Hi CariDee! Congratulations!
mashabiki of Reality TV, yes! Hello! Thank you! I’m so excited to talk to you, I upendo the website -- I love, love, love, love, upendo the website! Trust me, I was there, like, five times a day.
How does it feel to be in the winner’s shoes?
Amazing – I’m sorry, I’m having lunch, so forgive me for chomping. Amazing, amazing. It’s such a blessing. It’s a crazy whirlwind and I want to hold onto it as long as I can.
Do wewe realize that you’re the first blonde winner?
Oh yeah, girl! (chewing) Sorry, again – chakula in my mouth. I know I’m the first blonde winner, and I’m so happy they picked the blonde package, they picked me. (laughs) I’m definitely excited and it takes it to a whole other level with the merging of the networks. Yes, I’m so excited.
Did having commercial appeal work for wewe on the show?
I think it definitely it was great for me, because a lot of American modeling is commercial, it is print. You’re out there, you’re talking, you’re “spokes”. I feel like it’s very friendly; I just try to be myself and have everyone relate to me in some way au another.
Can wewe tell us, how did wewe come to be on the show?
I tried out – I got the application from the Internet, and I drove to the Cities, and it was a process of elimination from there.
wewe say that wewe wanted to model when wewe were younger, but wewe had a skin condition that kept wewe from trying. wewe certainly don’t seem like wewe have any inhibitions au doubts about your looks these days. Where did wewe find that confidence?
I think I made up for my skin disease and everything with my confidence. I hate [psoriasis], I do - I hate it with a passion – but I had to accept it. Once I accepted it, I did a lot better. I should tell wewe that naturally, I’m just really out there; I’m outgoing and goofy. Even though I have it, I don’t let it have me, wewe know?
What was your inayopendelewa photoshoot?
Oh, my goodness. All of them? (laughs) A great siku for everybody where there was great energy was the Celebrity picha shoot. That was a great vibe. Everyone was just loving it, it was just fun, we were all different characters. Another inayopendelewa picha shoot – I can’t really say one! It was all of them. The skydiving was fun, it was crazy. It was fun. I really liked the Circus Freaks – I liked how it came out. I was totally out there, doing different things, switching it up. I was feeling really good right then. I remember feeling really confident.
On the water shoot, wewe got hypothermia – this was all explored on the show. But what sticks out to me is that wewe got a lecture from Tyra that wewe need to tell them when you’re suffering, and yet, all the girls surely know that if they complain they will hear about it when they’re in front of the judges.
Exactly, yes.
What did wewe think of being told that wewe should have alisema something sooner?
Yeah, it was a catch-22. I could have quit, and if I would have quit, I was a quitter. And if I stuck with it and just stayed it out -- which is what I did. What happened was that Ken Mok, a producer, was like, “Get her out of the water, get her out of the water!” And I wasn’t allowed back in. And I know that when you’re going through the first stages of hypothermia, wewe don’t realize it. So I didn’t realize anything was happening, I just thought I was really cold. Also, the medicine I take for my psoriasis lowers my immune system. My immune system is so much lower than the average person, that cold really hit me hard. When it came time to do the pictures I really focused, but it was definitely a challenge for me.
Was that the most difficult part of the experience?
The water, wobbly runway – whatever the heck that was. That was insane! That was just too much for me. (laughs)That was scary. It was frustrating, it was … just scary.
Have wewe and Nigel Barker made up, au does he still have a stick up his ass?
Oh, no, no, no -- Nigel is great! Nigel is great, he’s so nice. We actually had a chajio, chakula cha jioni that they never aired, and I really, really like Nigel. When I made the joke, actually, what they didn’t onyesha was that he joked right back, instantly right back, and everybody was laughing. The onyesha made an issue out it just for the viewers’ eyes. And also for him to make me realize that wewe can’t be doing that in other situations -- which I never would; like, I would never go into a client situation and just say that out of nowhere. But wewe just feel like wewe know him, and he jokes back. The moral of the story is that if wewe mess with the bull, wewe get the horns. (laughs)
So you’ve learned to take the “class, dignity and respect” route. Good for you!
