CNTM Preview

Jay Manuel says the first episode of Canada's Next Top Model is jam packed with twists and turns that will spark plenty of drama amongst the 11 finalists, all while showcasing the country from coast to coast.

"We highlight Canada in a very interesting way and I don't think any other show has done something like this. There's an interesting divide," hints CNTM's host and executive producer, over the phone from Los Angeles.

Highlighting the diversity of Canada was very important to Manuel, who was born in Illinois but immigrated to Toronto when he was three-years-old.

"I sat down with CTV, and I said since we are here in Canada, we really need to explore some Canadian issues and really show and highlight Canada in a way that really puts us on the map especially because this show doesn't just air in Canada, it airs in other countries."

Now living in New York City, Manuel says he enjoyed coming back to Toronto to film the show.

"My parents still live there so coming home is great … I've always been all over the world, I've traveled everywhere, I've had such amazing experiences and done all these crazy things and my parents aren't usually there so when I'm working on this show it's great because my mom comes down and she sits on set and it's fun."

But the show doesn't just stay in Toronto. For the first time in CNTM's history, the finalists will be traveling internationally.

"I feel that it was important for the girls to get a real taste of what it's like to be a part of the real modeling industry, especially since these girls have such incredible potential and they can all really be a part of this international scene," says Manuel.

It's also a first for an international format of the franchise.

"When people think of a lot of these Canadian franchises of American shows they think, 'Well this is actually going to be the boring sister to the American original' but that is not what I wanted this cycle of Canada's Next Top Model to be at all and it isn't."

Manuel says viewers are also going to be impressed at the Canadian experts working in the industry who will be featured on the show.

This includes CNTM's newest judge Mike Ruiz. Manuel has known the Montreal-born celebrity photographer for 11 years and the two actually live a block away from each other in Manhattan. Manuel says he called Ruiz up to go for coffee and told him how much he wanted him to be a judge on the show.

"He's so extremely passionate about what he does and in that he's also extremely very articulate in kind of distilling down exactly what a model needs to hear to really help them move forward and elevate themselves and I knew Mike would be the perfect addition to this panel," says Manuel.

Ruiz will be joining returning judges and fellow Canadians, supermodel Yasmin Warsame and "FashionTelevision's" Jeanne Beker.

Manuel says the drama in the first episode is just the beginning.

"These girls, we cast them so well that we even had a storyline this season that we've never even really fully explored and encountered on the American show so that gave us an opportunity to bring something new to the table there. It really is a strong season, fast paced, a lot going on, top to bottom. I think it's going to do really well."