Episode 5 Recap: Clark is Eliminated

I know it's mean to cheer when someone gets sent home, but there have rarely been contestants on this show that I wanted to see kicked off more than I did Clark. I was even inspired to start chanting, "Clark's going home, Clark's going home" after her photo shoot. I am so mean, I know, but Clark was more wrong than Paulina's poochy stomach flash this week. I guess I should start from the beginning.

Only nine girls left in America's Next Top Model, and as they returned to their house post-Isis elimination, Clark's winning photo was greeting them. "Fierce. Strong. Blew me away." was plastered over her picture, and you could just see the cocky on her face as she walked through the door. "It's lonely at the top," she chided, while poor Marjorie's confidence plumeted. The house was dominated this week by girls trying to find their positivity, but in the background, Marjorie was there with her nerves and her "cultural" tendency towards the negative.

THE CHALLENGE: Make it Fit!

At the challenge this week, Paulina greeted the girls at a run down warehouse. She was wearing a hideous blue suit that didn't fit her at all. Why she felt the need to lift the shirt up to reveal her tiny pouch belly, I have no idea, but I was happy when she changed out of that and into a simple black tank top and jeans. She looked so much more beautiful in that simple outfit than she ever does at panel.

Paulina's challenge to the girls was to give them all clothes that didn't fit and give them five minutes to find tools to make it fit well enough to be photographed. They were given clips and soda cans, water bottles and padding for their bras. While everyone was rushing around stuffing things in their pants to make them tighter in front and clipping wherever they could, Marjorie was pouting in the corner. I know there are a lot of Marjorie fans out there, but I have to say that she lost a lot of respect from me this week. I wanted to scream, "Get over it! Try for goodness sake!" Instead, she sort of gave up, and then when Paulina criticized her outfit, she cried and blamed it on her parents being French.

After the girls paraded their fitted outfits in front of Paulina, she declared that Samantha was the absolute worst while McKey was the very best. I have to say, even though Samantha makes a lot of bad decisions, at least she isn't afraid to try new things and fail as long as she can keep learning. Her bad choice this week was to completely change her outfit by altering the clothes rather than just making them fit. This is generally a bad idea when you are supposed to be modeling the clothes for a catalog that people will order from. McKey, on the other hand, put a soda can in the back of the pants and clipped them to make her outfit look fabulous... from the front. As the winner, she gets fifty extra frames in this week's photo shoot.

THE SHOOT: A Force to Be Reckoned With

The very creative shoot this week was all about "Destructive Giants". In order to really get them pumped for the shoot, Jay Manuel dressed up yet again this season. This time, though, he was no prince, opting instead for a scary monster to bring his point across. "It is important to really come through and make an impact, even with a bunch of makeup on."

The photographer, Brian Edwards, was picked by Tyra after she walked into Elite one day and saw the pictures he had recently taken of Jaslene from Cycle 8. The set was miniaturized in order to make the models, who were dressed up in a very 60's style, look like giants. They were each given a different "Natural Disaster" (or at least LA disaster) to portray.

Elina was an Earthquake, but she didn't really get into the spirit of it until the last frame. Sheena was a sandstorm and Jay liked her variety. At panel later on, Nigel really said that he loved this shot of Sheena because she brings so much life and personality to her shot, to which Paulina quipped "With her personality, but not with her looks." Ever confident Clark walked on the set saying, "I'm confident" but then proceded to give a very boring portrayal of a blackout. I honestly think she just lucked into a good picture last week.

Lauren Brie did a pretty snowstorm, while Joslyn slid towards the bottom of the group as a rockslide. Analeigh's photoshoot as the Santa Ana Winds was close to the best of the day, but it was McKey that impressed Jay the most on set. She was trying all kinds of poses and giving it a lot of variety. Jay even said that she didn't need the extra frames. At panel, though, the judges just thought she should have given more. I would love to see the rest of her film, because maybe Tyra just picked a photo that wasn't her best this week.

Samantha brought a lot of energy and creativity to the set in her portrayal of a Tidal Wave. She also looked great in the 60's style hair and makeup! Melodramatic Marjorie did not bring much to the set at all, however. Mr. Jay had to physically walk up to the set and position her arms and legs to make her shoot work. Afterwards she moped and said, "I felt like a fool." Somehow, however, at judging she ended up with a good shot and everyone loved it, which just proves that her lack of confidence is a mystery.

PANEL: Clark goes from #One to #Gone

Just before panel, they showed a clip of Clark in the confessional saying, "I'm number one in this competition right now. I know I'm not going home." Famous last words, I guess. At panel, it was bottom two Samantha who rose to the top this week to win the digital display as best photo of the week. Taking her place at the bottom was a very mediocre, but very surprised Clark.

As for their critiques of the others, the judges, which included guest judge and photographer Brian Edwards, put the girls in the following order:
Samantha was top of the heap with Miss Jay especially going gaga over her "exquisite" photo.
Analeigh didn't blow anyone away, but she was cute and looking good. She was also the only one that the photographer spoke up for, saying that he liked her and was happy with her photo.
McKey could have given it a bit more, but overall they were happy with her picture.
Elina had that "Ugly Pretty" going on in her photo, even though Tyra said the rest of her film was 'boring'.
Marjorie had a good picture and seemed confident enough at panel, but seems to be falling apart.
Lauren Brie takes amazing photos but it's time for her to step it up a notch and stop "resting on pretty."
Sheena was towards the bottom and I can't for the life of me figure out why. The judges seemed to like her picture and her personality.
Joslyn in the bottom two was so sad to see, but she needs to get back to the energy and creativity she was bringing to set at the beginning. Even though she and Clark seemed to be neck and neck with their performance in photo shoots, it was Joslyn's energy and personality that put her on top.
Clark was told that instead of lucking into a fabulous picture, they wanted to see her being great each time. She was sent packing.


I am already really looking forward to next week, because they were showing Tyra giving posing lessons, which is always great fun. She's so crazy, you just never know what she's going to do next. I think she has actually been a little bit reserved this season, and I can't wait to see her bring out the crazy. As for the photo shoot, all they showed was that Elina was scared about her performance because this was the shoot where the models needed to be able to lose control. Should be a good episode!! Thanks for reading and check back each week for a detailed synopsis and more photos.

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.

Clark

Clark is from Pawley's Island, South Carolina and is currently a student in Columbia, SC.

Watching her video, the first thing that stuck out to me was that she didn't seem to be very comfortable in front of the camera talking about herself. She looks confident in her pictures though, so maybe I'm just reading her wrong.

She said she is looking forward to the makeover, which to me just screams that she's in for disappointment. Also, she's wanted to be a model ever since she was five, which is a BIG shocker.

When she sent in her audition tape, she says she was trying to get it in at the last minute, and describes it as a "hassle". She does sort of redeem herself by saying that it turned out to be worth it, but I didn't like that comment coming from her right at the start of the competition. I mean, if you know you are making a video that will be America's first impression of you, why would you say that it's been a hassle to audition?

Other than a poor video, I like Clark's pictures, and I think she is definitely a pretty girl with a nice body. Is it just me or does she have an uncanny resemblance to Bridget Fonda? She has some beautifully shaped eyes and I like her high cheekbones. I don't think I would put Clark at the top of my list just yet, but she's certainly not at the bottom. I think she will be around a while.