My Favorite Models from America's Next Top Model (ANTM)

Cycle 7

Melrose Bickerstaff

These are my favorite photos of Melrose:

Melrose Bickerstaff is from San Francisco, California, and was a student at West Bloomfield High School. She was working as a fashion designer before she joined America's Next Top Model, Cycle 7. She garnered a Fashion Design Award from the Art's Institute in San Francisco. Among her favorite television shows are America's Next Top Model, The Flava of Love, Yo Momma, The Facts of Life, Real World, Project Runway and Next. She considers God, her parents and supermodel Tyra Banks as her heroes.

As a Finalist on ANTM, Cycle 7, Melrose started out at the bottom of the pack, having landed on the bottom two after the first photo shoot. She was also not very well-liked by most of the other girls in the competition, especially with fellow Top Model Finalist, Monique Calhoun. When the latter was eliminated, Melrose quickly became the primary antagonist in the house, but she was able to outlast most of the girls as she bounced back from the first photo shoot and made it all the way to the Top 2 with CariDee English. Along the way, Melrose was able to bag 4 rewards challenges, which included winning $10,000 worth of clothing. For the season finale, Melrose and CariDee were made to face off in the runway, and while they were walking, CariDee unintentionally stepped on Melrose's dress, causing the fabric to rip. Melrose accosted CariDee for the damage backstage, but the fight did not escalate as the girls had to finish the show. Despite Melrose's great performance on the final runway challenge and vast knowledge about the fashion industry, the judges decided to give the title to CariDee, making Melrose the runner-up.

After appearing on the show, Melrose has gone back to building her career as a fashion designer. Still, she wants to go back to the world of modeling, and hopes that when she relocates to New York, she'll get the chance to not only model, but to act as well. She has been seen on the red carpet for the US Premiere of Concept Tiguan, and is working with the clothing company, Ishkadada, whose first clothing line will come out in 2008.

CariDee English

These are my favorite photos of CariDee:

CariDee English born May 22nd 1986, from Fargo, North Dakota was named the winning contestant of Cycle 7 of ANTM after making it to the finals with Melrose Bickerstaff. Her prize was a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, a modeling contract with Elite Models, and a six-page fashion editorial and cover for Seventeen magazine. She is the second ANTM winner from North Dakota, the other being Nicole Linkletter of Cycle 5.


Before ANTM:

CariDee stated during the cycle that she worked as a photographer before appearing on ANTM. She has suffered from psoriasis for 15 years and believed her dream of becoming a model was unattainable. However, a doctor recommended Raptiva, a drug that she still injects weekly in order to control the disease, and it has worked well for her skin, although a small patch still remains.


On ANTM:

As winner of the acting challenge in Cycle 7, CariDee had an opportunity to guest-star in an episode of the hit CW series One Tree Hill (which airs immediately following ANTM). Compared to past acting challenge winners, CariDee had a bigger role in that episode.

During the acting challenge, CariDee confessed to previously being suicidal, and later won the acting challenge. Also, in another episode, she was criticised for making an impulsive yet crude joke to fashion photographer and ANTM judge, Nigel Barker during the bullfighting photo shoot in Barcelona, although CariDee has stated that "he actually joked back" and was never really mad. In panel, she took out a note and apologized to Barker. While participating in the "Water Nymphs" photo shoot, she suffered hypothermia symptoms from floating in icy cold water for a long period of time; CariDee has attributed it to her drug's side effects, which include lowering of the immune system.

There was a small bit of controversy regarding her on the show as well: Though she was shown speaking to her boyfriend on the phone in one episode, a few episodes later - when the girls were overseas in Barcelona - she was shown getting passionate with one of the male models the girls worked with. CariDee has interviewed saying that during that point, she and her boyfriend were seeing other people, and had since gotten back together.

