Where are the models of ANTM now?

In May of 2010, the Houston Chronicle conducted an interview with Cycle 14’s Angelea Preston‘s following her elimination from the show. Read on to learn about how she felt regarding her blurry ugly-pretty photo, how she lost her daughter and if she’s watched The Lord of the Rings since the show. Here is the text from the article (written by Bobby Hankinson):

Falling further for Top Model‘s Angelea

Look, I’m not even going to play, I’ve watched this show since forever and you’re like one of my favorite contestants of all time.

Heyyy! Ooh! Thank you so much! Heyyy! How YOU doin’?!

You may not be America’s Next Top Model, but you’re totally the People’s Next Top Model.

Aw, thank you so much. You got me about to jump on my bed right now!

What did you think about your last photo from the ugly-pretty shoot? It wasn’t even in focus! What was up with that?

You know what, that’s what a lot of people, A LOT of people, were talking about. I saw the picture on like Facebook because they put them like online before. So when I saw it, I was like, “Ooh, OK, I like this picture.” I honestly I don’t remember it being blurry when I was at panel. But when I was like reading everybody’s comments they were like, “Why is her picture blurry?” and “Why are the other girls’ pictures not blurry and hers is the only one that’s blurry? I don’t get it.” I like it. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. It was a little blurry, but I don’t know it was cool, I guess.

I loved your exit from the show. You totally were just like, “Whatever, I’m still America’s Next Top Model.” It was great.

Hell yeah! Yeah! Honestly I was nervous because like at the panel they were giving me all this positive feedback. A lot of feedback was positive, but I was nervous because when Jay was there, I guess in the panel he was saying that he feels my career is going to end with this because I didn’t want it. And it’s not that. It was just I was happy as hell to be there. Maybe my happiness got misconstrued for me thinking everything was a joke. But I did not think the show was a joke at all. I was just happy as hell to be there. I was like, “Hey, it don’t stop, I’m gonna do my Hammer dance, because I mean I’m sad I’m not in the final two but I’m happy as hell because I made it this far.”

What’s next for you? What have you been working on since the show ended? Are you still pursuing this and how’s that been going?

I’m still pursuing, I’m still going to model. I’m looking into agencies right now. I’m getting my snapshots together. I’m going to be looking at agencies. Bobby, when I tell you I am going to pursue this and I’m going to be top model, I’m definitely going to be top model. You will be hearing me. You will be seeing me. Oh yes.

Do you think the judges made the right choice between Raina and Krista in the end?

Yes, I do. Ugh, oh my gosh, yes. I think Krista deserved it. She worked hard for it, and her walk was better. I’m not gonna bash Raina, she was OK too, but Krista was amazing. Her walk was sicker than Raina’s. She’s international, just like the judges said, international. Whereas Raina could do commercial, Krista is just everything Top Model is.

I don’t feel like we got to know your background as well as some of other girls. We heard about everyone’s kids back home and Raina’s volleyball and Alasia’s town in Georgia. What was your life like? We heard about the Port Authority bus station and how you struggled in Buffalo, but we didn’t really know what else there was to Angelea before Top Model.

Ooh, I can give you a little run down, because I could write a book about my life. And maybe I will write a book about my life one day because it so interesting, Bobby. It is very interesting.

I had Cycle 12, I tired out for that. I got pregnant in 2007. I had a daughter, her name was Giovanna, but I had her prematurely. I had her Nov. 3 and I was supposed to have her Feb. 12, 2008. But she ended up passing away. She had a lot of brain abnormalities and she was born without gyri on her brain. And they said if she lived then she would have cerebral palsy, she would possibly be deaf and blind, she would have all these mental incapacities. She ended up passing away on the 26th of November, so she only lived for three weeks. And that was a real tough time, of course, it was a real tough time. I wanted my daughter to live and I was ready to give up my dream of modeling because I was going to live through her and live through her dreams. But you know, it didn’t happen that way. I think her death, it made me want to try out for modeling again, because I had stopped auditioning for Top Model, because I’m like, “These people ain’t calling me back.” But after she passed away, I was like, “OK, well, this is my calling, so let me do this.” I was on welfare, I was getting food stamps and going down to the local county building and trying to make a living with my little minimum wage job. I lived in subsidized housing for five years, but I just moved back in with my mom, because I know it’s gonna be great things coming to me. So I just moved back in with my mom, but I was just living in this subsidized apartment where like HUD is paying portion of your rent, it’s like rent-based income. So I was there for like five years and yeah, that was my life.

