by Mike Bandy

On last night's episode of ANTM All Stars, Shannon, the Christian stunner who made it all the way to the final two in Cycle 1, was eliminated for not participating in a photo shoot involving lingerie. Tyra told Shannon that she's a great model, but being on All Stars made her a good model, and she just wasn't shining through enough to remain in the competition. We caught up with Shannon to talk about her time in the competition, how her decision not to pose in lingerie has affected her career, and what's coming up next for her!

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: You took a very strong stance in this final photo shoot (and really, throughout the competition) to not pose in lingerie, saying that that was only for your husband. I have a two part question - has this decision limited your career in any way, and how did your husband react to watching you take this stance on TV?
A. Shannon: My husband - well he knew before I went on the show that I didn't pose in underwear. He used to pose in underwear a lot; he was the face of Abercrombie, he was huge, but once we got married, we decided to just save it for each other. You can do Jockey, but it's a slippery slope. If you start doing Jockey, where does it end? It's better for me just not to do it. As a model, you're allowed to say no! I didn't get the memo that when you wanted to be a model that you had to pose naked or anything, so he was very proud of me. He loved that I stayed true to what I was and a lot of my family thought I was stuck either way - if I did it I'd look like a hypocrite, and if I didn't do it, people would talk. Of course when you're not willing to do something, it doesn't allow you all the jobs that may come your way, but I don't want those jobs anyway. Taking a stand and saying no isn't easy, but it's worth it in the end. Too many girls will do anything to make it, and I won't. There's so many other jobs though - not every magazine tear is a girl in underwear!

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: Top Model has become a very different entity since you were on in Cycle 1. What were the most major differences in your experiences, between Cycle 1 and now?
A. Shannon: I would say the budget! I remember [ANTM producer] Ken Mok filming us, and you don't see him with a camera now. We also saw Tyra A TON on season 1, and this cycle we only saw her in judging. That was definitely different. And the prizes are different - there was no money prizes on my cycle, it was just a Revlon contract.

Q. Mike, RealiyWanted: One of the comments you made this cycle was that Mr. Jay is always trying to get you to do things you don't want to do. Did he hear that you said that, and if so, have you spoken to him about it?
A. Shannon: We haven't spoken about it - I haven't seen him since I left Greece. He did hear it though, I did tell him to his face! I don't get why people don't respect the word "no". This is for $100,000 and the prizes are really good, but if they think I'm willing to change myself - money doesn't buy me, I'm not for sale! At the end of the day, I have peace with who I am, and I'd rather be a role model than a supermodel.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: One of the major conflicts this cycle seemed to be between you and Bianca, probably because you both have very different personalities. How is your relationship with Bianca now? Do you speak?
A. Shannon: We Tweeted a couple times. I don't really have a problem with her - she has a different background than me. Some people in life you just won't click with, but I think she's beautiful and I was shocked when she left, because she looks high fashion. I don't like to hold grudges; I think arguing is a waste of time and it doesn't get you any farther in life. I just like to be happy. I wish her all the best!

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: If you could have brought anybody back from Cycle 1 to compete with you, whom would you have brought back?
A. Shannon: That's a hard one! That was one of the best experiences of my life, I loved season 1, there was something so raw about it. Definitely Elyse, because she's done so well since the show and she's so high fashion. I'd love to see her - I haven't talked to her since then!

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: Your branding word this cycle was "trustworthy". Tell us - what does the word mean to you, and how do you try to identify with it?
A. Shannon: Trustworthy to me is basically being truthful and upright and honest. Not lying or cheating or deceiving people, and it's really having good character. At the end of the day, staying true to who you are no matter what, and if I were to try to sell something, I would want the consumers to believe that I really believe in the product, or I wouldn't be advertising it. Like olive oil - I would have sold that a totally different way! Trustworthy is actually one of the best words, but one of the hardest to live up to, but I'm a girl who loves a challenge. It's hard, because it's so easy to lie, but if you start lying, you'll no longer be good for your word, and someone good for their word is an honorable person. I really wanted to win, but I just couldn't pose in underwear.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: What's coming up next for Shannon?
A. Shannon: Well I'm working on 2 books, one fiction and one non-fiction. One is about my life in the modeling world and what I've gone through, and how it's possible to make it even though people think it isn't. Another is about a girl I made up in the modeling business, and that's all I'll say for now. I speak and I also host, and I'm still modeling! I also want to have kids!