Hannah and Isis both Eliminated: Episode 4 Recap

Two eliminations this week... so harsh. The first half of the episode was all about runway. Miss J met the girls at a bowling alley and handed them high heels that were inspired by bowling shoes. Hannah cracked me up when she saw the shoes and said, "Wow, I didn't know they made stuff like that." It would be even funnier if we got to see her walk into a normal bowling alley with some friends and specifically request the high heeled bowling shoes. Haha! Then again, she probably never walks in heels unless she has to, judging by the way she walked in them this week. Miss J even said she walked like she had a bowling ball dropped on her head. It was pretty painful to watch.

Of course, that was not Hannah's best quote this week. I couldn't go on without mentioning that at the very beginning, Hannah was listening to some of the girls complaining and feeling upset about their performances and she said "I'm so over the pity parties. You've got to pick up your beans and keep on rolling." She puncuated this strange statement with a timely finger snap.

As for the other girls in the practice runb, Joslyn really turned it on and did a little extra, bringing her personality and strong energy to the makeshift bowling alley runway. Sam was told that she needed "rock her bow legs", which she seemed to take in stride, listening to Miss J's advice and doing her best to follow through. Elina got a little too "thinky" on the runway, controling every movement, but everyone else was fair. Oh, and WTH was up with McKey's crazy outfit in that scene? She looked like she just stepped off the set of Star Trek...

Later, back at the house, we got to see a tiny bit of house drama as Clark and Lauren Brie snuggled on the couch, dishing out their views of the other girls and how they look. The pair seemed to like Elina and McKey's "look" but dogged Isis hardcore in whispered voices. I must admit that I was disappointed to see Lauren Brie in cahoots with the likes of Clark. I was secretly hoping for Clark to fall on her face or take yet another bad pic this week and get voted out, but that is just not how the cards fell, my friends.

At the challenge this week, the models had to walk in a Jeremy Scott fashion show, Blindfolded. Yikes! Good thing so many of them practiced their walks at home the night before. Hannah, bless her heart, just wasn't getting any better, but she tried. Mr Jay and Miss J were both there to help judge the competition, as was Ann SHoket, editor in chief of Seventeen Magazine and frequent face on ANTM. Mr. Jay announced two very important things before the show began... #1 - The winner of the runway challenge would get to do a photo shoot of Kira Platinina's designs in a Seventeen Magazine shoot (Kira is a super famous 15 year old designer); and #2 - The girl at the bottom of the pack would be sent packing... no second chances and no photo shoot. I would have been completely shocked at this news if they hadn't already told us in the previews. Oh well.

So who nailed it and who screwed it up? Joslyn was the #1 girl on the runway, and she was hot. She really does look professional up there! I was really proud of Analeigh also. She seemed to finally find her confidence this week. Sheena looked great, and so did Isis and McKey. With all of those girls, it didn't seem as though the blindfolds really bothered them at all. They could see through them a tiny bit so they wouldn't fall off the runway, but I am sure it was still difficult. Overall, those were the best of the best. Clark and Marjorie wobbled through and Hannah looked every bit as horrible as she had at the bowling alley.

The designer also got really pissed off at Samantha because he had told her backstage that she absolutely should not lift her dress up. Then, when she got on stage, she did just that...I guess she was trying to be super confident and look sexy, but she put her hands on her hips and lifted her dress up so high that you could see her ass hanging out. He was PISSED. I am wondering if maybe she didn't understand that the black tights she was wearing were not supposed to be pants, but more like pantyhose. Either way, it is never a good idea to get out on the runway and do the one thing the designed told you NOT to do.

The only thing that saved Sam in this runway competition, I'm guessing, is that at least she seemed confident, and she has really shown a lot of promise in her photo shoots. Hannah, however, hasn't really done that well in any shoot or competition, and she was sent packing. Her response when her name was called? "Oh, Okay." and she walked off. I guess she decided to pick up her beans and keep rolling.

For the editorial shoot in Seventeen magazine, Joslyn got to take two friends, and she chose Sheena and Isis. They looked good together and I think that overall, the shoot went pretty well. Good job Joslyn! Hard to believe she tried out for ANTM so many times and didn't get in until now. She is really talented!


PHOTO SHOOT

Early in the morning, while all the girls were still sleeping, Mr. Jay came in and woke them up with a very loud whistle. What an awful way to wake up! I would have been so cranky, but the girls seemed to handle it well as soon as they realized they were about to do a photo shoot right there at their house.

When they got out to the pool, I thought it was about to be Tyra taking their pictures, but I was just a bit off. Nigel came up out of the water in a dramatic fashion and told the girls that their "Eyes are the windows to your soul." Their directions in the shoot were to have their heads underwater, just letting their nose and eyes peek up from the water, and then possibly to have their hands or anything in a great, unique pose. I thought this was a neat photo shoot and really tested their ability to think outside of the box. The only one who was truly scared of the water was Joslyn, who confessed that she cannot swim. Girl better learn, that's all I'm saying.

Even though I had been secretly hoping for Clark to underperform again this week, she cranked it up a notch and turned it on for Nigel. Mr. Jay thought the only reason she was doing a good job was because she was trying to turn Nigel on... I don't think she did the way she had hoped, but he did seem to like her performance. Overall, the shoot was a big success. Lauren Brie was great as usual, and even Analeigh brought her A-Game ("Yo, I'm like, a model") Sheena looked better than ever in her ethnic, tribal look and Samantha was doing some unique poses. Elina, the winner from last week, pretty much tanked, though. She basically just froze up in front of Nigel and said "I'm stuck". She never really got un-stuck, but her sheer beauty was enough to pull her through this kind of shoot I think.

I really felt for Isis in this shoot though. For the second week, they had her in a bathing suit, and this time it was even skimpier and more revealing than the week before... and she was in the water. Unfortunately, she was more worried about whether her tape would come off in the water and set her remaining male parts free, than she was about putting together a good photo. It's a tough situation. On one hand, I think it was mean to do something that they knew she would find uncomfortable two weeks in a row. On the other hand, if she wants to be a model, she has to find a way to at least appear focused and comfortable no matter what the situation. The truth is, they probably already had the photo shoots planned out and put in order before they even picked the girls in the first place.





