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Canada's Next Top Model is really going places this season.
Three places to be exact, according to host Jay Manuel. The Toronto-born style guru isn't naming cities, but he's giddy to announce that 11 Canadian model wannabes will be embarking on a trio of field trips within and beyond the border on the third cycle of the CTV catwalk-off, premiering tonight.
Manuel -- who directs photoshoots on BFF Tyra Banks' American version of the reality TV competition -- also says to expect higher profile guest stars this season, which he executive produced. And given the ambitious bunch fighting for a modeling contract with Elmer Olsen Model Management, a $100,000 contract with P&G Beauty and a spread in FASHION magazine, the judges -- fashion journo Jeanne Beker, supermodel Yasmin Warsame and photographer Mike Ruiz -- as well as creative director Nole Marin are going to have some tough decisions on their hands.
And yes, there will be drama, says Manuel -- who recently made time in his stupid-busy schedule to talk Top Model with us from his home in New York.
So, what's new for Season 3?
Because I'm a part of the American show and the format is great, I said, 'I want Canada's Next Top Model to be the first international show to travel, and travel internationally.' I wanted it to go out of the country, but I wanted to do it with a little twist. There's a special little trip that happens in the first episode and there are two other major trips in the season. And that's all I'm going to give you. I'm not going to tell you where or what, but I can say they go to all different climate zones.
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What sort of looks and characters are represented in the 11 girls this season?
The girls are an amazing, diverse group. There's one girl, Maryam, and she's from Iran. Another girl, her family's from the Bahamas but she's from Quebec and she's got a thick accent, which I love. Of course, everyone gets on each other's nerves and there's huge drama and there's fights. There are also some very inspiring storylines, two of which have never even played out on America's Next Top Model.
What differences have you noticed between the Canadian contestants and the ones on ANTM?
You think of Canadian girls as very shy and reserved, and I grew up in Canada -- and they're not that way. I don't know why somehow we get portrayed that way on television. It drives me insane. When you look at this cast of girls this cycle you might look at them and say, 'They're loud. Wow, it's an American cast of girls.' I think this group of girls, they take it really seriously; they really want to be models. They're not trying to jump in this competition just to be a celebrity. It's not to say the American casts don't want to be models, but sometimes we get to the point where we're sussing out that these girls just want to be on TV or just be on a reality show.
What does Tyra think about you hosting the Canadian version of her show?
She was the one who encouraged me. I talk to her almost every day or every other day. They talked to me about doing (Cycle 2) and she goes, "Oh my God! You should totally do it! I mean, you spend the most time with the girls here." She was very supportive. If she didn't want me to be a part of the show,
I wouldn't be.
Your schedule is super packed, with your appearances on E! (Fashion Police) and Style (Style Her Famous), your makeup line (Manuel Override) and both Top Model shows ...
It's insane. And that's why people will say to me, 'Wow you're kind of tough on the girls.' I don't think I'm unduly mean because it doesn't come from a place of malice -- but I don't take BS. When they sit there and they want to whine, 'Oh, I sat around all day and now I'm tired and I haven't even shot my photo yet,' I'm like, 'Yeah, so what?' To me the best thing I can do is help them to truly arm themselves. Some girls need a careful nudge and other girls -- they need to be slammed into an awakening.
One of the girls you had to "nudge" last season on ANTM was London, who gained quite a bit of weight during the show. How did you feel about having to confront her?
To be very honest with you, I was actually kind of shocked that I didn't notice she was gaining weight beforehand. It's a sensitive issue. At that photoshoot, because she was wrapped in cord, it was very apparent. I had to say something to her. I pulled her aside and I said, 'We have to talk about this because it is obvious.' It was something that she needed to understand; as a model, your body truly is your product and you have to honour your body. You don't want to overeat; you want to eat a balanced diet.
I noticed there aren't any plus-sized models on CNTM. Why is that?
Here's my feeling: If you're going to do a competition like this, I think the girls need to be on equal footing. I think that just to have one (plus-sized model) in there, then how do the judges judge that?
It just becomes a very weird, murky area.
Finally, how does one smile with their eyes?
When someone truly, genuinely smiles and laughs, it's not so much the eyes, but it's the muscles around your temples and down and up around your cheekbones that kind of pull and lift the face ... It's learning how to control those muscles. It shows a breakdown of guard because when someone gives you a cheesy fake smile, they're guarding themselves. Models who are successful, there's a vulnerability as well as a relatability that's truly appealing. That's what you need to have when you're in front of the camera.