The Below Deck Cast Member Who Popped Up On America's Next Top Model

If you had a strange feeling that you've seen "Below Deck" star Rachel Hargrove before, you'll be pleased to know you weren't imagining things. The chef made her reality debut years prior to the Bravo reality show. In 2005, Hargrave showed up on Cycle 4 of "America's Next Top Model" as a fresh-faced, spunky bartender who, when asked by the "ANTM" panel why she was auditioning for the show, responded with a casual, "Why not?" 

Hargrove spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the short-lived experience after clips of her audition resurfaced online. The chef, now better known for her time on three seasons of the nautical reality series "Below Deck," said the audition was a good introduction to the world of reality television despite not making it past the initial casting call. She recalled "ANTM" host Tyra Banks as "interesting" and said she had a great time overall.

In the end, Hargrove's foray into modeling would only last as long as her 30-second audition. Instead of pursuing a career on the runway, she chose to continue her culinary career before becoming the five-Michelin-star chef of the "Below Deck" superyacht crew that we know and love today.

When asked about her brief stint on the cult-favorite modeling competition "America's Next Top Model," Hargrove responded with a laugh, "Oh, yeah! That happened." She explained that a casting director for "ANTM" approached her while she was on a bartending shift to ask if she had ever considered modeling. 

"I thought, are you f**king high?" Hargrove said. "I'm slinging drinks, and I'm a kitchen creature, so it wasn't like ... one of those things where I was like, 'hey, I'm gonna go stand there at this cattle call,' but it was kinda cool. I think it had to do with my personality being just off the wall, so ... I don't know! It was a lot of fun." 

Hargrove's audition might have been short, but she made the most out of her time onscreen. The chef modeled for Banks, Miss J. Alexander, and Jay Manuel in a bikini and a casual outfit (which included a cropped denim jacket and loose tie because it was 2005, after all).

Even though Rachel Hargrove had no previous modeling experience, that didn't stop her from displaying her bold confidence for the "America's Next Top Model" judges. "My competition is everybody," she said at her audition, "whether they're skinny and tall or voluptuous and larger than me. Anything I can do, I'll do it. As long as I'm not showing nipple, I'm good to go. My grandparents are dead. I have no one to disgrace."

That brief audition is all audiences see of Hargrove on the series, but she told ET that she wished the cameras had kept rolling after her audition when she and the other auditionees ordered bottle service and partied at their hotel following the shoot. "The whole experience kinda gave me an idea of what reality TV might become," she said.

Hargrove insisted that she hasn't changed since her Cycle 4 appearance, and indeed, her explosive "Below Deck" exit demonstrated her propensity for sticking to her guns no matter what — even when it might be questionable to do so. One year after speaking to ET about her "ANTM" experience, Hargrove controversially posted an unflattering photo of Banks with the caption, "Hey @tyrabanks remember when you called me a plus size model when I was a size 2?" in a since-deleted tweet (per Page Six). Otherwise, Hargrove has remained dedicated to her haute culinary career.