PANEL


Tyra Mail! As the girls read that panel was coming up and someone was going to be eliminated, Clark waved to Elina's digital photo and said "Goodbye Elina." That was the first time I had heard any tiny bit of jealousy or drama about the digital photo, but I thought it was pretty catty considering that Elina had already told them she didn't do a good job in her shoot. Clark gets more and more evil as the weeks go on. Her dark hair was so appropriate.

At panel, Miss J's necklace was down to number 10 (complete with a paper 0 taped to his chest because someone stole his number!) In the critiques, the judges praised Sheena for her intensity and loved the "mystery" in Lauren Brie's eyes. They all agreed that Joslyn looked terrified, but that Marjorie had delivered a wicked kind of beauty in her photo. Isis' pic did not turn out well at all, bless her heart. Neither did Elina's, but her performance up to now has been so good that she's still safe for now.

McKey's picture was intense and beautiful, but Paulina hated her giant hand coming up from the water. I will say that her hand did look a bit awkward and manly, but her eyes are just amazing. Speaking of amazing eyes, Clark really put on her bedroom eyes and smiled the way that Tyra loves. I guess now we know that Nigel inspires her! Analeigh had a good picture also, looking so great with her legs up above the water. Paulina even said that if Analeigh had a bad picture, she would have been voting her off, but that her great performance this week has kept her going. Samantha had another great picture, and guest judge, designer Jeremy Scott said that although hers was the best picture, she was the absolute worst in his runway show. He really tore her up in panel, but she handled it very well, keeping her mouth shut and nodding in understanding.

After making the girls leave and going through the photos again (with Scott making another comment about how Sam walked like a mix between a truck driver and a stripper in his show), they called them back in to reveal the results. Clark and her squeeky clean, just washed red face was named photo of the week, which just tore me up. She has totally sucked every other week up to now, and she somehow moved from the bottom to the top overnight. Analeigh also moved up to number two, but I felt better about this rise because we have been watching Analeigh really work to get better. Lauren Brie and Sheena were the next called. At the bottom were Elina, Samantha, and Isis. I guess this week really turned the competition on its head considering that Elina was almost in the bottom 2 after a best photo last week.

Samantha and Isis were the two put on the chopping block and Samantha had tears running down her face as she took another flogging from Tyra about her runway faux pas. I am sure she will never make that same mistake again! Isis was the one sent home, however, because of two weak photos in a row. I was glad she at least got to do the Seventeen magazine shoot with Joslyn, but I had been hoping she would get farther in the competition. Tyra told her she had been a great role model to the "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender" community (Did I get em all Miss J??) The problem with Isis was that even though she was different, she was scared to step up and stand out. The judges felt that she should have embraced her differences with more passion instead of trying to look and act like the other girls. I am sad to see Isis go, because she was one of my favorites. I love that she wore a tiara as she packed up and walked out of the house. I have a feeling that she will be very successful as long as she keeps believing in herself and giving it her all.

Brittany Eliminated: Episode 3 Recap

Tonight's episode of Top Model was about as dull as Brittany's photograph. You still want to watch it because it's interesting and pretty, but there just isn't that (what did the supermodel call it?)... oh yeah... Wow factor. Every year, I scream at the television, trying to tell the model wanna-be's that they should have expected something crazy from their makeovers and if they want to be models, they better get used to people messing with their "look". This year, though, it seemed a bit anticlimactic. There were only two or three serious changes, with most of the girls just getting their hair color changed or the length tweaked a bit. Only two girls cried! That has to be a top model record. No one threw a crazy fit or freaked out and threatened to quit. Overall, that part was a bit disappointing.

Makeovers

The highlight of the episode for me was when Tiara Tyra gave the girls a princess party where she served pizza and talked about how she changed her entire career path when she realized that she actually had a booty and some boobies. Isn't it interesting how Tyra herself left the high fashion modeling behind and opted for more commercial things like Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret... and yet she always criticizes her contestants for being "too commercial" and not "high fashion" enough? I guess she's rich enough at this point that she can do anything she darn well pleases. It is, after all, her show.

Tiara Tyra's story about her career change segued into her announcement that it was that time for the girls as well... Makeovers! But before she could tell each girl what her makeover would be, an evil Ms. J hobbled in and gave her poisonous apple, which, of course, left Princess Tyra dead on the chair. Never fear! Mr. Jay was there to save the day as her sweet Prince. He kissed her on the lips (aren't the rumors supposedly that they absolutely hate each other?) and carried her away.

So what did Tyra, the Tiara wearing "Good Fierce Witch" have in store for each of her model proteges? Marjorie was given warm brown hair, but her short length stayed the same. Joslyn got long, wavy hair which honestly did not make that much difference in her look at all. Samantha was one of the only drastic makeovers of the day. Her long blonde hair was chopped off and she was given an edgy short hair cut with bangs. She cried, but she wasn't very dramatic about it, and quickly got used to her new look.

Hannah's hair was chopped off also and she was given a chin length bob with straight bangs. I think it only served to make her look even more young and goofy than she already was, but I'm not in charge here. Clark's blonde hair was darkened to a very rich brown, which looked great on camera, but still didn't do much to help her face in the photograph. Lauren Brie basically just got blonder than she already was, and Analeigh got blonde highlights and thicker layers. Brittany got a weave with some wave in it and so did Isis, minus the wave. McKey's makeover turned out fantastic with them cutting her hair super short and turning it almost black.

Finally, Tyra wanted to make sure that Sheena and Elina got their own identities, rather than being compared to Kimora and Angelina Jolie. Sheena got caramel colored highlights in her hair, and it turned out really well with her skin color. Elina's was the most drastic makeover of all. They changed her from an edgy black haired girl to a wavy, voluptuous redhead. Her transformation was by far the most shocking, and finally I got to see real tears from one of the models. In the end, though, she sucked it up and learned to love it in record time.

