AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL CYCLE 6
SARA ELIMINATED FROM UPN'S "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL"

Photo courtesy of UPN.

Sara, a student from Davis, Calif., became the tenth girl eliminated from the sixth cycle of UPN's hit series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, reducing the pool from four girls to the final three.

Following a lesson on Thai customs from designer Pichita Rucksajit, the girls embarked on individual go-see opportunities where they met with renowned Thai designers who judged their knowledge of Thai customs and modeling skills. Sara felt confident in her awareness of Thai customs, but the pressure of the go-see opportunity caused her to tense up, allowing her nerves to outshine her potential as a model.

The next day the girls set off for Phuket where they posed in OP Swimwear amongst the wind and waves for an Amp'd Mobile advertisement photographed by Nigel Barker. Once again, Sara appeared tense in front of the camera and had difficulty connecting her facial expressions with her sultry poses. "Good models have to be comfortable with themselves," Nigel said eluding to Sara's awkwardness.

Back in Bangkok, the judges viewed photographs from each of the go-see opportunities. While all of the girls exhibited grounds for improvement, Sara's photos appeared amateur and didn't stand out amongst the group. "The judges look at you as the most improved girl here," Tyra said to Sara. "But the judges are now saying 'has she improved enough?'" Thus, Sara was eliminated from the running to become AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL.

The winner of UPN's AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL will have the opportunity to be managed by Ford Models. She also receives a $100,000 contract with cosmetics giant CoverGirl. Finally, the winner appears in a fashion spread in Elle magazine.

The sixth installment of UPN's hit dramality series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL follows 13 young women as they attempt to prove they have what it takes to make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of modeling. Banks, who created the show, also serves as executive producer along with Ken Mok ("Making the Band") and Anthony Dominici ("The Amazing Race").

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL airs Wednesdays, (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on UPN. For more information about AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, log on to www.upn.com.

The Interview

Sara's story is what dreams and fairy tales are made of. A girl, innocently shopping in a mall is approached by a woman. The woman first asks if she is lost. ("I looked at her like she was crazy!") She then asks if the girl would like to audition to be a model. After explaining it would take 15 minutes, the girl thinks "sure". A few months later the girl finds herself amongst a handful of women competing to be on America's Next Top Model. How does Sara describe it? "Right place, right time."

So what is it like for this "discovered" beauty to be famous? "I don't know if I call myself famous. It is a funny thing, being recognized. But I'm a regular person." But being "discovered" also has it's price. Through the show, Sara's drive and desire to be a model was constantly questioned because of her "girl in a mall" story. I asked her if she ever questioned her drive. "That was the main thing" she answered. "I didn't know if I had a passion for it. People equate being discovered with not caring. But the passion was growing. But I like modeling. It surprised me." Fighting that notion was difficult for Sara, and I asked if she thought people should be judged on how well they performed versus how much you want something. "Kind of. That is so true. I felt I had to defend how much I wanted it instead of focusing on what I was doing."

In addition to having no modeling experience, the "reality tv" aspect of the show was also difficult. "I'm not going to lie - it was hard for me. Thinking about how I was going to be portrayed." Sara was extremely concerned about offending the people in her life; her family, boyfriend, his family, friends, etc. "Regardless, I knew I was going to go back to a professional job." Sara added "it was hard. I never forgot about the cameras."

Her family had their concerns as well, but supported Sara. Her friends had no idea the adventure Sara was on. But once they found out, they were excited. "They didn't know for so long because I couldn't tell them. I had to tell them I was at job training for two months." And while they were excited watching Sara on TV, Sara had some trying moments. "It is very trying at times hearing what the judges said. And last night with the whole Joanie thing - I know it was a stressful situation. She didn't mean it." (Referring to Joanie's comments that Sara didn't want to be there as much as the rest of the girls.)

Sara LOVED Thailand for many reasons. Independence was one of them. "I really enjoyed going on the go-sees. It was the first time in two months being independent. I was in charge, going around Bangkok." She also loved the elephant shoot... despite some controversy regarding her copying Joanie's poses. I asked Sara about that. "I was always watching and listening to the girls who knew what they were doing." She explained that she was inspired by Joanie. "I only tried one of her poses, and my favorite picture was one I came up with." Sara's tone was full of awe as she described the amazing opportunity to stand on an elephant. "I didn't think of copying Joanie." As Sara describes it, she saw Joanie doing something that she thought looked like fun. But there are no hard feelings between the former competitors. 'I love Joanie. We are great friends."

When asked if she would do it all over again, she replied "Big question. Knowing what I know now, I would love to. It was the greatest and worst experience. It was a very trying experience. It's not all roses." To me, that sounded like she may have had regrets. "Hindsight is so 20/20. It sounds like a cliche, but it is true."

So what's next for Sara? Will she pursue modeling? "I am!" she exclaimed. "I'm very excited this date came. I want to dive into it 100% and see how far I can go." She has also just launched her website: www.saraalbert.com. To her fans, Sara expresses immense gratitude. "Thank you! I have read every single thing people have sent to me."

I would like to thank Sara for taking the time to speak with me, and wish her the best in all that she does.

~May 11, 2006

Read about America's Next Top Model Cycle 6
Read about America's Next Top Model Cycle 5
Read about America's Next Top Model Cycle 4
Read 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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