AE: Do you feel your outburst on the runway cost you?
KB: To be honest, just from my own standpoint, the challenge was to be innovative. As much as I did ask Tim, which wasn't shown, I asked him if I was pushing it enough. Personally, when I saw all the outfits walk, I felt like I could have pushed it more. I wouldn't necessarily call it an outburst. I was trying to communicate that, "Hey, we're all designers just trying to make it here. We're pushing out our passion and our dreams, we're all exhausted. You need to tread lightly. You need to understand. As much as you're saying that the world is harsh and the fashion industry is cut-throat, the judges are also the people that make or break us in the competition."
That's all I was trying to say. I really don't think it made a huge difference. I was proud of myself for being able to stand up and say this is how I feel. This is what I believe in. Either way, I have no regrets about that.
AE: Many times throughout the show, you talked about wanting to get out of Utah. Where was that coming from?
KB: I wouldn't say it was a thing about badly wanting to get out of Utah, it was about getting more exposure. I love where I come from. It's very beautiful, beautiful seasons, beautiful people. It's not that I want to leave Utah permanently, but I have to have exposure in LA and New York and line up work in these places to be taken seriously in the world of fashion. It's not that I want to be away from Utah, it's just that I need to start making connections in these bigger cities to make headway. They didn't show it much, but I love where I come from, I'm very proud of who I am. But as a progressive fashion scene, it's just too small. This was supposed to be opportunity for me to start venturing into the rest of the world.
AE: Were you aware that Daniel and Wesley were romantically involved while on the show? I know he told me last week when I interviewed him that they went to great pains to hide their relationship from the producers and cameras.
KB: Yeah, I did know. Daniel was a buddy of mine so I knew what was going on. He was my roomie, so I knew from the first moment that he has a crush on Wesley.
AE: Now, a lot of our readers at AfterElton.com think you're just the sexiest thing ever. How does it feel to be a new sex symbol for gay men?
KB: [Laughs] You know, if it opens some doors in the world of fashion for me, then that's how I'll take it. I'm grateful for every opportunity, and I'm grateful that people find me attractive, and hopefully that will be a segue into seeing how beautiful my fashion is. That's awesome, but I'm so much more than a pretty face, and I have so much more to offer this world. Hopefully it'll just open doors to them appreciating my fashion. I'm a mellow guy. I don't really feed into that sort of attention much.
AE: Is there anyone that you thought went home too soon in the competition?
KB: Me? [Laughs] Honestly, it's a competition, so it's hard. I'm so grateful to have met so many other designers that share a commonality and passion for fashion. I'm so proud of everyone. I'm really excited to see what the future will bring for all of us. You always hate to see someone go, but you know that them going home brings you one step closer to your goal. It's a double-edged sword.
AE: Who were close to besides Daniel? Was there anyone else?
KB: You know, I wasn't that close even to Daniel. I just didn't know how real people were, if they were being genuine or what. I probably kept to myself more than anybody on the show.
AE: Who would your picks be for the final three to show in Bryant Park?
KB: Now that I'm not in there, my final three would have to be Jerell, Korto, and Leanne. Even though I'm pretty sure Kenley is going to be showing, those are my favorites.
Jerell, Korto, Leanne
AE: Thanks so much for talking to us, Keith, and good luck with your career.
KB: Watch out for me!
Thanks for the great timing on the Keith interview!
In Keith's case, I kind of wish that I'd never seen him do anything more than work out as he seems to be totally clueless that whatever talent that he may have was a one-time deal and that he's so lucky not to have gotten booted earlier. In know that this interview and all that we saw in PR don't make a person, but he has one less fan on on the AE site as his attitude makes him really unattractive to even the most shallow part of my personality. Maybe my hot Greek water polo bf is just as annoying as Keith, but I'll never have to find out.
