Exclusive: "Top Model" Tranny Contestant No Stranger to the Series

Much has been made of the decision by the producers of CW's America's Next Top Model to include a transsexual among the mix of girls vying for the top prize on the next cycle of the reality competition series.

The CW announced earlier this week that Isis, a 22-year-old former office assistant from Maryland, would be among the pack of wannabe models competing for that Cover Girl contract this fall.

Isis, who was born as a male, would be the first transsexual contestant to make it on the series, though previously another transsexual named Claudia Charriez had made it to the semi-final rounds, though she was disqualified because of her status as a transsexual.

Take a look at this clip of Claudia discussing her brush with Top Model on the first season of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency [via fourfour]:



Which brings us to today. It seems as though the producers have changed their tune from when Claudia auditioned originally for Top Model, given that they are now allowing Isis to compete in the Cycle 11, set to launch on September 3rd.

However, Isis isn't exactly a stranger to the series.

In fact, she appeared on-camera last season on Top Model (shown at left), participating in the challenge in last cycle's second episode, in which the girls posed with former homeless youths. Isis is identified by name on-screen and describes herself as a "fashion designer."

Isis was also a major player in the photo shoot that followed, in which the girls were tasked with posing as homeless youth, with women who were formerly homeless playing high-class socialites.

You can watch the photo shoot portion of this episode below, with Isis easily upstaging the far more amateurish Atalya:



Clearly, Isis was discovered by the producers during this challenge and rightly so. After all, she was one of the girls who managed to upstage the series' competitors with her modeling abilities (shown again, at left). So why aren't the producers of Top Model coming out and saying that she actually participated on the series before her casting in Cycle 11?

Given the fact that she did appear on screen for a significant amount of time, I'd wager that Top Model will have to deal in-show with Isis' participation, but then again, remember the controversy with Saleisha having worked with Tyra before being cast on Top Model?

Curious.

Stay tuned.