Last Wednesday night, Samantha Francis, a sales associate from Pinson, Ala., was the second girl eliminated during the eighth cycle of The CW’s hit reality series AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, reducing the pool from 12 girls to 11.
During the judging, Tyra expressed her concern about Samantha’s lack of confidence and comfort level. "I saw your film and you did some more sexy stuff; you just seem so unsure." The judges all noticed Samantha’s lack of personality, noting that while she had potential, she needed more time to develop. "You take beautiful pictures, but a lot of the judges look at you and say, she seems 15, maybe in three years she’ll be ready," Tyra said to Samantha, before eliminating her from the race to become AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL.
Our own RealityTVWebsite.com Elaine James caught up with Samantha in this exclusive one-on-one interview.
Elaine James: How did you try out for the show?
Samantha Francis: I watching an episode with my boyfriend and he basically told me that I could do it and that I needed to try out. So we figured out that there was a casting in Atlanta and so I drove to Atlanta and tried out.
Elaine James: You seemed like you came to a realization that you weren’t ready for the model life. What were your expectations coming into the show?
Samantha Francis: I knew it was a reality show and that sometimes they edit you to make you look a certain way and that it’s all for TV. I tried to be myself and I was myself and they didn’t show a lot of that. They showed me being very quite and very reserved. They didn’t show me being with the other girls and that it looked like I didn’t belong there. It wasn’t true at all. I was outgoing and I talked all of them.
Elaine James: So you weren’t happy with how you were edited?
Samantha Francis: No, not really. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be in the reality TV show setting. Obviously I can model because my pictures were great. Tyra saw something in me since I made it into the house. It hurt to hear her say that they saw something beautiful inside of Natasha and but they didn’t see something beautiful inside of me. But yet, I can translate it to film and she can’t. This is supposed to be a modeling competition. I just wasn’t meant to be AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t meant to be on the cover of a magazine.
Elaine James: What are your plans for the future? Will you try to go back into modeling?
Samantha Francis: I’m definitely going to continue modeling. I’m going to work on my portfolio and go up to New York and try to meet with some of the agencies and see if they want me.
Elaine James: What did you think about the prom fashion show?
Samantha Francis: The prom fashion show was fun, it just really seamed like something you would do in high school. Most of the girls were really worried about trying to get the routine down. We were all practicing in the back while we were changing outfits. My shoes were too big and that was the worst part.
Elaine James: You stated that you weren’t the right type to play "The girl with the bad reputation." Which class cliche do you think you should have played?
Samantha Francis: I think they should have had one called "Girl who skipped school too much." That would have fit me perfectly. I used to skip school all the time in high school. I would have loved to do Renee’s just because I’m pretty silly.
Elaine James: That’s funny because during the show, she said she wished she had gotten to do yours.
Samantha Francis: We had talked about that. We both wished we could switch.
Elaine James: What did you think about the other girls in the house?
Samantha Francis: They were all great girls. They were all beautiful and had good personalities. For me Jaselene didn’t care about the other girls. She was only there to compete.
Elaine James: Who are you rooting for to win?
Samantha Francis: Renee or Brittany. Either one would be good.
