Background
Elyse was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Elyse was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sewell obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of New Mexico.
She is best known for her appearance as a contestant in the first cycle of the reality television series America"s Next Top Model. She was named one of Wired Magazine"s 2005"s 10 Sexiest Geeks. Additionally, Sewell worked as a research assistant in an evolutionary biology laboratory
America"s Next Top Model
Sewell"s start in modeling came with her appearance on the first cycle of America"s Next Top Model.
Sewell was known on the show as the "edgy pre-medical student". Sewell placed third, after Adrianne Curry and Shannon Stewart.
In 2005, one of her "confessional" clips from the show, in which she started a profanity-laden rant against the people on the show, earned her 16th place on East!"s Most Outrageous television Moments. She attributes this outburst to the unusual requirement on the show to voice one"s private thoughts and to soliloquize in a "confessional booth".
After America"s Next Top Model
She has had print advertisements for Chanel and Chow Sang Sang Jewelry and appeared on the cover of Harper"s Bazaar Hong Kong.
Despite Tyra Banks" hope that Sewell would come to see that modeling was not as easy as it was often made out to be, Sewell continued to insist that it was the "easiest job in the world". In 2004, Sewell started a LiveJournal blog about her experiences of modeling overseas. She published a book called Beauty and The Biz: The International Adventures of America"s Third-to-Next Top Model in Hong Kong in 2006 based in part on her (now abandoned) blog.
She appeared in multiple book signings across Hong Kong.
Her other writing credits include a satirical piece for Bust Magazine on how to be a reality television star, as well as posts for the website Lemondrop. In a June 5, 2009 entry, Sewell wrote that she was leaving Hong Kong and returning to her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
She abandoned her online journal not long after. Her public LinkedIn page lists her occupation as a writer and copyeditor in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area.
In January 2008, it was reported that the two were involved in a domestic dispute that resulted in both of them being arrested.
Sewell was in a relationship with Martin Crandall, who was a member of the American band The Shins at the time.