Late Night at Walmart

Right after the girls got home from a stressful day sitting in chairs and having their hair done, they returned to the house only to be told that they were leaving again for some "late night" work. They soon arrived at a huge Walmart store that was opened up just for them, and were greeted by makeup artist Sudan who has been on the show for years, as well as Crissy Barker, covergirl spokesmodel and wife to sexy Nigel.

After unveiling the makeup stand that will be placed in Walmarts around the country bearing Whitney's winning Covergirl photo, they announced a challenge. Each girl was to find her TruBlend shade of foundation and apply it quickly, then give a short commercial explaining the TruBlend color selector that can be found in all Walmarts to help Covergirl customers find their perfect match. The winner gets a $1000 gift card to Walmart and her photo on the Covergirl page at Walmart.com.

For the most part, I was impressed with the ease of delivery. Most girls spoke fluidly and appeared completely comfortable in front of the camera. Analeigh, however, was painful to watch. She could barely figure out what she wanted to say, and then she punctuated her performance with a tossed off "Yo!" at the end of her video. Ouch. You could literally see Crissy Barker cringe. Brittany and Marjorie also bombed it, stumbling over their words and obviously uncomfortable. Marjorie apparently thought she was shopping at Walgreens, which only shows that she's never actually been in a Walgreens. Either that, or her hometown has the HUGEST Walgreens on the planet. Either way, Walmart would not have been pleased if that was a professional gig.

Hannah was the big winner of the challenge, even though I thought she was a bit goofy the entire time. Personally, I thought Samantha's delivery was fantastic. I have no idea why they picked Hannah, but there are many things about this show that completely boggle my mind, so I'll just accept it and let it go.

House Drama

Now let us pause for the only house drama of the week. After last week's racial tension, I was expecting more firey house scenes, but there ended up being only one strange scene between Elina and Brittany in the bedroom. Brittany proclaimed how much she loved her mother, and the girls in the room got into a conversation about their relationships with their parents. Elina, who hasn't really opened up to anyone very much, offered the very personal information that she never has loved her mom and their relationship is what has made her so guarded towards others. I can't blame her for not going into too much detail about the ins and outs of her private drama with her mother, but Brittany seemed to think that Elina was "evil" for not loving her mother.

Brittany's argument was that if Elina's mom was paying for her food and allowing her to live in her house, then she should love her. Elina said that yes, her mother takes care of her financially, but she doesn't show her any love. Brittany bantered back that paying for things is a way of showing love, to which Elina retorted, "I hate her... I hate my mom." There has to be some deep dark secrets there, and instead of being sympathetic to her feelings, Brittany blurted out that Elina is just "using" her mom. I don't blame Elina for getting uncomfortable with the conversation at that point. There's nothing worse than opening up to some housemates for the first time and being instantly slammed for your feelings. All in all, though, the house drama was pretty lame.

Who is "Suited" to be America's Next Top Model?

The photo shoot this week was the all-popular swimsuit shoot. Mr. Jay explained that Tyra made history by being the first black model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and that the photographer who shot that infamous picture, Russel something or other, was there to take this week's photos. Also running the shoot was the 90's supermodel turned swimsuit designer, Susan Holmes. The girls were modeling her suits, and I thought they were very cute. I especially liked the pink sparkly one that Lauren Brie modeled. Very sexy.

The models started to freak out when Mr. Jay said he was going to "take the training wheels off" and leave the direction of the photo shoot to the photographer and the supermodel. I knew that things were going to start heading in that direction this week. The first thing I wrote in my notes during the intro to the show was "It's time to step it up and see who has the ability to grow."

Okay, so let's talk about the one thing that popped into my mind immediately... how the heck is Isis going to hide her package in a swimsuit? Mr. Jay even told her that the photographer and Mrs. Holmes were not aware of her transgender "situation" and he just wanted to make sure that she was comfortable. I was amazed at how well she did, honestly, but it's obvious that she was holding back. After a super impressive first week shot, Isis has slowly been slipping towards the bottom of the pack. The photgrapher even commented that he was unsure of Isis's modeling potential just due to the structure of her face. Ouch. That can't be good.

Proving my goofball and strange theory, Hannah looked like a crazy person in her photo shoot. The photographer must have told her ten or twenty times that she needed to relax her eyes and stop doing that with her eyes, but she never seemed to get it. Afterwards, he said that she was schitzy and had psycho eyes. Double ouch. I think that despite the fact that she won a challenge this week, she will not last more than a week or two.

At the top of the pack this week were Elina, who looked amazing with her new red curls, Lauren Brie (who wore that sexy pink bikini) was smokin' for the second week in a row. If Lauren can get her "in-person" look together, she will be one of the top contenders. Samantha's picture was really good, and I loved the way that they had her wearing a white bikini and holding a white flower. It looked fantastic with her blonde hair. Similarly, Mckey's dark hair was mirrored with a black bikini. Her eyes are really amazing too.

At the bottom of the pack, called up at the end to face Tyra's rant about only having "one photo in her hand, and the girl whose name is not called must pack her bags immediately... and go home," were Analeigh and Brittany. I was actually kind of sad to see Analeigh at the bottom. I sort of felt like Clark deserved to be there more than Analeigh. I mean, has Clark even had one good picture? Paulina's comment that Analeigh's arms looked scary, combined with guest judged Susan Holmes' observation that Analeigh needs to do more research and learn more about poses, landed Analeigh in a dangerous bottom 2 position.

I guess I should have known that the one they were sending home was Brittany. After all, they showed scenes throughout the entire episode where Brittany was crying or complaining about how people are always saying that she is "pretty." The problem I had with her argument is that even after she realized that this was her weakest point in the competition and that she needed to show more high fashion fierceness, she never even tried to change her attitude or her posing. She was given opportunity after opportunity to show that she was able to adapt to the needs of the competition, but she really only concentrated on complaining and crying. She got sent home because she just couldn't grow and get better. I loved Brittany's first week shot, but the past two weeks she was just boring and annoying. I was not sad to see her go.

