Exclusive: Laura Kirkpatrick talks 'America's Next Top Model' (Part 2)

Laura Kirkpatrick became the eleventh girl eliminated from America's Next Top Model all-stars edition's eleventh episode during last Wednesday night's broadcast on The CW.


On Thursday, the 22-year-old who previously appeared on Top Model's thirteenth season, talked to Reality TV World about her America's Next Top Model experience -- including whether she thought she had the potential to win the competition and how far she saw herself making it, why she regretted telling fellow contestant Angelea Preston that she lacked confidence, and what she plans to do next.

Below is the second half of our exclusive interview with Laura. Click here to read the first portion.

Reality TV World: During last week's episode, they showed just a little bit of the blogs you girls had to write and a short conversation between Nigel Barker and Franca Sozzani. Looking back, how do you think your blog came out and would you mind discussing a little what it was about? What was your inspiration?

Laura Kirkpatrick: Oh yeah, no problem. I will not lie. As soon as we started writing our blogs, I completely forgot what we were supposed to write about. So, I was just like, "You know what? I'm just going to make it fun and about Greece."


I figured that had to be something about it. (Laughs) But I just kind of made up this story that was totally fictional about a Greek goddess and how history has to do with her fashion, and then if she came back today as a Greek goddess, what she would wear.

I thought it was really fun to read. It wasn't a true story or anything and I just thought it was fun. I talked a lot about Greece and fashion. I kind of think she liked it, but maybe, it didn't really hit head on what we were supposed to talk about. But like I said, I totally forgot. (Laughs)

I was never good at those kind of assignments in school anyway, so I knew that challenge wasn't for me. She also said I was sexy, and I was like, "I think that's a good thing!" But apparently, they just keep thinking that it might not be the best.

Reality TV World: You came to Dominique Reighard's defense during last week's episode when you told Angelea during the "judge your peers" exercise with Miss J. Alexander that she deserved to win the competition least of all the girls because she had a confidence issue and it showed in her modeling performance. Why was it so clear to mostly everyone in the house that she didn't really believe in herself, especially since she strongly argued the accusation aloud?

Laura Kirkpatrick: I think, well one, I didn't know -- I guess there was past history with Dominique and Angelea that I didn't know about, and that's what made it so heated there and all that for them two, which I did not know about or I never would have said anything about it. But we had always said like, "Angelea, you're very beautiful. You need to -- I don't think you know how beautiful you are."


She always knew that I said that to her and in my confessionals and all that. So, that was not a surprise -- me saying that. But I don't know. I think when you live with someone, you pick up on stuff maybe they don't pick up on. We were with each other every single moment of the day for so long, so we kind of know each other better than we know ourselves.

You pick up on stuff and you have deep conversations and I don't really know -- I can't speak for everyone why they thought Angelea maybe needed more confidence, but I know that I was actually kind of close with Angelea and I always told her that, "You're more beautiful than you know."

Reality TV World: After you saw Angelea's reaction, did you regret saying anything at all, especially since you knew you were just being nice and trying to help her?

Laura Kirkpatrick: I only regret saying something at that moment. It wasn't the right time to say something because it was such a really touchy time to say it, because obviously we were on edge and had to judge each other. But I would have said the same thing -- just at a different time.

Reality TV World: When you girls had to rank each other on who deserved to win the competition all the way down to who had the least modeling potential, Allison Harvard was ranked as having the least potential, while you got ranked the highest. However, Lisa D'Amato was shown basically saying you only won because you were not threatening competition, while Allison apparently was and so putting her at the bottom helped the other models' cases. What was your reaction when you heard that and would you say the list was accurate in your opinion?


Laura Kirkpatrick: I don't really think those were her exact words, because I don't know. It's not like we got to talk to each other about who we voted for. It wasn't a conscious -- that hadn't been a conscious, planned decision for everyone to vote me because I wasn't a threat.

So, I don't think that's true at all. It's just talk, so I definitely think a lot of the girls respected me as a model because when I first came in, I know Lisa was like, "Who brought this kid in?!" Because I'm short and I do look young and like a little kid, and I'm just sweet and bubbly.

So, I know a lot of the girls didn't really see me as competition, and then they see me actually shoot, and they respected me as a model. I think that's why they voted me as having high potential and Allison, she hates runway. It's not a surprise and she's very open about how she hates runway.

I think maybe that put her in the bottom a little bit, but she's still a great, wonderful model. All of the blogs online say that she is one of the best -- okay, so I guess technically, she has more fans than any Top Model ever. So, that speaks in itself alone.

Reality TV World: Was it basically a general consensus amongst you girls then that Allison was less passionate about modeling?


Laura Kirkpatrick: Oh yeah, definitely. I'm really close to Allison too, but I was really close with all the girls because they didn't find me threatening. So they would open up to me. Allison, definitely, modeling is not her number one passion.

She just happens to be good at it naturally. Like with me, maybe I may not be naturally good at it, but I have such a passion for it that I've learned a lot in such a short time. But yes, it's not -- I think a lot of people know that it's not her number one passion.

Reality TV World: Who did you think was your biggest competition while you were on the show and why? I know you said you thought you were going to make it all the way to the end before you got eliminated, so who did you envision yourself standing next to?

Laura Kirkpatrick: Well, I guess I really did think I was going to stand next to Allison. I just know Extra loved her. I knew Vogue would love her because she's so high fashion, and I really thought Allison had the most potential. I know I voted her most potential on my little card [during] that challenge.

Reality TV World: When I talked to previously eliminated contestants this season, a lot of the girls told me they weren't very happy with how executives pitched the show to them because they thought it ended up being something totally different. Some people thought the show was going to be focused on branding but then turned into the same modeling competition as their prior seasons. What are your general thoughts about that? Did the show end up being exactly what you had expected it to be or were you disappointed with how things turned out?


Laura Kirkpatrick: Well, I see both sides. I went in -- I wasn't told anything specifically. So I went in with a really broad look on it. There was -- I did think a little bit that it was a modeling competition, but at the same time, it's America's Next Top Model, which is a competition. So, I just kind of went into it with an open mind and I wasn't really disappointed because I didn't really know what to expect.

Reality TV World: What were your goals for going on America's Next Top Model All-Stars? Do you feel like you accomplished them?

Laura Kirkpatrick: Yeah, definitely. You know, the first time I went, I had a blast. I was a small-town girl and I was doing something that I had never done before and that nobody in my area has ever done before. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So then to come on a second time was like huge. I was a working model in LA, but I decided to do it again because I had a great time the first time.

I know a lot of girls go home not thinking so positively about it, but it's what you make of it and just because I had down times on Top Model -- all the girls did -- but I still made it into a wonderful experience that I go home with. Now I had a once in a lifetime opportunity twice.

Reality TV World: What are your plans for the near future?

Laura Kirkpatrick: Well, I definitely plan to keep on modeling. I'll do it until they reject me. (Laughs) But I'm starting my own T-shirt brand. Before I was on the show, I was actually an art major, which people don't really know about me. So, I started to put my love for fashion and my love for art together, and now I'm designing all these urban T-shirts.


They're not just T-shirts. They're like all kinds of fashion shirts and I'm really excited about that. I just now started, so it's really small, but people have to hang in there with me until I really grow. But it's something that I accomplished myself and I'm really proud of.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski