Jonathan Waud

Who wants a little meat with their coffee?

Make Me a Supermodel's Jonathan Waud is the new face for the Australian underwear and swimwear label Ristefsky Macheda. It's a wise man who knows when to shut up and we're going to do just that. Enjoy.














[Photos: Alek & Steph/www.ristefskymacheda.com]


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MMAS: T Lo Interviews Branden

Congratulations, Branden! You’re the winner, can you believe it?
Oh, no man, it’s insane. I still can’t believe it.

Was it tough to keep it a secret for so long?
Yeah, actually, it was kind of tough, but it comes down to the decision of "Would you rather tell someone or would you rather win?" That’s what I told my mom too because she’s the only one who knew about it.

How did it feel to be the youngest in the competition to win?
That’s was amazing because not only I won the competition, but I was the youngest. It’s like a little kid beating up an 18-year-old. It’s awesome because I took on all these grownups who were supposed to know what they were doing and they didn’t.

Especially competing against Sandhurst and Jonathan at the end.
Those two…I cannot believe that I beat them. They’re two of the coolest guys I’ve ever met in my life. They were definitely the strongest competition in the whole show and I can’t believe that I took it at the end.

It was nice to see how happy they were for you even though they didn’t win.
They’re really good sports and that’s what was so awesome about it. I was really touched when Jonathan made the “that kid did well” comment and he gave me a hug, that was awesome.

We saw potential in you ever since we saw that candy shot. The transformation was amazing. We know you had a lot of doubts, but was there any point in the competition where you said to yourself, “I can win this?"
You know, actually, at the beginning when I won immunity and when I won the photoshoot. I thought," I got this, that’s a piece of cake." I was so wrong because two weeks after that I was at the bottom one inch away from getting sent home. That changed things and in the last episode for some reason I thought I had a chance because I knew I did a great job with the Cosmopolitan shoot and the Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' shoot. That was a great shoot for me, I did an exceptional job on that.

How was the experience working with Timothy Greenfield-Sanders? He has photographed from world leaders to major cultural figures.
Oh, he is such a cool guy. He’s so smart and he knows fashion, he’s brilliant behind the camera. He knows how to get your inner beauty.

The judges felt that you had a lot of potential and some of the other models felt you didn’t perform well enough throughout the competition to win. What do you think made you win?
I think what made me win is that I went in this competition with no fears of doing anything. I did everything I was asked whether was getting naked or posing with a dude, whether I felt uncomfortable or not, I still did it without any questions. I put my all in everything. There was not one time where I didn’t try my hardest. I took direction every week, I listened. Before a photoshoot, I would sit there and think about what the judges said the week before. I really tried my hardest the whole time and I really thought I deserved it.

Your mother seemed so sweet and very supportive of you.
You know, my mom and I….we love each other so much. I’ll be always there for her. She raised me since I was a kid and now it’s my chance to help her. She’s getting older, she needs my help and support now. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or anything, she feels she doesn’t need one, she’s having fun with her life. She loves her job, which is kind of strange because she works at Albertson’s, but she’s happy there and she’s such a great woman. She made me have such respect for women. Our relationship is just amazing.

That must have been quite an experience for you both to see all your photos displayed at a gallery.
That was such a cool experience. That was such a surprise. I thought we were going to a museum or something but when I turned that corner and I saw all those huge pictures of all three of us, I ran in and I saw mine. They were huge. It was amazing to see all our best shots like that.

Your mother said that she sent a boy to the competition and she got a man in return. Do you feel that you grew throughout the competition?
I definitely did. I was in high school, being a dumb teenager; I was partying all the time, having fun and stuff. When I got back I was a lot more mature. I’m looking for my goals now, I’m thinking of my future now, making money and supporting myself.

You lit up every time you saw Nicole. Did you have a crush on her?
Oh, man, she’s so hot. I love her. She’s so nice and so beautiful.

What did you think of the judges in general?
I thought all the judges were really cool. They were all unique and different, even though Perou was a dick sometimes, made fun of me; you have to respect him because that’s how some people are in the industry. It’s a tough industry and you’re always going to be criticized no matter what.

Do you get in touch with the other models?
Not really, just Shawn and Sandhurst.

