ANTM Interview: Nikeysha Clarke

On Thursday, I sat in on a conference call with the most recent eliminee from America’s Next Top Model, the talkative Nikeysha Clarke. She chats about Isis, Hannah, her future and her overall talkativeness.

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Full interview is below the jump!

How did you become involved in ANTM?

While at school in Atlanta, a scout came to my school. There was a fashion show and she was invited to come and audition. I did and I made it to the top 33 girls and then made it into the house and on the show.

What did you learn from your time on Top Model?

I learned that there is a time and place for everything. For example, the bathroom incident came across as really unprofessional. I also learned to keep my mouth shut at panel. There are certain things you can or cannot do when you want to make a good impression. If you have the look and the walk, that’s great, but if you are remembered for going to the bathroom or talking too much, you aren’t going to get hired.

What was your favorite experience from being on the show?

Definitely meeting the Jays and Tyra. It was amazing experience. I love them, they’re my role models. I really wanted to walk with Miss J and shoot with Tyra, but I was happy to meet all of them, because I look up to them.

Now that you are off the show, what are your plans?

Now that I’m not on the show, I’m going to get out there and model. I’m going to do whatever it takes to become a model and get in the entertainment industry. The show got my face out there, and now I just need to use it.

Are your issues with Hannah resolved?

We never had any problems on the show. She said something about me and I confronted her, but they never showed that. After she started crying after we called her racist, we cleared the air. We just wanted to know where she stood because there were way too many incidents that made everyone uncomfortable. I didn’t think we were out of line, but it was handled better than they showed it on the show. But we are cool now.

On the show, you became known for being talkative. Is this natural?

The thing is, I am pretty outspoken and say a lot of things that come to my mind. I’m not really censored. But it came across as though I was arguing with Tyra and snapping at her and cutting her off. But I was just trying to explain myself. I guess sometimes people don’t want an explanation, they just want you to change it. I don’t think Tyra ever cut me off blatantly. She did at with Isis at panel and I was like “Okay, I’m sorry. What did I do?” She did cut me off, but she thought it was Isis’s time because she just got called. Tyra just felt that I was cutting in on Isis’s time and that I talk so much that I’d get too much air time.

Tyra is a very outspoken person herself. Do you model yourself after Tyra?

No , I’m just me. I think that’s why Tyra and I clash. She’s outspoken and I’m outspoken and she loves to talk and I love to talk, so we just clashed. But she’s the boss, and I’m not and that’s why I got cut.

There was concern on the show about your weight. Are you naturally that thin?

I have always been thin. But I had been to an agency recently and they told me to lose weight. So I tried to stop eating and started exercising. Now, I don’t eat junk food and try to eat healthy stuff. Like, when I buy bread, I buy healthy bread. I also play a lot of sports and what not and am really active. But after that experience with the agency, I dropped too much weight. I never meant to be this thin.

You were in the bottom two with Isis. Do you think it’s fair that Isis is allowed to be a competitor on the show? And how did you feel about the other girls’ reactions to Isis?

A lot of the people didn’t express how they felt. Like Kacey. Me and Kacey were cool during casting. But then, in her interviews casey, she went on and on and on and on and she was just mean. Isis is just a cool girl. She can walk, she can vogue, she can take great pictures, she knows her body better than I do. I think that makes her more of a woman than me. I’ve never met anyone like her before. A lot of girls on the show come from small towns and don’t understand it and that’s why they react the way they do. But if she says she’s a woman, she’s a woman. Who am I to say she’s not a woman? She’s a fantastic girl, has a wonderful personality and I love her.

Look at the modeling industry. There’s queers, drag queens, transgendered, all of it. In the industry, it’s totally cool. On tv, not so much. Like I said, she feels she’s a woman. And so she’s a woman. So there. She has a body part that she wants removed, but that doesn’t make her less of a woman. She deserves to be there. She rocked it. Tyra wanted her there and she brought it.

Do you really want to be anesthesiologist?

I always wanted to be a doctor. But a teacher once told me that I should be an anesthesiologist because they make good money. But when I said that at panel, I wasn’t really serious. I was in the moment and I was upset and me, being me, said the first thing that came into my mouth. But now, I’m going to reach for modeling and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go to school. This is a good back-up plan.

Have people told you your hair looks remarkable like Saleisha’s from Cycle 9?

All the time!! I was going for Rihanna, not Saleisha! I saw when Rihanna cut her hair into that bob and I thought “man, that’s cute.” Then all I heard was Saleisha, Saleisha, Saleisha. No, it’s Rihanna! But no one ever saw Rihanna. But it is Rihanna. I cut my hair like his before Saleisha got this hairstyle on the show.

You just missed the makeover episode. What kind of makeover did you want?

I wanted a $3000 Indian hair weave! Who doesn’t? But I wanted a hair weave and wanted to keep my bangs. I love my bangs. I have a Tyra forehead and I want to keep that covered.

What do you wish people could have seen about you on the show that wasn’t shown?

That I don’t talk too much? No! (laughs) That I’m a crazy person they saw, but more in a positive light. I’m not that pushy. I just like to talk and have fun and be a cool person and do crazy things. I am a cool person and I just wish people could have seen that.

Who from the show are you planning on keeping in touch with?

Isis, Brittany, Sheena and ShaRaun. Those are my girls. We got along really well in the house and I love them. But everyone was cool, I wouldn’t mind if I kept in touch with everyone.

Who do you want to see win the show?

I don’t know. These girls were good this cycle. Each week someone had a hot photo. I didn’t even know how they chose to send home. So whoever wins, wins. I know them all, so I’m rooting for them all and will be happy for whoever wins it.

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

Uhhh..Thanks! I appreciate it. I’m glad you saw me for who I am on the show and not how they portrayed me. Hopefully o you’ll see me in other places and keep my memorable voice in your head. I saw the credit rolling and I was still talking, so remember that.

Did you get a lot of support from your family and friends?

They’re all excited I was on it and so happy for me. They all wanted me to go further. They were all “we know you love to talk, but Tyra doesn’t want to hear that. She’s outspoken herself so she doesn’t want to hear that. Next time just listen. Tyra’s the boss, let her speak.”

Thanks for talking with us today!

Any time!