Nikeysha Sent Packing - Week 2 Recap

The drama has officially begun in casa de top model this week. After last week's previews, we knew it was going to start heating up, but there were more racially motivated arguments this week than there were gay men... and that's really saying something.

The two big questions asked this week were "Are you racist?" and "Can you pose?". I am not sure if either of those is quite as interesting as the "How do you hide your package?" question from last week, but it will just have to do. I was also a bit disappointed in the fact that no one had a jealous behind-her-back bitch fest about Marjorie's picture that was digitally displayed in the house all week with the words "Intelligent, Divine, Marvelous" written across the screen. Maybe we will get to hear some jealous comments later. We didn't really hear much out of Marjorie this week at all, come to think of it, but I'll get to her later.

House Drama: Are you racist?

For now, let's discuss the major issue at hand. Is there a racist lurking in the top model house this season? Perhaps. It all started when the girls were crammed into the hot tub (yes, all 13 of them in a big tub). Truth or dare already had Hannah out of her comfort zone. You could practically see her wanting to bolt when Clark was dared to kiss Elina, which actually was pretty hot. I think Clark looked like she enjoyed it a little bit, and it's definite that Elina was digging it. She even said in her interview afterwards that she saw "fireworks" and that Clark's lips were so soft. Ah, romance. Hannah wasn't into it though, saying to the camera that "I am from a small town and I normally wouldn't hang with characters like Elina or Isis (pause) because she's a transgender." If that wasn't enough to seal her fate as someone who holds extreme prejudice in her heart, just wait, there's more.

A few moments after that, Isis swam a bit too close to her and she physically pushed her. I couldn't believe it. Her excuse was that she didn't want anyone in her space. Were we just supposed to ignore the two other girls she was sandwiched between like an oreo cookie? She didn't mind her arms and legs rubbing against those girls, but Isis got within three feet of her and she got physical. Back in the bedrooms, Sheena and Britney tried to explain that her behavior was offensive, but instead of admitting it and wanting to learn from the experience, she gave her excuse ("I am a stereotypical white girl, so I don't go around saying things like "Hey" and screaming and doing stuff like that.") and then cried for sympathy.

Pretty much the rest of the shots from the house this week revolved around Hannah's obvious dislike for people who are different from herself. Honestly, I'm not sure if Hannah knows what a stereotypical white girl is, but she seems to have some pretty strong opinions in her mind about stereotypical black girls and transgenders and lesbians... and she just knows that she's not like that.

After we watched several clips of one group after another either bashing Hannah or bashing the people who were bashing Hannah, they finally decided to call a "house meeting" and get it out in the open. I have to speak in Hannah's defense here a bit though. She was totally ambushed. that had to be disturbing! Basically, they just gathered everyone together and asked her if she was racist, to which she replied, "No, but thanks for critiquing me." and then, she cried. I did fell a little bit sorry for her. And don't you hate that in the previews they didn't show her saying no? They just showed her walking off... which is a blatant attempt at exploiting the situation for the drama of it.

Later, of course, I felt less sorry for her when she was describing the house meeting as being "like gang rape or gang violence". Obviously this small town girl has no idea how far that was from something as terrible as gang rape. We'll just have to watch and see how the drama plays out from here and if she continues to show prejudice or not. I'll tell you one thing, though, the episode made me glad thatI don't live in a house with 12 other women.

The only other interesting house event worth mentioning is that we got to watch Isis take her hormone shots. It became a bonding event between her and Analeigh when she asked her to come in the bathroom and distract her from the pain while she was taking her injections. I have to say, Analeigh was a good friend to her. She made her laugh and passed zero judgment on her for it.

Modeling Drama: Can you pose?

Everyone's favorite poser was back this week to teach the noob models a thing about extreme posing. Benny Ninja met with the girls and had them pose inside red fabric tubes. Most people did a decent job, but the most common comment was that their poses were good, but their faces were not. I'm sure it's hard to concentrate on two things at once, so we have to give them a little bit of time to get used to it. Haha. Sheena was called out for being the best and the most flexible (she can do that standing up full split that the girl from Pussy Cat Dolls does in the "When I grow up" video). Probably the worst of the day was Hannah, who just couldn't figure it out. Benny said she was "lost in translation", which I thought was clever.

The next Tyra mail said something about whether you've got it in the bag and Lauren Brie made the oh so very astute observation that, "I think it might be a challenge about posing, but I'm not sure." Wow, could that be because you guys just spent eight hours learning how to pose? I wonder...

Surprise, surprise, when they walked into their challenge the next day, Benny was there, doing a full split across a couch with a tiny little gold hat sparkling on his head. Posing it is! Tarina Tarantina, a famous handbag and jewelry designer, was there to judge the girls as they did their best to model her accessories and make her collection pop. The winner was to be the model with the most inventive poses.

Just a few notes on some of the things they came up with: Sam looked like she had no clue at all how to pose, most of the girls just copied each other, Hanna put the bag on the chandelier, which was totally weird, and Nikeysha was dumb enough to walk onstage and say "If I pee on myself, it's for you, cause I really need to go to the bathroom." Oh. My. God. I couldn't believe she actually said that! And that still wasn't the worst thing. Sheena, who was the best poser from the day before, actually did a weird kind of split and placed the bag right in front of her hoo-hoo. The designer found the pose very disrespectful. The winner of the challenge was Elina, who got to take home a bag full of sparkly jewelry. I wonder if she got a tiny sparkly hat?

The Tyra Mail announcing the photo shoot said something about "climbing the ladder" so I had a feeling it would be another top model flying through the air kind of shot. I wasn't exactly expecting a giant hot air balloon though. It was a cool idea, but unfortunately the wind was blowing it around crazy and they had to just hang the ladder from a crane and then superimpose the picture of the girls and ladder with the balloon later.

