AE: I know we can't talk about the outcome yet, but--to date—were there any people who you were surprised to see eliminated as early as they did?
LM: I think the biggest surprise for me was Kari. She's gorgeous and she has a good look. I didn't necessarily expect her to be the winner, but I didn't expect her to get kicked off as early as she did. Especially instead of Gina. And that's not because I have anything against Gina, but Gina would tell you herself that she was doing horribly and she didn't want to be there.
So for Kari to be eliminated before her—especially when she has such a great photo the week before. She kind of messed up the week she got kicked off because she fell on her heels. But girls were falling all over the place! Hello, my walk was horrible! At least she could walk! She wasn't doing bad and so for her to get kicked off…I was angry, I couldn't believe it.
So after that, I thought if she can get eliminated at this point in the game, then anybody can go next. As for Nnenna, when you watch the show, she started off so great. And even though she was winning all of these challenges, her beauty wasn't translating into the pictures. So that wasn't a surprise for me either.
AE: On the show, it seems like the people who are more contained get underestimated. If you're not having a nervous breakdown in the hot tub then you're almost critiqued for it. You and Mollie Sue both seemed like pretty normal, together people, but because you're not making anyone scream and cry it's deemed as not being good TV.
LM: I agree. The oddest thing about Mollie Sue is that the way she was in the house was completely the opposite of the way they edited her to be. She had one of the biggest personalities there, and it was just odd to see how they edited her. Even me—in my normal life I'm very outgoing, very friendly. There, I was a little more reserved than I usually am, so I kind of expected my edits. But I didn't think they would go as far as they did where they never showed me! (laughs)
AE: What do you think wins the competition? Is it really great pictures and a great walk? Or is it more about what kind of person is this and can we trust them to go around representing the show? For instance Lisa on the last season, she was amazing to look at and she was an interesting character, but she was a loose cannon. Would they ever let her represent the show after she peed in the diaper at that photo shoot?
LM: Honestly, I don't know—I don't think so. I think each season they're looking for something different. Last season Tyra kept saying that they chose Nicole because they wanted someone who was high fashion. With Eva, they wanted someone who was more of a celebrity. If you look at her now, she's almost gone more the celeb route than modeling. I think she's doing movies now.
I think this season they're looking for someone who has a personality that the viewers could relate to, who people would really love. And obviously with potential, who could model, has the runway down and can take good pictures. They want the whole package this season.
AE: Is there anything that you experienced on the show that really doesn't come through on the televised version?
LM: Arguments get blown out of proportion, and the way they edit people. Like Jade, especially early on, they made her look like an evil person. But she's not nearly that bad, I got along with her fine. We're friends and we talk. They need their ratings and so they need the girls to play their roles. That was her role, she was “the bitch” and that's not really who she is. Little things like that. But it's to be expected. It's reality TV.
AE: Was it a good experience for you? Are you glad you did it?
LM: Definitely! I never would have tried modeling had it not been for the show. I was interested but I probably wouldn't have had the guts to do it. Everything I know about modeling I learned from the show.
AE: And now you have a great portfolio.
LM: Yes, at the end of the show they give all of us the portfolios to take with us to agencies.
AE: Anything else we should know about you or the show?
LM: Any hot chicks out there, I'll give you my number later. (laughs)
AE: Thanks for talking with us, and good luck with your career.
LM: Thanks!
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