Model Kicks Off "Trippy" Klutz

Cute as Sarah Rhoades is, the underdog sex kitten couldn't walk to save her life, much less keep her in the running toward becoming America's Next Top Model (Wednesdays at 8 pm/ET, on UPN). Perhaps to keep her from bruising her pretty face by taking a spill, the judges handed Sarah a nice, soft seat on an airplane home to Boonville, Mo., which sucks for two reasons: 1) Both hot and warm, she was easily the season's most appealing contestant, and 2) now we'll never know how far her relationship with lesbian buddy Kim would have gone had they continued making out in limos and taking midnight swims together. Before she starts telling tales on today's Tyra Banks Show, I can make myself — and maybe you, too — feel a little bit better by letting you in on the not-at-all-dumb blonde's master plan.

TVGuide.com: Journalistic integrity be damned; I want to give you a big hug!
Sarah Rhoades: [Laughs] Thanks!

TVGuide.com: I was so hoping that when Cassandra quit the show, maybe there wouldn't be an elimination.
Sarah: I know! We were all thinking, "Yay! No elimination this week!" But we weren't so lucky — or I wasn't so lucky!

TVGuide.com: I'm going to guess that in real life you somehow manage to get from point A to point B without tripping. What went wrong on the show?
Sarah: [Laughs] I don't know. See, I wear a size 7 shoe, and on the runways, I had a size 9 or 10 on — that didn't help. And I'm kind of clumsy to begin with, so that probably didn't help, either. And I think the first time I tripped, I became "the girl who trips." You know, J. Alexander calls me "Tipsy Tumbles," so it was in my mind that I was going to trip, that they expected me to trip and, well, I just couldn't get past it! 

TVGuide.com: In your last runway challenge, it seemed kind of mean to me that they made you wear the biggest gown and headdress this side of Vegas.
Sarah: Yeah, that was the only time I was kind of feeling as if I was set up to fail a little bit. I mean, I could have gone in tennis shoes and a skirt and still had problems, but still, with the head thing and the dress.... Whew, I was bound to fail!

TVGuide.com: How did it feel to be in the bottom two with Kim, the girl to whom you were closest?
Sarah: That was intense. I think all the girls were probably like, "They're splitting the couple up!" It was hard, but in the end it was an honor to go up against her. I wouldn't want to have stood there with anyone else. I was proud to lose against her. It was kind of bittersweet.

TVGuide.com: Are you still in touch?
Sarah: I just talked to her a couple minutes ago! We're still good friends. Nothing romantic....

TVGuide.com: Hey, don't start answering my questions before I ask them! Um... go on.
Sarah: I don't even know what happened with [our flirtation]! I don't consider myself bisexual or a lesbian; I just consider myself me. I didn't go in there with intentions like that. And I couldn't stand Kim during semifinals! I didn't like her at all. So it was weird to be in that situation. But she's a great person, and you get drawn to her when you meet her. I don't regret it at all. It was fun, and she's a beautiful girl.

TVGuide.com: If you're going to make out with a girl, it might as well be a beautiful one!
Sarah: Hell, yeah!

TVGuide.com: How did your boyfriend handle your dalliance when you got home?
Sarah: See? I didn't have a boyfriend. I know that [the subtitle on screen] said that was who I was talking to on the phone, but he's just a friend, so that wasn't an issue. I couldn't tell anyone about Kim or any of that [until the show aired], so I think everyone sort of went through [their reactions] last night. I haven't talked to my parents yet, so I'm not sure how they took it. We'll see. Boonville's not as out and open as L.A., so I may get tarred and feathered!

TVGuide.com: If that's the case, maybe it's time to move.
Sarah: You might be right!

TVGuide.com: Your parents must have at least seen the big limo makeout session by now.
Sarah: Yeah, they saw it. They were just like, "Oh, geez," you know? And they probably would have been happy if it had ended there. So I'm not sure if they're too happy about [last week's show]. They didn't call me after, so I don't know if they're upset or don't know what to say. My sister is OK with it, but she's [a teenager]. I hope I didn't set any bad examples! I don't want to go home and have her making out with girls!

TVGuide.com: Oh, come on! It's only a bad example if you're a bad kisser.
Sarah: It's hard to be with these lips! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: What are your plans now?
Sarah: I hope that I'll go ahead and pursue a modeling career and get out of "Booneyville," leave the cows behind.

TVGuide.com: A talent for pratfalls would be a big asset on a sitcom. Have you considered it?
Sarah: [Laughs] Well, I do love acting, which is actually the reason I started modeling in the first place, to try to bust into that. Hopefully! That would be fun!

TVGuide.com: I'll see what strings I can pull.
Sarah: Put in a good word for me!