After 12 long weeks of “model boot camp,” it was Holly Kiser who emerged the winner of Make Me A Supermodel last night. This 21-year-old model from southwest Virginia overcame many obstacles on her journey toward becoming a supermodel, including surviving a photoshoot with a giant snake in the middle of winter while afflicted with bronchitis. The only female in the final four, Holly proved that despite the criticism that she lacked a vibrant personality, she really made a connection with Make Me A Supermodel viewers who buoyed her toward victory.
Holly spoke to BuddyTV today and talked about how it feels to be a supermodel, about the best moments on the show and what it was like working with Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford. Below, you will find an audiofile and a complete transcript of the interview.
Hey everybody. This is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I’ve got Holly on the line, the winner of Make Me a Supermodel. Hey Holly.
Hi.
The finale was taped earlier this week, so you probably haven’t had much time to process your win. How do you feel?
I can’t believe it. It’s just a crazy feeling, because I’ve been told “no” my whole life basically. Just to hear “yes,” it’s like this is not real. It can’t be real, and it still doesn’t feel real, so you have to see it to believe it.
What have you done this week since finding out that you won?
Well, we’ve been sequestered in New York, and I haven’t been able to tell my family or see anyone. I’ve been going crazy with excitement, of course, just going crazy. I can’t wait to see my family and my fiancé, I got to see him last night finally. It’s just great to be able to tell people now that I’m a supermodel.
Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
It looked like the going was really tough for the women folk on the show, because they kept getting voted off every week. I was wondering what the battle of the sexes was like from your perspective?
It was very obvious, wasn’t it? The battle of the sexes, I don’t know. The girls really clicked more, I feel like. It was really sad seeing each girl go off. We had so many great conversations, and it’s just sad to get to know someone and just to see them go. They were just dropping like flies. I was fortunate enough to be the last girl standing, and even if I hadn’t won, that would have been an accomplishment in itself right there. There’s thousands of girls that would kill to be in my position right now, especially now that I’ve won, but just being the only girl was crazy.
Looking back on your journey, what was the hardest thing that you had to do?
The hardest thing that we had to do, let’s see. I think the hardest thing we couldn’t do was talk to our family. Those are the ones that keep me going, and when you’ve had a bad day, my parents are the ones that are like, “You can do it.” Just keep you motivated, and they’re just my huge support system there. But the hardest challenge was probably the snake shoot, because, first of all, I hate snakes, I had bronchitis, and I was in a tank in 17 degree weather. That was just a physically and mentally hard shoot there, so that was the hardest shoot I feel like.
What was your favorite moment from the 12 weeks on the show?
Probably just our parties. Stephanie was the party leader, she’s a party animal, and we just had so much fun. She really just made the house alive, and she really was my best friend in the house. I miss her. I still miss her.
You guys are really lucky to get to meet some really important people in the fashion industry. Who was the most memorable person you got to meet?
I think it was Jessica Stam. She’s my favorite supermodel, and it just so happens we did get to meet her. We can relate, because she’s from a farm in Canada and I’m from a farm in southwest Virginia. We just have kind of the same story, and I just really admire her. She’s a genuine girl, and I just really admire her for that.
What was it like to work with Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford?
It was crazy. I’m not gonna lie, Tyson is very nice eye candy, he’s nice looking. And Niki’s just really motherly, and they both cared about us so much. Obviously I’ll be calling them every week.
You had tons of fans on BuddyTV who kept voting for you every week. Is there anything that you wanted to say to them?
Oh yeah. Thank you so much guys, for believing in me and seeing that I do have potential and a personality. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to live my dream. This is what I’ve been working for my whole life, and just thank you for this opportunity, for believing in me. I love you guys.
Now that you have a contract with New York Model Management, will they have you start working right away?
Yeah, I hope I’ll be working right away. I’ll be moving to New York next week, so whatever’s in store for me, I’ll take it one day at a time. This will not be the last of me. You’re going to see me everywhere, hopefully on every major magazine. I’m really excited to see what’s in store. Everything happens for a reason, everything happens the way it’s supposed to, and I can’t wait to see what happens.
When does the GQ pictorial come out?
They haven’t told me yet, but probably soon.
I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Thank you so much.
-Interview conducted by Debbie Chang
(Image courtesy of Bravo)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
