She took a six-month break from her university studies to join a modelling reality TV show.

Now that she is a top three contestant on SupermodelMe Femme Fatale, undergraduate Sasha Quahe feels that a career in modelling is a card that is now on the table.

Or at least she will "try her best at it for a few years".

Quahe will go up against finalists Ying Liu and Katherine Rigby during the show's season finale, which will air on Feb 3 on Diva Universal (StarHub TV Ch 522) at 8pm and on Feb 5 on Channel 5 at 10.30pm.

The winner will take home $35,000 in cash.

The 20-year-old is a final-year bachelor of commerce student at the University of Western Australia and she has filled her transcript with many high distinctions so far.

The decision to put her studies on hold was not frowned upon by her Singaporean lawyer father, who lives in Perth.

"He's not your typical Asian dad," Quahe said. "He was really supportive of me when I decided to opt out of my law degree and change my educational pathway.

"And when I told him about the SupermodelMe contest, he just said 'good luck'. I guess he's just more concerned about me pursuing whatever I'm passionate about and what makes me happy."

Quahe said that she does not regret her detour into modelling, despite the fact that she will graduate six months later than her peers.

She said: "I made the choice to do so because I figured that once you're in the workforce, you can't just take six months off to do something you want to try out.

"I'm not in a rush to finish my degree and I really wanted to try this because to me, it's important that you explore."

After the competition, Quahe will head to France for an exchange programme and then complete her degree.

Quahe said she has always been looking to work in a field she is passionate about.

'SERIOUS'

Now, because of the competition, she has become "more serious about modelling" and plans to work full-time as a model for at least a few years before settling into a different type of work environment.

Fellow contestant Ying Liu described Quahe as a "sophisticated beautiful nerd".

Ying recounted: "Once, we had to perform a task in the competition and we were put into groups to figure out codes and read maps.

"I think Katherine and I were just so happy that we had Sasha on our team."

Said Quahe: "I think this competition has made me more confident as a person and now as a model."

'I don't get along with women well'

How do you survive in a modelling competition when you cannot get along with women?

Supermodelme Femme Fatale finalist Katherine Rigby has had to "deal with women every day" for the duration of the reality show competition.

"I have a very boy-like character, so I don't get along with women very well," the 22-year-old from Hong Kong said.

"It was hard because I generally have more male than female friends... I don't know how to talk to them (women) and I need time before I open up to people," she added.

But a six-week stint in the competition helped Rigby loosen up about being more open with other women.

She said: "By the end of it, we would have little girly chats in our rooms and I started to see their (fellow contestants') strong points.

"For example, Ying (Liu) is very motherly and I'd go to her for comfort, while Sasha (Quahe) is a very good listener and I'd go to her if I ever need to talk.

"This really helped me throughout the competition," Rigby said.

CLASH

She also said: "The personalities of my mother and I are too similar, so we clash a lot.

"I'm not that close to her because she was always in China for work when I was younger, so it was me, my sister and my stepdad most of the time and that was why he became a fatherly figure and a best friend to me."

Rigby added that one of the reasons she shares the happenings in her life with her stepfather is because they are not related by blood.

"You don't really reveal a lot about your personal life to your parents... but with him, he is my best friend whom I can share everything with," she said.

She plays mum to some contestants

Having the "mummy" status outside of the competition has also made her the "mummy" among some contestants of the SupermodelMe Femme Fatale contest.

Finalist Ying Liu told The New Paper: "It's just in me to be motherly.

"Sometimes, when there's drama going on between the girls and they're yelling at each other, I just get in between them to calm them down," said the 25-year-old model who has a 21-month-old daughter, April.

Recalling an incident that occurred between two contestants in a shopping centre, Ying said: "I just got in between them and told them to stop shouting at each other."

She immediately and unconsciously took on the role of caring for other contestants during the six-week competition, which took place mostly in Hong Kong.

She said: "I always clean up or continuously remind them (fellow contestants) to clean up after themselves when we're in the house.

"Some of them will leave cups in the sink and I'll wash them if I see them. I'll then subtly announce that I've washed the cups so they're reminded to clean up after themselves if they use things in the house.

"Sometimes, I'll also announce when someone else takes out the trash, so they're reminded to help out and do their part too."

Despite being the one some contestants turn to for motherly comfort, Ying deemed the competition "tough to get through" as the participants could not communicate with the outside world much.

VIDEO CALLS

Indeed, she was only able to have video calls with her family twice during the filming of the show.

She said: "It was hard not being able to see my daughter during the competition.

"And you know babies around April's age grow and develop so quickly when they're babies and it was hard for me to miss out on those few weeks (when I was way).

"But at the same time, I didn't want the time away to go to waste, so that fuelled my motivation and it made me want to do better in every task (of the contest)."

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