Lauren Brie was first up, and no one really touched her in creativity. Here are my notes for the other girls, in shorthand:
Elina: Looked like Angelina Jolie.
Analeigh: Ouch. No.
Sheena: Hooch.
Isis: Struggling a bit - bad facial expression.
Nikeysha: So lost. She has no control.
Britney: No good poses.
Joslyn: Great posing and face!
Clark: Terrible. She was sitting on the ladder.
Hannah: Stick figure.
Samantha: Not aware of her dress at all.
McKey: Great when he wasn't taking the pictures. Not so great when he was.
Marjorie: Very good! She looks great with long hair!!!

Later that night, the dreaded Tyra mail announcing panel and that they would be down to only 12 put a sour puss on everyone's faces. Especially after Sheena said, "Ya'll better start packing, hehe." You could hear crickets, I'm telling you. Everyone looked like they feared for their very lives.

Panel Drama: Up, Up, Up and Away

Miss J. Alexander's giant gold necklace said it all. "13" and next week it will only be "12". Do you think he had those especially made? Oh, and I wanted to comment on Paulina's hair. It was super short, but very cute. Did she cut it or just have it pulled up? I couldn't tell.

Tyra got right down to business, and the story was the same for the majority of the pictures: Nice angles, Nice Poses... Bad face. Lauren Brie's photo was the only one that just really made them say "Wow!" and I have to agree. It was worlds better than last week, and really looked like something you would see in Vogue. Elina, Marjorie, and Joslyn also got very good reviews on their pictures.

The most notable embarrassing comments during panel were Nigel saying that Clark's face looked like it was a weird color at panel ("I may have gone a little crazy with the powder and stuff"), Tyra saying that Isis looked like she was in Elementary school (what the hell was she wearing? This is the second week in a row she has looked very bad in panel... she better get it together!), and them calling Britney merely a "High End Catalog" girl. (Of course, Tyra made the comment that she could make a million dollars a year being a catalog girl... and she acted like that was no big deal. I'll take that job, thank you very much.)

The worst of panel, however, was what happened with Sheena. Paulina asked her flat out if her breasts were fake, saying that they were not just big, they were so "placed." Sheena said no at first and went back to her spot. After they were done with the photos, however, and before they made their final decision, Sheena asked to come forward and she admitted that she needed to fess up and tell the truth. Yes, she had a boob job when she was younger. So, she lied, but in the end she came up and told the truth, which is probably one of the only things that saved her this week. Tyra claimed that she already knew her breasts were fake, and I am sure Paulina knew she was lying too. I mean, these women have made a career out of their beauty and their bodies... they know fake when they see fake. I'm glad she told the truth though. That took guts.

So, who's picture gets the digital display for the week? Lauren Brie. The judges even said her picture was top five in the history of top model, which is a huge compliment. It really was a great photo, I must say. Elina was called second and everyone said she looked like "Angelina Jolie" modeling. It's true, but I think she's more ethereal than Angelina. We'll see what they do to Elina in makeovers. I'm scared.

When it came down to final two, it was Isis and Nikeysha. They told Isis that she's a beautiful girl (at which point the camera cut to Hanna making a weird face that read "girl? yeah, right.") , but that she needed to look better in person. They told Nikeysha that she is way too thin and she does not ever stop talking. I personally think she did better this week, but still... she is awfully skinny. In the end, two weak photo shoots in a row sent Nikeysha packing. She cried as she packed her bags and talked about her experiences and her goals and her disappointment... and she talked some more... and she continued to talk as the credits rolled and eventually faded to black, cutting off her final top model ramble.

Next Week's Drama: Makeovers!!!!

I can't wait!! And in the preview, they have Elina sitting in a chair at the salon and Miss J is saying "This will be the very first time in top model history." Any guesses what they are going to do to her? I haven't got a clue, but I am going to be counting down the days until we find out!

Photos From Week One

I am so excited about a new episode of ANTM tomorrow night! I went to the CW's website to look back over the week one photographs to refresh my memory on the performances from last week. I am so happy that they post their pictures each week! It's always so much fun to go back over them at the end of the season and see how much they really have grown by the end.

This year, Tyra announced that for the first time, the girl who gets her name called first at panel will have her photo displayed digitally in the house until the next elimination. I think this will bring an interesting dynamic to the house. It will certainly make it easy to spot the girls who can't handle the competition very well and who are prone to jealousy! Also, I'm sure that some of the girls who win throughout the season will get a big ego and a sort of "I was the best, so I rule the house" attitude. That would be fun to watch!! I just hope Marjorie, the winner of week one, doesn't continue to put herself down all week. That girl needs some self-confidence!

Here is Marjorie's winning picture:

She definitely photographs beautifully. She looks so mysterious in this photograph, and I love the way she has her legs. They always talk about finding the light, and it looks to me like Marjorie really nailed it in week one. Her skin looks luminous!

The main thing Marjorie needs to overcome is her lack of self-confidence. She got so nervous with Nigel last week when he asked who her favorite photographer is, that she couldn't think of a single photographer's name, and instead of coming up with a witty answer or even just saying that she was drawing a blank, she "um'd" and "hmmm'd" for a few minutes before giving a lame... "You?" Hopefully she finds a way to think better on her feet in future episodes.

Also, I can't be completely sure, but the few times that we've seen her walk, she looked a bit awkward to me. I don't feel like I've seen enough to really give a solid opinion about it yet, but as we all know, the only way you can win this competition is if you can walk. After all, the final "exam" is always a runway show.

The person voted off in week one was Sharaun, and here was her picture:
Honestly, I don't think it could have gotten much worse than this. She was supposed to be portraying Homeland Security, but instead, she looks like a prostitute trying to make a couple bucks at the airport on a Saturday night. Her face looks mean, honestly, but I think she was going for sexy. The sad part is that Mr. Jay was really trying to explain to her what he wanted, but she never really tried any harder or got any better.

I definitely did feel sorry for her after she had said so many times that she knew she was going to win. This girl is a cautionary tale, reminding us all that while we all need confidence, we better have the talent to back it up. If she had been a little bit more humble and little bit less, "I'm already good enough to be a supermodel, so all I'm doing it waiting for you to pick me as the winner," she might have actually stepped back and listened to the directions she was being given on set.