Wow, that’s a lot. You’ve been through a lot. It seems like most reality-TV shows go for girls you can easily understand and sort of put them in a box. You were not the typical ditzy blonde girl, nor were you the small-town girl or the villain. How did you want to represent yourself going into this?

I wanted to represent myself as a girl that didn’t come from much. That my mom needed public assistance and she did what she needed to do and we were raised in inner-city America. Girls that come from areas like me, we’re like basically stuck in a box. It is kind of hard for us to get out and actually do what we want to do because we do have all this negativity surrounding us. You typically don’t see girls – I’m not gonna say that come from “the hood” – but you know girls that just don’t come from nice areas. They become statistics, and I’m not a statistic. I just wanted to prove to girls that have been in my situation or may have grown up in similar circumstances that if you have a dream — regardless if you want to be singer, a NASA astronaut, whatever — you could do it. Just believe in yourself. Just because everyone around you is out here selling drugs or people going to prison or people are doing things they shouldn’t be doing. It doesn’t mean you have to fall into the crowd. Because I did fall in with the crowd at one point, but I was like, “Wait a minute, I don’t want to live my life like this. I don’t want to be smoking weed every day and that’s not me and I don’t want to do that every day.” When you want something you have to really work for it and push passed the negativity and that’s what I did.

Watching the episodes, do you feel like they captured the real Angelea and you were shown fairly?

Well, I feel like … [laughs]

Don’t worry, we’re all friends.

We’re all friends, right? I feel like I did and I said everything. It was me and I did and I said everything. But I feel like I said everything because it was a reaction to why I said it. I didn’t say everything because I was just this fly-off-the-handle type of girl, “Oh my gosh, she’s such a bitch and why is shy saying all this and why is she doing all this, we didn’t do anything to her.” It wasn’t like that. It was more so the reason why I may have said some things that may have been mean to some people in other people’s eyes was because something was directed toward me at first, but that wasn’t shown. So I’m just like OK, what is this? What is going on here? Because I am cool and I get along with people, I do. I mean, I’m a joy. Bobby, if you’re ever in Buffalo, I might not be here but hit me up and we can do something.

It’s funny, I’m a New Yorker myself originally, so I always tend to root for the New York girls when they show up on the show. There’s not many all the time, they usually have small-town girls.

New York girls, we just real, right? We just real, that’s all. A little in your face, but just real.

Were you happy when you got your makeover?

Oh yes, I loved it. Oh my god. Oh yeah, that long blonde weave, down to almost my butt. Yeah, that was amazing. I was very satisfied with it. I was like, “Ooh!” I wouldn’t have cared if they chopped my hair off. I would not have cared, honestly, because I could just put a weave in it and just be like, “OK, let’s go.” I’ve had my hair short. I’ve had my hair super short before. It’s nothing for me to just get all my hair chopped off and rock the hairstyle and then get a weave put in the next week. I absolutely love my makeover, but I don’t have the weave in now. I have the hair color, that’s growing back out, but I don’t have the weave. I had to take it out, it was itching! Ooh! You didn’t see me all the time in the episode patting my head and taking the comb and taking a bobby pin and itching the mess and like scratching it because it was time for it to go.

It kind of got a little out of control at times.

Yes! Oh my, yes! The only thing I could do was put it in a ponytail, because they tease it so much and they do all this outrageous stuff for the photoshoots and then it’s like, “You’re on your own, good luck taking it out.” And I’m like, “Oh god, OK.” And like combing it out and brushing it out, all this hair would be coming out and my weave got so thin by the end of production. It was just so thin and it was shorter. It was not down to my butt anymore, it was shoulder length. I was like, “Oh, that defeats the purpose of getting the makeover”

How did you manage to keep it under control in humidity of New Zealand and still book all six go-sees? That was crazy.

