'Top Model' winner Jaslene Gonzalez on her career and being a Latina role model

In her inaugural interview, Wikinews' Sandra Ordonez talks with America's Next Top Model's first Puerto Rican winner, Jaslene Gonzalez, about her childhood, what makes her a strong individual, and what television show her abuela would want her to go on. This is also the first time one of our interviews can also be read in Spanish at Wikinoticias.
» Full story

'Top Model' winner CariDee English on her modeling career and her battle with psoriasis

Since winning the reality television series America's Next Top Model in December 2006, CariDee English, a small-town girl from Fargo, North Dakota, was plucked from relative obscurity to be the new look for CoverGirl Cosmetics, the newest fresh face on the cover of Seventeen, and affiliation with the largest modeling agency in the world, Elite Model Management.

However, she feels her greatest accomplishment is being the spokeswoman for the National Psoriasis Foundation, in which she is a motivational speaker and gives encouragement to psoriasis sufferers. CariDee has even lobbied in Congress for the passage of a bill which would ask the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Institute of Medicine to increase spending on finding a cure for psoriasis. You can read more about her role with the National Psoriasis Foundation here.

Wikinews reporter Mike Halterman sat down and talked with CariDee earlier in the week to discuss her own issues with psoriasis, how she has helped other sufferers in her role as spokeswoman for the Foundation, as well as what it's like to be a new model in New York City and her thoughts on how the fashion industry runs today.

» Full story

Wikinews interviews two "America's Next Top Model" winners!

Wikinews is taking a break from our current Top Model schedule to interview two past winners in a double exclusive.

Expect interviews next Wednesday with CariDee and Jaslene.


















Photo Credits: Mike Kortoci (CariDee), Kevin Sinclair (Jaslene)

Winner announced in the "Pick Your Own Top Model!" contest

Over 700 votes were cast in the Pick Your Own Top Model! contest. Wikinews is pleased to announce that Kahlen Rondot, the runner-up in Cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model, won with 180 votes. Elyse Sewell from Cycle 1 received 173 votes for a second-place finish. Natasha Galkina from Cycle 8 came in third with 148 votes.

All three top vote-getters may be interviewed in the future, but the next Top Model interview, after scheduled interviews with Furonda (C6) and Keenyah (C4), will be with Kahlen, if she does choose to talk to us.

Thank you all for your participation! Keep it fierce!

Final tally:

724 votes cast

Kahlen - 180 votes
Elyse - 173 votes
Natasha - 148 votes
Jade - 66 votes
Joanie - 59 votes
Mollie Sue - 47 votes
Brittany (C4) - 27 votes
Yoanna - 24 votes

Final voting in the "Pick Your Own Top Model" contest!

DISCLAIMER: IF I CANNOT REACH THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST, I WILL IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE SECOND-PLACE WINNER. IF I CANNOT REACH HER, I WILL GO TO THE THIRD-PLACE WINNER, AND SO ON.

We got widespread participation in the Pick Your Own Top Model contest I ushered in last week. I want to thank you all for sharing your opinions.

A poll will start right now, which will end at 12 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, January 12. You can find it by looking at the right sidebar on the blog page. We have narrowed the pool down to eight top vote-getters. You all suggested 56 girls, and out of those, the top eight with the most suggestions got slots. Here they are:

Elyse Sewell (Cycle 1) - Elyse was a med student from Albuquerque, New Mexico before competing on Top Model. She endeared herself to viewers by accident, asserting herself as a straight-shooter and knowing she was intellectually above all the other girls in the house. She now works as a model in Hong Kong.

Yoanna House (Cycle 2) - A former babysitter from Jacksonville, Florida, Yoanna lost 60 pounds to compete on Top Model, and eventually won the top prize. She now hosts The Look for Less on the Style Network.

Brittany Brower (Cycle 4) - The loud party girl from Tallahassee, Florida progressed week after week to make it to the final four in Cycle 4. She now lives in Los Angeles, and what exactly is she doing now? A lot of fans want to know.

