Brandy Rusher at UPN Upfront Event (2005)
May 25, 2010
Brandy Rusher Publicity Photos
May 25, 2010
Brandy Rusher for Jurgita.com
May 25, 2010
Brandy Rusher Candid Photos
May 25, 2010
In March of 2005, OrwellProject.com interviewed Cycle 4’s Brandy Rusher following her appearance on the show. The interview discusses her advice to aspiring models, the worst part of her experience on the show and her future plans. Here is the text from the article (written by “Admin”):
Exclusive Interview With Brandy From America’s Next Top Model
How did you land a spot America’s Next Top Model?
Brandy: “I went to an open call in Houston and was there from 10am to 12 midnight. It was my first experience within the modeling industry and I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it, but I was chosen.”
Have you always wanted to be a model?
Brandy: “Yes. I grew up in a strict church where they looked down upon participating in such activities. Around 12 or 13 we left the church and I branched out and then decided to pursue the modeling industry. I really had never done anything like this so it was great and an answer to my prayers.”
How do you think your ANTM experience will change your future?
Brandy: “It has already changed. The show gave me an inside look allowing me to have a reason to strive harder. I was able to see how I was perceived and now I have a point to prove how I have changed and the areas that I have been working o n.”
What advice would you give to aspiring models trying out for the next season of ANTM?
Brandy: “During the tryouts try to be unique but most importantly yourself. Be different and make sure your personality pops. I am not a big makeup fan, I love the fantasy aspect of it all. If you make it o n the show, continue to be yourself, you are not there to make friends you are a competitor and let Tyra know that you want to be there and do your best to stay ahead of your competition.”
Is there anything you saw that your competition did well or something you learned not to do because of another example?
Brandy: “Tiffany changed my attitude. She was like a sister to me. I commend the girls that were able to let their inner beauty shine.”
Knowing what you know now, would you do it all again?
Brandy: “Yes, I would control my attitude and pay more attention to other peoples feelings. I probably would have stayed more to myself and focused on the competition rather than the friendships.”
Sometimes it’s hard to become friends with the competitors, did you find that true? If so, which contestant did you clash with most and why?
Brandy: “I have a hard time becoming friends with other girls, so it was nice to meet someone like Tiffany we will remain friends. There were a lot of clicks in the house and as time went o n everyone’s attitude changed.”
What was your favorite part of the show?
Brandy: “Making it to the show. Also meeting Tyra and being able to work with her.”
What was your worst part of the show?
Brandy: “Getting eliminated. Also not being self conscious of my attitude.”
Do you normally watch Reality shows?
Brandy: “I watch Fear Factor and America’s Next Top Model along with Real World. I would love to go o n the show Girlfriend’s o ne day.
What are your future plans?
Brandy: “ I am planning o n finding an agent that believes in me and I am open to all types of modeling, runway, print, commercials.”
To learn more about Cycle 4‘s Brandy Rusher, visit her bio page here.
Source: OrwellProject.com
Photo: CW
Brandy Rusher Interview with About.com
May 25, 2010
About.com interviewed Cycle 4’s Brandy Rusher following her appearance on the show. The interview discusses her “attitude problem,” her favorite part of being on the show and what she thought of Tyra. Here is the text from the article (written by Latoya West):
A Chat With Brandy – - America’s Next Top Model Contestant Answers Our Questions
Watching America’s Next Top Model 4, I couldn’t help but think that Brandy — a 20-year-old cosmetology student from Houston, Texas — was the contestant with the biggest attitude problem. But was the girl who complained the most simply misunderstood? Here’s what Brandy had to say when we chatted after her elimination.
Looking back, do you agree that you had an attitude problem?:
Looking back, I don’t really think that I had an attitude problem. I just think that I didn’t really know how to channel what I was feeling. I didn’t know how to come at people because I’m so used to having to defend myself…I learned a lot from watching myself and it just showed me how to work with the attitude. I don’t want to be portrayed as that for the rest of my life. It opened my eyes to a lot of things.
Is there one moment that you really wish didn’t happen?:
The moment I wish didn’t happen, because it caused a ripple effect, was the first time we had a photo shoot. I thought I was doing the right thing by telling them honestly my feelings…If I was tired, if I was sleepy, I wish I would have kept it in instead of saying I’m tired and sleepy.