That was crazy. Oh my god, it’s like right off the plane. And did you see my hair? They gave us a makeup kit and the makeup kit only had concealer in it and I had like a brush and stuff when I was off the plane. So I’m looking in the mirror and it was just pouring down raining and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I’m gonna be looking a mess going into these damn go-sees!” So I’m just taking like a bottle of water and right before I go into the go-sees, I’m pouring the water on my hair and I’m just brushing my hair back and just praying that my hair does not frizz up when I go and see these clients. And I did so well because I was showing them my personality and showing them who I was. And not the evil, “Oh my god Angelea is so mad all the time.” No, I’m not. Please. Please and thank you, I’m not.

Have you had the chance to wear your go-see dress to the club yet?

Oh, my disco dress? I am getting that today, they should be sending me my stuff today, all my winnings. So I said, “You know what? I’m gonna wear that dress for fun to the club because it’s going to be so funny.” Like if people don’t recognize me, when they see me in that dress they’re going to be like, “Oh my God, she wore her club dress to the club.” Damn right!

You going do the walk too when you go in?

Yes. I’m gonna do the club walk. And it’s gonna be very fitting because I’m gonna be in the club and I’m just gonna be like shouting out people, like “Oh what’s up?” And yes, models do do this in the club, because I’m a model and I’m doing it and what? Let’s go.

What was your favorite shoot?

There are two shoots that I love. I loved the fake photoshoot that we shot with D-Nice and I loved my Covergirl shoot that I shot with Mike Ruiz. I absolutely loved the Covergirl because I got first photo, and I loved the fake photo because I love being on Canal Street, I loved being in New York, I loved the outfit, I loved the hair, I loved everything. I did amazing on that shoot. Those are my two favorite shoots that I like.

What about favorite challenge?

My favorite challenge, OK let’s see. Favorite challenge would be the … oh! The go-see challenge. Yes, definitely, because I booked six out of six. And I got to definitely get a taste of the modeling world. We’re in the house so much and we do so many things and to actually do modeling stuff and to actually do stuff that correlates with like going on go-sees and stuff, that was so cool. And I booked all six of them. So yes, that would be my favorite and best challenge.

What was the most difficult shoot for you?

The shoot that I think I had the most difficult time on I would have to say would have been the last photoshoot. At the end, I’m not gonna say I got tired, because I didn’t get tired, but I think I was just confused. With the whole ugly-pretty, I felt I was giving it my all, but Jay didn’t feel like I was giving it my all. I didn’t know how to translate that to make him see that I am giving it my all and I’ve been doing this since day one. And for you not to see that, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I think that was the most difficult shoot for me.

Did you have a favorite judge?

Oh yes! Oh! I love Andre Leon Talley. Him and Nigel Barker. Oh yeah. I love both of them.

I love Andre Leon Talley because he had my back through the whole competition and I feel like we connected. Specifically at the panel where he said he can tell that I have a great life outside of this and all the girls were like, “Oh my god, where is he getting this from?” For him to say that, he sees the real me and he sees who I am beyond the competition. So I was just so grateful that he had my back the whole time. Oh yes, I love him.

And then Nigel because he just so sexy. He’s very easy on the eye.

Who do you think gave the best advice and was the most helpful to you?

The most helpful I would have to say would be Andre Leon Talley. When he came to us and he talked to us, the final four when we were in New Zealand, and he gave us so much advice, Bobby, I was just soaking it up like a sponge. He gave us personalized haikus and each of our haikus meant something different. Mine said something like the night is brief and like something else, but like he just gave us so much advice for the modeling world and little things that we should do, how we could be successful. It was just amazing to get that from him, because that is the way to get into the fashion world, through him. I guess people would pay for his advice, and we’re getting it for free. That was cool.

What was the most confusing advice you were given? A lot of times, I got to say, they give you advice and they say things that even sitting at home, it’s like, “What? What does that mean?!”

The thing that confused me is when at panel Jay said he felt that I just wanted to win the competition. Basically that’s what he was saying in his panel and that I wasn’t going to take it any further than winning the competition. I was confused by that because I’m like how did I give that off? Of course I wanted to win, we all wanted to win. We all wanted to be top model. We don’t come here to get second, third place. At the same time, if I would have won it, I would have been put on such a higher platform. I’m going to work regardless, but I would have wanted to work 10 times more just because I won the show. So I was kind of confused by that. How am I giving off that impression that it was going to be the ending of the show for me if I win Top Model. I was just like that doesn’t make sense.

