“You could tell from the first episode that he did not like me,” Williams tells EW, reflecting on the 2007 production that saw her meet Manuel and Banks aboard a cruise ship, where casting was held.
While she hesitates to classify Manuel’s subsequent treatment of her the same way Hartshorne did, Williams says that she detected “microaggressions” on Manuel’s part, particularly as he gave her posing feedback while the pair collaborated on the cycle’s photo challenges.
“He was very dismissive toward me. He’d never try to help. You’re just giving me negative feedback,” Williams recalls, pointing out a particular instance where she remembers Manuel growing distracted during an episode 9 shoot involving a burning car in the desert.
“I understand how Sarah could observe it [as hostile], because when I was eliminated, out in the desert, he was on his iPhone, which had just come out,” Williams says. “It was his first iPhone, so he’d [say to someone beside him] ‘Oh my God, do you see this? This is the new feature,'” before turning back to her in a disinterested fashion, she says.
In the final edit of the show that made it to air, other contestants are shown discussing Manuel’s alleged disinterest in Williams, with Bianca Golden telling her peer that “he’s like your arch enemy,” with Williams responding, “He don’t like me!”
That energy, Williams says, carried over after the show. She remembers attending a red carpet event that involved ANTM alums modeling red carpet fashions for Manuel, who she recalls was hosting a style segment for E! at the time.
“They invited some Top Model girls, who were super cool. We were showing what red carpet looks could be. We came out doing those red carpet looks,” Williams says. “He came into our dressing room and saw the other girls, [saying], ‘Oh my God! Hey, good to see you!’ And he looked at me like, ugh,” Williams remembers. “And then he was giving hugs [to the other girls]. My ass, because I’m a little petty, I made sure I was in every [press] picture they took of us, standing next to him.”
EW has attempted to reach Manuel for comment on both Hartshorne’s memoir and Williams’ alleged interactions with him.
Though Williams ultimately finished ANTM cycle 9 in seventh place, she says she booked consistent modeling work afterward only when she stopped telling potential clients that she appeared on the reality competition.
“I’m frustrated with the show, because you thought you would go in and flourish from it, but, no, they thought it was a joke in the industry,” observes Williams. “There was no credit to the show.”
She specifically remembers losing a Wrangler’s campaign and a modeling gig on Project Runway after she says she told those involved in the bookings that she competed on ANTM.
Still, Williams says she would return to Top Model if asked to do an all-stars edition, mostly “because I’m petty,” she says with a laugh.
“They probably would say the same [critiques] because, if the originals come back, they didn’t like me,” Williams finishes.
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In her interview, Williams also reveals that, when she was eliminated, she performed a secret hand gesture meant as a coded a “f— you” to Banks and members of production, and recalls a brief pause in filming after contestant Ebony Morgan quit the competition, prompting Banks to allegedly run off set and consult with producer Ken Mok. (EW reached out to representatives for Banks and Mok for comment.)
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