Last week was a recap episode so I didn’t bother doing a writeup.
This episode was back on track, though, and started with Fatima explaining to the other models that she wasn’t a US citizen, had lost her travel documents, and might have to drop out of the competition when the show went overseas. I just don’t understand why this show keeps insulting its viewers. I’m pretty sure the rules state that you have to be a US citizen to be eligible for the show. I’ve seen the line at the mall of hundreds of girls hoping to be America’s Next Top Model. So, why is it that this show feels the need to hire the Salisha’s and Fatima’s of the world that don’t even meet the rules requirements of the show?
The next scene has Paulina Porizkova show up at the house to give the models some lessons on how to handle the press and how to handle themselves in social situations. Anya and Fatima look good in practice. Lauren looks as awkward as expected and is mimicking the implosion role that Heather played last season quite well. Surprisingly, Dominique performs worst of all as she seemingly can’t spit out even a sentence without making mistakes.
The next scene has some of the models making potato pancakes when Lauren ‘cuts off her thumb’ with a knife. I am sure it hurt, but I feel cheated that we never got to see the actual cut. Clearly, they played up a very minor wound and this was nothing like the Kenny Schrader thumb incident.
The next scene has a box of lemons and limes show up at the door as the models find out that they will be going to a ‘media event’ for 7-UP featuring clothing by Jay Godfrey. They will have to sell the designer and sell themselves in a ‘premiere party’ atmosphere complete with red carpet arrival. The show did a very good job with this event. They had a real ‘news’ media interviewer talk to each model as they arrived and the party guest list included the designer, some former ANTM contestants, the ANTM judges, some 7-UP people, and a few other special guests like Rick Okasek. All in all, I think they did a good job of creating a real event atmosphere in which to test the models. When the night was over, Anya was the clear (and very surprising) winner. She excelled above the other models because she didn’t try to ‘act like a model’. Instead, she was simply very personable and interacted in a normal, likeable, manner. As her prize, she got to do a photoshoot for 7-UP. The bonus was that they gave her a $10,000 check as pay for the photoshoot. Maybe this is the difference between a real photoshoot prize and that nothing result we saw from Claire’s Wal-Mart prize win? If the client is going to use the photos, the model actually gets paid?
The next scene shows Fatima talking with the ANTM producer as he informs her that they (Fatima’s lawyer and the show’s producers) have arranged a meeting for her at the Consulate the next day to get her travel documents replaced. How convenient that the show’s producer arranged the meeting to coincide with the next day’s photoshoot. Then, he also provides for all her travel to make absolutely sure that she misses the photoshoot, but arrives back on set just in time for the aftermath. Who says Reality TV doesn’t have writers? This was the most scripted event this season, for sure.
Anyway, looking back to the night before, the models are informed that they need to pack up their belongings because they are going overseas. They spend the night packing and then take an early morning trip out to the airport (looks like some small airstrip a long drive away from their NYC ‘home’). Upon arrival, Jay Manuel greets them and informs them that it was kind of them to pack because he would need the luggage for the day’s photoshoot with the models pretending to board a plane. The look on their faces as their little hearts sunk was quite funny. Just when they thought their ‘vacation’ would start, they find out it is another photoshoot instead.
This photoshoot took around 7 hours. It looked like it never did warm up outside, so the models appeared to be shivering in most scenes. They still worked hard to create good shots, though. Then, when the photoshoot was done, the models were told to go back inside the airplane hanger and retrieve their luggage. When they entered the hanger, they found a full judging panel awaiting them and discovered that the next elimination would take place right then and there. Even though it was clear that the events had all been extended out to match the timing of Fatima’s return from the Consulate, the models were still clearly surprised to find a judging panel awaiting them, so for the second time this episode, their hearts sank with a ‘twist’ of the show.
The call out at judging panel this week was as follows:
Anya: She won the premiere party challenge and she was highly praised for her final photo even though it was not very good, IMO. Still, the ability to stay composed and seem natural at events is a BIG plus for her and she has become the front runner in this competition.