Besides your week, obviously, is there another week when you thought the judges sent the wrong girl home?

I felt when Gabrielle went home that was a complete shock to me. Because I did not think she was going to go home. And for her to go home first. Behind the scenes we were talking and we were like, “Who do you think it’s going to be?” I’m like, “Girl, it’s not going to be you. You safe, girl. You ain’t got nothing to worry about.” Because, honestly, she did do really, really well. She did so well on her photoshoot. When I was watching it I’m like, “Oh my god, Jay’s saying all this stuff about it.” And I’m like, “Dang, I thought she did really well.” I think they sent her home before her time and I don’t they should have sent her home before her time.

What did you think of Tyra’s jumpsuits this season? That was sort of her thing every week at panel a different jumpsuit.
I love the jumpsuits. I love them. She had this red jumpsuit, I don’t know if it was Valentino, but it was something high-fashion. It was real nice. I liked her jumpsuits. I didn’t see it as a trend until maybe the third panel. And I’m like, “OK, she has something going on here with the sideswoop and the jumpsuit, OK, mmhmm.”

Would you rock that look?

I wouldn’t rock the sideswoop, because I’ve done that so much. I would rock the jumpsuit, but not the sideswoop, because I’ve done that with the big ol’ gold hoop earring. Like, I did that in high school. So I’m like, “Uh, no.” I’ll rock a swoop sometimes, but she did it every panel. I was like, “Ugh, Tyra, if I had all that money, girl please, I’d be wearing a different hairstyle every week to panel.”

Is there previous Top Model contestant or winner or just any other girls that’s competed on the that you admired or looked up to or hoped to sort of emulate?

Even though Eva won, I want to have a career like Eva, even though I didn’t win. I look up to her because she won the competition and it didn’t stop there for her. She went into TV and now she’s a daytime soap star. She was in music videos. That’s where I want to go. I don’t want to be just on the runways. I want to be in music videos. I want to be on TV. I just want to get in where I fit in. I definitely look up to her. Fatima is another one. I just think she’s so beautiful and she didn’t win and she’s doing amazing things. She’s modeling and she just got like a big campaign. Of course there’s Tocarra. She’s a BET personality now … She didn’t win and she’s doing so good. It’s like that’s kind of career I want to have. I don’t want to be one of those girls that was on the show and like a year down the line, two years, you’re like, “What is she doing with herself?” And I’m like back in Buffalo not doing nothing, or like back working a nine-to-five. I’m not going to be that girl, I’m not.

Are you interested in pursing television or acting or anything like that?

Yes, ooh Bobby, do you know some people?

I would totally watch your show. You know Tyra’s ending her show, so there will be an opening.

Can I get VH1 reality show or something? Like Life After Top Model or Top Model Charm School? Something like that. Come on, keep me on TV, because people love me. They want to see that, they want to see the outrageous, they want to see the person being who they are. It’s just so refreshing that people like me. I’m like yes! Hallelujah!

What would be your dream TV show?

I would call it Angelea’s Life After Top Model, or like Life After Top Model: An Inside Look Into the Life of Angelea or something like that. Something catchy. The cameras would follow me around and we’d go to parties and they’ll see how my life is. They’ll get to meet some of my friends. My one girlfriend we are like best, best friends. They need to give us our own show: The Angelea and Michelle Show, because we be wildin’, we definitely be doing some things, so that would be cool.

You got to meet a lot of celebrities throughout the show, in addition to the usual Top Model people … Who was your favorite special guest?

I love Rachel Roy I could not believe that we met her. When we were doing the runway, I saw Ms. J and I saw this woman. I’ve heard of Rachel Roy and I’ve seen her work and I’ve seen her. When I saw her in person I’m just looking at her because she had this tan and usually she’s more fair-skinned. I’m like looking like, “Why does she look so familiar?” And then Ms. J’s like “This is American fashion designer … ” and I’m like “Rachel Roy!” People were looking at me like, “Uh, OK. Well we know she knows who she is.” That was just so cool to meet her because I love that woman. I’m going to have to holler at her when I go to New York. Just to be in her presence, I was like touching her and I was like, “I love you, Rachel.”

