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Apparently, death did not become her, as Felica became Tyra's fourth "victim" on America's Next Top Model. Yet another girl was eliminated from the competition after being told in panel that she was beautiful and after previously having taken good pictures. What is going on this cycle? One thing is certain. Don't be looking for any rhyme or reason that pertains to that photograph you see in panel.
Hi, Felicia. It’s great to talk with you today. I didn’t expect to be speaking with you at this phase of the competition.
A lot of people didn’t. I know I wasn’t expecting to be doing interviews this early, either!
You’re a dancer. How long have you been dancing, and what type of dancing do you do?
I’ve been dancing since I’ve been in the fifth grade—about 11 years old. I’ve done all types of dancing: hip-hop, jazz, ballet, modern, tap, lyrical. But, now I do mostly hip-hop.
Did you take dancing lessons?
Yes, I took classes.
What lead you to become a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, and had you any previous modeling experience?
Basically, most of my friends and family were like, “Oh, my God. You have to try out for this cycle. This cycle you have to.” I’m like, “Okay.” I was supposed to do a Cycle 7, but I didn’t get around to it. I promised everybody I’d do a Cycle 8, and I did it, and made it, and I was like, okay, I did this. Everybody was, “See, we told you!”
The only thing I’ve done previously before this show was a Cinderella—I forgot what it was called—some runway show that I did. I don’t remember.
So, you had walking experience from that?
Yes.
What was it like living in a house with all those females?
Tragic. It was very tragic. Some instances were tragic, but really I think all the girls are funny, I guess you could say. You can’t do nothing now but laugh at it while you’re watching it. It’s just tragic. Who puts thirteen girls in one house together? It’s asking for it.
Who was your roommate?
Dionne and Jaslene were my two roommates.
Was there anyone with whom you were particularly close?
Dionne. That’s like my first ever [garbled recording]
That’s kind of ironic that you were both in the bottom two.
We were standing there clenching each other’s hands in front of Tyra up there. That’s my girl. I’m actually proud of her. I think that I went as far as I did for a reason. Everything happens for a reason, and I wouldn’t change anything if I had to go back.
You had a run-in with Renee over the phone in the last episode. Were these confrontations something that occurred regularly?
Um, no. Me and Renee did not get into it frequently at all.
I know squabbles go on daily when you have that much face-to-face time with all the other girls. Who do you think was overall the most difficult person in the house to live with--or get along with?
Renee. Yes, when she would get into it with someone, I would just sit there and watch. They had a voice and talked back to her, so I would just sit there and watch. Like Natasha, she would talk back, but sometimes she would just sit there. The whole phone thing last night—when she [Natasha] just sat there? Renee had it. She was the first one in there, and she skipped in front of Jael. Everyone put their name down on a list for the phone. That was their way of being fair, I guess, and she just totally disregarded that. So, I went in there; she was crying, and I asked her if everything was okay. You know, I’m trying to be civil, civilized and try to see if she’s okay, while telling her she needs to get off the phone because other people need to use it. This isn’t fair. She just waves me off like I ain’t nothing. So, I’m like . . . I don’t even remember what I said, and I saw it last night, but I can’t tell you what I said. Natasha needed to use the phone, and she wouldn’t go in there and say something, so I went in there and said something, because I don’t like people to get run-over like that. I know what it feels like to be run over, and I know it’s not a good feeling. So when I see somebody else getting it done to them, I know it really sucks.
Our readers always like to hear another contestant’s take on the other girls in the house. Last week, Cassandra gave me a one or two word description of the first thing that came to her mind when she heard the other girls’ names. Are you up for the challenge?
Sure!
Brittany: [garbled recording]
Cassandra: Sweet
Diana: Tall
Dionne: Sweetie pie
Jael: Crazy
Jaslene: Cocky
Kathleen: Loud
Natasha: Foreign
Renee: B-I-T-C-H (Sorry, that’s. . . . )
Samantha: Quiet
Sarah: Photography
Whitney: Funny
Finally, yourself—Felicia: Tolerant
You were compared to looking like Tyra. We know there can only be one Tyra! Do you think that hurt you in this competition?
Honestly, I don’t think it hurt me in the competition. I did at first. I thought by the girls calling me this, it would backfire, and Tyra would get upset. But, I realized it’s actually a good advantage because I did get picked. At comparison . . . to be compared to somebody like her, somebody who is so well respected, it’s a good thing. I think it helped me more than hindered me.
How tall are you?
5’8”.
What did you think of your makeover, and how long did it take to create the new you?
There is no new me. I’m still the same me. [laughs] It took about four hours.
Did you like the look?
I love it. It fits me. I love it.
It did look really good. It brought out your features a lot better.
Do you think you looked less like Tyra after the makeover?
I think that she changed my hair color because she wanted that effect, so I looked like me.
I couldn’t help looking at that hair color and thinking the same thing.
