Elyse Marie Sewell (born June 10, 1982) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...

. She is best known for her appearance as a contestant in the first cycle of the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

series ''

America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...

''. She was named one of ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

'' Magazine's 2005's 10 Sexiest Geeks.

Early life

Sewell was born in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

to a father of British descent and a Mexican mother. She obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in Spanish and a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Biology from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. She also worked as a research assistant in an evolutionary biology lab.

Career

''America's Next Top Model''

Sewell's start in modeling came with her appearance on the first cycle of ''

''. She was known on the show as the "edgy

pre-med Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

student". She was the second runner-up, losing to winner

Adrianne Curry Adrianne Marie Curry-Rhode (born August 6, 1982) is an American fashion model, actress and television personality. She is best known as the winner of the first cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' in 2003. Career Modeling Curry won the first c ...

and first runner-up Shannon Stewart. In 2005, one of her "confessional" clips from the show, in which she expressed a profanity-laden rant against the people on the show, earned her 16th place on ''E!'s Most Outrageous TV Moments''. She attributes this outburst to the unusual requirement on the show to voice one's private thoughts and to soliloquize in a "confessional booth". While on the show, she said that she would be going to medical school if she did not win the competition.America's Next Top Model Cycle 1, UPN

After ''America's Next Top Model''

Although Sewell did not win the competition, she carved out a successful modeling career in East Asia, working mainly in Hong Kong. Sewell has appeared in print advertisements for

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chane ...

and Chow Sang Sang Jewelry, and appeared on the cover of '' Harper's Bazaar Hong Kong'' and in editorials for Hong Kong ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' and ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

''. Despite Tyra Banks' hope that Sewell would come to see that modeling was not as easy as it was often made out to be, Sewell continued to insist that it was the "easiest job in the world". In 2004, Sewell started a

LiveJournal LiveJournal (russian: Живой Журнал), stylised as LiVEJOURNAL, is a Russian-owned social networking service where users can keep a blog, journal, or diary. American programmer Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal on April 15, 1999, a ...

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...

about her experiences of modeling overseas. She published a book called ''Beauty and The Biz: The International Adventures of America's Third-to-Next Top Model'', in Hong Kong in 2006 based in part on her (now abandoned) blog. She appeared at multiple book signings across Hong Kong. Her other writing credits include a satirical piece for ''Bust Magazine'' on how to be a reality TV star, as well as posts for the website Lemondrop. In a June 5, 2009 blog entry, Sewell wrote that she was leaving Hong Kong and returning to her hometown of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

References

External links

Elyse Sewell's LiveJournal
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Elyse American female models 1982 births Living people People from Albuquerque, New Mexico America's Next Top Model contestants University of New Mexico alumni 21st-century American women