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Search for America's Next Top Model comes to Mountain Home
The search for America's Next Top Model continued in Mountain Home as dozens of young women came to town Saturday to audition for the reality TV series.
Held at the Mountain Home Auto Ranch, the casting call represented the first step these women face in their quest to earn a spot on the TV show.
KMVT TV in Twin Falls worked with the local dealership to host the auditions. The station, an affiliate of the CBS and Warner Brothers Network that airs the show, selected the Auto Ranch due to the city's relatively central location between Twin Falls and Boise, said Sarah Wolfe, the station's non-traditional sales manager.
"It's a new thing for us, and we're proud to do it," said Todd McCurry, general manager and owner of the Auto Ranch. "Anything we can do to bring positive exposure to Mountain Home, we're eager to do it."
Alex Sharp traveled from Salt Lake City for a shot at joining the show. She opted to come to Mountain Home versus driving even further to another set of auditions in Colorado.
"Modeling is something I wanted to do forever," said Sharp, who started watching the show five years ago when she was a seventh grader. "The first time I watched the show, I said that was what I wanted to do."
Like many others waiting to go in front of the camera, Sharp admitted she's never done modeling but considers herself a "pretty funny person" that enjoys making others laugh.
For people like Chelsea Sceirine, the auditions were a once-in-a-lifetime chance to find stardom and "to see where life takes me."
The Pocatello resident learned about the auditions after catching an episode of the show. A fan of America's Next Top Model since its second season, the Idaho State University student started watching the show one day "and fell in love with it," she said.
"Drama is always fun to watch," Sceirine added. "I love how they morph these women into totally different people. It's something that just fascinates me."
A competitive spirit and desire to be a winner brought Iisha Schumacher to Mountain Home after learning about the auditions from her mother on Friday.
"I really, really want this, but I also want to have fun with it," Schumacher said regarding her desires to be a part of the show. An Apollo College student majoring in dental assisting, she hopes to be on the show as a way to offer a better life for her son, Lincoln, who celebrates his first birthday May 6.
While most women waited for a chance to audition, others like Jessi Roberts were there to offer moral support for their families. A business owner in Mountain Home, she remains a fan of the show since its first season.
"I enjoy watching the underdogs who felt they were not very pretty develop into the swans," said Roberts while her younger sister, Scarlett Bucher, filled out her application.
Bucher, who participated in beauty pageants, dance groups and cheerleading squads as a teen, admits she's always been a bit of a class clown. She hoped this trait would give her an advantage over others waiting to audition.
Bucher, who recently moved to Mountain Home with her husband, admits fashion design remains her strength. However, she desired a chance to enjoy a little of the Hollywood limelight without the crazy lifestyle that tarnished the careers of so many young women, she said.
Unlike many women trying out for the show, Bucher had a different reason for auditioning. Growing up, her mother focused more attention on her older sister and felt Bucher didn't stand a chance of being a model.
"I hope to prove my mother wrong and to show her that I am beautiful," she said.
Video recordings from each of the 68 women at Saturday's auditions go before network officials, who will view them along with applications from other casting calls across the United States. The network will select some to attend a regional casting call to narrow their search to the handful of women that will appear on the show this fall.