As a side note, however, this picture from Clark was by far my least favorite of the bunch. It doesn't really help that Clark's personality is repulsive to me, either, but come on... do you like this picture? She has a beautiful face, but she just looks completely lost in this photo. And just check out the position of her legs. It looks a bit awkward and strange to me. Time will tell if it was just a bad week, or if this modeling biz is just too much for her to handle.

I think that if the judges get wind of her terrible attitude and blatent prejudices, she will be out faster than Tyra can say, "Oh No She Didn't!"


I also want to take a moment to post my favorite pics from this week. Yes, I think Marjorie's pic was lovely, but I didn't think it was the best. In a way, I think Tyra only called her first because she knew that Marjorie needed a shot in the attitude. This week, I think that there were several better-than-average pictures, but here were my very top 2 favorites:


Elina did an awesome job in her picture this week. As Jay said during her shoot, "She's smiling with her eyes!" To me, she definitely makes voting look sexy! She holds her body well, and her legs look fantastic. There's nothing uncomfortable about her in this picture. She looks patriotic and sexy, exactly what they wanted her to look like.


Her face is absolutely gorgeous in this picture. She has such a beautiful and unique look with her dark hair and pale skin. And we all know that a girl who has already learned Tyra's favorite modeling technique is going to be a tough competitor!

Isis deserves a moment in the spotlight as well. I tried to just pic one favorite for this week, but I couldn't leave Isis out. Anyone who can look this amazing when there are assholes behind you saying ugly things is "fierce" in my book. I am still pissed at those girls for being so rude during her shoot! And everytime I think about it, I am more and more proud of Isis for how she handled it. All too often, people use things like that as a crutch for their shortcomings, but she handled it like a professional model and got her shoot done beautifully. I also like the tenderness that she shows in this picture. The way she holds that ballet to her chest, it really looks like she is concerned about her privacy and her rights. I love it! I will be rooting for her this week. (And praying that she shows up looking better at panel....WTF was she thinking going in there with her hair looking like a ragdoll?)

PRECAP

In the previews for tomorrow's show, it looks like the drama has finally begun! Elina already admitted last week that converting straight girls was a hobby of hers, and by the looks of it, she has her sights set on Clark. That should be interesting to watch! Especially in light of Clark's very conservative small town values. (or at least that what she was claiming when she was dogging Isis)

Also, in another preview, Sheena asks to come forward in panel and says she just has to get something off of her chest. I can't even imagine what it is at this point! She is definitely an outspoken person, but in the first week, we really saw a sensitive and caring girl as well. I wonder if she is going to rat out the other girls for how they are treating Isis? Or maybe she will complain about something that is bothering her. I just hope she doesn't quit!!!

Oh, and Benny Ninja is back!! I can't wait to see what crazy poses they all come up with this year!

Sharaun Eliminated First!

Tonight Top Model kicked off a new Cycle, promising to be full of drama and possibly a few catfights. The evening started off with the Top 30 Semi-finalists going to the "Top Model Institute of Technology." I thought the futuristic theme was pretty creative, but what was up with Mr Jay's dyed silver hair? I like Ms. Jay's silver wig much better! The highlight of the technology theme, though, was when the Glaminator 11.0 started to freak out and overload... and then out comes Tyra bot. No one could possibly say that she doesn't have a sense of humor... and a bit of a freak inside of her.

At the Top Model Institute, we got to watch each girl walk down the runway. The ones that stood out the most to me were Sheena and Joslyn. Sheena because she unzipped her outfit a little at the top which was so funny to me, and then Joslyn because Jay and Jay just KNEW she was gonna twirl... and twirl she did.

Of course, we also got introduced to the contestants when they went in for an interview with the Jay's and Tyrabot. First off, let me say that there are three Brittany's this cycle. Brittney B. (later to become Sharaun) was first up, and she made a bad first impression because she couldn't even name a single fashion designer. Ignorance of the industry never made anyone popular with Tyra. We learned some interesting facts about other contestants, like the fact that Lauren's dad is a cop, Analeigh was almost sold to a Saudi Arabian man, and Kacey, my very least favorite of the semi-finalists, used to have white friends. Why doesn't she have them anymore? The judges asked her the same thing. Her response was that her white friends didn't understand why she couldn't swim with them. Kacey was constantly making dumbass comments like that throughout the first hour. ("I'm not ghetto. Ghetto to me is like Kineesha, Shineesha.")

On a side note, is anyone else tired of the way some girls walk into their interview screaming? I'm so over that already. Ahhh! It's Tyra!!! Yeah... and you knew you were about to meet her... and you look like an idiot on your first impression. And I have to mention Hanna's interview because it was classic Tyra. Hanna talked about how in Alaska, she had once been chased by a moose. Tyra told her to reenact this event with Tyra as the moose and Hanna running away "fierce". She was terrible, so Tyra switched the roles and turned on her charm. It looks like Tyra has maybe gained some weight this season, but she's still gorgeous. The only other interview I think worth mentioning is Susan, the recent Harvard graduate who studied English and American Literature, and yet could not name a single heroine from a novel. WTF?

Okay, with that off my chest, I will move on to the most press-worthy contestant this season, Isis. As everyone has known for weeks, Isis is ANTM's first transgender contestant. What I didn't know before was that she was one of the models in the homeless shoot from last cycle. Looking back on those pictures, it was obvious that the girl can take some great photos. She was also very upfront and open about who she is and she clearly is not on the show to make a social comment, she's just truly wanting to be a top model and is going to do her best like everyone else.

Of course, when the other girls found out that Isis was born male, most of them freaked out and immediately became defensive and judgmental. They bombarded her with questions about it throughout the episode, but I thought Isis was very down to earth and not uncomfortable with her situation at all. The best quote this week is when someone asked her, How do you hide it? She responded, "The magic of tape." That had me laughing. Isis confessed that she was eager to have the surgery to make her transformation complete, but had so far been unable to do it. Wouldn't that be crazy if the show had it done for her? Like the way they fixed Joanie's teeth way back when? I wonder how long it takes to recover from a major surgery like that though.

