Krupa swears she’s not a monsterBy
Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports Jun 26, 12:05 pm EDT
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Joanna Krupa swears she isn’t the Model From Hell – she just plays one on TV. Last Tuesday on ABC’s debut of its new incarnation of ‘The Superstars,’ Krupa unloaded on partner
Terrell Owens(notes) with such [url=http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=All50tY0zZvcqxLudqLzobmr0op4/SIG=13pups5rm/**http%3A//
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]unrestrained spite[/url] that she managed to make the
Buffalo Bills receiver look like a mild-mannered dude caught in a diva’s crossfire.
The profanity-filled, unedited Internet footage of Krupa’s rant as she and her athletically gifted partner became the first team eliminated from the competition cast her as even more of a monster.
And those of you who despise T.O. will be happy to know that, upon reflection, Krupa doesn’t take any of it back. Instead, she offers this explanation: You had to be there.
“Yes, I blew up, but I had my reasons,” Krupa said Thursday night from Los Angeles. “Trust me, there was a lot of frustration, and it was building up throughout the competition – and then it burst. I didn’t feel like my partner was giving it 100 percent, and I didn’t feel like I had a teammate. Poor, poor him? Come on! Look at his track record.
“To some people, I’m a hero. I stood up to T.O. After what he’s been doing to teammates for years, I finally gave it back.”
Before we further break down the Battle of the Beautiful People – and for the record, my personal opinion is that a) neither one is as incontrovertibly awful as he/she has been portrayed; b) it’s show-biz; and c) I hope you’re all enjoying the offseason as much as I am – let’s bring you the best news of all.
According to a sneak preview on the show’s website, Owens and Krupa will be back on the show for next Tuesday’s episode, having been returned to the competition because of an injury to former tennis star Jennifer Capriati. After the second episode airs, Krupa believes, “I think people will see obviously why I was so frustrated.”
The Polish-born Krupa, who is billed on her website as the [url=http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AqJwFWLuVgi_U3WjZMucldKr0op4/SIG=110p65fqs/**http%3A//
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Sexiest Top Model In the World[/url], charged that Owens was high-maintenance even by her industry’s lofty standards.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t experienced in my field such weird energy, such a prima donna,” she said. “Even the other cast members – it was competitive between the girls, kind of a weird vibe.”
One of those cast members, legendary soccer standout Brandi Chastain, said Thursday, “Joanna is very, very nice. She was a joy to be around. I had no idea that she had such a, uh, competitive streak until I saw the show on Tuesday.”
However, former NFL standout
Warren Sapp(notes), who is part of the show’s announcing crew, had a much different perspective.
“She’s a maneater,” Sapp said of Krupa. “You heard of cougars and all that (expletive). This is a maneater, buddy. She wants to make it seem like he was (a prima donna), but I was there, and that’s a lie. She’s a nightmare. She treated him like he was her child. She’s crazier than any athlete I’ve ever seen.”
Krupa clearly took the made-for-TV competition more seriously than Owens. She was “ecstatic” when she learned of the pairing, explaining, “I saw how athletic he was, and I said, ‘We’re gonna win this. I got a great teammate. He’s gonna kill it.’”
However, Krupa claimed, “From the beginning, we didn’t click. He was too busy flirting with (actress and fellow cast member) Ali Landry. Every other team was bonding, and I felt all alone. He was preoccupied with another project, and he had just signed with the Bills, and he seemed to be off in his own world. In the first two events I did as well as he did, and
he was the athlete.”
Despite Sapp’s defense of Owens’ behavior, Krupa insisted her partner was the one oozing attitude on the set.
“Let’s get that (expletive) straight,” she said. “He was late every time he had a call time. He was 30 minutes late. I understand he was the star of the show, and the star is always late. I get it. But that wasn’t the only thing. Every time we were off camera, he was taking off his shirt, so we could all look at him. He had his bodyguard and assistant with him the whole shoot. There was a point where he threatened he was gonna leave the show if he couldn’t wear his hat with his website on it. There was a lot going on that people didn’t see on the show.”
What they did see made Krupa seem like the Model From Hell. After losing a pair of obstacle-course relays, the first after Owens got his foot caught in a cargo net for a prolonged period, Krupa began muttering to herself, “I don’t want a teammate like that. Calls himself an athlete? What does he get a million dollars for?”
When Owens offered a conciliatory, “Hey, Jo, let’s go,” she shot back: “No, T.O., not ‘No, let’s go.’ You’re the one who (expletive) up. We could have won. So shut up.”
Said Sapp, who witnessed the exchange: “As I watched her berate him, I thought, ‘Oh, if I could put
Donovan McNabb(notes) and
Jeff Garcia(notes), one on each shoulder, and
Tony Romo(notes) on the top of my head, it would be amazing. Cause this is something I haven’t seen.’ (Owens) looked at me like, ‘Dawg, what do I do with her?’ I was like, ‘I have no idea.’”
Shortly thereafter, Owens said on the telecast what most viewers undoubtedly were thinking: “I feel sorry for her boyfriend.”
Krupa, who is engaged to Miami club owner Romain Zago, had this response on Thursday: “Obviously, I don’t treat my fiancé like that – but he’s not T.O. If he was T.O., maybe I
would treat him differently.”
Amazingly, at least according to Krupa, the unhappy pair ended up on semi-decent terms. “People might think T.O. and I are enemies, but we’re not,” she said. “We’re not good friends, either, but we’re fine. He even came to a Maxim ‘Hot 100’ event I hosted in Santa Monica two weeks ago, after I invited him. He showed up late, of course – it started at 8 (p.m.), and he got there at 10:30 – but we actually had a good talk.”
Krupa even said she might go to one of Owens’ games this season. In addition to her frustration over his behavior, she offered additional explanations for her on-air tirade: It was after midnight and she was exhausted from a long day of competition; she didn’t realize that Owens’ foot was caught in the cargo net because a climbing wall blocked her view; and she was the victim of creative editing.
“ABC basically needs an Oscar for the way they edited it,” she said. “But hey, it’s show business, and anything that sells, right? They told us, ‘This is a competition show; this is not a reality show.’ But I guess the footage was too good for them not to show it.
“I am a little potty-mouthed – I’m going to work on that. But besides the cursing, I’m happy with the way it turned out.”
Hey, I’m happy, too. Far be it from me to argue with the Sexiest Top Model In The World.
Subject: Superstars on ABC 
I CANT SAY WHY BUT TRUST ME
I enjoyed the show.