Throughout the competition, the judges found much controversy in CariDee's personality, which was considered notably more outgoing than that of the other contestants. She was noted for her striking comparability to Rebecca Romijn and Karolína Kurková. In the early stages of the cycle, her personality was considered fun and outgoing, most notably during her "hiding dizzily" at a panel challenge. Later on, however, the judges began to express concern that it may be a little too bombastic. Because of this, the judges were unsure as to whether she was the person they wanted to represent ANTM, noting in the cycle's finale that she was sometimes too unpredictable and unstable.


Spokesperson for Psoriasis Foundation:

CariDee recently signed on as spokesperson for the National Psoriasis Foundation to spread awareness about psoriasis and encourage others to seek treatment.

As a youngster, CariDee says she felt "cursed" with psoriasis. She experienced taunts and embarrassment. Today, her "curse" is her cause.

"Psoriasis awareness is very important to me. I want others with the disease to know they are not alone. I want to inspire them to live their dreams," she said.


Modeling Career:

CariDee was featured on the front page of Social Life and Cover magazines with ANTM alumni Naima Mora and Dani Evans. She modelled looks of the Spring in InTouch magazine, and appeared on the weekly "My Life as a CoverGirl" segments on CW.


Television Filmography:

America's Next Top Model (2006)
One Tree Hill Episode: All These Things That I've Done (2006)
The Tyra Banks Show (2007)



A.J. Stewart

These are my favorite photos of A.J.:

A.J. Stewart is from Sacramento, California. Before she became a finalist on ANTM, Cycle 7, she was in the process of completing her studies as an art major.

When A.J. started out as a finalist on ANTM, Cycle 7, she was considered one of the strongest contestants on the show. She won a runway challenge where the girls were made to walk across big broken pieces of concrete while wearing high heels and masks that blurred their visions, but fumbled terribly when it came to doing a mock interview on the Red Carpet. Surprisingly, A.J. was eliminated on the same week where she was considered CoverGirl of the week. Although she did a fairly good job of posing as both Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez on the photo shoot, the judges felt that A.J. was no longer as committed to modeling as before. She was the 5th contestant to be sent home from the show.

After appearing on the show, A.J. has continued to pursue a career in modeling and has explained that the reason why she did so badly on the Red Carpet challenge was not because she feared supermodel Janice Dickinson (in fact, she even remarked that she found Janice to be both entertaining and funny), but because she got distracted with all the noise coming from her earpiece.



Cycle 8

Renee Alway

These are my favorite photos of NeNe:

Renee Alway (born 1986 in Maui, Hawaii) is an American fashion model and the second runner-up of ANTM, Cycle 8.


ANTM:

Renee (aka NeNe) was one of the final three contestants on ANTM, Cycle 8. NeNe heard about the audition the day before it took place in Chicago, and had just been in Chicago to get married. She went to the audition 4 days after she got married.

On ANTM, NeNe took some strong photos and it was said that she had the best body proportions for fashion, but was continuously criticized for looking too mature and old. This led to her being eliminated as the season's second runner up in the season finale. She didn't appear in the bottom 2 until Episode 13.

Her attitude had became a controversy during the show. At the recap episode, the 4th place from ANTM, Cycle 8, Dionne Walters has said that NeNe is fake. After an intervention was staged with the girls by Tyra, NeNe realized being a bad person cannot win the competition, so she decided to change her attitude and be nice with the other girls.


Modeling/Acting Career:

NeNe started modeling when she was 13. Before ANTM, NeNe modeled in New York, Europe and Japan and appeared in Seventeen and Italian Vogue. NeNe appeared in US Weekly with Jaslene Gonzalez, Natasha Galkina and Dionne Walters.

She has said that she has a lot of respect for German supermodel, Heidi Klum. She has stated that she will move to Los Angeles and continue with modeling and shooting a film.

She will appear in TV show Everybody Hates Chris.


Personal Life:

Before ANTM, NeNe was a stay-at-home mother. Her husband's name is Jason. They have a 1-year-old son named Troy.

She has 4 sisters and a brother.



Jaslene Gonzalez

These are my favorite photos of Jaslene:

Jaslene Gonzalez (born May 28th 1986 in Puerto Rico, raised in Chicago, Illinois) is an American model, the winner of Cycle 8 of ANTM, and the series' 1st full Latina winner.

She won the title of ANTM on May 16th 2007.


Personal Life:

Jaslene graduated from Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago. She was an online college admissions advisor prior to ANTM.

Jaslene had done some modelling prior to ANTM, being represented by Avant Garde Models. In her CW "Close-Up" interview, it was revealed that she appeared in fashion shows for local Chicago designers, including Michelle Gomez, as seen in local Chicago newspapers Extra and La Raza.

Jaslene admitted in her Seventeen magazine interview that she had a previous abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend which ended shortly before the filming of ANTM, Cycle 7.


ANTM:

After failing to get past the semifinal round of Cycle 7, her determination caught the eye of Tyra Banks, whom she assured she would be back for the next cycle's auditions. Jaslene became a front runner early in Cycle 8, garnering high praise for her photos and being called first two times consecutively at the start. While her consistency wavered in the middle of the competition, Jaslene improved towards the end. The judges were also impressed by her drive to win. However, Tyra was also concerned about the intensity of Jaslene's passion for ANTM.

At 5'7", she is the second shortest winner, ahead of Cycle 3's Eva Pigford. She is the 2nd winner from Illinois; the 1st was Adrianne Curry.


Post ANTM:

As part of her prize, Jaslene wins representation by Elite Model Management, a $100,000 (USD) contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics and a photoshoot for the cover of and a six-page spread within Seventeen magazine.

In the near future, Jaslene is to appear on the covers of Latina and Urban Latino magazines, and in a campaign for Southpole clothing. She has modeled for Tempo, US Weekly, and In Touch magazines. Jaslene has appeared on talk shows 106 & Park and MTV TRL. She also took part in the 2007 Puerto Rican Parade as "La Madrina" on June 16th 2007, appearing in a yellow convertible, alongside another car with Daddy Yankee. Jaslene also hosted style spots for CoverGirl TV, including segments entitled "Summer Goddess" and "Jaslene's Glamorous Nights." Jaslene is a nominee for the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, under the category "Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star."



Natasha Galkina

These are my favorite photos of Nata:

Natasha Galkina (born 1985) a Russian-born model, was the 1st runner-up on ANTM, Cycle 8, and is a special correspondent for The Tyra Banks Show.


Before ANTM:

In the ANTM finale episode, Natasha revealed to Tyra that her mother did not have enough money to send her to a university, and so she ended up living in Moscow, under very poor living conditions at times. When asked to choose a modelesque alias for herself in the series' 6th episode, Natasha chose "Nata", which she said was her childhood nickname. Nata was a college student before ANTM, Cycle 8.

During her ANTM audition, Nata said she is married to an American man named Stuart Hagler, and they have a daughter, Angelina. They live in Dallas, Texas. There was controversy concerning Nata's marriage among the other contestants during the show because Nata never wore a wedding band, nor did she seem to have pictures of her husband and daughter.


ANTM:

Nata's journey started off roughly, art director Jay Manuel having said in the 3rd episode that her "High School Clichés" photoshoot was among the hardest to direct in ANTM history. However, as the competition progressed, the judges were amazed by Nata's extraordinary progress, Tyra having referred to her as the "most improved" contestant in the opening narration of the finale. This growth, as well as her endearing personality and ability to effectively market herself to prospective clients, earned Nata a spot in the final two models, along with eventual winner Jaslene Gonzalez.


Tyra Show Correspondent/Post-Show Career:

On the April 18th 2007 episode of ANTM, Tyra announced that Nata will serve as a special correspondent on her daytime talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, having impressed the judges in that week's interviewing challenge. Nata says that she will be working on another television program, although she cannot give specifics at this time.

Nata also continued modeling, appearing in US Weekly magazine, modeling looks of the summer.