On this week’s America’s Next Top Model, Ebony surprised everyone when she decided to drop out of the competition. She ended up in the bottom two with Ambreal and Tyra actually decided to keep Ebony in the competition. However, after weeks of being criticized in panel and being labeled as a diva, Ebony decided that the show wasn’t for her and left. Today, she spoke to BuddyTV about how she was never prepared for reality television and lets us know whether or not she wants to continue with modeling. Letting us know her true feelings on every subject from Bianca to Mr. Jay, here is the interview with the woman who walked away from America’s Next Top Model.
Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.
Hey everybody, this is Gina from BuddyTV and I’m talking to Ebony from America’s Next Top Model.
Hello!
In the beginning, on the first episode, it seemed like Tyra was trying to pin you as the difficult one and the dramatic one, and I have to admit, as a viewer, I bought it. I was like, “Oh God, this girl is gonna create drama all over the place.” But you know, you really didn’t. Why do you think she got that first impression of you?
You know, when I went into the competition, I felt that it’s a reality show, so I thought they wanted a drama queen or someone who kicks up mess, so I created that person and later was confronted by the girls and Tyra, which I deserved because I was totally out of control. And so when I made the cut I told myself, “When I make it to the house, I’m gonna be myself.” And so, that’s what I did.
How would you describe yourself in your everyday life? What qualities would you say you have?
I am a really sweet person. I’m really nice, very considerate, helpful, caring, just a really nice, lovable person.
I don’t think you needed to worry about being the drama queen, because Bianca took that job for you right away. There’s so much drama between Bianca and Lisa, Bianca and Heather. How was Bianca to live with?
When we got to the house I didn’t have any problems with Bianca. Bianca and I were actually pretty close, so I didn’t have any problems with Bianca. She wasn’t difficult to live with.
When we talked to Kimberly and Victoria, they both felt like in their photo shoots, they didn’t get enough feedback from Jay and other girls got more attention. How do you think you did with him, did you get the attention that you wanted?
Mr. Jay…yeah. I don’t think I got…sometimes I did, sometimes I would go in there and I would do a really good job with the photo shoot, but sometimes I didn’t do so well. Mr. Jay is just straightforward and blunt, and he’s gonna tell you how he feels. If you suck, he’s gonna say you suck. And so, yeah, I think I got that attention that I needed.
When you did the gargoyle photo shoot the week before, you were amazing and something changed in you between that episode and this most recent episode. What happened with you that made you sort of check out of the competition?
I just didn’t want to be there. After a while, there’s so much stuff that goes on behind scenes that you guys aren’t shown. I wasn’t enjoying myself after a while. I really wanted to go home and it wasn’t what I expected. In addition to that, I was extremely homesick, and I missed my privacy, I never got used to the cameras and microphones. And I just wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t happy.
Did leaving the show mean you didn’t want to participate in America’s Next Top Model anymore, or did it mean you had lost your passion for modeling?
I really was not for the reality TV. Coming into this competition, I thought it was something totally different. I just wasn’t really into the reality TV thing. Yes, I’m interested in modeling and if I want to make a career out of it? Yes, but now my passion is definitely nursing, I’m in nursing school right now and I’m going for my major next semester, and I’m very excited about that. But I’m not sure if I want to make a career out of modeling as of yet, but I don’t know if things may change down the line.
Now when you watch the episodes back, what do you think about yourself and how you’ve been portrayed?
When I watch the shows, I’m like, “That didn’t happen.” A lot of stuff is cut-and-paste. But I think I wasn’t portrayed that well, definitely in panel. For some reason, going into panel I was always so nervous, I couldn’t relax, I wasn’t comfortable and it was apparent, it showed. So when I watch myself in panel, it’s like just screaming out nervousness. But they describe it as being attitude-ish, but I was just really nervous for some reason, I could never relax. I was myself in the house, I think. A lot of stuff they didn’t show, but I was myself in the house, totally different from panel.
Do you have a favorite photo that you took?
My favorite photo will probably be the first photo shoot we did with the cigarettes. I was in the bottom two for that, but for some reason, the pictures that I liked, they didn’t like. The pictures that they liked, I didn’t like. I really liked the first picture I took.
Is it safe to say that if you had to do it all over again, you would not choose to do the reality show?
Oh no, I would never do another reality TV show ever.
Well Ebony, I really appreciate your time, and good luck with your nursing.
Thank you.
Alright, have a great day.
– Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CW)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