Anyway, the judges made one cut from 30 down to 20, and it was brutal. Last year I think they just had them find a bag and open it all together to see if their picture was in it or not. This year, they made each girl walk up to a scanner in front of everyone else and when they placed their hand on it, Tyra Bot's voice said either "Access Granted" or "Access Denied". Right away, all 30 girls were smiling and confident. However, after the first girl heard the dreaded words, everyone who had not gone yet suddenly started fidgeting and swallowing hard, some trying to hang on to a small fake smile, but showing their nerves through it anyway. After the cuts were made, the 20 girls remaining had to do a photoshoot where they only had five minutes to change into a blue metallic catsuit and put on their own makeup. There were balls on the set, and wanting to be different, some of the girls just did the dumbest things with the balls. They held them over their head, they sat on them, they laid down on them, they bounced on them... it was awful. The best pictures ended up being the girls that focused on the silver backdrop and made the picture more about them than a ball.

In the end, Alpha Jay, Beta Jay, and Tyra bot looked over all of the pictures and chose their final 14 contestants. With a fierce look and a smile in her eyes, Tyra declared, "Let us beam fiercely" and they were immediately beamed away to the final cut of the semi-final round. Once again, the girls were happy and smiling, until they saw that they were not called first. Then, the hard swallowing and nervous smiles started coming onto the scene. By the time Tyra called Isis' name and then said, "Only two girls left," some of the remaining models just broke down and started crying. Kacey, who had nothing but awful comments about everything when she opened her mouth, looked positively offended that Isis made the final cut, and she was already crying when Tyra got to the final two. Clark and Joslyn were the last two called, and that brought us to the 14 that will compete this year for the title of America's Next Top Model.

It was almost joyful for me to watch Kacey break down and start sobbing, "I'm so confused!" Really? Maybe next time try not being a completely bigotted bitch and actual develop some good characteristics in your personality. Heeeeyy!

So, with the finalists chosen, the second hour of the premiere included all of the fun first episode traditions. The girls got to see their house, screaming all the while. (They are starting in LA this year.) It turned out that all 3 Brittany's ended up in the finals, so Brittany B started calling herself Sharaun, and Brittany S. became McKey. Brittany R just got to stay Brittany. I will say this... anything is better than last year when Aimee became Amis. I still don't know what the hell she was thinking there.

I know I already picked my favorite quote this week, but since it was two hours long, I have to include another one... Mr. Jay greeted the finalists with this insightful statement: Alright, we've got 14 lucky bitches here in LA.

Well said Mr. Jay. Of course, after moving into the house, there was more drama about Isis being born a man. To me, honestly, Marjorie is more boy than the boy. Sharaun really did not impress me with her ugly comment that "A drag queen is not going to win Top Model" Hasn't she ever seen To Wong Fu, With Love, Julie Newmar?? Isis is not a drag queen. Clark and Hanna also had their private moment of judgmental attitudes when they confessed to each other that "Isis has no place in this competition" and "We're not being close-minded, we're just traditional." Haha, very funny Clark. The sad thing is that Clark was one of my number one picks from the website before the show aired, but now, I want her gone. She's a real b-i-t-c-h.

In the next scene, the models went to the Magic castle, where they were faced with yet another cheesy, gimmicky intro to a day in ANTM. For the first time, each model got a one on one with each of the judges (minus Tyra), which is a HUGE chance to make your best impression. Who managed to make the worst impression? Sharaun. She walked in to every judge and said, "I'm Sharaun, and I AM America's Next Top Model." Most of them just looked at her like, who the hell are you? Nigel was most impressed with Isis, although he did say, "There seems to be something unusual about her though." He's so perceptive.

Samantha made a super good impression on Paulina, which isn't easy to do. And I think Joslyn and Ms. Jay bonded at their one on one. It's good to see some of the girls made the most of the experience. When they returned home, they were each given gifts of new shoes and new clothes, which was really cool. They were also greeted by Tyra mail saying "Fashion isn't the only agenda."

What other agenda were they going to find out about? Voting. Tyra is very passionate about the voting issue and the race for President this year, so she had past favorite photographer, Mike Rosenthal do a shoot about making voting sexy. Some girls, like Joslyn and Samantha really nailed it. (Jay even said to Joslyn, "That was almost Tyra Banks hot.") Others totally blew it... like Clark for example. First of all, each girl was given a different reason why people should vote. Clark landed with beaurocracy, and she had no idea what it meant. It was hilarious when she asked McKey what it was, and McKey laughed and said, "I'm not going to tell you." Then, of course, Clark made fun of McKey's photo shoot, which is ironic because at panel, the judges LOVED McKey and hated Clark's photo.

The worst part of the whole shoot though was Isis' shoot. Not because of Isis, who was fierce, but because of the girls who were "extras" in the shot, who were standing behind her saying things like "You need to shave, you're all sweaty." and other ugly insinuations about her being a man at one time. I totally fell in love with Isis at that moment because instead of being a diva and tattling on them or letting them interupt her shoot, she just turned around and said, "I wouldn't do that. Please don't." and kept right on posing. When she got to panel, she really showed the others by producing one of the best shots of the week. (Called second!)

At panel, one of the most exciting announcements was that the girl who gets called first each week is going to have her picture displayed digitally in the house for everyone to see all week. This week, Marjorie was called first, which was actually a surprise. Most of the judges LOVE her, adore her, etc... but Nigel sees a ball of nerves, which is what I see. She's very neurotic and insecure. She definitely needs to find some confidence after being called first this week. Isis was called second, which made me cheer.

As for the bottom two, Tyra called Nikeysha and Sharaun to the front. Of course, Sharaun was floored and crying because she expected to be number one. To be honest, though, her picture was terrible. She did not look at all like a model. She looked like a bad stripper. Nikeysha's picture wasn't so terrible, but the reason she was in the bottom two was because she interrupted every single criticism the judges had with some excuse as to why she didn't do it right. One thing I love about ANTM is they just don't put up with excuses. The only one who even had an excuse this week would have been Isis, but she never faltered or lost her concentration. I was really proud of her.

