“The Show Doesn’t Make or Break Me, I Do!” – An Interview With America’s Next Top Model 7’s Melrose

Whether you liked her or not this season, there is no denying that Melrose was one of the most talented girls in ANTM history. Not only that, but she had a working knowledge of the industry, which is something Tyra just eats right up! Alas, it wasn’t meant to be and Melrose landed in second. Why is she okay with this? What did she think of the other girls’ comments about her? Melrose and I had a little chat, and she was more than ready to let loose on what went on!

RealityNewsOnline: Hey, Melrose! Thanks for talking with me today. How much of previous seasons of the show did you watch, and what factored into your decision to apply?

Melrose: Honestly, I saw about three episodes from seasons before mine. I was focused on getting my degree at the time and really didn’t have much time for TV. After I graduated, and I was in a relationship, I realized that it wasn’t living my dream, and that I wanted to get back into modeling, which I had done when I was 17. A family member of mine told to try out for the show and I laughed and said I would never do something like that. However, after a while I said I would do it just to show them that I wouldn’t get picked and we’d have a good laugh about it. It was funny, though, because before I knew it, I was getting called back, and now I’m at a really great place.

RNO: Did you feel that knowing so much about the fashion industry would give you a leg up on the competition? Was that your biggest strength?

Melrose: Yeah, well, I modeled when I was younger, and I knew back then that I was missing something. I had no clue what I was doing, and even though I was with an agency, they never showed me how to model, and basically just threw me into castings. I felt that after I got my knowledge of the industry, I not only had a leg up on the other girls, but myself from years ago, and what I used to know. On the show, though, I learned so much more than I expected!

RNO: It was obvious from the beginning that you never got along with Monique. Were things more tense from what we were shown, or do you feel it was actually easier from what we were shown between the two of you?

Melrose: Honestly, it was worse in real life. It was very scary and it’s not really something that I want to talk about.

RNO: Okay, moving on! Had anyone ever sat you down one-on-one and told you that they were having problems with you? It seemed like every time you were being confronted, it was in a group setting.

Melrose: The only girls that ever told me they had a problem with me to my face were the twins. They had a lot of class, and when there was an issue, we would talk and resolve it. The two of them really did help me grow by being real. When you live with 12 girls for two months, you can normally tell when they are talking about you. I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion because I did get along with some of the girls. One can’t be expected to get along with everyone. I mean, I really liked Eugena, but you didn’t see how well we got along!

RNO: It looked like the more you were winning challenges, the more the other girls disliked and resented you. Did you ever consider intentionally not winning a challenge in order to get in some people’s good graces?

Melrose: No, backing down to make friends never crossed my mind because I wasn’t there to make friends! I wanted to win and compete. I don’t think it’s my style to give up on my dream just because other girls are intimidated by me. I was doing well for myself and was proud of that. I never once wished ill will on any of the other girls and simply wished for the same in return. I have dreams just like the other girls do, and I wasn’t going to abandon my dreams or compete any less just so someone else could feel better.

RNO: In the final runway show, CariDee accidentally ripped your dress after the “stare down.” Did you feel she did it on purpose, and why didn’t you accept her apology?

Melrose: That whole thing didn’t seem real. As much as CariDee and everyone else thought I was fake… wait, let me say that it’s not that I didn’t accept her apology. I was just so upset and didn’t understand why she wasn’t MORE upset! I know what it takes to make a dress like the ones we were wearing. I’ve studied design and I know the energy and love it takes to make a couture dress, and to rip a huge hole in a lace overcoat was tragic to me! I was upset! I was upset that we insulted the designers. I mean, this is the first time I’m in a show this intense and the dress gets ripped? Come on!

RNO: Did the judges ever address the ripping of the dress at panel? I would think it would be somewhat significant since you did stumble when it was ripped, yet the judges said nothing about it, at least from what we saw.

Melrose: Nothing was said and it was so bizarre. It’s like nobody was saying anything about this and I’m freaking out. It was mysterious. I wondered the whole time why we weren’t talking about this designer’s dress being ripped. It was a big deal for me because I was upset… a dress is like art to me. It also seemed like CariDee didn’t want to and wasn’t going to address the whole thing. I think she was too nervous to talk about it. After the show, the two of us agreed that the whole thing was messed up and that we should do something to rectify the mistake, but nothing ever came of it.