What was one of the best moments you had on the show?:
One of my favorite memories from the show would have to be when we first met Tyra because it was just amazing. That’s when I knew ‘Oh my god. This is real!’
What did you think of Tyra Banks?:
I think she’s really down to earth and I feel like she really knows this industry well enough to be the host of the show. I think very highly of her.
Why do you think you related to Tiffany more than the other girls?:
Tiffany was one of the girls who was honest about a lot of things. She wasn’t talking behind my back. If she felt I was wrong, she would tell me I was wrong. A lot of the girls just hid it and said stuff behind my back and then I’d find out. Of course, [the producers] would show me confronting them or something.
How long have you been modeling?:
The show is actually the first modeling I’ve ever done. I had no previous experience.
Will you pursue modeling in the future?:
I definitely am going to pursue modeling in the future…As long as people just know that I really have changed. I hope that they really just notice that, and that someone wants to work with me still. I hope I haven’t lost everybody!
To learn more about Cycle 4‘s Brandy Rusher, visit her bio page here.
Brandy Rusher Interview with Reality Shack (Mar 05)
May 25, 2010
In March of 2005, RealityShack.com interviewed Cycle 4’s Brandy Rusher following her appearance on the show. The interview discusses her background, her friendship with Tiffany and how her attitude was portrayed on the show. Here is the text from the article (written by Cori Linder):
Interview with Brandy from “America’s Next Top Model” Cycle 4
Ask a lot of American’s Next Top Model fans what they thought of Brandy and they would immediately enlighten you about her perceivable faults. Many would label her a “bitch,” while the more polite ones would explain that she has a feisty persona and a bad attitude. But, out of the limelight, far away from probing TV cameras and competitive girls, is a Brandy that few really know. She is tough, yes, but in her world, she needs to be in order to survive. Yet, she is also open to change and humbly views her experience on the show as an opportunity to improve herself not just as model but as a person.
You had a really close relationship with Tiffany on the show and you referred to her as a big sister. Do you think your backgrounds and the way you grew up helped you to understand each other?
Yeah, I really feel that way because she’s been through a lot of the stuff that I was going through. She could relate to me and understand where I was coming from—I was from the hood in Texas and she was from the hood in Miami.
Are you and Tiffany still close?
I would say that if there was a way I could talk to her, then we would still be close. But, at the present time, I actually don’t have her contact information.
Tell us a bit about your background and how it shaped you today.
I come from the north side of Houston, which is a very rough area. It’s known for a lot of gang violence and shootouts. I’ve never shot anybody or anything like that, but I’ve been in the midst of them while they’re going on. There’s a lot of drug trafficking, and many people are not nice there at all. My life has been full of many struggles and I had to learn how to defend myself at a really young age rather than waiting until I was older when I could actually learn why I needed to defend myself.
Almost from the beginning, Tyra, the judges and the girls continued to say you had a negative attitude and a hardness about you. Would you agree with them, or do you think you were misunderstood?
I really do believe it was a misunderstanding from the beginning; but, the thing that is funny about that is that as I watched myself on television, I could see why I was misunderstood. Some of the things I said, my actions, my facial expressions…I could see why they misunderstood me. At the same, I learned about myself and realized I just can’t do some of the stuff I did.
During the tennis photo shoot, you became upset with Tatiana about her snide remarks and said you wanted to hit her. Do you think most of the girls had it in for you? What was your overall relationship with them?
My relationship with everybody else besides Tiffany was on shaky ground from the beginning. As soon as the first episode aired when they told me about my bad attitude, everybody automatically focused on that and never took the time to say, “Brandy, we want to try to get to know you past what the judges said.”
Regarding the argument with Tatiana, that was just me trying to tell her not to come at me in the wrong way. But, if I could go back and change it, I would probably have said it a little bit nicer. At the same time, though, I really wasn’t feeling how she was acting towards me.
Looking back, would you change anything else?
Overall, I view the show and my time on it as a big lesson. If I could have changed anything, I would have really changed my attitude and my perception on a lot of stuff that was said to me. I would have viewed it more as a learning process rather than just people coming at me the wrong way. Half the time, I felt like people were coming at me the wrong way, so I was really defensive. But, if I could have seen then what I see now, I would have changed my whole persona, my tone, the way I approached people…I would have changed my whole attitude. I have learned so much just from watching the show, and it has changed my life tremendously.
