Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Cycle 13 Premiere!


Yay! Our favorite reality series is back for Cycle 13! I have been looking forward to this night for so long, and it definitely delivered. Even though I love the show just the way it is, after 12 Cycles, Tyra thought it was time to try something new, and I'm loving it! This Cycle, Petite is the buzz word, with models 5'7" and under ONLY. That means no plus size models. Instead, it's pint sized models!

After what turned out to be a predictable first hour of casting, the season really got to the good part with the second hour's normal episode. Only 13 out of the 14 girls chosen at casting actually showed up to the party, so one lucky girl got to come back. Amber, the girl who proclaimed early on, "I am for Jesus Christ and I will do whatever he wants me to do" apparently found out that JC did not plan for her to be on ANTM. Instead, dark-eyed Lisa got a second chance, but would she make the most of it?

Ty-overs
The first order of business this season was not the typical scream-over-the-cool-house scene. Instead, Mr. and Ms. Jay took the girls straight to the salon for their Tyra Make-overs. I was actually very impressed with how well everyone took their new styles... with one major exception. Bald Bianca, the only person who had almost NOTHING done to her since she has no hair to speak of, was the only one who acted like a complete baby about her makeover. All she had done was that they bleached her eyebrows. I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle the be-yotch for daring to complain about something so stupid! My favorite makeover? It's probably a tie between Erin's icy blond hair and matching eyebrows and Nicole's afro red!

Fun House
Next, the girls headed to their new LA house. With a "fun house" / "carnival" theme, the sign at the door reads, "You must be this SHORT to enter" with a hand pointing to 5'7". Very cute! Inside, the girls found bunk beds with little dolls wearing their faces at each bed (which eliminates any drama with choosing beds - have to wonder if Tyra was so riot-scared she tried to eliminate as much as possible). A nice V-shaped runway and a fabu pool and hot tub are the highlights of this very chic house.

First impressions at the house - Bianca is really a bitch. Seriously. She seems to say all the wrong things. At one point, she was even rude enough to say to quiet Nicole, "I think something's wrong with you." Nicole, yes, is a bit strange, but she's just quiet and being herself. At least she isn't bothering anyone or saying ugly things behind their backs. Laura is just about as sweet as she can be. She's like Bianca's polar opposite. She even brought clothes that her grandma made for her. There's just something so innocent and very cinderella, rags to riches about Laura that has me rooting for her.

The Photo Shoot
I loved the theme of the photo shoot this week! Mr. Jay had a baby photo from each girl and their job on set was to use their baby photo as the inspiration for their current photo. The assignment was to modernize the theme and be very "editorial". With it being the first shoot, you always expect some girls to be rough, but at the very least, you hope they will be excited and eager to please... but some fell far short of this.

On one end of the spectrum, there was Rae, a mother who is dealing with being away from her daughter for the first time. Did Rae complain about being away from her baby when she was on set? Not a drop. Did Rae complain when the stylist gave her impossible 8-inch shoes to wear as she portrayed a modern version of her ballerina self? Not even half a drop. She worked it and had a great attitude the whole way around.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Bianca. Can you tell she's already my least favorite of the girls? She started complaining from makeup on, saying that she didn't like her makeup. Then, instead of going on set and just making it work, she walked out there with some serious attitude and complained to Jay about her makeup and the smell of her outfit. Seriously?

The hottest on set were Rae, Nicole (who definitely looked fierce), Laura, and Jennifer. On the not-so-hot side were Bianca, Lisa (Jay actually said watching her was like watching paint dry), Sundai, and Britany. Everyone else just sort of fell into the middle somewhere.

Panel
I was anxious to see the judges panel since we all know that Paulina got the boot after last season. I was hoping they would bring out some fabulous new model or maybe even bring Twiggy back, who I loved. But no, instead, they introduced a guest judge... supermodel Chanel Iman. I wonder if they will just do the entire season with only four judges this year instead of five. I think it would be nice if they would bring Mr. Jay into the judging so he could talk more about their presence on set, but four judges will be just fine.

This cycle, instead of the regular contract with Elite Model Management, the winner receives a contract with Wilhemina Models. Tyra explained to the contestants that they chose Wilhemina because they work with models of all shapes and sizes. The Covergirl contract is still a go, though.

Best part of tonight's panel? When Tyra dissed Brittany for being too sexy, her excuse was that she was used to modeling with blond hair, but that her dark hair somehow brought out the sexy part of her. Tyra's response was to actually rub her own boobs and say, "Well, my hair is darker too, does that mean I have to be sexy all the time?" Nice. Tyra's such a kook, I love her!

Worst part of the panel? The fact that Bitchy Bianca actually got a good picture despite her attitude problems.

This week's order, from best to worst, as called out by Tyra's midriff-baring self is:

Best Photo: Rae! Her good attitude and willingness to find a way to make those ridiculous shoes work really paid off!
  • Nicole
  • Jennifer
  • Ashley
  • Courtney
  • Erin
  • Lulu
  • Rachel
  • Laura
  • Kara
  • Brittany
The bottom two: Lisa and Bianca.

I was really proud of the judges for putting Bianca in the bottom two. Even though her picture turned out well, she got a lashing for having such a bad attitude. I hope we will see a real change in her next week. Lisa, the girl who was given a second chance when Amber dropped out of the competition, failed to make it worth it. She simply couldn't deliver when it came to her photo shoot and she was sent home.

Next week: The girls go to Wilhemina Modeling Agency and someone is immediately eliminated. Oh the drama!!

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