SHE didn’t win, but when former “Guyana Top Model”, Nkechi Vaughn took on this year’s Caribbean Next Top Model Cycle 3 and finished in the final three, the St Stanislaus College alum did Guyana proud.
CNTM grand season finale aired last Monday on Grenada’s Flow1 network, and when all the models had posed their last pose, and strutted their last strut, it was Jamaica’s Shamique Simms who walked away with the title.
But it was Vaughn that had Guyana’s full focus and support. Week after week, as the herd continued to thin, Vaughn continued to showcase she had what it takes to make the cut.
At 5 feet 7.5 inches, Vaughn was one of the shortest models in the competition, but that girl still stood tall above all the rest.
“The experience was out of this world! It was the good, bad and ugly, but I loved every minute of it, and would do it again in a heartbeat,” Vaughn told The Buzz when we caught with her earlier this week.
Though most Guyanese missed getting to see the 21-year-old (Guyana does not air Flow1) model cum aspiring doctor srut her stuff, Vaughn was feeling the love on social media, where many were keeping up with her week-to-week progression in the competition.
SHOT IN GRENADA
The competition was shot entirely in Grenada, initially pitting 14 girls from across eight Caribbean nations against each other. Girls were eliminated across 14 episodes, with new episodes aired each Monday, and the first two episodes airing January 30.
The girls were judged by a line-up that included former Miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam; designer Socrates McKinney; and photographer Pedro Virgil. And they always just saw something in Vaughn that set her apart from the rest.
Vaughn says she certainly took a lot away from the experience, and now has a more comprehensive look at just how tough the life of a model truly can be.
“All that glitters definitely ain’t gold! Being a model isnt easy!” she said.
“Yes, there’s the glamorous side; the after- product, but a lot goes into getting there. There’re sacrifices, discipline, passion and commitment; you must have all those traits if you want to survive.
“During the competition, we shot every single day for hours, and basically ran on little sleep. But I wanted it! I didnt care how much sleep I lacked; I was going to look my best with a pretty smile for the next challenge!”

A LITTLE OVERWHELMING
There were a few moments, though, when things got a little overwhelming for Vaughn. There was one snippet of Vaughn breaking down in tears during Episode Four, when it came her turn to find out if she was through to the next round, or about to be axed. Vaughn told us a little about what went on in that moment.
“I was called out last for assessment, something that I was not accustomed to and I panicked! Especially since the challenge was an under-water shoot and I wasn’t sure if the photographer got the shots.
“I was one of the last persons shot; all the sunlight was gone and I didn’t feel like I was in sync with him.
“The judges didn’t seem to think it was a terrible pic though,” she said.