I think that she wanted me to look more like me, and I think that’s why she gave me the darker hair color, and I’m glad she did. It sort of took everybody away from Baby Tyra.
You did really well with the vogue posing, and Benny Ninja thought you were a natural. How confident were you heading into that laser-tag-vogue modeling task?
I was very confident. I was like more excited than confident because I wasn’t really thinking about, "I have to nail this! I have to nail this!" I was thinking, “Oh, my gosh; I can’t wait to go through the maze!” I felt like I was playing laser tag or something. It was a fun competition.
Since you had two minutes to finish the laser maze, how quickly did you finish it?
I don’t know. He didn’t tell us our times. I think I did it very quickly.
There have been some interesting photo shoot themes this cycle. Tell me your thoughts on the death theme.
I was excited to do the death scene. Like the whole nasty, gaudy makeup they put on us was very cool. I was confident throughout the whole thing. I wasn’t nervous, or scared, or doubting myself at all. When I did the photo shoot, I got great critiques from Jay. That’s like the only photo shoot that I can say me and Jay got along perfectly. Like, I used to be insecure around Jay. He didn’t like me. At the end of my shoot he said, “Good job, Felicia!” I was just so confident. That’s why I was so shocked at panel.
Were you expecting to be in the bottom three with Dionne and Sarah after seeing all the other girl’s pictures at judging panel?
Oh, after seeing them in panel, I was expecting to be in the bottom three after seeing my picture.
Had anyone on panel previously mentioned to you that you were cocky? I was rather taken aback by that comment, because I never saw you acting cocky.
No, nobody said I was cocky. Actually, I’ve been told I’m too nice a lot. I don’t know. I’ve never been told I’m cocky. I’ve been told I look stuck-up based on my first appearance, but never just cocky based on how I act. I was shocked when Nigel said that, also.
You were told you had great pictures from your first two photo shoots, but the Candy shoot was only okay. That is not true. I went back to check that, and Nigel said it was breath-taking, and you commanded it. I don’t understand that, and I don’t understand the thought that if you have one “bad” picture, you’re out of the competition, yet some of the girls have yet to have a really good picture, and they remain in the competition. What are your thoughts about this?
Get out my mouth! I said that exact thing in my other interview. Wow!
You don’t understand it either?
I really don’t. Wow!
Looking back at your previous photo shoots, you were called out third for the Political Statement. Your High School Jock picture was called outstanding, and you were the second one called out. Your Candy one was called out fifth. Yet, the Death one is the last one called out, and you go home. So, what happened?
I have no clue. I mean how do you go from second to second to third, wait, what was that order? [laughs]
Third, to second, to fifth.
Third, to second, to fifth . . . I don’t know.
Fifth is still above the middle of the pack.
Exactly! I mean if you go home, don’t you go from—sometimes they don’t even make it to great—but, great to good to okay?
Do you agree with panel’s assessment of being a beautiful girl, but you weren’t ready to handle the competition and needed a little more development?
I totally disagree. I don’t see how I wasn’t ready or how I wasn’t absorbing the information. I mean I was taking everything that they said to me and applying it, so I’m lost for words there.
From all your photo shoots, which one was the most fun to do, and did that, in turn, end up being your favorite picture?
I think the most fun . . . I can’t say. I was scared to death my first photo shoot. My second photo shoot I was emotional ‘cause Jay made me cry. That’s another thing they didn’t show, and I’m so glad they didn’t. Jay asked me about my little sister, and I started to cry, so I thought that was going to be a bad picture because I wasn’t really feeling it, but it came out good. My third picture, the ice cream shot, I was frustrated because Jay kept telling me I wasn’t giving him enough. Then, the fourth one, I guess you could say the last one was the most exciting because I felt the best.
Tyra seemed quite displeased when you danced during last week’s panel, as well as the way you were dressed. From that point on, it seemed you went from being a model, to a music video girl. What is your take on that?
I think that actually the whole dancing idea—I approached Jay with it. I was like, “Jay, I’m going to dance to Tyra. I’m going to slide to her.” He was like, “Do it! You should do it.” I was really hesitant about doing it, and Jay was, like, I should do it. So, I did it. She told me I needed to do something to be remembered in there—in panel. Show personality. So, I thought that is going to be funny, so I did it. I don’t know what they expect. They say to do one thing, and then when you do it, they say something else. It’s like you can’t win for losing.
I’m getting confused with the reasons for being in the bottom two--or being eliminated, because it’s either clothing, personality, or something superficial. What are your thoughts on that?
I think that you do need to have personality, but I don’t think that not having personality should get you eliminated because when you take a picture, you don’t open the magazine and press a button to hear what the model has to say. Talking, or how you speak, or how much you talk shouldn’t matter in a modeling competition when you’re supposed to take pictures.
I have to tell you I loved the Felicia Mail you left on Tyra’s picture.
Oh, thank you! Thank you! I had to put something that would make a mark.
Many thanks to Felicia and CW for this interview opportunity!
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