What was your favorite photoshoot?
I’d say the nude shoot. The photographer and I didn’t get along for some reason even though I was doing exactly what he was asking me to do, I didn’t like him at all, but I love the shot, it’s my favorite show of the whole season; that and the Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' one.

What are you doing with the money?
I’m going to give some money to my mom and I’m moving to NY. I’m moving in with Sandhurst. I can’t wait.

Well, good luck to you, Branden. We'll look for you in the magazines and runway shows.
Thank you for your support.

[Photos: BravoTV.com]

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MMAS: T Lo Interviews Sandhurst

Hi Sandhurst, what a pleasure to be finally talking to you!
The pleasure is all mine, I’ve been religiously reading your blog.

You thought you had it in the bag, huh?
I’ll be honest, I did. I had tied with Jonathan for the most weekly wins, and unlike Jonathan, I had been in the top three in eleven of the thirteen weeks, so, in my calculation [laughs] I had a good shot at winning, and I didn’t, and that’s how it went.

It was tough this season to pick a winner, don’t you think?
That’s true, I mean, c’mon, between Jonathan, Branden and I, you could send us to three completely different castings and we would rock, but competing against one another in the looks department was different, we are too different. The judges definitely had a hard task, a hard decision to make. I can’t fault them for choosing anyone. We had all performed well up to that point. I think Branden, at this point, I think he needed it and that was the deciding factor if you understand what I mean.

As Tyson said, in a female-dominated industry, it was nice to see a finale with three male models.
I agree, definitely. We went into the competition knowing that there were some extremely strong female contenders, like Jordan, Mountaha…c’mon, Mountaha was excellent. I will say this and may be putting myself out there, I actually thought she was robbed of the spot in the final three. Salome…she won half of the pictures, she too has extremely strong claim to the final three. So, for us to make it there; you know, some people may say that some of us didn’t deserve it, other people should have been there, three guys making to the final three, I mean, we really work hard for it.

You’re a classically trained ballet dancer and one would think that that would be an advantage in the competition, but somehow the judges saw it differently. Shimizu even said, rather negatively, that you were too aware of how you move.
[Sigh] You know, I’ll be very honest with you. I’ve gone over, over, and over since November what exactly it was that I did or didn’t do that made me lose. When she said that, I said to myself, you know what? Some people may think that one of your qualities is a strength and some people may think it’s a weakness. The thing about modeling is that it's based off of a select group of people, their likes and dislikes. I’m not going to please everyone, so whereas Perou loved the fact that I could do so many different shapes, Jenny might not; sometimes they like long hair, sometimes they like short hair. I’m not going to change, that’s a talent that I have and next time I just have to find someone who likes movement.

They also kept talking about how built you were, most of the sample-size clothes didn’t fit you and you had to struggle with that on top of everything else.
I’ve done a lot of research about the industry and I knew what I was getting into before all this happened. I knew that male models run from 5’11” to 6’2”. I was beyond those proportions; however, I still wanted to do it. A lot of people want to do things, but they never have the courage or listen to what people say ‘no, you can’t do it’ because this and that and the other or they never try. As I said, I knew that, so I was never frustrated when it happened because that’s the industry. I’m just hoping that one person likes me so much that they’re willing to look beyond sizing. I’m not going to let them say ‘no’ or say ‘no’ to myself, I’m one of those types of people.

And it’s kind of tough to hear that argument when Tyson is standing right next to you and he is no skinny model.
The difference between Tyson and I is that he is a supermodel. Tyson comes from the age of supermodels when the guys were big. In the 90s the guys were built, they had bigger bodies. They looked like men [laughs], big men. The aesthetic has changed, now we like youth, we like young, slimmer frames, the sleek look, and I may not be able to pull that off because my natural frame is larger. People make concessions for Tyson because he is Tyson. They want him in their collections because he’s Tyson. I’m not Tyson yet.

Right, and that doesn’t shut every door in the industry for you. There are many photoshoots and runway shows that require your type of body.
No, it doesn’t shut every door, except that on the show for example, they were bringing sample-size clothes and that’s just not my size. I’m mega size [laughs]. Someone will find clothes for me, I’m not worried.

You said that the competition helped you get over your insecurities. How so?
It’s so stupid but when I was growing up I had really bad acne to the point that I had keloid scars and I always felt that everyone was looking at me, looking at the scars, that kind of thing, so that was my problem going into it and that prevented me from pursuing modeling when I was younger, when I was 18. Being on the show and having cameras in your face 24/7 broadcasting every little feature, every flaw, imperfection to the world made me get over it really fast. It’s all out there now, get over it and grow up [laughs]!

