Aspiring models line up for chance at fame

A line of more than 250 young women snaked out from the Yuba Sutter Mall Wednesday morning — women waiting not for a sale, but for a shot at television fame.

Dressed in jeans and tops or in slinky minidresses, many in sky-high heels, a collection of hopefuls from the Mid-Valley and greater Sacramento posed for pictures and videos to offer themselves as contestants on "America's Next Top Model."

The most dedicated would-be supermodels had claimed their places in line at 2 a.m., seven hours before the doors opened to a temporary studio set up inside Forever 21 by Sacramento station KMAX-TV, whose network partner The CW has carried the program since 2006.

Yet for some of the most faithful fans of "Top Model" and its host-producer, former runway star Tyra Banks, no wait was too long for the chance to become stars of the tube alongside their heroine.

"It's my dream. Modeling's something I always wanted to pursue," said 19-year-old Jasmine Wright of Sacramento near the front of the line. "We had so much fun laughing, joking, running around. We haven't slept since 7 a.m. yesterday," she said, her spirits about as high as her 6-foot height.

"Top Model," which debuted on CW forerunner UPN seven years ago, features about a dozen women seeking to avoid weekly elimination by a panel of judges. A production company owned by Banks, the show's founder, is to choose the cast by early October and begin filming later in the month.

For some women, however, their dreams of on-screen fame died not 50 yards from the front door.

A female assistant for KMAX strode down the line holding a wooden dowel exactly 5 feet 7 inches long, the minimum height required for "Top Model" applicants. After shedding her thick platform heels, 18-year-old Jennifer Moua of Marysville, who seconds earlier proclaimed herself as an ardent show fan "from as soon as it came out," watched as the assistant measured her against the stick — and found her a half-inch short.

Once inside, other station assistants had set up black-curtained booths by the handbag section of Forever 21. In three booths women would face cameras to introduce themselves and give their reasons to be chosen for "Top Model," then stroll to an improvised photo studio nearby to pose for pictures both clothed and in bikinis.

"It's a dream of mine, and I know I can do it, and it's gonna happen," said 20-year-old Megan Coupé of Rio Oso, an incoming Sierra College student seemingly carefree about the long odds of reaching "Top Model."

Farther down the line, a Yuba City woman was almost bubbling with nerves with the anticipation — but had family support to prepare her for the experience.

"I immediately told her, and she was, like, laughing and crying at the same time, she was so excited," Katelyn Johnson said of 18-year-old cousin Kathryn Lamon, whom she helped pick out an audition dress (blue with a front zipper) and go through a practice photo shoot on Friday.

"I hadn't really done anything yet, and people have always told me I could be a model so I decided, yeah, that could be fun," Lamon said while waiting for her one-minute interview, her nerves periodically calmed by the encouragement of Johnson — a bright-eyed redhead 3 inches too short to apply for "Top Model."

Between a 70-question written application and having her bikini photo taken, Lamon faced a camera to make her pitch to appear on millions of TV sets — and show why she could endure the sometimes withering criticism would-be models can endure from Banks, other celebrity panelists and even one another. So overheated have the emotional dramas become that a set of spin-off prizes by Banks, the Fiercee Awards, has included such categories as the Ugliest Cry and Biggest Makeover Meltdown.

"I don't usually get into fights — I'm the problem-solver in that situation," she said firmly, her nerves falling away. "I can take criticism and make it constructive, and this is something I really want."

Ten minutes later, the cousins watched as a KMAX employee slipped printouts of Lamon's photos, the questionnaire and her contact information into a manila envelope — one of thousands carrying the hopes of women looking for a ticket to the limelight.

"I hope she gains confidence from this, because she hasn't quite found herself yet but she's getting there," Johnson said as she and Lamon left the department store, hoping for good news in about seven weeks.

"I hope she's happy. I hope she can do what she wants."

CONTACT Howard Yune at 749-4708 or hyune@appealdemocrat.com , and discuss this story at sutterlife.com.