Kahlen Rondot (Cycle 4) - The Oklahoma girl won over many viewers with her innocent and joyful personality. Making it to the final two, she lost to Naima Mora, which is still hotly disputed by many ANTM fans. Speculation abounds that Kahlen has left the modeling business entirely, instead focusing on bartending. Is it true? Is she signed to a modeling agency or not? An interview would be the best avenue to quell the rumors.

Mollie Sue Steenis-Gondi (Cycle 6) - The Tampa native struggled with her photoshoots as well as her perceived lack of personality. Despite making a premature exit from Cycle 6, Mollie now works in Paris, and has been seen in French Cosmopolitan. Does she think her exit from the show is a lot of bull, knowing what she knows now?

Jade Cole (Cycle 6) - Do we need to say more about Jade? "Exotic biracial butterfly"? "Soldier sister"? "The undiscovered supermodel"? She could take wonderful pictures but at times her personality was totally rank, but let's face it, she made for great television. Who could forget that poetic line "Furonda, my dear/I know your skin is bumpy/But my skin is flawless/And you look really lumpy"?

Joanie Dodds (Cycle 6) - The first contestant never to reach the bottom two during her entire stint on the show, she lost to Danielle at the end of Cycle 6. Rumors have since surfaced that Joanie is no longer modeling and has returned to her hometown. Are these true? Will she model again? Does she still embrace the show that got her so many fans?

Natasha Galkina (Cycle 8) - The energetic, vibrant, positive Russian charmed many viewers with her wise words of wisdom, such as "Some people have war in their countries." Originally overcoming a language barrier with many early photo shoots, she made it to the final two in Cycle 8, losing to Jaslene. Some viewers feel Natasha should have won instead of Jaslene. My worry is, how is this interview even going to sound if we do it by e-mail? She didn't have the best grasp for English when she spoke; who knows what it's going to be like when she types it. :/

Now go to the sidebar on the right and vote for your favorite. DO NOT COMMENT HERE WITH YOUR VOTE.

Wikinews asks readers: Which "Top Model" do you want us to interview?

PLEASE READ ADDENDUM PLACED AT TOP OF THE BLOG POST (January 4, 2008):

For emphasis: SIMPLE LISTS OF CONTESTANTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERLOOKED THAN REASONED RESPONSES. Names that may mean something to you may mean nothing to me; for example, I did not like Ann from Cycle 3 but loved Eva. Other people may like Ann and hate Eva, so a simple name doesn't give a why from you, the reader. I want to know why you want your favorite girl to be interviewed, because as viewers do not have one mind, what you may like may not be something I like. I want to hear the who and the why, so you can have the most enjoyable reading experience possible. That's what I'm going for here. Thank you.

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Hello, Wikinews readers! This is Mike Halterman. I've started my interviews and plans for the first batch of America's Next Top Model contestants outlined in a post from last month. The interview with Whitney Cunningham (Cycle 8) was published last month, and I plan to have interviews with Keenyah Hill (Cycle 4) and Furonda Brasfield (Cycle 6) published in the next two weeks.

As the news of the interviews traveled across fan sites, I noticed the reactions ranged from "Oh, wow, I really like those girls!" to "Oh, who cares about them? Can't he interview someone people cared about?" I acknowledge I can't win them all, so I am extending a challenge to all of you. Tell me which Top Model girl you want to see interviewed and why, and I will try to get that interview for you.

I really want to hear your picks! I picked the girls I interviewed because I found them interesting, but I want to know what you find interesting, and more importantly, why you find them interesting. Leave a comment here and tell me! When my interviews with Keenyah and Furonda are published, I will announce which girl has won the vote, and if I can get an interview with them.

Former 'Top Model' contestant Whitney Cunningham defends plus size models, celebrates the "regular woman"

» Full interview

Once you get a chance to talk to West Palm Beach, Florida native Whitney Cunningham, who placed seventh on the eighth cycle of the popular reality TV series America's Next Top Model, you begin to understand what host Tyra Banks meant when she described her as the "full package."

