I was showing them that I was there to win. To be honest, I felt like I was one of the most marketable girls there!

RNO: Why do you think the judges keep giving second chances to girls like Jaeda, who has complained since episode 2, or Anchal, who isn’t comfortable with herself, over girls like you and A.J., who after one mistake were sent home?

Brooke: I think it just happened to be an awful coincidence that A.J. and myself were both eliminated after the week that we were called first and had such great weeks. I guess we’ll never really know if production had anything to do with it or if it really was just an awful coincidence.

RNO: Standing with Eugena in the bottom two, did you have a feeling it would be you going home or did you think you had a chance of staying?

Brooke: I was shocked when I was sent home. I didn’t feel like it was my best week, but I did think that I was solid enough to move on. What you didn’t see on TV was that my critiques weren’t all bad. The judges liked my black-and-white photo but were torn on my photo with Fabio. However, they still thought it was decent, so I figured that I’d be sticking around.

RNO: What did your family and friends think about your time on the show? You seemed worried about what they would think sometimes.

Brooke: I was a little hesitant telling my dad about the nude shoot, but my family was pretty lighthearted about the whole thing. When I told them I posed nude, they were all, “Oh, Brooke… you would!” I definitely still had a place to live and come home to, so don’t worry!