While frolicking at a Chuck E. Cheese arcade at 15 years old he was scouted as a model. He had his fair share of editorial contents and around age 20 his world was about to change – he was discovered by model and media maven Tyra Banks through his Instagram page.
And now at 22, American-born Devin Lj Clark is among the last set of guy contestants on cycle 22 of America’s Next Top Model: Guys and Girls (ANTM).
While he was in Barbados recently, EASY met up with him at the Waterfront Café. He delivered this surprise: he was looking to trace his Barbadian roots.
After a round of cocktails, he revealed that growing up around his Barbadian grandfather and Caribbean-oriented family he picked up some West Indian mannerisms. And since childhood he had longed to visit.
He explained that he knew some of his Barbadian family but as he grew up they drifted apart and he had lost contact. He also said that other family members did not seem willing to point him in the right direction. But from the moment he landed, he felt right at home.
“I love it; I feel so connected. This is my first time in Barbados . . . . I was supposed to come many times before but it never came to fruition because of my schedule.” With a broad grin, he said he always represents Barbados wherever he goes.
“I’m Bajan-American!” he said proudly. He proclaimed that he wants to be Barbados’ top model and the male version of Rihanna, who he said he fully respects.
Clark believes that his “crazy” and his “outgoing personality”, which is highlighted every Friday on the CW prime time show, are traits that are distinctly West Indian.
And he has used the platform ANTM has afforded him to partner with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. to promote Barbados as a tourist destination in a new campaign.
On ANTM, he displays an ability to stand firm in his beliefs, a resoluteness that has caused him to clash with some of the other models and landed him in the bottom two of the competition, but the judges kept him in the competition over Justin Kim, a front-runner who was described by Banks as having massive untapped potential.
He said, “In the show they edit me looking crazy. I’m a goofy, fun, vibrant person. Everybody knows that about me. I love to turn up, I love to have a good time, I’m always smiling [but] don’t cross me [because] I am crazy – I’m an island boy!”
However, as goofy and carefree as he appears to be on the show, Clark revealed that he faced a tough decision before signing on to the 12-year-old show.
Initially he was asked by Banks to try out for cycle 21 but he declined the opportunity. However, he jumped at the opportunity the second time around. He said he then quit his job at retail giant Abercrombie & Fitch and he was also dropped from his modelling contract with Elite Model Management before he could make it on to the show.
Though he was grateful for the opportunity, he explained the price he and some of the contestants had to pay for reality stardom.
“I do respect the show and I do respect Mama Tyra but it is kind of a headache,” he said, adding that some people may be able to understand the models’ fights for opportunities after the show.
“As funny as that sounds – ‘oh I know you guys can find another one’ – [but] some of us found it hard to find jobs and some jobs aren’t going to keep you on payroll if you’re not there for two months”.
The ANTM has chosen its winner for cycle 22, and Clark said he is glad he “swallowed that pill” and competed on the show. Though he was unable to disclose whether he won, he said he would not trade the experience.
“Even if you don’t win America’s Next Top Model, you still won. That’s the thing [because] a lot of people know about the show,” Clark said. “There are benefits on a fan base level, but money wise . . . that’s the problem.”
Though modelling has been at the forefront of Clark’s career, he said he has plans to branch out into other avenues – to develop a shoe line and pursue an acting career – and he revealed that he is currently reading a script for the hit show Empire.
I love it . . . I feel so connected. I am Bajan-American.
