Carolien ter Linden talks with the female winner of ‘Wishing on a Star’ on RTL4 & Videoland
Image: @shotsbypine
Melissa, you are winner of the popular TV show ‘Wishing on a Star‘ on RTL4 and on the great online platform VIDEOLAND. First of all, can you introduce yourself?
My name is Melissa Baas, I am 31 years old, I have been an all-round model since I was 18 years old with years of experience both in the Netherlands and abroad. I am also the owner of Fashion Life by MB, this is an online webshop for women‘s clothing and accessories.
Why did you sign up for this program?
I signed up for the program ‘Wishing on a star‘ because it seemed like an amazing challenge. I have been a model for several years and have done a lot of shoots, but what I haven‘t done yet is acting, presenting and I would like to develop myself in that area. I feel like I have a lot more to offer and I thought this program and platform would be the perfect opportunity to help me do that.
How does it feel to be on the most famous channel in the Netherlands and what were the reactions?
Of course I can only answer this in one way and that is: GREAT! I really enjoyed seeing myself and my little brother Damian van Leeuwen on RTL4 and Videoland. The reactions were super-nice, all my friends and family watched the show from the beginning to the end.
How do you look back at the period of filming? And what were the highlights for you?
When I look back at the filming of ‘Wishing on a star‘ I am very proud of myself, and I enjoyed this whole period immensely. My highlights were the trip to Curacao and the finals in Egypt. That´s because I really am a summer person, and I love sun, sea and beaches. I also had photo shoots in these beautiful locations, so for me these were the highlights of the program. I will never forget this and the photos from the shoot I can have printed and hung up in my house as a beautiful memory to look back on. Also, the moment I had won is of course the icing on the cake and after quite a time full of shoots, excitement and challenges this was a huge release of happiness.
Did you also feel tension, was there competition during the shoots?
Yes for me there was definitely tension! You just don‘t know what the judges are looking for in a winner/winner. Just like with pro-athletes, you have a maximum age that you can compete, and of course that is on my mind. I was the oldest of the group and the youngest participant was 16 years old! Well then you can imagine that I really felt that I would be too old to actually win this program. I never expected to reach the finals! But there it got extra hot under my feet, and not only because of the temperature in Egypt, I had to compete against the gorgeous 18-year-old Robin. I was so convinced that she would win, she was very strong in all the challenges together with her partner Thijn and those two were just the perfect power couple in my eyes, and that made it very exciting, pretty early on there was clearly a bit of a rivalry between the two that I thought had the best chance of winning. But never on a jealous or bad level, both are fantastic, nice people with whom I look back at the past period with immense happiness.
What did you get out of it and what did it bring you?
What have I got out of it? What a difficult question.. It‘s so much! And the thing is, we‘re not done yet. The program may have ended but of course my journey continues. Even though I was able to make such beautiful and fun memories, make new friendships and new partners to work with, there are of course some things that really stand out when I look back at this adventure. Both trips to Curaçao and Egypt were both fantastic experiences for me. I have traveled alot in my life but had never been to either locations. But the collaborations of Addy van den Krommenacker which of course is a legend in the fashion industry, is something I am so incredibly grateful for. Also the contract at Passarella Moda model agency and that I get to spend even more time with Carolien ter Linden.
In addition, of course I have been incredibly pampered with a gold bracelet from Tirisi, doing my hair for a year at Pierôt Coiffures, year-long treatments at Perfect Eyelash, and ‘advice‘ from real estate agent Lyanne Metz. And then the photoshoot in the metropolis of Dubai by Integer Vastgoed. This is where I lived for 5 years and spent much of my modeling career, so this really feels like a trip back home for me.
I feel like I’m a different person after such an adventure with new impressions, I learned new depths to myself. It has also made me more confident that I can still participate and make something beautiful out of it. I think that is incredibly important for the years to come.
What are your dreams and how do you see yourself in 10 years?
I dream that I will be young forever! But I am under no illusions, I have had a wonderful modeling career so far and really hope to enjoy this for a few more years. However, I have set my sights on a dream I had since I was young. As mentioned before, I am the proud owner of Fashion Llife by MB. In the coming years I hope to make this into a company with a well-known status in fashion. I can already see it growing into several branches with great collaborations with famous individuals in fashion.
By winning the program I am of course very lucky to be able to work with Carolien ter Linden. I can learn so much from her about fashion, modeling, presenting, acting and much more. ZBesides my own fashion brand, I do look up to Caroline as an example of where I would like to work myself towards in 10 years. Because honestly, what woman wouldn‘t want that.