Is there anything that didn’t air that you think us viewers should have seen?
Not really, but I wished they would have shown the playful side of me instead of just the attitude. But, I’ve taken in stride everything they showed because I could have not even been picked to appear on the show so they don’t have any obligation to me. I appreciate the fact they just chose me to be on the show.
The judges thought you were a different person than the one who stood in front of them during auditions. Did you learn anything about yourself during the process?
I learned that I could really be a model and that you’re not born a supermodel—you have to work at it. I came to the show with really no formal training—I had grown up posing but never for a photo shoot—so I essentially had a crash course in modeling. Basically, I learned how to be a polite model and also a model with longevity.
What’s next for you?
I’m going to definitely pursue modeling. After modeling, my overall goal is to be a fashion designer. I love modeling, clothes and fashion. That’s my life. I’ve been designing clothes since I was little.
What kinds of clothes do you like to design?
I call myself a ’70’s Chick.’ The clothes I design are really geared towards that time and are very spontaneous and are something you don’t see in stores right now. They’re very different but have a simplicity about them.
Also, I’m in the works to do a lot of things, and I just need to meet the right people.
You said that the judges didn’t look past your attitude to see the real you. If they took the time to look, what would they find?
They would have found out that all the anger they thought I had was really not anger. You have to understand that behind the scenes, the girls were continually coming at me. Literally, every time I turned around, I was hearing something about how they didn’t like me or that I did this or that. I had to defend myself so much behind the scenes that by the time the judges saw me, they thought I didn’t smile at all. But actually, if they had really looked, they would have seen that I was really just depressed. I was going through a lot of things in my mind, and I didn’t know how to handle or deal with it at all.
Off the show, people know me as a goofy and giving person, a person who really loves to have fun and cares a lot about other people’s feelings. I still let people know where I’m coming from, but in Houston, that’s the regular thing. You have to let people know where you’re coming from, or they’ll run over you.
People also know me as spontaneous and experimental. I’ll try anything once.
If you and Tyra had a lunch date tomorrow, what would you want to ask or tell her?
I would just want to tell her that I really appreciate and love her. Even though the show went the way it went, I still love her. She’ll always be one of my favorite models. And, I would thank her for teaching me something. I would ask her to continue doing what she’s doing because her career is inspiring a lot of girls. Even though I was only on the show for a short while, I learned so much from her.
To learn more about Cycle 4‘s Brandy Rusher, visit her bio page here.
Source: Realityshack.com
Photo: CW
In April of 2005, Reality News Online interviewed Cycle 4’s Brandy Rusher following her appearance on the show. The interview discusses her attitude on the show, her makeover and her feelings on being eliminated. Here is the text from the article (written by Phil Kural):
I’m Much More Self-Conscious About the Way I Act Now”: An Interview with America’s Next Top Model 4′s Brandy
Although Brandy was the third girl eliminated this season on America’s Next Top Model, she managed to cause quite a bit of controversy. Find out right here why she applied for the show, how she feels she was edited and what she could have done to stick around.
We all know that the first four episodes of this season all basically revolved around Brandy’s attitude. I didn’t mind though. She brought some controversy and drama to the group, she took nice pictures and kept it real. However, the attitude caught up with her, and Tyra let her go.
I had a chance to talk to Brandy, and she came off very articulate. I think the best thing about her is that she realized how she was coming off, and has made a conscientious effort to change that. Brandy gave me the scoop on a number of topics, and just like she did on the show — she told it how it was.
RealityNewsOnline: Why did you originally audition for the show? Did you send in a tape or go to an open call?
Brandy: Let me tell you, I was a big fan of the show before I applied. I had gone to an open call audition because one of my friends had told me about it, and before I knew it, I was on the show!
RNO: Did you feel there was tension between yourself and some of the other girls right away, or did it not show until you all moved in together?
Brandy: Oh, there was tension with me and some of the other girls from the semifinals. Everyone was there trying to portray a character. When the final 14 girls were chosen though, that’s when it really started. I think had we not all lived in the house together, there would have been a lot less tension, since we wouldn’t have had to put up with the ways of the other girls.
RNO: Was there a connection with any of the other girls besides Tiffany?
