Andy DehnartTop Model judge and photographer Nigel Barker said his fellow judge Tyra Banks is as nutty in real life as she is on TV. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, he was asked about Tyra’s persona, and he said, “I tell you, it’s one and the same. It’s actually who she is.”
The interviewer asked, “So she’s mad?”, and Nigel said, “Well, it’s one of the keys to success for a good reality show, if you cast people who actually are themselves. I think the audience can always tell if someone is performing and they won’t buy it. Many reality shows have failed because everyone’s acting. We have some colourful characters you think must be performing but I think that’s because in life, they are performers. Janice is Janice — she’s like that the whole time. Miss J is Miss J. He runs around being Miss J in his off time too.”
Nigel says that he stays away from the J and Jay and Tyra show: “I’m rarely a part of that. I’m there to be the photographer and the judge and apart from that, I’m not a part of the other fun and hijinks.”