How was meeting your sister coming from so far away just to see you? Are you guys close?
I didn’t think they were going to bring my sister. When Branden’s mother came through the door I thought that I was going to see my friend who lives in Philadelphia. I thought, she’s probably going to come. I really didn’t think that they were going to fly my sister from another country. It shocked the hell out of me. My family is extremely close. I call her almost every day. We call ourselves the twins but she’s four years older than me.

What was favorite photoshoot?
My favorite photoshoot was the fire one. I must admit, I really enjoyed it. I think the picture is not model-esque, I’m not going to sit here and say "Oh, my god, I can see this in a magazine," no, I think it looks like a still from a movie. I like that; I like the action, the drama, the excitement, the craze of it. My favorite photo was the nude one. I love that shot.

Are you still in touch with the other models?
I think I may be the one model that actually speaks to everyone. I try to call most of them every week. Shawn and I are always contacting each other. Jordan and I talk every week, Jonathan, Mountaha…I speak with everyone. You have to think, the experience was amazing, from beginning to end, it was excellent. I had an amazing time and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Are you excited about moving in with Branden when you both move to NY?
Yes, Branden and I are thinking of moving in together. It’s just a matter of when because I’m still in school, graduating in a week, and Branden and I just have to coordinate when it’s the best time to move to NY. I’m excited about that. Who knows? Maybe a spinoff?

Well, good luck to you, Sandhurst.
Thank you, thank you.


[Photos: BravoTV.com/Tarrice Love/sandhurst-tacama.blogspot.com]


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MMAS: T Lo Interviews Jonathan

You won Fan Favorite. Congratulations, Jonathan. That’s awesome!
You know what? In all honesty, if I couldn’t win the show, it would be Fan Favorite. If they were both for no money, I would want Fan Favorite, because that’s the whole of America voting. To me, that made the whole thing kind of bittersweet, but I’ve got no regrets. I want to thank every person that voted for me.

It’s kind of ironic because you said that your real personality didn’t come across on the show.
I think about 60, 70% of my personality came across. Obviously, everyone has gotten their slightly crazy side and I was aware that my family and my friends were going to see this, it was the first time I was on television, you know, I wanted to make sure I didn’t make a total ass of myself [laughs].

When did you first start modeling?
I started modeling probably about two years ago, very lightly modeling. I was actually introduced to an agent at a bar of all places. I was with a friend of mine and he introduced me to his agent and she asked me if I was interested in being represented. I asked her what I had to do and she told me it was photographs, castings...she kind of explained the industry to me and it sounded like a little fun. That’s how I got started.

Now, was that here or in England?
That was here in a bar in LA called Cabo Cantina.

How did you meet your wife?
I was at The Grove in LA and I saw this very pretty girl walking to a Coffee Bean. She would have to be breathtaking for me to pluck up enough courage to go up to a complete stranger and I didn’t even drink coffee at the time. So, I sort of wandered into this Coffee Bean, I was with a friend of mine, and got closer to the cash register and gave her this kind of compliment that I could only come up with: “I like your boots”. She had these cool leather boots on.

Well, in LA, she probably thought you were gay.
[Laughs] I know. I hadn’t been in LA for long. So I asked for a Venti Mocha Frappuccino, I had no idea what I was doing there, she started laughing, we started talking and the rest is history as they say.

She seems very supportive of your career and your goals.
She’s incredibly supportive. Behind every good guy there’s even a better woman and vice-versa. It’s a testament to our relationship that she’s comfortable with me having to often kiss other girls or be completely naked for a photoshoot.

Speaking of naked shots, you became an Internet sensation when a ton of sites started to post your smoking-hot nude photographs taken by Rick Day. What was like working with Rick Day? He’s a great photographer.
Ricky is one of my favorite people in the whole world. Not only is he a fantastic photographer, he’s got this vision; he could make a grapefruit or a pineapple look sexy. He’s got this innate ability to create these smoldering images. I would love to say that it’s all me, but he gives such wonderful directions. I haven’t worked with that many photographers who have been able to really manipulate your body in a way that it will look the best you could ever look. He’s an artist and a magician.

