Exclusive: Jessie Rabideau talks about 'Top Model: College Edition' (Part 2)

Jessie Rabideau was the first contestant eliminated from America's Next Top Model: College Edition during the broadcast of the nineteenth season's second episode Friday night.


However, Jessie quickly learned her Top Model journey wasn't necessarily over yet. Following her ouster from the show, Jessie was given the opportunity to participate in all the upcoming photo shoots against the season's future-eliminated girls to potentially earn a spot back in the competition.

On Tuesday, Jessie, a 5' 9 3/4" 23-year-old student from Speedway, IN attending graduate school at the University of Southern California, talked to Reality TV World about her Top Model experience -- including why she thought she didn't hit it off so well with the fans, whether she believed it was predictable that the only blonde girl in the cast without an edgy look managed to rack up the highest amount of fan votes so far in the competition and which contestant got on her nerves the most.

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

Reality TV World: You ended up with a 5.37 fan vote at the end of last night's episode. Why do you think you just got an average score from home viewers? Do you think they had trouble relating to you or something, and did you think it was a little predictable that a pretty blonde girl like Kristin -- who clearly doesn't have an edgy look like some of the other girls -- got the highest score from fans? What are your thoughts on that?


Jessie Rabideau: Well, I guess looking at my picture, it wasn't the most interesting one. So I guess I can expect the average score and they don't -- maybe the fans who were voting didn't see me in a video or something, so they're just judging based on the photo. So I can accept that.

Yeah, I mean Kristin will always -- since the first episode, she always had the highest fan backing, I guess because, I don't know. She looks like Jessica Simpson! (Laughs) So yeah, a pretty blonde girl. Her photo was pretty. I think she could've done more with it, but yeah, that's just public opinion.

Reality TV World: Just to go off on that a little more, Tyra Banks said in a recent interview that she finally felt good about giving home viewers a voice in the Top Model voting process because she had trained them over the years to appreciate and understand all different types of beauty -- some of which she explained is often in a girl's flaws or what makes her look different. But based upon the fans voting so highly for Kristin, do you think she really succeeded in doing that after all?

Jessie Rabideau: (Laughs) Um, well I think, gosh. I think with more and more pictures -- well, first impression, you're probably going to think the pretty blonde girl is pretty and you're going to be wanting to see more from her.

But as the competition goes with each photo, you see some amazing shots from all the other girls too. I don't think it's so one-sided. I think there's room for all different types of looks, and I think the fans out there appreciate the diversity of our group.


Reality TV World: Since the casting episode, it looked like you were a big hit in the house amongst the other models. Did you feel that way?

Jessie Rabideau: I wasn't expecting everyone to love me like that! (Laughs) But I don't know. I guess I made friends with pretty much all of them. I got really close with -- I mean, I wasn't there for too long, but yeah, I got really close with Leila and like the girls from my room. We just had similar personalities I guess.

Reality TV World: Was there anyone in particular you were worried you may have an issue with down the road, for example, someone that stood out for any reason for having a strong personality or something like that? 

Jessie Rabideau: Oh well, (laughs) in the beginning, Victoria kind of got on my nerves.

Reality TV World: Victoria has certainly made a splash so far this season and it seems like the majority of the cast thought she was, for lack of a better phrase, pretty weird although she had good intentions. You just noted she kind of annoyed you, so did the editing make her appear even worse than she really was while you were on the show or was it pretty accurate?


Jessie Rabideau: That's pretty much how she is. (Laughs) She's very dramatic.

Reality TV World: Was it just the relationship she had with her mom that got on your nerves or was there more to it than that?

Jessie Rabideau: I had some conversations with her, and so, I appreciated that. But yeah, she's just -- I don't know how to relate to her. She's a little too much for me.

Reality TV World: Based upon the preview for next week's episode, it looks like for the first time in Top Model history, the girls are going to get to choose whether or not they'd like to get a makeover. Had you not been eliminated, what would your answer have been and would you envision them doing anything different or crazy to your look?

Jessie Rabideau: Yeah, I would have for sure accepted the makeover look, because yeah. I think Tyra and the judges know what would make you more believable as a model or marketable.


I was talking to my dad and he was like, "You should grow your hair out if you want to be a model." And I was like, "I like my short hair though!" (Laughs) And then when I think about the makeover, they probably would have given me extensions or something, I don't know.

Reality TV World: You said in your final words you're definitely going to continue modeling, as it's only the beginning of your career. So are you going to try to pursue modeling instead of trying to get a job in architecture once you're out of school? What's going to come first for you?

Jessie Rabideau: Well, I just have one more year here at grad school, so that's going to be my main focus. But I hope that I can do some stuff on the side. We'll see. I'm in L.A., so I feel like I'm in a good place for those opportunities. And if they come my way, then I'll definitely try to pursue them.

Reality TV World: Okay, so it sounds like once you're done with school, you're going to try to juggle both career paths basically?

Jessie Rabideau: Yeah, maybe. I don't know, we'll see. It's hard to say. (Laughs)


Above is the concluding portion of our exclusive interview with Jessie. Click here to read the first half.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski