Sex tape? What sex tape?
By appearing on Lifetime’s Project Runway and making it to the final 5, Anya Ayoung-Chee has rewritten her “one thing.”
Beginnings
First introduced to the T&T public as our representative to the Miss Universe 2008 competition, Anya would go on to become the IT girl about town with her highly-evolved fashion sense and high-profile appearances, culminating in the launch of her own fashion line, Pilar.
Anya’s fame (or notoriety) would grow with the leak of a much-discussed sex tape featuring Anya, her then-boyfriend and a 3rd party. Wisely, Anya took the high ground by choosing not to respond to the leak.
Re-inventing herself like any good Material Girl, Anya is currently among the final 5 finalists to win Heidi Klum-hosted Project Runway. Even if she doesn’t win outright (we’re at Episode 11 of 14), Trinis will do their mightiest to ensure Anya wins Fan Favourite.
Digital Fans Unite
Tech-savvy Trinis have shown their might against Project Runway’s international fanbase. The raw stats get even more interesting when we note that Fan Favourite is based on the number of Twitter Hashtag mentions (#pr9anya) and Twitter Followers is based on the number of Tweeps . I say interesting because, you know, Trinis supposedly don’t do Twitter.
Take a look at how Anya stacks up against the other finalists:
Anya Ayoung-Chee, Joshua McKinley, Kimberly Goldson & Viktor Luna
Fan Favourite on Project Runway
*Anthony Ryan?? How are you in the lead? You were outed on Episode 10!
Project Runway Profile Page Comments
Project Runway Profile Page Likes
Facebook Fans
Twitter Followers
Talent Scorecard
Sure, Anya’s got the popularity vote. But she’s no slouch in the talent department either, outright winning the challenge or appearing in the ‘Top 3’ several times.
No surprise as Anya attended (ahem! our alma mater) Parsons School of Design in New York and spent several years as a graphic designer in NY and England. Now she’s returned to home to Parsons, Project Runway’s host school, to make the circle complete.
Project Runway 9 Scorecard – Click for full version.
How proud are you of #PR9Anya?! Vote for her now as Fan Favourite!
Statistics as of Sun 9 Oct, 22.12.
10 October, 2011, 11:01 am
Great post. Starlets hoping to make a splashy debut should take note of Anya’s every move. She’s a brilliant strategist and an immensely talented designer. Whether her rise to “fame” was accidental or calculated, I can’t help but admire how she managed to turn things around for herself.
10 October, 2011, 1:13 pm
As you might expect, I have definitely been following Anya’s journey on Project Runway, and yes, a fan! I think she’s marketing herself very well…Likeability and brains go a long way, even in the fashion world!
My take on the Twitter #PR9anya phenom is this: Trinidad is relatively small…small enough that, like you said, mostly everyone has heard about Anya either in her capacity as a Miss Uni contestant (she was also a fan favorite then), her subsequent scarlet letter moment (fitting her name starts with A) or just knew her around from school (ahem…my alma mater SJC :P), AND she’s hobnobbed with what you might call the “influencers” of T&T in Music, Entertainment and Fashion…
So given that “de whole of Trinidad” knows she’s on the show, if even 10% of us are willing to go online to vote, that’s a cool 12,000 or so Trinis rallying, and we like nothing better!! SOE and lockdown on top of that is icing on the cake!
Over the weeks I’ve noticed that radio personalities, musicians and local bloggers alike encourage their own fans to fly over to Twitter to vote and its amazing just how many votes they can muster up in one day..#PR9Anya blazes down my feed in bursts sometimes, and retweeted comments are hilarious!
I would bet my bottom dollar that the current front runner AR is either from a small town,
or was popular in college or high school etc, which may explain why he has that
many people on his side…the others’ votes are abysmal to say the
least and judging by their personas on the show, they’re not making any new friends or fans soon who will Tweet *cough*Joshua, Viktor*
Whatever the reason, I’m glad to see so many Trinis tweeting..I actually don’t get Lifetime on TV or access to reruns online so TWEETS and FB are how I get my updates…it’s a new dawn lol
Great post btw! Loved all the stats :)
10 October, 2011, 7:32 pm
As a personal friend of Anya for many years I couldn’t be more proud her. She has faced many adversities in life, from the tragic death of her younger brother Pilar to the infamous tape as mentioned above. Her success is attributed to an incredibly supportive family unit and her sheer determination to excel in everything she puts her hands on. She embodies the “hard work and dedication” mantra and has shown time and again that despite what life may throw at you, there’s always a silver lining to those dark clouds that appear from time to time.
Anz – if you’re reading this keep up the great work, we’re so proud of you!
10 October, 2011, 11:02 pm
Guys – I may talk like an Anya loyalist – but the girl (despite Miss
Universe, despite the scandal, despite the clothing line) only really
entered my consciousness when I watched my first full episode of Project
Runway. Anya did 2 things:
1. After losing her money (something I would do), she made a look work
with $11.50. She was understandably upset, but pulled herself together
and found a solution. My heart was in my mouth for her.
2. During the runway voice overs, all the other designers gushed about
how much they loved their design and how great their model looked.
Instead Anya said – the pants are too short and the dye didn’t come out
great. That’s the mark of a greatness right there.
11 October, 2011, 9:04 am
What a story. Read the Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Anya’s ascendancy is not accidental. She’s had a lot invested in her by her parents in terms of her training and she has a strong family base. She has been prepared to succeed. And now she’s succeeding, great post, dr
19 October, 2011, 2:06 pm
19 October, 2011, 2:26 pm