Brittany "McKey" Sullivan (born Brittany Sullivan on September 9, 1988) is an American fashion model most notable as the winner of the
eleventh cycleAmerica's Next Top Model, Cycle 11 is the eleventh cycle of the reality series America's Next Top Model created by supermodel and television personality Tyra Banks. This was the fifth season to be aired on The CW network...
of
America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
.
Early life
Sullivan was born to Michael and Gayle Sullivan and has three siblings, Bridgette, Jimmy, and Mikey. She is a graduate of
Lake Forest High SchoolLake Forest High School, or LFHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lake Forest, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school of Lake Forest Community High School District 115, which serves the communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff,...
and attended
Ripon CollegeRipon College is a liberal arts college in Ripon, Wisconsin, USA. It offers small class sizes and intensive mentoring to students. Ripon has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa--one of the nation's most prestigious honor societies. Alumni have high rates of success in the workforce as well as acceptance...
where she majored in government and chemical biology and was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She has come back to Ripon College again to start her life as a student to pursue her degree. She also trains in
mixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
with her boyfriend, Sam Alvey. She was known for appearing at the
Bristol Renaissance FaireBristol Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance fair held in the village of Bristol, Wisconsin, near Kenosha, Wisconsin, that recreates the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to the port city of Bristol in the year 1574. The Faire plays in a permanent park with most buildings permanent year-round structures,...
, which inspired her medieval fashion sense. Sullivan got into modeling when she tried out for
Elite Model LookElite Model Look is a yearly fashion modeling event held by Elite Model Management, an international model management group. It is the premiere and most prestigious modeling contest used to discover and launch fashion models in the international fashion marketplace...
following a sports injury and won the regional division of the competition.
America's Next Top Model
Sullivan competed in
Cycle 11America's Next Top Model, Cycle 11 is the eleventh cycle of the reality series America's Next Top Model created by supermodel and television personality Tyra Banks. This was the fifth season to be aired on The CW network...
against thirteen other contestants, ultimately winning the competition.
Two other contestants named Brittany (or some variation) also competed in Cycle 11, so Sullivan and Brittney Brown were asked by
Tyra BanksTyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
to change their names for the show. Sullivan chose 'McKey' since her mother was considering naming her McKenzie when she was born and since it was her penname in high school. She plans on continuing to use the name beyond this television season. She came into the competition with shoulder-length bright red hair but was later given makeover to short black hair.
Throughout the competition, she became one of the front-runners with two collective first call-outs and never placed below fifth. During her go-see challenge in
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, she was booked by all of the four designers that she met, despite being disqualified from the challenge when she returned to the agency outside of the time limit. She went on to beat
Samantha PotterSamantha Tamara Potter is an American fashion model, most notable as the runner-up of the eleventh cycle of America's Next Top Model.-Early years:Potter resides in Woodland Hills, California...
for the title. She became the second winner to never have a bottom two appearance, with
Jaslene GonzalezJaslene Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican American model, television host, and winner of Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model.-Biography:...
being the first. This record was succeeded by
Nicole FoxNicole Fox is an American artist and fashion model, best known as the winner of Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model.-Biography:...
and
Krista WhiteKrista White is an American fashion model, best known as the winner of Cycle 14 of America's Next Top Model. As part of her win, she is now signed with Wilhelmina Models, has a $100,000 contract with Covergirl, and will be on the cover of Seventeen Magazine.- Early life :Krista White was born in...
.
As part of the ANTM prize package awarded to her, Sullivan appeared on the cover of
Seventeen Magazine with a 6-page editorial and received a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and a contract for representation with
Elite Model ManagementElite Model Management is a large modeling agency based in New York and Paris. It is a subsidiary of Elite World S.A.-History:Founded in France in 1972 by John Casablancas and Alain Kittler, it was rebought in 1990 by Nicholas Farrae. Elite World S.A. is the parent company of Elite Model...
. She will be featured in
Wal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
campaign, as well as in the national CoverGirl campaign ads. Her win also comprises a billboard in Times Square.
Print/online work
Sullivan was featured in the December 2008 issue of
In Touch WeeklyIn Touch Weekly is an American celebrity gossip magazine. The magazine is focused on celebrity news, fashion, beauty, relationships and lifestyle, and is geared towards a younger readership, billing itself as "fast and fun", along with making claims about their lower cover price on their front...
. She appeared on the cover and had a spread in the February 2009 issue of
SeventeenSeventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
magazine as part of her
ANTMAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
prize package. She also has been on the cover of Forest & Bluff Magazine, January 2009 issue and Nylon Magazine, March 2009. She has recently been featured on Yahoo Style with
Whitney ThompsonWhitney Thompson is an American fashion model and is the winner of the tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model.-Early life:...
. She had the cover and a spread in Chicago Scene, June 2009 as well as various advertisements for Forever 21, Rendezvous, Myer, Crabtree and Evelyn and Sass and Bide. She also appeared on the September 2009 issue of Marie Claire modelling Oroton, Fendi and Miu Miu handbags and purses. Sullivan was featured on the Cover Fall 2009 cover and interior fashion spread of Vogue knitting magazine.
Runway
She has walked for EиD by Eva and Delia, Mada van Gaans, Ready to Fish by Ilja Visser and Addy van den Krommenacker at Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2009 as part her prize in episode 10. McKey also walked for G-Star at
Mercedes-Benz Fashion WeekMercedes-Benz Fashion Week can refer to:*New York Fashion Week, also known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week*Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami, the annual swim fashion week in Miami...
Fall 2009. She has walked in Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week 2009 for Heather Jones Designs Limited. She also appeared in Dutch Avantgarde with
Samantha PotterSamantha Tamara Potter is an American fashion model, most notable as the runner-up of the eleventh cycle of America's Next Top Model.-Early years:Potter resides in Woodland Hills, California...
. She also appeared on the runway for Mr. Jay's clothing line called "attitude" with Aminat.
Other
During her
My Life as a CoverGirl commercials, it was revealed that she had been working with the
Make-A-Wish FoundationThe Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
. She was also named one of
PeopleIn 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine's
Most Beautiful PeoplePeople Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People is a list compiled and published by the American People Magazine of 100 people judged to be the most beautiful individuals in the world...
of 2009.
She was also named the 44th sexiest woman of 2008 by BuddyTv.
External links