‘America’s Next Top Model’: Simone didn’t love her ‘Ty-over’ either

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Simone, the last woman to be eliminated on “America’s Next Top Model,” may have gotten a raw deal. Not only did she get one of the more unfortunate “Ty-overs,” she got the reputation for being a ditz.

“I think that part might have been misconstrued a little bit,” Simone, 19, explains. “But everything they put in there I said, so I can’t take it all back now.”

After talking to Simone, I didn’t think she was ditzy at all. I do think the Lenexa, Kan., native has an unfortunate “valley girl” accent, but as we learned in the truly deep film ‘Legally Blonde,” the accent can mask a rather intelligent woman.

Right now, Simone is in the middle of her sophomore year at Duke University and says she’s not letting all this modeling stuff keep her from getting her degree. That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t consider taking some time off if the right opportunity comes along. Again, she’s not dumb.

I spoke to Simone after her elimination about the unfortunate makeover, her bloody last photo challenge and how she felt about the contestant drama.

Your “Ty-over” was one of my least favorites. How did you feel about it?

I would’ve wished for something with more versatility. Like, I like the way it looked, but there were times like at the Rachel Roy show where the stylist wanted to put my hair back, but it wouldn’t stay and she had nothing to pin it to because they had shaved all my hair off. How did you feel about Tyra trying to make you edgier with that haircut?

It’s difficult. My instinct with the haircut was to make it match me, and for me that worked. My thing was to straighten it out or add a few curls. But then I’d hit the panel and Tyra would say, ‘Girl, I want that sticking straight up. I want to see you edge that out.” For me, that was counterintuitive. It’s something I had to force myself into. It’s a pair of shoes that I wouldn’t wear naturally, but I have to put on when I’m modeling and I understand that. But, it doesn’t make it easy.
In the Times Square Jumbotron challenge, were you all as confused as you seemed on TV?

Yeah. Afterward, we were all talking about how confused we were and how we didn’t know that we were supposed to just, like, get up there and act kind of crazy. I’m not sure where the communication disconnect came from, but it was pretty much a general consensus that we all thought we were supposed to stand there, like act out the words and show the product. So, yeah, the ones that really stood out were the girls that put a little extra flavor. I had a couple times where I added in just a little bit of a shimmy or a smile or something like that to add a little bit of flavor. But, she just wanted even more. She wanted us to take it that two steps further, which I’ll now know for the future [laughs].

In the vampire photo shoot, Brenda had a hard time with the white contacts. How were they for you?
The contact lenses in my eyes didn’t really get to me. I wear contacts every day and they’re a little bit thicker than regular ones, but that wasn’t really my concern. Even more uncomfortable were the fangs. Those things just made your gums ache like crazy. Then, some slippery blood. All of those were way bigger concerns than having contacts in my eyes.

Why did you require so much instruction from Jay Manuel during that shoot?

I don’t think I had to get any more direction than anyone else. I just think Jay came into the shoot knowing, ‘I’m going to give this model some encouragement’ and ‘I’m going to push her to her limits.’ So, it just took me those first 15 frames, but then the last two-thirds of my film was when I actually really felt comfortable, like grabbing on the male model for life. I was over the blood and how slippery and sticky it was making me.
Other contestants, like Ren, for example, really had a problem with the house drama, but you seemed to stay out of it. Did the drama bother you?

I think being in a hostile environment for Ren really shuts her down and makes her feel like being hostile back. And I think for someone like Brenda, I think the criticism of the other girls really wears on her confidence. But, for me, I just blocked it all out. I don’t really know any other way to say it. For me, it was a major annoyance, but it didn’t really affect me. The conflict never really involved me. I was always involved in the aftermath of the drama and the comforting. You know, that whole aspect. There were a couple times the camera pans to me and I’m just rolling my eyes. I don’t have any other response. You guys are here arguing over, like, frozen vegetables. I mean honestly, people. This is like at four in the morning. You should be in bed. This is like a joke. There’s no other natural response for me. It was just stupid immature stuff.
Who caused the most drama in the house?

I think that Angelea and Krista, the dynamic duo, secretly fueled some of the fights. Like when they’d insult another girl and someone would say go tell her what they said. They kind of started fights from the background, more covertly. But Anslee, her fights were more direct just because she has a personality a lot of people have trouble dealing with. So, that’s probably why she ends up in so much turmoil. The things she says to people are just very direct and sometimes they can be flat-out rude. And to her, that’s just her upbringing. But, with people with opposite backgrounds, they might not respond so nicely to it. That’s probably why she was up in a lot of confrontations.
Who are your top three girls in the competition right now?

I’d pick Raina, because I think she has the entire package as far as personality and the photos and the good look. Um, beyond that, it’s tough. I don’t see very many girls in the house that have that whole package. I could say Angelea as far as she has a pretty unique look and she takes some good pictures. And other than that, I’m not so sure [laughs].

— Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

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Top picture: Simone, the last contestant eliminated on “America’s Next Top Model.” Credit: Jonathan Mannion / Pottle Productions; Bottom picture: Simone gets her unfortunate “Ty-over.” Photo: Barbara Nitke/The CW