Next month sees new model search The Face blaze onto the Oxygen network.

With the Naomi Campbell show drumming up quite the buzz, many are wondering what the supermodel’s longtime rival Tyra Banks thinks of the show’s host Nigel Barker anchoring what is undeniably a rival to her America’s Next Top Model franchise.

The masses will remember Barker’s role as “noted fashion photographer” on the judging panel of ‘Top Model; a role he held for ten years before being sensationally sacked in a shocking cast cull last year.

In a new interview with OK!, the 40 year old dished on his new role, dropping a number of lines we don’t think his former boss would be too thrilled with.

“Yes, it’s a show that has the world model in it. But the huge difference is this is a very authentic take on what this business is. It’s real jobs, it’s real models, it’s real supermodels and the contestants are cast from all over the world—not just from America. It’s a shake up of the business and it’s not about being America’s this or that. You could be the face of the world and I think that’s what’s so exciting.”

Barker added that a key difference is there isn’t a judges panel deciding who wins and who goes home each week—the clients booking the jobs are the ones who make the decision. “That throws the whole thing on it’s head. You have no idea who’s going to win because it doesn’t matter who you think a judge would favor.”

Most interesting, though, was Barker’s comments on whether Tyra had given him her blessing to host The Face:

“No, but she’s also the one who fired me [from ANTM]. Listen, she fired me but ultimately things changed. She’s also the one who hired me. We had ten years, had a great run and did 18 seasons. I still consider her a friend and we had a great time together. But she moved on and is trying to reinvent her show and all the rest of it. Ultimately I’m very excited.  I’m on to a whole new thing and it’s great for me.”

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For all Nigel’s “political correctness”, we can’t but say…meow!

‘The Face’ debuts on February 12th at 9 p.m. ET. Along with Barker and Campbell, supermodels  Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha also star.

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