“I Should Have Stayed True to Myself” – An Interview with America’s Next Top Model 9’s Ambreal

I thought Ambreal was one of the fiercest girls this season when it began. However, as time went on, I think she really forgot why she was there, and it seemed like she was fading into the background. What happened? I had a chance to talk with Ambreal and she filled me in on where she thinks things might have changed, as well as a ton of other juicy tidbits!

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

Ambreal: I watched the show since Cycle 1. I always wanted to apply for the show, so it was basically about waiting until I was 18 years old and eligible! When I had my chance, I decided to apply and look where it brought me!

RNO: You had said you wanted to be a model since you were 13. Did you have any modeling experience prior to being on the show?

Ambreal: I was signed to an agency here in Dallas when I was a bit younger, but nothing ever really came of that. I wanted to see what else was out there, and being on the show was something I always wanted to do. Having the experience, though, didn’t really help me, since I really had no idea on how to do most things. I didn’t know the industry as well as I would have liked, so I wouldn’t say that being a model before really helped me in terms of what I had to do on the show.

RNO: When Ebony quit, did you know right away that you were given a second chance, or did you still think that you were being sent home?

Ambreal: No, you could tell by the look on my face that I had no clue what was going on. You didn’t see this, but Tyra actually ran off the set to ask [executive producer] Ken Mok if I was allowed to stay. It didn’t hit me that they were giving a second chance until Tyra turned to me and said that I had been given a free pass!

RNO: How did it feel being in the competition those extra two weeks? Did you feel out of place, or any kind of resentment from the girls?

Ambreal: No, not at all. I didn’t feel like I was out of place. In fact, I felt blessed that I was given a second chance and got to stay those extra two weeks. I had more fun those weeks and wasn’t as serious as I was before. I wanted to see what else the show would give me an opportunity to do!

RNO: Did you feel like you had more to prove than the other girls, since you came so close to being eliminated?

Ambreal: I know that I had to prove myself to the judges, but not the other girls, since it was the judges that had voted me off. I do think that I proved myself, but either way I had a great experience. I had fun, went with the flow, and I have to say that I expected to go home when I was next to Lisa. I heard the critiques, so it was expected. The first time I was in the bottom two with Janet, I was shocked. I thought it was a wakeup call. When it was with Ebony, I got the second chance, but knew it was me because the judges loved Ebony. The third time with Lisa, I knew time was up.

RNO: It seemed like you were doing so well during the first few weeks of the competition. What would you say was the turning point when things started to head south?

Ambreal: I really think that things went downhill when I was getting critiques and tried to apply them, while forgetting elements that I was told to remember. I should have stayed true to myself. I should have done what I wanted to do and posed the way I knew I looked good, instead of trying to do more things that weren’t working for me.

RNO: Looking back, is there anything you feel you could have done to stick around longer?

Ambreal: I could have worked more on my face. It’s different hearing the critiques and then actually seeing it on TV and knowing exactly what they are talking about. I definitely would have worked on that more if I had been given the shot.

RNO: You had a smile on your face when it was you and Lisa in the bottom two. Was that because you thought you would be sticking around, or did you assume that you were the one going home?

Ambreal: I listened to what the judges had to say, and it was pretty clear that I was out on my own and on the smallest branch on the tree. I wasn’t going to cry, though, since I felt like I accomplished what I needed from being on the show, and I enjoyed the experience so much. The title wasn’t for me, and I’m totally fine with that… it just means there are bigger and better things out there for me!