Top Model 13 Exit Interview: Rae Weisz
Minnesota mommy Rae Weisz, 21, looked like a shoe-in to make the top 5 of “America’s Next Top Model” Cycle 13, with her stunning looks and her ease and grace in front of the camera lens. But when it went from still camera to video camera for the Cover Girl shoot, Rae stumbled and was eliminated from the competition. In one of the most laugh-filled Real Blogger Exit interviews I’ve done, Rae talks about the Cover Girl shoot, her impression of Laura, and her driving skills during go-sees.
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Real Blogger: I have to think it’s difficult being a mother and being on a show like Top Model. Did you worry about whether you should audition or not?
Rae Weisz: There was never really a hesitation. I knew this was the best thing, not only for myself, but for my daughter as well. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass it up.
RB: No regrets, then, even if you didn’t end up winning.
RW: It was such an incredible experience. I have no regrets.
RB: You had done well all season. The judges always seemed to like your photos. So what’s going through your head when you’re in the bottom two? Did you think you were safe?
RW: Going into the panel, it’s terrifying. Any of the girls will tell you that. The night before, we are all stressed to the max. No one is 100 percent safe. A lot of times, judges will either hate or love your picture. You never know what they are going to think. So at no point did I feel 100 percent confident.
RB: I can see why you’d be terrified. Tyra is like 80 feet taller than all of you.
RW: (Laughs) She gets to wear heels, too! We had to wear flats. I always wear heels, being in flats was very unusual for me.
RB: It seemed like you were going up every week, always doing well. Do you think the Cover Girl challenge did you in? (Ed. note: Rae had lots of trouble remembering her script)
RW: I don’t think it had much to do with my work at all. My work had stood up to them. I was proud of my body of work, which was my focus during the competition. My critique was more, ‘You don’t stand out to us, standing in panel.’ That’s a really difficult thing to do! It’s not like you can sit down one-on-one with them. It’s important to get noticed.
RB: Maybe you could have done jumping jacks.
RW: Maybe I could’ve put on a purple wig. I remember one season, a girl wrote “ANTM” on her butt.
RB: Actually, you should have snuck in some high heels. You would’ve looked so tall compared to the other girls.
RW: (Laughs) I could’ve worn my shoes first photo shoot!
RB: Holy cow, I almost forgot about those suckers. They were almost vertical hooker shoes.
RW: They were! The thing was, I was the last girl to go that day. All the other girls had gone before me … I am not physically adept. I don’t do dance, I don’t do sports. So I thought, I really have to nail this. The whole day, I was practicing and posing in these heels. My feet are raw and bloody. And then I get in their, and there’s a (ballet) bar.
RB: Yeah, you didn’t have to really even do anything with the shoes, after all that.
RW: I think they added something in the shot, though. Better than regular heels.
RB: Tyra really liked you when you guys shot with her. What was that like?
RW: That was one of my absolute favorite shoots. We were all a bit intimidated when we figured out Tyra was shooting. But she is incredible, made me feel comfortable, and I came out with a great photo.
RB: So you liked that one; what was your favorite shoot overall?
RW: Well, that one, and Circque de Soliel. I am so into that! It’s so high fashion … to be with the performers is so incredible. I don’t know how they do what they do. It’s physiologically impossible … I feel I fed off the energy of the other girls. Sometimes, when you head into a group photo shoot there are so many things you have to factor in the equation. Where the girls are, you have to worry about outshining them. But Jen and Brit, who I was working with, were amazing.
RB: Let’s talk go-sees. Before I watched the episode, I knew someone would late, because there is always someone that’s late.
RW: I know! There’s always someone …
RB: And then you and Sundai are late. You really got chewed out, too.
RW: It was embarrassing. That was horrible! That was awful, especially because of whom it was coming from, Sean Patterson, a potential boss, the president of Wilhelmina Modeling.
RB: Sundai said you were driving like a mom.
RW: I would like to say for the record, I was not driving below the speed limit. I was driving THE speed limit.
RB: Yeah, that sounds like you’re driving the kids to soccer practice. This was Top Model go-sees. I would have been driving on the sidewalk if I needed to.
RW: (Laughs) I was being responsible.
RB: You had to know being late is one of Top Model’s biggest no-no’s. Did you have an awful feeling in your stomach when you knew you were late?
RW: You kind of live with that feeling when you do something like this (being on Top Model). You gotta sleep with it. It’s constant.
RB: What do you think was the toughest part of the competition?
RW: Definitely the commercial (Ed. note: Go to the 1:18 mark in the clip). It is something I know I can do, which makes it even more frustrating. It was a lack of sleep, coupled with the pressure. The final product was very poor. But now I have it under my belt, so next time I can say I did it.
RB: At least you didn’t cry. Man, Erin’s commercial was something else. I’ve never seen sniffling at the end of a Cover Girl commercial.
RW: We had no idea her commercial had gone that badly. I knew her pretty well, and I sensed it didn’t go as well. But then again, at the horse photo shoot, she was upset, and then she got best photo when we went to panel.
RB: Speaking of acting, let’s talk the Top Model: The Musical Kara put together. You did an, um, interesting impression of Laura.
RW: (Laughs) I did Laura. The funny thing is, I said she eats pinto beans and collard greens, and she had that for lunch. I love Laura, she is great.
RB: I loved when Laura tried to do a “hood rat” impersonation during go-sees. She sounded like an Australian pirate.
RW: (Laughs) I’m glad they put “hood rat” on the bottom of the screen, or I never would have known.
RB: OK, last thing. Are you going to keep modeling?
RW: I’m definitely going to pursue this as a career choice. I want to do some kind of international modeling. Maybe get into the Asian market, or maybe L..A. or Chicago. I’d love to act, too.
RB: Just as long as you don’t try to do more impressions of Laura.
RW: (Laughs) I’ve always had such a passion for the entertainment, so I’d love to get into it.