Brandy: The first girl that I actually connected with was Noelle, however, once we moved into the house, we had drifted apart. That was probably because I didn’t like the style of the girls that she was hanging out with. I still love her, but at the time, it was hard for us to connect with all the other girls’ around.
RNO: Were the judges wrong to associate you with having a bad attitude, or do you think they were right in their perception?
Brandy: No, I wouldn’t say that they were wrong to associate me with having a bad attitude. I just didn’t know that I was exuding this horrible attitude that they were seeing. I see now, by watching it on TV, that I was serving it out that way, but that wasn’t my intention. I realized that people’s perceptions of me are much different than the way I see myself, and I’m working on fixing that.
RNO: Had you done any modeling before the show?
Brandy: I had actually never done any modeling in the past, and just jumped right in feet first!
RNO: In your opinion, do you think it’s fair that someone that takes sub par pictures is advanced in the competition, while someone that is photogenic is eliminated for her personality?
Brandy: At first, yes, I did think it was a little unfair, but now I look back and figure that what happens — happens. I thought the competition was based on pictures, but I guess they wanted someone with personality as well. I’m not going to sit here and lie though — I was pretty upset at first.
RNO: It seemed as though you were very happy with the weave you had when you started the show, but got upset when you weren’t going to get a makeover. Was there something we didn’t get to see?
Brandy: See, the afro was matted. I said that if it was matted, I wanted to get a whole new look, but if it wasn’t, then I wanted to keep it. After all, that’s the reason Tyra picked me for the show! Since I’ve been eliminated, I’ve actually let my hair grow out, and now I have a mini-version of the afro that I had when I started the show, but this time, it’s real!
RNO: Looking back, is there really anything you could have done to stay longer in the competition?
Brandy: If I had just paid attention and listened, and learned that I was coming across as having attitude, I would have been around much longer than I was. It’s the little stuff that I didn’t realize I was doing that was turning people off. Like I said though, I’ve realized all these things now, and I’ve done a lot to change it. I think I’m much more self-conscious about the way people see me now, and I don’t try to give off the attitude I was displaying in the past.
RNO:Every girl I talk to always says she knew she was going to be eliminated. Did you?
Brandy: Let me be honest — I had no clue that I was going. I was so confident, that when I was eliminated I was in utter shock, and that’s why I didn’t hug any of the girls. I was more like ‘Damn, I was just eliminated.’ I just didn’t understand why I was leaving. I was happy with my pictures, I didn’t fight with any of the judges or the photographers for the shoot. It was such a total shock.
RNO: As a person, do you think the experience changed you, the way it changed Tiffany?
Brandy: Yes, I would say that as a person, I’ve changed. My perceptions of myself have changed, and I don’t want to be known as “the bitch” because that’s not me. I’m working it out though.
RNO: Do you feel that any of the judges were on your side or rooting for you?
Brandy: The only judge that I felt ever wanted me there was Tyra. I never really felt connected to any of the other judges, and they never showed me any kind of sign that they were rooting for me.
RNO: What have you been doing since the show has ended? Do you still want to continue on the modeling path?
Brandy: I definitely want to continue on the modeling path, but I’m being realistic and realizing that this is just the first step for me, especially since it was the first time I had ever modeled. I would love to get into fashion design as well though, so we’ll see where it goes from here!
RNO: While watching the show, has anyone’s actions surprised you, or are all the girls being edited pretty accurately as you remember them?
Brandy: Well, seeing that the first couple episodes focused on me and my bad attitude, I can’t really say. Based on what I have seen of the other girls, I’d say that they are being edited how I remember them. I guess we’ll have to see now that I’m gone and they start featuring some of the other girls.
RNO: What would you say was the hardest thing to adapt to on the show — the lack of sleep, the other girls, or the cameras?
Brandy: The hardest thing for me was living with the other girls. I got used to the cameras being around and the lack of sleep wasn’t a big deal for me. I lived with my two sisters growing up, and figured it would be just like that, but boy was I wrong! Once we got to the house, everything changed. Nobody was all that friendly anymore, and it was all about just being there, being ready and this being a competition.
RNO: What do you wish the viewers had seen about you that the editors didn’t show?
Brandy:I wish the editors would have shown be being nice every now and then. I used to cook breakfast all the time, and when Brittany was almost eliminated, I was the one right there to hug her and lend her my Bible. I just wish they didn’t make me out to be this angry girl all the time, since that’s really not me.
