INTERVIEW: Diana Zalewski talks about her 'Top Model' journey

Those editing bandits are at it again.  In an exclusive interview with Diana who is the fifth girl to lose the chance of becoming America's Next Top Model spills all the editing tricks that lead the viewers to believe all sorts of stuff.  Was she really mad at Renee for saying that a full figured model will never be on the cover of vogue?  When Mr. Jay asked her why she wants to me a model and she replied, "just cause," did she say more and we did not see it?  Don't miss this interview.


Question:  Why was being a plus size model in a house with skinny girls such an issue for you?

Diana:  The show exaggerated that issue.  None of the girls made me feel uncomfortable.  The scene where Renee asks Whitney if there would ever be a plus size model on the cover of Vogue was not a real issue.  They were just role playing and pretending.  The editing made Renee seem insensitive and cruel.  A week ago I was mad at Renee about something totally different, but they made it look like I was mad at Renee because of what she said to Whitney.  Renee personally called me after the show to tell me the scene was not true.  Renee was very supportive of full figured models.

Question:  How did you prepare for the photo shoots?  It always looked like you did not know what to do.

Diana:  I try to think about how I'm going to pose but everything happens so fast.  I tried to do my best, but I did not get any direction.  They would say that something was not good or be so vague about what was bad... What did they mean?  We did not have time to figure it out.


Question:  Why was it so hard for you to get into the characters?  Let's talk about the last shoot with you as a man.

Diana:  I was not nervous at first but as soon as we started shooting, Mr. Jay kept throwing negative comments my way.  He never stopped and was killing my spirit.  I wanted to cry on set but I knew I could not do it.

Question:  The clip that was played around the world is the one where Mr. Jay asked you why you wanted to be a model and your answer was "just cause."  You said the editing cut off your speech.  What else did you say?

Diana:  I don't remember what else I said.  After I finished the 'man' shoot, Jay pulled me over to the side to badger me some more about my performance.  I was on the verge of tears and was not thinking straight.  When he asked me the question, I was falling apart inside and the only thing that came out was, "just cause."  I did not know what else I could say to prove myself to him.

Note to readers:  She did not have to say anything. All she had to do was show him by getting great shots.  She just stood on the set like a frightened little boy.  There was no attitude, no interaction with her partner and the drag queen upstaged her in every frame.  Mr. Jay was right to badger her to the point that she should have woke up and proved him wrong.  Instead she fell apart on the set.  This is season eight; if she watched past seasons, she should know better than to crack up under pressure.  Sorry to say, it was definitely her time to leave.


Question:  Why did you select a big ugly grey blouse at the style challenge?

Diana:  They had already selected clothes for us to wear.  When I saw the blouse, I thought, "What the hell is this???"  When I put the shirt on, I thought to myself, "How can I go out like this???"  I tried to make it look a little jazzy by putting it off my shoulder so that it does not look so frumpy, but the producers told me not to do it and just wear the shirt as is.

Question:  How did you feel about doing the ice cream shoot?

Diana:  It was a lot of fun.  I don't know why they kept portraying me as always being uncomfortable with my weight.  I did not feel uncomfortable.  The shoes were too small so I did have a little trouble with balance and the girls were on the side joking around, but I was not uncomfortable with my body.  The editing is really crazy.

Question:  What will you do now?


Diana: I am going back to school and get my degree as a forensic psychologist.  If I can travel and do a little modeling on the side, I would definitely go for it.

Diana definitely has a good chance of being a full figured super model.  All she needs is more experience and a little confidence.  She has a delightful personality and we wish her all the luck she needs to succeed in this industry.  I forgot to ask her if she saw Adrienne's photo in the house... oops.  Next time I will not forget.

Let me know if you have any questions for any of the contestants.  When they get eliminated, I will make sure to ask the question and post it on our website.  In the meanwhile, email me at modeldigest@aol.com or visit me at www.warmspirit.org/beautybyreferral.  Meet me here next week.






About The Author: Steven Rogers