‘America’s Next Top Model’ Stars Eva Marcille & Toccara Jones Reveal How They Finessed Their Way On Series: ‘It’s Called Ingenuity’

Toccara Jones, Eva Marcille

‘America’s Next Top Model’ Stars Eva Marcille & Toccara Jones Reveal How They Finessed Their Way On Series: ‘It’s Called Ingenuity’

Sometimes in life, you just can’t accept no as the final answer.

Whether you like it or not, “America’s Next Top Model” has become a huge part of pop culture since its 2003 premiere. The series — which ran until 2018 for 24 seasons — and show creator Tyra Banks have faced criticism over the past few years for some of the questionable segments that took place. However, despite the mixed feelings surrounding the program, it’s still important to note that the show is responsible for helping a few well-known models launch their careers.

Two popular contestants from the reality series, Eva Marcille and Toccara Jones, recently had a reunion on the “Big Tigger Morning Show” and revealed that they had to take matters into their own hands in order to be selected for “ANTM.” The ladies both competed in season three, which debuted in 2004. Toccara Jones was the first plus-size model to appear on the series – she was the eighth contestant eliminated – and Eva Marcille made history as the first Black model to take home the winning title.

Eva Marcille

While speaking on how she almost wasn’t a part of the show at all, Eva Marcille said,

“I went to a fake call-back. I slid to a call-back when I wasn’t at the initial audition to even be called back to.”

After sharing that she skipped out on the first audition in Atlanta because she had work and couldn’t stand in the “crazy” long line for the casting call all day, Eva continued,

“When I go home I look it up, the [call-back] audition is in Memphis, Tennessee. So I decided to drive my Nissan Sentra down to Memphis, Tennessee with a donut tire. We roll down there, didn’t have any money, didn’t have money to stay in a hotel room, nothing.”

She added,

“The lady asked me – she goes, ‘So, where did we first see you?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, I can’t waste a sin on a real lie, so how we go pivot this, like a fake lie.’ I said, ‘Well, I first saw ya’ll in Atlanta at Lenox. Ya’ll were casting.’ … I literally just debowed my way through and from there they had me wait and I made it to the semifinal round and I made it up on the show.”

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Toccara Jones then shared a similar story and said,

“Same. I didn’t get a call-back and I said, ‘Oh, they got me messed up.’”

She continued,

“I went back anyway. … They had [a call-back] in New York and one in Minneapolis. I said ‘Let me go to the one in Minneapolis because New York go be too crowded.’ Girl, I caught a flight and showed up.”

As Toccara shared how she was ultimately added to the cast of season three, Eva interjected and said,

“It’s called ingenuity.”

However, Media personality Big Tigger jokingly weighed in and said,

“You called it ingenuity, I just called her a pretty thug for that.”

What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Tell us in the comments below!