"AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL"
Season 3

Norelle

Age: 19

Height/Weight: 5'10 1/2"/118 lbs

Hometown: Newport Beach, California

Occupation: Sales associate

Favorite Things:
Movie: "The Wedding Singer"
Magazine: Seventeen
Food: Spaghetti

Other:

The Interview

If there's one thing that being on America's Next Top Model has done for Norelle - it was boosting her confidence level. "Totally. I'm so much more confident now. I learned so much about myself. If I can handle this show, I can handle anything!" SO what did she learn? "I'm a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. I have a lot more confidence.. although it didn't show. I learned I can be on my own. No friends, no family around. I can be so strong." And Norelle's tone when telling us this held such sense of pride, that I had simply to admired this girl.

Norelle didn't see the first 2 cycles of America's Next Top Model when her friends at work told her sh should try out. She didn't think she had a shot. "I have braces. I'm too nerdy.". But she went to an audition in LA because she always wanted to be a model. "I waited 12 hours, and I almost left twice. I called my mom and she said I should stick it out," Norelle pauses, then laughs. Yes, sometimes you should listen to your mother.

To me, Norelle was the chameleon of the show. She had a range of looks from cute and fun to dramatic and sexy. I asked what her favorite look was. "I like to look sexy," she laughs. "I loved all of the photo shoots. I'm impressed with myself to pull it all off..." Her favorite? "The Lee Jeans shoot. That was fun. It was such a good time."

But being on the show wasn't without it's drama, and as the girls were leaving, the tension was rising. It seemed as though Norelle was doing her best to not get involved. "Yep!" was her quick reply. SO did she feel she was pulled into a fight [with Eva] that she didn't want to take part in?

"No, not really a fight. I tried to stay out of it. I'm not there to be on TV or to be a drama queen. I was upset about what Eva said. I thought 'why me?'. But it is a competition. I didn't take it to heart." Tyra Banks spent some time talking with Norelle about it and gave her point of view. "It helped a lot. She reminds me of myself. I know people will talk about me. I've been through high school," Norelle ponders for a moment. "You can't let it affect you. I'm bummed Eva said what she did. But no big deal. I know Eva. That is not her. It isn't her character to be like that."

Norelle also seemed to have trouble with Japan. All things Japanese actually. Would she have fared better had they been whisked to another place? Say Milan or Paris...? "I dunno. I don't think it was Japan. Maybe I was stressed out. It was hard to adjust. My head was going crazy! It could have been [Japan], but I dunno. The judges had been on us for a while...." So would she move to Japan for a career in modeling? "Of course!" she exclaimed. "I'd go anywhere. I'd go to Hungary. I would have enjoyed it more if it were a different environment. It was really difficult."

While the girls were in Japan, they got to witness Tyra Banks in action during a photo shoot. It was surprising to see how much acting went into modeling, and I asked Norelle if she thought the same. "It is part acting. You become a different person. It is part actress," she laughed as she added "I didn't realize it either!!"

Norelle had said that modeling was harder than she thought it would be. Was it the people or the work that surprised her? "Both. This industry....it is more work than I thought. And the people... everyone wants something different. You can't please everyone."

Other than her own, we asked which elimination surprised her the most. "When Nicole left. I remember her in LA asking 'do you think I'll get on the show?' and I said 'no'." Norelle laughed. "But she took amazing photos. She had a decent walk. When she left I thought 'Oh my gosh!!'"

Overall, Norelle would do it all over again. "Of course!!" But there would be a few changes. "Not to present myself as sweet. Me, but more diva-ish. It's not me to snap fingers and think 'I'm the shit'. But.... present myself as more confident. I'm glad with everything I did."

What is next for Norelle? "We'll see. I'm hoping to get started working. I want to do so much: photo shoots, covers, in magazines, maybe acting... a cameo on The O.C. [laughing], commercials. I'm gonna take what comes."

And off with a laugh she went. :)

Norelle's Beauty Tip:

I always double curl my lashes. I think my eyes are my best feature (everyone comments on them). So I curl before mascara and I curl after mascara.



~December 2, 2004

Read more about America's Next Top Model Season 3
Read about America's Next Top Model Season 2
Read about America's Next Top Model Season 1

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