Jayla – America’s Next Top Model

By starrymag | January 17, 2014

Q) Who are your favorite designers?

A) My favorite designer is Robert Kerry Williams. He’s just a really nice guy and if you look at his 2005 Fall collection it was just awesome!

Q) Why did you decide to apply for the show?

A) I have been trying to get into modeling since I was around 12 or 13 years old. My dad had really opposed me doing it. After watching the first season, the second, third and fourth go by and one of my aunts says, “You better apply for the show. You’re not getting any younger. I’m gunna’ kick you in the ass. You need to hurry up an get this done before you turn into an old woman!”

Q) What was your audition tape like?

A) It’s on the website. I’m talking and while I’m speaking, my outfit changes. I also threw in a couple other things. I put in my ideas and a couple other people’s for the video. One of them was me jumping on a trampoline like the “juggies” from “The Man Show.” I tell them why I should be on the show and then I go to a Wonder Woman take on my outfit changing. I spin around in circles and as I spin, my outfit changes.

Q) What was it like meeting Tyra Banks?

A) Meeting Tyra, standing there, you are just in awe with her. You’re thinking, “Wow, I’m sitting here in front of Tyra Banks.” It’s a little scary. I know if I had met her under different circumstances I wouldn’t have been scared, but she was the one at that time who could either make or break my future.

Q) Why do you think they chose Bre over you?

A) I think because I had let go out of myself. She still had that. She was still doing good, still improving and she was still giving it her all. I had just let myself fade into background. I was done with it; I was tired of it and just wanted to go home.

Q) Do you regret the things you said about Nik after the deodorant photo shoot?

A) Of course I did! That’s why I was apologizing to her in London because I felt bad since she had never said anything bad about me. Yeah, she said nasty things behind my back to the other girls, but we both got out of hand. We both took it a little too far and I think we were partly both to blame. But in the end, I am the one that acted worse than she did.

Q) What did you learn about modeling from the show?

A) I definitely learned that modeling is more three-dimensional than you think it is. When you look at a picture, it’s two-dimensional, but if you look at it closer you realize that there is so much more going on than you see with the models. You really have to pose from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. I didn’t know that and basically thought it was getting a good facial expression, but it’s so much more than that!

Q) The judges thought that your facial expressions were constantly the same. Did you practice that while in the house and after the show?

A) I didn’t practice it while in the house. I was horrible about the homework assignments that I got and never did any of them. That probably wasn’t on my side. I don’t think that I had the same face in every photo. I know I definitely did on my last photo shoot, but I don’t think that my face was the same. I have never seen my film so I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely something that I will work on in the future and I have been.

Q) Are you going to be shadowing the winner?

A) No, I am going to overshadow the winner. I plan on having a bigger and better modeling career than America’s Next Top Model.

Q) Have you maintained your new look since being on the show?

A) My hair has grown out and it’s actually a little lighter. I actually tried going blonde, but it didn’t work out. Now, I have brown hair that is sort of black and my hair has grown out a little bit since I’ve been too lazy to get a haircut.

Q) What was your favorite part of being in London?

A) It was probably just everything! I would have to say the architecture because London is so old and everything was just so detailed and so precise. It was so awesome back then!

Q) What did you and Nik do while you were out together?

A) We went to Buckingham Palace and from there we went to a bar. We sat down and had a glass of wine. I had a vodka tonic and we talked a little about Bre and Nicole and hoped they weren’t tearing each other apart. We also talked about what we thought of the competition so far!

Q) What souvenirs did you get in London?

A) When I was in London, all the clothes that we wore on our “go-sees” we got to keep. I have that and I really didn’t get to go shopping in London because it’s so expensive.

Q) Who do you plan on keeping in touch with?

A) I keep in contact with Bre all the time. I talk with her at least once a week.

Q) Who do you see winning the show?

A) I would like to say Bre, but I’m going to have to say Nik. I just think Nik has done consistently well through the entire competition. I really think that out of the three girls left that she deserves to win.

Q) What are you going to do now that you are no longer on the show?

A) Now, I plan on focusing on modeling full time instead of doing the minimum wage job and seeing what I can do. I hope to have some doors open for me from this experience.

Q) Are you heading for “The Tyra Banks Show” now?

A) I don’t know yet!

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A) I would say that if you ever consider modeling make sure you remain true to yourself the entire time. To all of my fans that aren’t into modeling, I’d just like to say thank you for supporting me. I’ve gotten a lot of emails and stuff from people and I don’t have enough time to say thank you.