Yeah. Oh, definitely. (laughs)
wewe were portrayed on the onyesha as having a wild and crazy personality. Is that accurate in real life?
Definitely! I’m wild and crazy, but I’m not like, (crazy voice) wild one sekunde and then (quiet voice)really down the next. It’s just who I am, I have a lot of energy in me. And I think that’s very, very important to have in the modeling industry, because you’re going constantly. You’re on, you’re going, wewe have to think of new things, wewe have to be innovative, wewe have to be creative. It’s an important characteristic to have if wewe want to succeed in the long run.
You’re eating lunch during interviews…
(laughs) Yeah, exactly! I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Come on, everyone says they get a bad edit. You’re saying you’re like that in real life?
(laughs)Well, there are certain things that went on, like, they made it look like I was happy one dakika and falling apart the next. It wasn’t really like that. They didn’t onyesha a lot of like hanging around the house and just being chill. I loved a lot of people, I got close to a lot of the girls, and had great conversations. They just showed highs and lows of me, which is frustrating, because there were definitely something else with me. I can be very chill and I feel like Jaeda was really funny, I wish they had shown that more. Megg had zaidi sides to her than just “rock and roll” and she was awesome. Monique was pretty accurate, though. (laughs)
I understand wewe have a boyfriend at home, right?
Yes, I do.
Did wewe have any explaining to do about that Spanish guy?
We’ve been going for two years, but when I was filming, we took a break because we were having troubles like any other couple, especially, wewe know, that two-year thing. And we just took a break before I left, and we just recently got back together about a mwezi ago, officially. On November 27th, actually. It’s good to step away from something if wewe really want it. We were always in contact, and friends, and everything, but I think it was best for our relationship to be apart during all that. And also, I could concentrate zaidi on the competition, not missing him and not so involved in him, that helped too.
The reason I ask is that people have alisema it was cheating on your part, and I wanted to give wewe that chance to address that.
Oh no, absolutely not. That’s why there was never a big deal about it on the show, because it wasn’t a big deal. I’m glad to clear the air on this, definitely. The editing made a mistake, like early on, saying “CariDee’s boyfriend” – they knew we were having troubles and were apart. They knew he was dear to me and I still talked to him and everything, because he is my best friend first and foremost, but yeah, we weren’t together during it, and that’s what the big misunderstanding was.
Who were wewe close to in the house?
I wish I could answer that, I really do. I knew that swali was going to come up and I don’t have a certain person, but I can’t answer because I really loved everyone, honestly. It hit me in different ways. They are all so beautiful, they were all so great. I loved Megg, she made me feel so good. When she walked into the room, everything just lifted. All of your worries just kind of melted, wewe know? She was wonderful, a beautiful person. A.J., she was a great person to talk serious with. Anchal, beautiful, was so fun to just have fun with, to laugh, and giggle, and just be goofy with. She used to dare people to do things. And Michelle was the person who would put other people first before she would ever think of herself. A completely selfless person, just awesome. Amanda was so sweet, she was shy, but she was sweet. Eugena—oh God, loved Eugena. Love, love, upendo Eugena. We got really close during the time in Barcelona because…I don’t know! I just loved her. She was just so funny to me. I wish they would have showed more, but the things she would do were just so real, it’s just funny the way they came off.
I really got close to everybody. Megan, so sweet, so sweet and so kind, and now she’s doing great! I saw her on the cover of a magazine, and it was beautiful and smart. She was very reserved, but very sincere and just loved to have fun. And even Christian was an awesome person. I only got to meet her for a little bit, but she would always laugh at the things I would say, and I told her, “It’s so fun that we’re getting close,” and stuff like that. I just got close to everyone at one point au another. It was so hard to see them leaving, wewe know? Oh my God, Brooke – wise beyond her years, and the most intelligent girl her age I’ve ever met, and probably the whole competition.
wewe didn’t mention Melrose, what can wewe say about her?