Does your wife get jealous of all the attention you get from men and women?
The funny thing is that…I have a Facebook page and a lot of people now say “My goodness, your wife is so beautiful, she’s so lucky, you’re so lucky,” so she’s getting 50% of all the admiration. It’s great for me that any fan of mine really appreciates my wife as well.

Moving on to the show, you sounded disappointed that you didn’t win in your exit video. Are you still disappointed?
That’s a tough question. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I did the best that I feel that I could’ve done over the period that I was away and I felt like I had a tremendous amount of consistency and praise from the judges. So to get, as they say in England, pipped at the post, it was definitely upsetting and disappointing. It’s definitely not dissuading, though. It hasn’t caused any resentment to me whatsoever. If anything, it’s made me a little bit stronger. You know, in the modeling industry there’s tough competition out there. If you cut out to be a serious model, you ought to take the praise and the rejection in stride.

Your shots, your walk were always near perfection, you were always consistent. Do you think that turned the judges off?
I don’t know, maybe I peaked too soon. I was so consistent, yeah, the judges wanted to see something new and we were limited. I wasn’t able to sprout wings and fly on the runway, but I did the best that I could, so maybe I came out too strong too soon. I feel that Sandhurst fell to the same fate as that as well whereas Branden showed this, sort of, inexperience to this development.

The judges had a very tough decision to make. The three of you were very good in your own way and only one could be the winner.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have liked to have been at the judging panel, having to decide that. It was a testament to the fact that three guys with three great looks, all very good in their own specific way, so yeah, no doubt a tough decision for the judges.

What was your favorite photoshoot?
It was probably the underwater shoot. I wasn’t in love with my picture, I was actually later on told that that picture might be used in the photographer’s book. The photoshoot was something so brand new, so different than everything I’ve experienced in the modeling world before. I think it probably left one of the greatest impressions on me.

How was your reaction when you received the visit from your wife and kid on the show?
When Branden’s mom showed up, Sandhurst’s sister…I was think in the back of my mind “my wife better bloody show up.” We had been cooped away from the rest of the real world for quite some time. It was massive for me to be able to see my wife and kid. So much relief came over me, very calming influence.

How much time did you spend with them? Watching the episode, it looks like you guys spent less than a day with the family members.
That was it. It was a matter of hours. They showed up, we got ready, we went to the exhibition of all the photographs of us and after that, kiss, hug, and goodbye, and then on to the finale. I would’ve loved to have had it longer but if I had had that much longer I think I would’ve become too distracted.

Do you miss your long hair?
Desperately.

And why in the world did you decide to have your hair dyed?
You know when people are in court and they plead temporary insanity? I think that’s probably what I was dealing with. All jokes aside, when you’re there and the judges are constantly saying that they need to see something new, that you’re so vanilla, not pushing the boundaries…every shot I’m smiling or I’m showing a slightly crazier side and they kept saying that wasn’t still enough, so I felt that I had to show them that I wasn’t afraid of changing my look up. It wasn’t the right decision, but it showed strength of character, I felt. It was changed back the day after, but the issue with changing it back so quickly, as I’m sure you can see, my eyebrows and my hair still had this very orange-y tint to it. It has grown out now, thank goodness.

You had the most ripped body in the competition. How much do you work out?
It will upset you to know that I don’t work out that much.

We don’t believe you.
Honestly. Living in LA, I juggle modeling and a little construction company, sort of a handyman construction company I run. For all intents and purposes, all day every day is the equivalent of working out. I’m pulling concrete, hammering up dry walls, lifting 2 by 4s, it sort of stretches your body in so many different ways and that is actually how I maintain my physique and then I’ll probably go to the gym, let’s say, three times a week. On top of that I have my push-up regime: 100 in the morning, 100 in the evening, and then, 60 sit-ups in the morning and 60 in the evening .

So, what have you been doing lately?
The modeling right now is going incredibly well. The exposure and the lessons I’ve learned from the show, I’m much more comfortable in front of a camera. I’ve done a bunch of underwear campaign and catalogues. Hopefully I’ll start building towards my own 100 thousand dollars as opposed to the prize money.

