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‘America’s Next Top Model’ contestant Toccara Jones and winner Eva Marcille are opening up about how they landed their spots on the competitive reality show. According to Screen Rant, both ladies appeared in the series’ third season, which aired in 2004.
The models recently sat down for an exclusive interview with V-103 Atlanta, which was published via YouTube on Thursday, January 18. About a minute into their interview, the host, Big Tigger, explained how Jones finessed “her way onto the show.”
“I think we all did,” Marcille replied before laughing with Jones.
The 39-year-old explained that she “went to a fake callback” in an effort to secure her spot on the series.
“I said to a callback that I wasn’t there at the initial audition to be called back to,” Marcille explained.
Additionally, Marcille explained that she worked in retail in Atlanta at the time of her audition. At the time, the line of those auditioning was “crazy,” and she couldn’t wait it out due to her work schedule.
Ultimately, the model drove to another audition in Memphis, Tennessee. During the event, she was asked by a recruiter about when she was first seen.
“I’m, ‘Oh, I can’t waste a sin on a real lie, so how we ‘gon pivot this like a fake like?’ I said, ‘Well, I first saw y’all in Atlanta — at Lenox, y’all were casting.”
Marcille explained that the woman appeared skeptical of her story. However, she was able to finesse her way through to end up on the show.
Jones also weighed in and explained how she finessed her way in a similar circumstance.
Check out the clip below.
Social media users shared their reactions to Marcille and Jones’ experiences in The Shade Room’s comment section. Many praised them both for going after their dreams by any means necessary.
“Moral of the story… Believe in you & go after what you want! Eff what ppl think or say! lol”
While Instagram user @ashleycmeverett added.
“It’s called CHASING THE DREAM! You HAVE to be persistent. And if it’s for you it’s for you—PERIOD!! 👏🏽👏🏽 go ladies”
Instagram user @pinklucyofficial wrote.
“This is called, refusing to take NO for an answer! Faith, ingenuity, and not allowing anything to stop you will take you a long way!!!”
While Instagram user @robby_xl added.
“You gotta want that bad though! It’s a message in everything 🌍🧲”
“I love these stories. The younger generation don’t know about that real audition grind. Flying and driving to different cities with no money frfr, standing in long lines(sometimes out in the cold) just to audition, going for our dreams. Nowadays, you can get booked from social media(which is great). Back in the day tho, you had to forreal GO for it. Whew! What a time!”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Jones made headlines in December 2021. At the time, she defended the show’s host, Tyra Banks, after a fellow contestant alleged participants were only paid $40 a day to be on the show.
In an interview with TMZ, Jones defended Banks and explained that “it’s a contest. So there’s no payment.”
“I love Tyra. She’s still thriving. She is still doing good, and she’s going to continue to be doing good, and people are still talking about the franchise, and here we are still speaking about it,” Jones said at the time.
“It’s a contest. So there’s no payment. I mean, when do people pay to be in a contest or get paid to be in a contest. The whole purpose of a contest is to win a prize. You know what I’m saying? It’s for the exposure.”