Melrose was a good person. She was – I still don’t really know how she is, but she was a great competitor, let me tell you. If I was going to lose, which I wasn’t – no wait. If I was going to win, which I did, I didn’t want to win in a way that implied it was aliyopewa to me. She gave me a run for my money. She was a hard competitor, and she’s great, she’s smart, she’s motivated. There’s a lot of things that she embodies that I wish I did, as far as just like – I mean, I’m driven, but she’s – there’s a smartness to her that is so inspiring.
As far as that little showdown on the final runway challenge with Melrose – did she think wewe stepped on her dress on purpose?
No. I just know her. It’s the fact that she just loves fashion, and the dress got a hole in it. She was upset because she has a passion for clothes, wewe know. It was just intense.
It’s not like wewe were going nyumbani with the dresses, so why did she take it so personally?
Well, I would never, ever, ever ruin a designer’s dress. It was only kwa accident. Those trains were four feet long, and it twisted around me when I turned really quickly, and my heel got caught in it. It’s a live show, that’s the thing, she had to understand that. It’s a live onyesha and things happen, you’ve just got to roll with it, keep going, and not let it affect you. Of course I was worried that the designers were going to be mad at me, but I apologized.
Do wewe think she was just trying to psyche wewe out?
No, she psyched herself out. She didn’t even bother me. I’ve been in theater and uigizaji before, and I know that anything can go on at any moment, and if it does wewe do not let it show. The onyesha must go on.
Were wewe surprised that wewe received so much criticism from the judges for the final runway show?
Yeah, they gave me good points, too. A lot of people expect a model going on this onyesha to automatically be great, but it’s a learning process. Like me, picha are easy for me. It just comes naturally. Walking? It’s good for me but I was so nervous, that I forgot to breathe. I was just like, (breathing in noisily) so intense and so nervous. And the competition itself, I just forgot to have a good time. Now that the pressure’s off, on a runway I’ll totally just have a lot of fun. I’ll onyesha everything because I’m not thinking, “this is SO important.” There’s a whole different motive behind it.
What do wewe think of Tyra after this experience? What can wewe tell us about her that we wouldn’t necessarily know from watching her on TV?
She is so smart and so full of knowledge that’s even beyond her comprehension. She affects people to the core. It’s a lingering effect that she leaves on people. I owe everything to her. She’s amazing. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t even talking to wewe right now, au having these experiences. I owe my life and my career to her, and for that I will always be thankful. People don’t realize that she’s only human, too. They’ll criticize and say, “why’d wewe wear that?” au “why did wewe look like that?” – well, she’s only human! That’s what’s made her go so far, is that she takes these things gracefully. She makes mistakes, au she does well, and she’s not so full of herself to the point of being worried about being out there. She’s a real person, and that’s what’s gotten her so far. She’s great with people. She’s got her own show, her talk show, she’s one of the juu women in entertainment right now and she’s 34. 35 this week. It’s amazing.
Can wewe tell us about your future plans?
Thank God I’m a CoverGirl! One of the best things about this is that not only am I an Elite model, but I’m with CoverGirl. I upendo CoverGirl, I’ve loved their products since I was a little girl, and honestly, I’m not just saying that. I’ve really loved their products ever since I was young, and to be representing them and have them behind my name, wewe know? CariDee, CoverGirl model. It’s amazing. I appreciate everything that is coming with that. I can’t wait. We’re shooting our commercial in Australia inayofuata week. I’m just so excited, and I’m so grateful. I feel like I’ve been through so much. I hope that somebody saw it and I motivated them to do the same thing, too. I could have taken the easy way out. I still wanted to model, but with my psoriasis no one even gave me the chance. It was my incentive to do it.
Is there anything else you’d like the posters on FORT to know?
I upendo all the mashabiki wewe have there. Tell them thank wewe for posting and the support and everything. It definitely would make my day. Whenever I was feeling down I would read there, and people on there, I’ll never meet them, but they made me feel so good, and I appreciate that so much. So, thank wewe so much and God bless!
