"I Knew It Was My Time"– An Interview with America's Next Top Model 9's Bianca

I’ve been talking to girls from America’s Next Top Model since Season 2, so I know that editing plays a factor in who is labeled as the good girl and who is the villain. Even though Bianca has made some pretty nasty comments, I had a pretty good idea that she wasn’t as bad as she was made out to be, especially considering that all the other girls I’ve talked to this season had nothing but good things to say about her. Of course, I had a chance to talk with Bianca about her time on the show, and I was pretty surprised at how down to Earth she was! Read on for the rest, dear readers!

RealityNewsOnline: Hey Bianca! 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?

Bianca: Oh, I watched every season from the first. I always said that when I was 18, I was going to apply for the show, so the second I had the chance to go and try out, I was there – and I made it the first time. I’ve always been a huge Tyra fan too, so that was an added bonus!

RNO: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times, but what did you think of the way you were edited? True to form, or a bit exaggerated?

Bianca: I knew exactly what they were going to do, but it was definitely a bit exaggerated. I said what you saw – I mean, you can’t say you didn’t say the things that they showed. That being said, they made it look a lot worse than it really was. I really wasn’t as mean as they made me out to be, but I had a pretty good feeling that they were going to make me out that way.

RNO: Most of the other girls I spoke to this season have all stated that you were not the same person you were edited to be. At any point did you expect to be edited as a villain?

Bianca: We would all sit around and talk about how we were going to be edited. All the girls knew that there would be the cute one, the naïve one, the mean one, etc. It was expected that I was going to be the bad girl, so it wasn’t a shock to me when it turned out that way.

RNO:What about your comments on Heather being able to do no wrong in front of the judges? Was it taken out of context?

Bianca: I really didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t want to think that they were treating Heather any harder than they would have treated any of the rest of us. I did feel that sometimes the judges were a little more sensitive to Heather because of her disability – I won’t lie about that. However, when it came to eliminations and critique, I think that the judges were fair to everyone.

RNO: Were you surprised to be sent home over Jenah, especially considering that the judges felt she didn’t want to be there?

Bianca: I knew it was my time. Jenah had an amazing portfolio, and we all knew that. I was always confident going into elimination and I never thought that I was going home until I was in the bottom two with Jenah. I don’t think that Jenah really wanted to go home. She was just homesick.

RNO: Do you feel that you were simply being competitive when you told Jenah about the other stores across the street, or was some of it sabotage?

Bianca: Ha! I guess it was a bit of both, to be honest. I knew that it was a game, and I’m a very competitive person. Whenever there was someone ahead of me, I always wanted to figure out a way to pull ahead, so telling Jenah to go across the street was my way of doing that. In the end, she won the challenge, and we talked about it, so it was all good.

RNO: The only real problem it seemed like with the judges was that you weren’t learning fast enough. Do you think that was the case?

Bianca: Yes, I really do think that was the case. I wish I could have shown Tyra how much I really was learning. I felt like sometimes I wasn’t really able to show her how far I had come, since we didn’t really get much time to interact with her and show her. When she photographed us, I wasn’t at my best, and I think because of that I suffered the most when it came to panel.

RNO: Can you give me one word to describe each of the final three girls?

Bianca: Saleisha would be “personality.” Jenah would be “rocker,” since she really is a rocker girl, and for Chantal, I’d say “cheerful.” You don’t understand how cheerful Chantal really was – they didn’t show it on TV. She was always the first one up, no matter what time we needed to be awake, and she had a smile on her face and greet everyone with a big “Hello!”

RNO: What’s the deal with your hair? Did you decide to stick with the short cut or are you back to the purple weave?

Bianca: I can say that I haven’t gone back to the purple weave – ha! I decided to stick with the short hair. It really did end up being a look that I really love, and I’ve decided to keep the look!

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

Bianca: I do think about it, and I think the only thing I could have done to stick around longer would have been to have a better photo shoot when Tyra was the photographer. I feel like if I had shown more range in that shoot, I would have stuck around. Honestly though, I think it’s better that I left when I did. I don’t think I’d be as humble as I am now had I stuck around. I’m young, and I think I really needed to learn a life lesson that you can’t always get what you want.

RNO: What did you feel your biggest advantage going into the competition was, and what did you feel would be your biggest weakness?

Bianca: I think my biggest advantage was my personality and my determination. However, I think they ended up being my biggest weaknesses too. Since I have such a strong personality, I knew I was going to have to grow on the judges. Same think with my determination – I didn’t want to come off as pushy, but I wanted the judges to see that I wanted to win!

RNO: How do you feel being on the show has prepared you for the modeling industry in the real world? Do you feel like you are adequately prepared?

Bianca: I feel like the show gave me the life experience that I need to really go out there and try to pursue a modeling career. Before, I don’t think I would have had the courage to put myself out there and be able to handle what other people have to say about me. Now I feel like I can go to a casting call, take the critique, and work with it to make myself better.

RNO:What are your plans now that you have been eliminated from the show? Do you still want to continue modeling or are you ready for something else?

Bianca: I do plan on putting myself out there and going to some castings. I’m actually talking with IMG Models right now, as well as Elite, so we’ll have to see what happens from there, but I do have my fingers crossed!

RNO: What are your other plans in case modeling doesn’t end up being the road you choose?

Bianca: You always have to have a plan B. I do plan on continuing to go to school and take some independent classes. I’m still going to school for physical therapy, so that’s always a possibility as well, if modeling doesn’t end up working for me in the long run.

RNO: Is there anything you would like to add or say to fans of the show?

Bianca: I just really want to thank everyone for the support. Don’t believe everything that you see on the TV because you have to remember that there is editing involved, and it’s not always exactly the way it happened. I had a blast though, and you haven’t seen the last of me!

RNO: Thanks, Bianca!

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Phil Kural is an office manager at a dental office, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. You can send feedback to him at pkural@gmail.com.

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