How long do you usually spend filming?
International locations can be six days. Some of the locations in the states can be even quicker.

Anything wild happen when filming?
We were at La Tomatina, the tomato festival in Spain. It's really a tomato war. It's in a little town called Bruñol--30,000 drunken Spaniards and 120 tons of tomato puree. I can't describe it. You have to see it. It's the biggest food fight in the world--just brutal. I was covered...tomatoes in my hair, tomatoes in my eyes, tomatoes down my pants.

So, how do you feel when you look at a tomato now?
I don't! Todd Newton and I were both there, and we said, "We will never eat tomatoes again."

Anything unexpected come up when you were filming?
Everyone tried to rip our shirts off--me and Todd. It's a tradition, which we didn't know, so we were like, "Hey, wait a minute!" Apparently, when they get covered in tomatoes, they rip their shirts off. We had to fight for our coverage--literally.

Your parents ran the Desert Deli in Tucson. Do you eat a lot of deli?
I don't eat deli stuff anymore. I had to get healthy--I had to put a swimsuit on!

What were you like as a kid?
Definitely a tomboy. I played football in elementary school--I was the only girl on the football team then.

Did you ever get into trouble?
No. I had a real strict father.

Did you always want to model?
I never thought I would be in the business. I was approached after high school by a modeling agent who asked me if I wanted to move to Scottsdale and give it a shot, and I took her up on that offer. But I'd never had dreams of going into the business. I thought I'd just go to college after high school.

What appealed to you about modeling?
I think I was just in the right place at the right time. I loved traveling. It was great money and a great job. And it got me out of Tucson. I modeled for a year in Scottsdale and then moved to L.A. on my 19th birthday. I took my dog and my clothes and moved.

What was your least favorite assignment?
Taipei, Taiwan. It was my first modeling assignment that I went on alone. It was just culture shock for me, not being able to communicate, to be living with strangers too far away from home. They had no concept of time--they worked you to the bone. They've never heard of an eight-hour day in Taipei. That was pretty brutal. I was supposed to be there three months, but I was only there three days. I spent more time on the plane than I did there.

What was it like being a Frederick's of Hollywood model?
They are an incredible company to work for. It's just a big family. You wouldn't think that, but everyone from the advertising people to the buyers to the models were wonderful. In fact, I have five really close girlfriends who are my best friends, and I met them all at Frederick's of Hollywood. And it was great exposure.

Literally! Do weirdos ever recognize you?
Well, I didn't sell their [Frederick's] lingerie. I modeled most of their clothing, so I wasn't in the sexier part of the catalog. But I also did retail, so I got a lot of attention from those big pictures that were up in store windows. But they weed through the fan mail really well, so the weird fan mail never makes it to us.