You’re very professional and you have everything to build a great career as a model.
Thank you; that’s how I wanted to come across. It’s a job, it’s a very fun job, but it is still a job. It adds a little bit more discipline when you have a family, you have to book the job because if you don’t it’s very difficult to pay the rent. Yeah, there is a little bit of extra pressure, a little more direction.



[Photos: BravoTV.com/NousModelManagement|Men/RickDayNYC.com/MichaelDar.com]


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MMAS: The Finale

Boys on film!

"I'm a freaking supermodel!"

YAY! This may have been a surprise to some (it was to us) but in retrospect, you can kinda tell this was where they were heading.

First off, what a nice little sendoff for the season. Last night's episode was well-produced and well-edited, making for a finale that was tense and emotional but not maudlin or overly manipulative.

Best photographer they ever worked with, that's for sure.

He was very focused, very kind and very patient. Not surprisingly,

He got the boys to turn out some amazing shots.

For the last week, Lorenzo's been pre-fuming over his predicted outcome for this show. "They need to pick Branden!" he would roar to the heavens. Tom agreed, but always said in response, "You know they're not going to do that." We just thought it was a foregone conclusion that, even though from where we were sitting, he had the most potential out of the three of them, he was just too young and the judges were too in love with the other two for him to win the whole thing.

Well. As soon as the above picture flashed on the screen, Tom turned to Lorenzo and said "You're right. They HAVE to pick him." Not to take away anything from the other two portraits, which are both very good, but we literally cannot take our eyes off that picture of Branden. Give that kid a couple of years and some on-the-job training and he's going to nail it every time a camera is pointed at him.

The rest of the pictures were all fabulous, but again, Branden keeps standing out. Matthew Rolston (who is a great judge with very silly hair) made the very apt point that if you put Branden's two pictures side by side, you suddenly had an instant ad campaign. That's the mark of a really good model. Two shots and you have all you need. More than you need.

From the best photo shoot they've ever done...

To the absolute worst.

We don't know what the hell image Cosmo was trying to send by agreeing to do this, but "creepy and low rent" were probably not high on the list. Seriously, it was embarassing. A bunch of unnamed Cosmo staffers hung around and stared at the boys as they posed for them. Very weird. And again, unsurprisingly...



The pictures were all terrible. Although for some reason they never showed Sandhurst's shots.

And now, for the emotional blackmail portion of our program:


It's fine. It's a feature of the genre of reality competitions and it's not going away, so go ahead producers, manipulate us. We don't mind. It was all relatively sweet and relatively unstaged.

Besides, it was rather clever how they intertwined "emotional reunion" and "retrospective of their work" all in one sequence kind of seamlessly.

We do love those reality competition "parties," though. A bunch of production staffers artfully arranged to look like a crowd.

Runway time!

And the boys look ridiculous!


Fortunately, they also looked suave and smooth.

This is the look that Jonathan is built for. His walk was so solid and he looked sogood in BOTH pieces that we were sure he was the winner.




Sandhurst also gave an incredibly strong and incredibly smooth walk, so we thought maybe HE was going to win it.




We don't know what it is about Branden but it all sort of came together for him last night. Look at the long shot of him in that suit. He LOOKS like a model. He's got the unnaturally long and lean look to him and the clothes look incredible on him. That ostrich neck on him is probably a little weird in person but in photographs and on the runway it's really going to serve him well.

On a side note, what the hell was up her ass last night? What was with all the "I'm going to make you cry" leading questions?

"Branden, it sucks for you that your father ran out on you, am I right?" What the HELL? Where did THAT come from?


We hear people say "But Jonathan (or Sandhurst) is SO GORGEOUS and Branden just looks like a skinny kid!" Thing is, modeling isn't always about being the prettiest in the room; it's quite often about being the most interesting to look at and it's ALWAYS about the ability to sell something, whether it's an image or a pair of jeans.

All of them have that ability to one degree or another. It's to the show's credit that they narrowed it down to three such strong contenders. But Branden has that ability PLUS he's got youth on his side PLUS he embodies a certain look that's in on the runways and editorials right now, young, thin, pouty and chiseled all at once. It was a surprise to us that they went there, but it really was the right choice to make.

Aw. Yes he did. And the great part is, we have no doubt that these two will get careers out of this as well. We hope so.

A finale with three gorgeous men who are also sweet. What could be better?


[Photos: Timothy Greeenfield-Sanders/BravoTV.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]


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