The guy actually said that he deserved to win more than anyone else on the show. And that would be because..... It would be nice to see stuff that he has worked on that did not have the same time elements to see just who he is as a designer. The same applies to all on the show, but with some (say Ramie last season) it seems that what you saw is what you got. I am particularly interested in seeing Leanne's stuff as damn....
Guillermo's Media Guillotine: Entertainment, journalism, politics, and popular culture.
http://springintoaction.typepad.com
Get over yourself
Well...
Well, I'm a little more optimistic about his chances of making it out of Utah, but I agree with you that I found Keith to be a little too self-involved and, more generally, too dependent on affirmation from others.
Hopefully he'll take his time on PR as a learning experience--not just about fashion, but about his attitude and outlook.
I don't think I'll watch this show after this
Nasty Egoist
Being pretty does not excuse someone for being a bastard and Keith generally behaved poorly. A pissy attitude, inability to take constructive criticism, and willingness to sabotage his castmates generally made him one of my least favorite competitiors.
His inability to let go of fringe was his downfall. The age of Candy Johnson and her Exciters has passed and lives on forever on Youtube and DVD.
I hope he can develop his asthetic and capacity for taking crituque beyond what was depicted on the show, otherwise he's never going to reach his goals.
Sounds like a few people...
...don't realize how reality TV shows work. The producers basically create personalities for the contestants by manipulating the footage. Trust me, if they were to follow any one of us around with a camera for a few weeks, they could make us appear to be either a saint or a raging a--hole. And of course the contestants have no control over what footage is chosen. On top of that, the producers intentionally create conflict between characters, or focus on any minor conflicts to make them appear to be major conflicts. Drama is what brings the viewers, folks. No one is going to tune in to watch people getting along. Why do you think Kenley is still on the show after some of her disasters and the way she continually talks back to the judges? So the next time you find yourself "hating" or "loving" a contestant, just remember the producers are playing you like a violin.
That said, I think Keith's only "problem" was that he was too honest about his feelings and too grounded (as opposed to some of the flightier contestants). And if it was me on the show instead of him, I would have beaten the model who sat down in the skirt when he specifically asked her not to like a rented mule. My first thought when I saw that was that one of the producers had purposely told her to sit down in the makeup room, hoping the stitches would break.
Keith, you'll probably never read this, but best of luck to you. It was nice to finally see a gay man on TV who didn't make me cringe inside.
Are you Keith? Hit and run poster? For real?
If anything Keith probably remained on the program longer than he would have because of the reasons that you highlight. Had he shown any talent to speak of, he might still be there as he's hot, delusional and willing to rag on his fellow designers with the best of them, which is TRULY a producer's dream.
Also, as confirmed by so many of honest participants on these shows (even those who've been presented in a less than stellar light), rarely are the producers able to create a "type" unless you give them the material to do so. Conspiracy theories aside, the interview here supports the idea that Keith might be pretty much who we saw on TV. Is reality TV real? Absolutely not, but all contestants are put under the same pressures and baited to create drama.
While it's your prerogative to give all here zeros and express that Keith represents the type of gay man that does not make you want to cringe, I am sorry to say that your first-time visit and comment makes me cringe a little as it gives me the impression that you might be a little homophobic as there have been plenty of men on PR who have come across as pretty cool/talented/hot.
As a side-bar: I am sure that you must be kidding about beating a model if she somehow had the audacity to sit down just like her peers. God forbid that she sat down for make-up/hair-styling. If you had been on the show with said attitude I have a feeling that you'd make Keith come off quite well in comparison.... Just in case you are not Keith and are bummed about the article.
Guillermo's Media Guillotine: Entertainment, journalism, politics, and popular culture.
http://springintoaction.typepad.com
Reality isn't
As someone suggested, I wouldn't call his style "Candy Johnson", she was hip in the 60s, Keith's layered fringe reminded me more of bad, jazz costumes from the 1980s. Like something that might have been designed for Johnson's 1982 Las Vegas comeback, if she had one. I hope that seeing himself, Keith does learn to take criticism better.