Top Model Strips Off Its Exotic Dancer

I hate to say it, but for once, America's Next Top Modelbrat Bianca was right: This cycle's winner is not going to be a stripper. Although Lisa Jackson took to-die-for pictures that exuded class — no hoochie criticism for her! — she choked during last week's CoverGirl commercial challenge, giving Tyra Banks just the excuse she needed to drop her from the squeaky-clean talent search without mentioning her checkered past. At least I think that's what happened. Does the 20-year-old Jersey girl agree? Let's ring her up and find out.

TVGuide.com: So you freaked during your commercial taping. But everybody gets stage fright — don't you think you deserved a second chance?
Lisa Jackson: Well, I set myself up to expect [to be eliminated]. That way, if it did happen, I wasn't completely crushed. But at the same time, I had been trying very hard and hoped that [the judges] had noticed [and realized] that I was struggling because I just wanted to do good.

TVGuide.com: What really happened there? What were the tears all about? Stress?
Lisa: I was just frustrated with myself. When I thought I was doing good, it didn't seem to be coming through. And when it came to the lines, I had them down, and then they just slipped right out of my mind. So I was more frustrated than stressed out. Plus, I'm such a perfectionist... and I'm my own worst critic. I mean, I would listen to what the judges were saying, but it was me who was really hard on myself. The other girls were good, but I felt the only person I really needed to overcome was myself.

TVGuide.com: Have you done that since the show?
Lisa: Yeah. In watching the show, I'm like, you know, would've, could've, should've. But you can't really live like that. You walk in thinking you know everything, and you're not really prepared for what comes with being on the show. And then you kind of deal with it in that moment. I guess that's the only way I could deal with it, so there's nothing I could really do. But I watch myself and say, "Lisa, why? No!" I could probably do the lines now!

TVGuide.com: As long as you have perspective now, I guess it was worth all the tears.
Lisa: I came out really proving to myself that I'm good and that I shouldn't be hard on myself the way I was. But in that reality world, you lose a sense of perspective. In that moment, that's all that matters. If you saw the beginning [of the season], I'm confident, I'm outspoken, I'm talking, and that's just who I am. It bothered me that I would lose that part of me so easily just because of the competition. But I won't let it happen again.

TVGuide.com: Do you think your risqué past career might have done you as much harm in the contest as your performance in the commercial? Bianca certainly seemed to think it would be your downfall.
Lisa: I think the judges saw that I was a model, and in that sense, it didn't come up too much. But CoverGirl is very conservative, and that could have played a part. But I also think that I proved myself, and maybe it was a lack of confidence toward the end [that did me in], because looking back, [my dancing] was mentioned early, but it was really forgotten when I started proving that I was fit to be a model. I kind of proved Bianca wrong, which I'm glad for. The only thing that bothered me was that it wasn't a big part of my life the way the show makes it seem, you know?
TVGuide.com: Sure. We all have a past.
Lisa: Exactly. No one's perfect. I think [those are] Tyra's thoughts on that, and she probably saw that I'm not perfect, but like I say, you still have to please people who are hoping to sign you, and CoverGirl itself may not have wanted that image.

TVGuide.com: Right, like Michael Vick isn't going to be asked to endorse the SPCA. I thought it was telling that when other girls were getting called out for bringing too much "hoochie" to their shots, you never got that criticism.
Lisa: I know. In a weird way, I think Bianca bringing [my stripping days] actually brought up discussions about it, and people were like, "You know, Lisa's not so bad because of her occupation," and it made people really look at that and say, "Why wouldn't she be able to be a top model just because of her past?" And like I said on the show, America's not perfect. I'm a real person and real people do go through things like that. I have four sisters, and I don't want them to be dancers, but you know what? I was a dancer so they'd never have to be. When I apologized to Bianca, I really meant it. I don't hold grudges. I was probably over it after that.

TVGuide.com: And she didn't come after you after that, either. She seemed to decide that it was more fun to torment Heather.
Lisa: The thing about Heather is that at some point, we started looking at her like we were all sisters. We all really opened up to each other. We knew about Heather's difficulties, but we didn't treat her special because of it. Like the incident in the shower. We would play with her.

TVGuide.com: Is that what you call that?
Lisa: I don't think that any of us really meant any harm toward her. The majority of the time, we just had a good time with Heather, and I don't think they showed that.
TVGuide.com: Yeah, it doesn't usually look like she's having a great time being picked on.
Lisa: Yeah, but that's the thing. In any incident, we really sat down and would talk to her and discuss how she felt, and if we felt like we were wrong toward her, we would apologize and try to move on.

TVGuide.com: It kind of looks like a catty sorority ganging up on Heather.
Lisa: You know, she was the competition. She was a very good competitor, and we certainly saw that. But I don't think we were really negative toward her. We were all really nice toward Heather, I thought.

TVGuide.com: I guess since everybody in the house tries to undermine everyone else; in a way, you were just treating her like everyone else!
Lisa: That's what it comes down to. We treated her the same, like with the incident in the shower. We were all just having fun, and it kind of got blown out of proportion.

TVGuide.com: I'll look forward to asking her about it. Meantime, who was more distracting to be around: Tyson Beckford or Enrique Iglesias?
Lisa: Tyson! Just because — my fiancé's going to kill me! — he's one of those celebrities who as a girl, you say, "If I ever meet him.... "

TVGuide.com: So he's on your list!
Lisa: Actually, he was one of those people! I'm glad they didn't show my reaction. I was kind of taken. But Ebony outdid me, so I'm glad they showed her face!

TVGuide.com: Did either of them try to slip you their number?
Lisa: No, no! We kept it really professional. But it was nice to meet [Beckford] and gaze at him and talk to him and look at him....

TVGuide.com: You do have it bad. Who are rooting for now?
Lisa: I guess I'm rooting for Heather. She's the favorite of a lot of my friends, and she's inspired a lot of people, so if she makes it, that would be really good. And she is beautiful. But also, you know, Jenah is a great model as well. She has great potential, with or without ANTM.

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