It’s pretty clear that the Victoria’s Secret models who hit the catwalk for the label’s annual fashion show, set for Dec. 10, this year, are at the top of their class. But now we also know that the women, dubbed "Angels," have to really sweat it out to get their wings. That's because the casting process is "quite terrifying for them," creative director Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou told Vogue UK on Monday. "The final decision is made by [a team], sitting at this long table in a room with really harsh lighting and they have to walk towards us and away from us. They all have to do it — even the contracted girls — and it's incredibly nerve-wracking for them." She added that making the cut is “about being show-ready" and that “it's really like being an Olympian — they have to be in peak condition. It's not about being thin or anything like that — it's about being ready to perform and be the best you can be in that moment.” Here's what the Angels slated for this year's show have said about how they get there.—Beth Greenfield, Shine Staff

Lindsay Ellingson
Earlier this month, the 28-year-old toldFashionista she likes to go against the grain: "I think it’s sexier and more feminine to be more full. So I add like almond butter, peanut butter, protein shakes to my diet, just to feel a little sexier and curvier." Although the model said she "steps up" her workouts in preparation for the show, she added: "I try not to stress about it because that’s never good."

Candice Swanepoel
Swanepoel talked to the Daily Beast about how she got ready for the catwalk in 2012. “I just carry on with my workout that I do year-round and just amp it up a little bit,” she said. “I eat a lot of protein because my metabolism is really fast, and if I work out too much I get smaller, so it’s a good balance of working out and resting in between. My first splurge meal is going to be something light because I have to eat a lot of steak and mashed potatoes to keep my weight, so I’m excited to have a nice ceviche or something.”

Miranda Kerr
The Victoria’s Secret Angels lineup for the big show, released earlier this month, notably excluded Kerr. But a spokesperson told Yahoo Shine Tuesday she could not confirm whether or not Kerr would walk in the show. “The final cast list will be revealed in November right before the show and as always is subject to model availability," she said. The Australian Angel was a favorite last year and recently toldHarpers Bazaar, "I love food and enjoy eating fresh organic produce. I drink warm water and lemon every morning and I also drink lots of good quality purified and preferably alkaline water throughout the day."

Adriana Lima
VS Angel Lima famously noted, in 2011, that she cuts all solid food out of her diet nine days before the big show, sticking just to liquids — including protein shakes made with egg whites and up to a gallon of water a day. In 2012, trainer Michael Olajide Jr. told People magazine about Lima's preshow workout routine, which allowed her to walk the runway just eight weeks after giving birth. “We were doing four to six hours every day, seven days a week,” he said, noting that her exercises included pedaling on a stationary bike, a shadowboxing routine, rigorous jump roping, and punching with boxing gloves.

Lily Aldridge
Regarding her preparations for the 2012 runway show, Aldridge told the Daily Beast, “I am a mommy and I have a 4-month-old, so having a healthy diet is important. Nothing crazy. I definitely dieted, though. I ate a lot of organic salmon and vegetables. I couldn’t have worked harder — maybe I’m not as tiny as I used to be, but I’m womanly now and I’m proud of that.”

Doutzen Kroes
Fellow Angel Doutzen Kroes tweeted a preshow image of herself in 2012 and shared the ingredients of her diet smoothies: flaxseed, coconut, calcium powder and acai berries. But she recently told Telegraph U.K. that she doesn’t fit into sample sizes. "I'm 28 and I've had a baby,” she said. “I have a woman's body, and once in a while you run into the fact that things are not fitting the way they should be. But I joke about it and say, 'What 13-year-old girl was wearing this?' If [companies] think I'm too fat, I'd rather not do the job — because I'm super-healthy and fit and I'm so happy the way I am."

Alessandra Ambrosio
Ambrosio was secretly pregnant during the 2011 runway show but remained in top shape. “I cut all the sugars and sweets 10 days before and I got my trainer…and we were doing lots of glutes and arms and back exercises," she toldUs Weekly. In 2012 (not long having her second baby), she talked to the Daily Beast about her show prep. “I’ve been working out for the last four months and trying to do some exfoliation so my skin looks good. Maybe I’ll have a sundae ice cream [after the show].”

Karlie Kloss
Kloss, who was at the center of a too-skinnycontroversy after Japanese magazine Numero digitally softened her protruding rib cage in a photo, recently dished to Bon Appétit about what she eats, including "really yummy, clean, boring protein shakes with chocolate protein powder, almond milk, and banana or blackberries." She added, “I carry a picnic in my purse at all times, with things like hot chocolate packets and oatmeal packets — things you can just add hot water to on the go." As for runway-show prep, she told In Style UK, “One of my favourite things to do before the VS show and the regular show season is to treat myself to an oxygen facial at BlissSpa.”

Behati Prinsloo
The Namibian beauty also likes to snack. "I go to Whole Foods and stock up on healthy food so it’s always around. My go-to snack right now is kale chips," Prinsloo told Vogue UK recently. As for exercise, she sticks to Pilates or yoga, plus outdoorsy activities like hiking, surfing, swimming or paddleboarding. “Becoming an Angel was a huge one for me because I just never thought I would be able to do that next to some of the world's most beautiful women,” she said. “I always felt like too much of a tomboy.”