RNO: Thanks, Brandy! You’re going to do great!
To learn more about Cycle 4‘s Brandy Rusher, visit her bio page here.
Source: RealityNewsOnline
Photo: CW
In March of 2005, TV Guide Insider interviewed Cycle 4’s Brandy Rusher following her appearance and elimination from Top Model. The interview addresses her anger issues on Top Model. Here is the text from the article (written by Ben Katner):
Brandy Defends Model Misbehavior
TVGuide.com: So, Miss Brandy, why are you so angry?
Brandy Rusher: I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m angry. I would say on the show I was always on defense, because behind the scenes, like, a lot of the girls just didn’t really like me. So I had a reason to be angry.
TVG: Which we’ve now established that you, um, weren’t. But anyway… you had to know going into this that you’d be around a bunch of catty girls all the time.
Brandy: I don’t have a lot of friends that are girls …TVG: Imagine that.
Brandy: … so it was a totally, really different experience. It was fun, though
TVG: Really? Because it didn’t seem like much fun when you threatened to beat up Tatiana for sassing you. Honestly, in retrospect, wasn’t your borderline violent reaction a little more than was necessary?
Brandy: Actually, I don’t think it was more than was necessary. They barely showed you anything that she said; they just wanted to emphasize [my reaction], so that’s what they showed you.
TVG: So what did she say that justified your outburst?
Brandy: It was a lot of different things she said. I’m not going to exactly repeat it, because that’s between me and her.
TVG: Fine by me, so long as you realize that, as things stand, you’re just going to come off to people like a hothead with a short fuse.
Brandy: Yeah, it’s OK if they don’t understand.
TVG: It must have felt good when Tiffany defended you to the other girls.
Brandy: It did, because I looked up to her as a big sister. She was the only person on my side, and she was the only person who really took the time to understand me rather than just judging me based on what others said. So, in a sense, she was a leader rather than a follower.
TVG: Do you wish you’d listened to her advice to take a chill pill sooner so you could have lasted longer on the show?
Brandy: Well, actually, I did take like a lot of advice and actually worked on my attitude and stuff like that even on the show. They really didn’t give you the opportunity as viewers to view that. The day I got eliminated, I really wasn’t expecting it because of the fact that I had gotten better with my attitude.
TVG: At your final photo shoot, you were complaining just like you did at your first one.
Brandy: Well, [at the first one], it wasn’t as if I was saying, “Oh, my god, I don’t want to be here” or anything like that. It’s just the position they took from it, or whatever.
TVG: Huh?
Brandy: They made it into whatever they wanted to make it into, so I can’t do anything about that now.TVG: What did they make it into that it wasn’t?
Brandy: Well, it didn’t exactly go like [they showed]. There’s editing and all that, so when it’s done, that’s what they show the world. I mean, overall, to stop any of these questions about my attitude, the whole thing I want the world to know is that everything is a lesson. I don’t look at it as something where I messed up. Everybody makes mistakes, so I feel like, yeah, mine was in the public eye and it was a nationally syndicated mistake, but at the same time, I learned a lesson from it. So if anything is taken from this interview, I would rather the world just know that I learned from it rather than still thinking that, like, I have attitude or something.
TVG: Brandy, come on. You’re not dumb. Editing notwithstanding, you were given the chance of a lifetime, and you bitched to the photographer. What were you thinking?
Brandy: Well, what was going on in my head was that I was actually just tired of sitting there. I wasn’t trying to come at nobody in the wrong way or anything like, “Oh, you know, I don’t want to be here; this is making me mad.” I was just tired. I actually said I thought that the show was about showing who you are really; I didn’t know, you know, that sometimes even when you’re not feeling good that you should just lie about it.
TVG: In the equivalent of a job interview? Hell yeah, you lie! Is that the lesson you learned — not to tell the truth?
Brandy: I don’t know if I would say “Don’t tell the truth,” but I would say whatever you’re feeling on the inside, just keep it on the inside instead of letting the world know, because they’re not going to care what you’re feeling on the inside. It’s what you’re showing on the outside that they care about.
TVG: Now you sound like a model.
To learn more about Cycle 4‘s Brandy Rusher, visit her bio page here.
