{blackbabes} 'America's Next Top Model's' Camille McDonald: 'I didn't sign up for what was thrown my way'

Camille McDonald is the latest eliminated model from "America's Next Top Model" all-star cycle and like the other eliminees before her, she tells Zap2it she was not exactly pleased with what Cycle 17 turned out to be.

What made you want to come back to Top Model?

"Branding. The network came to me and they said we have an amazing opportunity to you. It's not about being America's Next Top Model, it's about branding. Branding was my number one goal - who is Camille McDonald? I wanted to show the world my vibrant personality and how I've grown mentally, physically and spiritually. The brand factor was why I went back on the show. What I was pitched was that the show would be my brand, people would see me in the light I was comfortable with and it would be my opportunity to cement my celebrity. I came in the door with my brand,which is signature walk. And my signature walk was nowhere to be seen on Cycle 17."

Other eliminated contestants have told us they were pitched something different than what it actually was. Do you feel the same way?

"Yes, ma'am. I got an opportunity to tell them what I wanted to brand prior to the show, with my health and exercise and my cooking routine, and I didn't see any of that. There was no character development. It didn't show my personality. But it's a reality TV show. You sign a contract, you get what you get.

But it's possible that [being on the show] could put everybody backwards. I thought on the first episode they were going to do a rundown of what we've been doing with our lives, our careers. I think I was viewed as if Camille isn't doing anything and she's worried about money and she's getting older and dried up. That's absolutely unequivocally incorrect and furthest from the truth. All I can do now is make lemonade and show the world the truth and take my brand into my own hands. It gave me face time on television."

Do you regret coming back to the show?

[sighs] "I don't, but time will tell. Time will tell if this was damaging to my career and my life or if it's going to work itself out in a - it's a job. You want to get paid, it needs to be lucrative. I look at people who are on other reality shows who are doing exceptionally well. It doesn't make sense to go on a show and be broke and can't pass off of it because people won't work with you, or you're overexposed. It's a different world for us out here. We're working the opposite way [from other models]. We have the celebrity but now we have to book the jobs and the campaigns and work twice as hard to work through the stigmas [from having been on the show]."

What have you been working on since your time on the show?

"You know I have my signature walk. Well, I have a company - Signature Walk, Inc., to help people hone in on that. Perfect that to the best of your ability. It came about at Howard University during the Homecoming Fashion Show ... I found my inner sense of confidence, I honed in on it, I owned it. I'm capitalizing on that as my 'brand.' Those play into my fashion marketing company. I'm developing a line of shoes - a signature walk has to have signature shoes. I also have a cookbook, I've gathered recipes from around the world in my travels as a professional model. Plus some health notes in recipes, about being healthy. I also have the launch of my new website, hopefully will be finished in the next two to three weeks, where you'll see never-before-seen photos that show my personality."

Any final thoughts?

"I just want to re-expose myself and show the world the naked truth. This is a wonderful opportunity, Tyra didn't have to choose us and she did. I really am wondering why this is hapepning and I pray to God this is something that will reap me positive blessings because I didn't sign up for what was thrown my way and that's the unfortunate part."

"America's Next Top Model" airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CW.