Who is Tyson Beckford?

Tyson Beckford, one of the top male models in the world and Niki Taylor, one of the first true supermodels, will be co-hosting Make Me A Supermodel for Bravo next year. But who exactly is Tyson Beckford?

Tyson Beckford was born in New York in 1971 to a Japanese/Chinese mother and Jamaican father. In his youth he was involved in drugs, gangs and violence. He claims that if he hadn't been plucked off the street by an editor from the magazine The Source that he would be in jail or dead by now.

The editor who pulled him off the street introduced him to an agent who got him on his way. In no time at all he was posing for magazine editorials and small print jobs. But it was a campaign for Ralph Polo that really set him on the map and made him a name. He did commercials and print ad for the clothes, underwear, even fragrances. Soon he was on the cover of GQ, Men's Health, New York Times and many other magazines.

Musical artists took notice and put him in their music videos. He appeared in video for Toni Braxton, Shaq, and the Notorious B.I.G. In 1995, he was named one of People's most beautiful people and Model of the Year by VH1.

He decided he wanted to do more so he took dance and acting classes. These helped him earn roles in films and create a workout video series. He's talented guy, but is he the right choice for Make Me A Supermodel? Yes, surprisingly. When I first thought about it I would have said no. But after really considering it he is indeed.

He is what these people are trying to be. He was a nobody plucked off the street trying to make something of himself. He's still current and in the moment. The one that might actually seem a little strange is Niki Taylor. She vanished from the Earth after her horrific car accident. She has a great family life and clothing line in Tennessee now which is wonderful but when is the last time you saw her anywhere? To get viewers and ratings you need someone the American public thinks is in demand. If they really want to compete with America's Top Model they need someone more current.

A lot of the viewers are so young they won't even really remember Niki Taylor that well. She was my favorite model as a kid, but not everyone can say that. It should be interesting.