Published: March 29, 2008 08:57 pm      

Holly stays to the end of ‘Supermodel’ competition, while staying true to her Appalachian roots

BLUEFIELD — She’s climbed from the Appalachian Mountains to the heights of the fashion industry. Now, a Southwest, Va., woman may rise to an even greater challenge and claim the title of “supermodel.”

Holly Kiser, 21, of Coeburn, Va., is the last woman standing on Bravo TV’s reality show, “Make Me a Supermodel.” And, in the season finale this Thursday, the Dickenson County native will compete against three men for the top prize of $100,000, a modeling contract and a pictorial spread in GQ magazine.

When the show premiered Jan. 10, Kiser was one of 14 male and female models chosen to share a loft in New York and compete in weekly challenges designed to test their modeling potential.

“Going into this week I feel at peace,” Kiser said, in an e-mail interview arranged through Bravo. (She and the other finalists remain sequestered in New York.) “I have done all I can do, it is in God’s hands now. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason — that is what keeps me going. Whatever happens, I know it is for the best.”

Throughout the course of the show, Kiser has worked to remain true to her traditional religious upbringing. This raised a challenge in a show that aired Jan. 24, during which she had to pose in provocative photos with a fellow contestant. Kiser — who disclosed that she and her fiancee are waiting until marriage before becoming intimate — was noticeably uncomfortable during the photo shoot, and it resulted in her being placed in the “bottom three” for potential elimination.

Kiser prevailed, but said the threat of elimination was the worst moment of the show for her.

However it was a segment on this episode that made her mother, Sharon Kiser, also of Coeburn, most proud of her daughter.

“I was probably most proud of Holly when she stated that she and Ray (Holly’s fiancee) were waiting ’til marriage,” Sharon Kiser said. “I thought that was a bold statement to make on national TV. I hope it gave other people the courage to stick to their convictions.”

Although the challenges on the show were formidable, Kiser does not believe she violated the standards of her upbringing. “I would never do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. I believe you should always let your conscience be your guide. I would never do something that would disrespect myself, my family or my faith. Then it is all for nothing, you have to have morals because if not, you will blend in with the others.”

Kiser hopes to earn a positive reputation for her modeling skills and values. “I want girls to be like ‘Do the Holly walk’ or look up to me for what I stand for, being strong, having faith and never giving up.

“I think what sets me apart is my personality and my passion for this industry.” she said. “I am very driven and persistent. I never took no for an answer. I have the toughest skin imaginable. You can tell me anything and it will slide right off my shoulder. I know whatever the industry throws at me that I will keep going.”

Sharon Kiser said it was sometimes difficult to hear the critiques of her daughter’s performance, but noted, “Holly seemed to handle the criticism well. As long as she was OK, that’s all that I was worried about.”

Kiser realizes being the last female competitor is an accomplishment in itself, and said she hopes modeling talent — and not gender — will be the determining factor when viewers across America select the winner.

“Whatever happens, I can still say I was the last girl supermodel standing,” she said. “Thousands of girls would kill to be in my position.”

Kiser said the show has changed her life for good. “Whether I win or lose I know I will work after this and that really is my dream — working and doing what I love every day, whether it’s going to castings or jobs, I just want to do what I love. I have struggled so much to make it in this industry and this is exactly what I needed — exposure.”

Kiser jokingly said the show may have made her even more famous than Coeburn’s legendary bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley. “Ralph better watch out,” she said. “Maybe we can go on tour together.”

Kiser encouraged young women from small towns in Southwest Virginia — and across the nation — to follow their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.

“I never let where I lived limit my opportunities,” she said. “I came from a farm in the Appalachian Mountains and look where I am right now. I never gave up, I never let anyone tell me I couldn’t ...”

But, Kiser emphasized the importance of staying true to one’s family and upbringing. “You have to always remember your roots and where you came from,” she said. “That has made me who I am today.”

Hosted by Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford, the season finale of “Make Me A Supermodel” will air Thursday at 10 p.m. on Bravo

— Contact Samantha Perry at sperry@bdtonline.com