So, drama in the model house?
It's all very exciting. There's always plenty of drama going on. The situation with Lucas, I'm not sure what happened there. He's a funny fellow, really. You don't know what goes on in their minds but being in a reality show, constantly under scrutiny, is a very alien situation. With Lucas, I think he just made a personal judgement that he wasn't going to win and decided to opt out.

Only the week before he had promised to quit the show if his friend, Sara Longman, 17, was placed in the bottom three for adhering to her principles [She didn't want to perform in Melbourne's Federation Square wearing only nude underwear and body paint.] Was he looking for an excuse to go?
Yeah, (agrees). I think he's not the sort of person that enjoyed being criticised. So he was probably in the wrong show and probably looking at the wrong career! At the end of the day, from my point of view, I would prefer to see him go then stand in someone else's way.

And take up someone's spot who really wants it.
Absolutely. We were a bit annoyed, actually. If he was going to be like this, he shouldn't even have gone for the audition in the first place. The fact that we gave him that opportunity to come into the show, there is some frustration there.


Did you speak to him after he decided to leave?
No. He became invisible.

Were the others upset?
It's funny, in this sort of process where things change from minute to minute, what's a big deal one minute becomes irrelevant very quickly. I think the fallout lasted about two minutes.

So who is left that you're most impressed with?
It changes week to week. The hardest thing now is trying to pick a bottom three, you've really got to start nitpicking. Sarah's got a great face for beauty. She's knocked some weight off and is looking good. The guys are really impressive. I think Luke is a good-looking guy, Rhys is a great looking guy. Hannah's got some real qualities, she's great on the runway. And certainly, Shanina, Shanina's a great all-rounder. All of them really have potential to be very successful models. But they have to maintain their focus and make sure they are committed. I think that was one of the things that Lucas just didn't have, that commitment. He would prefer to opt out before he felt he wasn't going to be successful.

If Lucas turns up at Chadwick's doorstep in six months time will you put him on the books?
No. (laughs) Look, Lucas, from my point of view, if he's looking at doing acting, that's probably a better area for him. But to be honest. I'm not sure whether he's got a thick enough skin. You have to have a pretty thick skin to be an actor as well.