By Tammy Tyler

Photo: Nigel Barker/The CW  

From the mixed martial arts cage to the runway, McKey Sullivan was the last one standing in the ANTM competition. Although no punches were thrown, she knocked out the competition from the get-go as the judges admit she was the front-runner from the beginning.

What were you feeling while standing with Samantha waiting for the

judges to announce the winner? Honestly, I don’t know what I was feeling. It was almost like I wasn’t hearing anything that was being said and it didn’t sink in until I was hugging Samantha and I could feel her shaking. I could feel how sad she was and that is what drove it home for me. All of the happiness just started flowing out of me. I was sad for my opponent, but it was so exciting for me.

How do you feel now that the reality of being ANTM has had time to sink in?

I have never experienced anything of this magnitude. I know that this win has inspired me to set a really high bar for myself. I won a competition that I was rejected for previously. In cycle 9, they told me that I wasn’t what they were looking for, but I kept trying and look where it got me!!

Why do you think you won?

Because I constantly put forth a better effort than the week before. I listened to every word the judges said and when they told me to work on something, I did. I took direction from everything they said to the other girls as well. This helped me key in on what each of the judges wanted and I adjusted accordingly.

Now that you are in the spot light , how are you going to encourage young girls who are interested in

modeling ?

I hope to show ALL girls, not just the aspiring models, that each person has a unique sense of spirit and that it’s ok to show off your interesting little quirks. Those are the things that make people love you. It would be terrible if we were all made from the same cookie cutter design.

What or who were your biggest inspirations in getting to where you are today?

Well, my boyfriend has this thing that he says all the time, and I am not even kidding. When

I say I can’t do something, he says “What does can’t mean?” I roll my eyes because I know the next thing that is going to come out of his mouth is “can’t means don’t want to.” Whenever I feel like I can’t do something, this little voice pops in my head and pushes me forward. He is a very inspirational person in my life. My biggest inspiration, role-model, everything is my dad.

He is an amazing person who knows what it really means to feel like he can’t do something. He was born deaf and mute, and learned to talk by feeling how his vocal cords vibrated. My mom is an amazing woman too who has always been there for me. 

“I have been touched by this experience. It is a blessing to see how much support I have received from so many people from across the world. It is amazing to be appreciated for who you are and what you have done.”