Sharaun, the girl who was so cocky by telling each judge that she was already the winner, they just didn't know it yet, realized that she made herself look like a fool. Tyra called Nikeysha's name, making Sharaun the first one eliminated. She immediately fell to the floor sobbing, but Tyra had no tears for Brittany/Sharaun. She hugged her and told her flat out... "This is not just about wanting it, it's about being real."

I am already looking forward to next week when beautiful and bi-sexual Elina ends up kissing Clark in the hot tub. It should be hot! And, one of the things I have said leading up to this premiere is that I hope people don't make this season all about the transgender contestant, cause that will get real old. However, I loved Isis and will be cheering her on from now on. Who do I predict as the final winner of this cycle? I think Samantha might have a really good shot. Joslyn also would be my second choice, with Isis close behind.

Who do you like best? Are you charmed by Marjorie's quirks? Or just annoyed? What did you think of Clark's attitude? Did you think Sharaun deserved to go home? Talk it up all week here and on the cwtv.com.

Sheena

The only Asian woman in the competition (which actually is really rare overall for this show) is 21 year old Sheena. She is from Honolulu, Hawaii, but is currently living in Harlem, NY. On the website, they have her listed as a Hostess/Go Go Dancer, but I read in the CW forums that she is actually a rapper/musician. I am not sure if that is true, but I will certainly research that for next week!

Right away, I notice on her video that Sheena has great personal style. She is wearing a beautiful orange top that accentuates her best parts and looks amazing with her skin color. Her hair is also very nice, and I hope they don't cut it all off or dye it blonde or anything in the makeover!!

Sheena said that she had "put her pictures out everywhere" and was contacted by a scout to audition for the show. I don't know exactly what she means about that, but it made me picture her stapling flyers with pictures of herself on telephone poles or something. Anyway, she is a big fan of the show and is determined to make the most of her top model experience. What is she looking forward to the most? Everything, she says. And to learning how to be the very best model that she can be. I like that attitude for sure.

The only really annoying thing about Sheena is the whole "black" talk she's got going on. I guess living in Harlem, that is part of her culture and who she is, but who really wants a high fashion model that says things like "We go hard", "We don't play", and "I'm gonna be a stereotype slasha" ?? I know that's a pretty judgmental comment, but it's weird to see a beautiful Asian woman talking like a gangsta.

Her hippie chic pic is amazing and beautiful, but check out her portfolio pic. It's terrible. Her body looks good, but something about the angle of her face is just wrong. It makes her look like a horse face. Hopefully she will learn her angles and as she says "Bring it!"

Sharaun

Sharaun is an 18 year old student from Chicago, Illinois. This is her second year auditioning, but she didn't make it in last year only because she was too young. Now, she is in the competition and ready to win.

In her video, she is pretty loud and outspoken. One of her first comments is "For some people, top model is a choice. For me, I was born into it." That sounds confident, sure, but it borders on cocky. I think she is pushing her confidence a little bit too hard in the video, as if she's trying to force you to believe it's true. Also, she does this annoying thing with her mouth when she talks or something about her accent is strange... I can't quite figure it out, but it was not attractive.

Sharaun is most looking forward to the makeover. She said that she is ready for anything they want to do, so let's hope that stands true when the time comes. Nothing is worse than a crying model on makeover day!

All other things aside, Sharaun is a beautiful girl with a gorgeous face. It looks like she has nice skin and a very model like body. My advice to her would be to tone it down just a little bit and let your confidence speak for itself

Samantha

One of the youngest girls in the competition, Samantha is an 18 year old student athlete from Woodland Hills, CA. She plays Volleyball, Track & Field, and Cross-country, so she definitely is in good shape. Her sports background also shows just how competitive she is and that she is willing to work hard to get what she wants.

Samantha is a big fan of Top Model, and she said she would watch the show and say, "I could do that. I could do that better than that girl's doing it." Now, this might sound a little bit conceited, but come one, who among us hasn't thought that from time to time during an episode? I know I have, but that's just because sometimes as the observers, we can see more clearly than the girls who are stressed out and messing up. Anyway, Samantha is spunky and seems like a lot of fun.

It is obvious that Samantha believes in herself, and believes that she can really win this competition. I wonder what will happen when she looses some competitions or gets some tough criticism? That will be her true test. Can she still believe in herself when others are doing a better job? Will she rise to the challenge, or just complain and get angry. Like I said before, she's very young and she acts like it. I have a feeling she has rarely ever lost any competition, so this will definitely be an eye opener for her. She's probably one of those people who just has everything come easily. I can't wait to find out if she's truly up for the challenge.

One thing is for sure, she has a hot body, with shapely curves, and a beautiful face. Sometimes, though, the bigger the boobs, the faster you are cut from the competition. This is my fiance's number 2 pick for the season, which means she will definitely appeal to the male crowd. But will she win Tyra over?

Nikeysha

Nikeysha is also a 19 year old student, like many of the other contestants this season. She comes from the Bronx, NY and she is crazy. Haaayyy!

Out of the videos I have seen so far, Nikeysha definitely has the most outgoing and bubbly personality. Can this be annoying? Certainly, it can. However, what redeems her for me is her attitude about the competition. She knows that she has some work to do to break into the modeling industry, and she sees Top Model as a springboard towards success. She said that she is most looking forward to being molded into a better model. She wants to be the very best Nikeysha that she can be, and I respect that.

Nikeysha did not mention whether she has modeling experience or not on her video, but from her portfolio picture it looks to me like she does. She has some interesting angles with her body and a fierce look on her face, which to me, looks like she knows a little bit about what she is doing. She is super skinny, though, which to me is not as attractive as someone with a little bit of meat, but this is a modeling competition, so I doubt anyone will fault her for being too thin.

The reason I worry about Nikeysha is that she wants this so badly that she just might screw it up for herself. Sure, she is ready to be "molded" into a better model, but there seems to be a tinge of a self-esteem problem buried in there. I don't think she believes she can really win this competition. She just wants to stay in as long as she can. To do her best though, she needs to start believing that she can win!