First of all, she is confident and headstrong, which is a must on these kinds of shows, almost as much as it is to take a beautiful modelesque picture. Second, she turns that confidence into drive. She has been receiving steady work as a model since leaving the show, and still believes that her goal of being the first woman to wear a size ten dress on the cover of Vogue is in reach. Third, and probably most important to television viewers, she obliterates the age-old model stereotype that to be pretty and photograph well, one must also be vapid and without a thought. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Cunningham also dreams of becoming a writer, and is working toward dual goals: a model who can express herself like no other model before her.

Cunningham recently sat down with Wikinews reporter Mike Halterman in an impassioned interview, taking hours to field questions from the reporter as well as from fans of America's Next Top Model. Always in high spirits, Cunningham shows that she is a distinct personality who has carved her own niche in the Top Model history books. At the same time, she exhibits a joie de vivre that is oddly reminiscent of earlier Top Model fan favorite Toccara Jones, who showed America just how to be "big, black, beautiful and loving it." However, Cunningham is quick to remind everyone that she isn't big at all; she is simply a regular woman.

This is the first in a series of interviews with America's Next Top Model contestants. Interviews will be published sporadically.

Ten 'America's Next Top Model' contestants take your questions tomorrow!

Our next interview will be ten times as informative and fun, as we interview ten contestants from past cycles of America's Next Top Model. If you'd like to get some final questions in for:

Jennipher (C3)
Lluvy (C4)
Michelle (C4)
Keenyah (C4)
Furonda (C6)
Brooke (C7)
Jaeda (C7)
Samantha (C8)
Diana (C8)
Whitney (C8)

...then please go to this page. We encourage anyone and any agencies to ask a question.

The interview will be held in the chat room #wikinews-interviews at 4 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow (Sunday, December 2). Considering the volume of questions received, the interview probably will not end until 5:30, or 6:00 at the very latest.

For assistance in using IRC and logging onto the freenode network, please see this page.

Get your voice heard: Ask past 'America's Next Top Model' contestants questions!

Wikinews is currently taking questions for nine past 'America's Next Top Model' contestants in our next free, collaborative interview.

The following past contestants will be interviewed:

Jennipher (Cycle 3)
Michelle (Cycle 4)
Keenyah (Cycle 4)
Furonda (Cycle 6)
Brooke (Cycle 7)
Jaeda (Cycle 7)
Samantha (Cycle 8)
Diana (Cycle 8)
Whitney (Cycle 8)

We encourage anyone and any agencies to ask a question. If you would like to be part of this interview, please go here and ask your questions(s) at the bottom of the page.

Andrea Muizelaar on fashion, anorexia, and life after 'Top Model'

» Full Interview

In the 18 months since Andrea Muizelaar was crowned winner of the reality TV series Canada's Next Top Model, her life has been in a complete whirlwind. From working in a dollar store in her hometown of Whitby, Ontario, to modeling haute couture in Toronto, she had reached her dream of becoming a true Top Model.

But at what cost? Unknown to casual television viewers, Muizelaar had been enveloped in the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, which inevitably became too much for her to bear. She gave up modeling and moved back to Whitby, where she sought treatment for her disorder, re-entered college, and now works at a bank. Where is she now? Happy and healthy, she says.

Recently Andrea Muizelaar sat down with Wikinews reporter Mike Halterman in a candid interview that stretched to nearly two hours, as she told all about her hopes and aspirations, her battle with anorexia, and just what really happened on Canada's Next Top Model.

Get your voice heard: Ask Canada's 'Top Model' Andrea Muizelaar a question

Wikinews is currently taking questions for Canada's first 'Top Model' in our next free, collaborative interview.

We encourage anyone and any agency(s) to ask a question. If you would like to be part of this interview, please go here and ask your questions(s) at the bottom of the page.