You came in with a decent amount of fashion knowledge. What do you do to keep up with the industry? Do you subscribe to magazines? Are you reading blogs? What are you doing to keep up with the fashion world?

I go to Borders and I buy Vogue and I buy British Vogue, and British Vogue is like $10.99. So I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I better be getting my money’s worth out of this magazine, because this is $11. You know what $11 can buy me? That can put some gas in my car!” I buy the magazines and I look through Vogue and I look through British Vogue and I look at Harper’s Bazaar. Sometimes I’ll go on NYMag.com because they have a lot of fashion things. So I’ll go on there sometimes. That’s pretty much it. I knew to be on the show, Cycle 12 I really didn’t know that much. I’m like “Well, how can I be on a modeling show and I don’t really know anything. I know all the popular designers that the general public would know. But let me find out about some people like Alexander Wang, let me find out about people that only fashion gurus would like typically know about.” I just started to study and research all my fashion.

You were the only girl, apparently, who hadn’t seen Lord of the Rings when you were down in New Zealand. Have you had the chance since the show’s ended to go back and see it?

No.

That’s OK, I haven’t seen it either.

OK, good. When they introduced that lady, everybody was all excited and I’m like “Who the hell is she?” I’m like, “I don’t who you are, sorry, I’ve never seen this movie and I don’t think I will ever see it.”

I think that’s fine. Your face was just priceless. Everyone’s freaking out, screaming and you’re just like “Nerds… “

I’m thinking like “Nerds, what are you guys doing? Lord of the Rings? No.”

You had a sort of trademark move that you would bust out during challenges and whenever you’re excited — that cat motion. Did you realize before you watched it back on the episode how often you did it?

No, I did not. When I watch every episode, I’m like, “Holy moley, I’m doing that little cat meow a lot.” And then I’m looking at it and then I’ll see, “Oh, there I go again.” I guess it’s like my signature. If I ever see you, I’ll probably do that to you.

Did you get that from somewhere? Do you even consciously do it, or is it a subconscious thing?

I think it just comes natural if people talk to me or if people are fighting or something. Like when Alasia and Jessica were in the limo and they were fighting and I was just like “Cat fight! *cat sound*” I don’t know. I just do it. It’s just so random.

I think it was fun and it showed everybody you weren’t the villain, you’re not necessarily an angry person. You can’t be an angry person if you’re doing the cat meow all the time.

I know, right? Really, come on guys, really. Could I be angry all the time? No.

What was your favorite memory, or the moment of the whole experience you’ll never forget?

I think my favorite memory would be when Tyra told us we were going to New Zealand and I got second picture. She was like, “OK, that flight is going to be very long.” And I’m thinking, “Oh my gosh, I do not want to ride in coach for this long flight.” And then she asked Krista if she wanted to bring someone and I already knew, because Krista, me and her were so cool. I’m like uh, I know it’s gonna be me. And then she grabbed me and I’m just like “Ahhh! Yay!” I’m just so excited. That’s probably one of my favorite moments, just me finding out I’m going to New Zealand and then me riding first class with Krista, that’s just like one of my favorite moments and something I’ll never forget. First class to New Zealand.

What did you guys do the whole time? Did you sleep a lot of time or were you up partying and getting your drink on?

We drunk champagne and we ate like, like ritzy food? I would have much rather had chicken or like the coach food because Jessica was like “We had spaghetti and we had this” and I’m like really? We had some kind of like shrimp platter, but it wasn’t even a platter, it was like one shrimp and then some fish. And I can’t even eat shrimp because I’m allergic to it, so I was like, “Awww.” And then something like some kind of seafood something and I was like, “Ew.” And then when she told me they had some spaghetti, I was like “Why didn’t they bring that coach food to first class?” I would rather have some coach food than this first class stuff.

[At this time, the very nice publicist lady pops in to tells us to wrap this up and that she's sorry to "interrupt the lovefest." LOLz.]

If you had the chance to go back, what would you do differently in the Top Modelexperience?

If I had the chance to go back, I don’t think I would do anything differently. I think I did everything right the first time. I was in the moment and I did what my heart told me to do. I did what I felt was right in the moment. I don’t think I would change anything.

To learn more about Cycle 14‘s Angelea Preston, visit her bio page here.

Source: The Houston Chronicle
Photo:  CW