Lauren: Given how she acts at judging panel, I expected her to completely fail at the premiere party challenge. Surprisingly, she did well and was quite personable, aside from the cussing moment in her interview. Maybe she just got lucky with the thumb as it gave her something to talk about, the perfect opening line so to speak. In any case, she took a very nice final photo as well and the judges were impressed; though they still don’t see the likeable person at panel that showed up at the party and shows up every week in the photos. If Lauren can find a way to compose herself in whatever TV commercial challenge is still to come, she may have a shot at this competition. Still, her social awkwardness makes it far more likely that she will implode like Heather did last season. Lauren still needs to learn to walk in high heals if she wants to be a ‘top model’. She is 6 ft. tall, so she can probably get away with shorter heals than a few of these girls *need* to look like models, but if she cannot walk in designer shoes, she will never make it at the final runway challenge of the season.
Dominique: She still looks really old to me and she performed surprisingly poorly in front of Paulina and at the premiere party. On the other hand, she took a good final photo this week and it kept her high in the judges’ minds.
Katarzyna: This episode really underplayed her as she was almost invisible throughout. Given her educational background, this episode should have been one where she stood out as more articulate/composed, but the show edited her as forgettable instead. A good final photo put her mid pack in the call out.
Whitney: Whitney has basically become a caricature in this show. She isn’t playing a model, she is playing a woman with a vendetta against the modeling industry. Every comment out of her this entire episode was either a mean personal statement about one of the other models or some sort of slam against the industry and thin people in general. Yes, Whitney, the majority of women in America do eat regularly. The fact that your body doesn’t burn off those calories as well as many other young women, does not make you superior. The only plus for Whitney this episode was that she took one of the best final photos, even if Jay Manuel was not impressed at all with her during the photoshoot.
The bottom two: Fatima and Stacy Ann.
Fatima: She was completely used by the show this week for script purposes. It was arranged for her to miss the photoshoot and it was arranged for her to arrive just in time for panel. All of it seems centered around the show wanting to point out to the audience that actually being a model will require lots of travel, including international travel. That being said, Fatima has really bad skin and is ‘too short’/thin for consideration as a ‘top model’. I am very surprised that she has lasted this long.
Stacy Ann: I feel a bit bad for her for being eliminated based upon that last photo. Why did the photo retouch remove all of her teeth? In any case, she performed very poorly at the premiere party and always seems to be stuck in the ‘model 101’ style performance at the photoshoots. So, she was eliminated for her lack of progress more than anything else. I am sure she can get future modeling jobs doing local catalog. She should do well as long as she isn’t expected to do ‘high fashion’ or speaking parts.
Side notes:
Nice to see Covergirl using Saleisha in a ‘get out the vote’ campaign instead of just using her to sell makeup. As November approaches, hopefully shows like ANTM can get the younger voters to realize the need to take part in the political system.
If you want to do something fun, go to 7updotcom and send a ‘bunny burp’ email to someone you know.
At the very end of the show, the models are told that they will now be sent to Italy for the final portion of the season. The last ‘twist’ about them having to fly commercial because they aren’t yet as good as the judges was silly and out of place. Does Tyra really think any of these models care what flight they have as long as they are still in the competition and going to Italy?
The preview for next week shows Fatima being sick. There is some new drama every week with Fatima. I guess that is why they broke the rules just to let her on the show.
I'm starting to look forward more to your commentary than the episodes themselves. Maybe its because the episodes disappoint me so much.
Anya: It's looking more and more by the editing that she's going ot be the one to win it all. She's already had two photoshoots, both of them in the nude. I can see her guest spot on E!s "The Girls Next Door" already being scheduled. However, I do worry about that weird accent. Apparently its coming from the beach scene in Hawai'i. And didn't Sprite do the Lemon/Lime thing to Lymon before?
Lauren: This week, the judges were surprized that she did so well at the party. Tyra even asks "Why do you seem to do so terrible here in front of us?" BECAUSE SHE'S BEING JUDGED, DUH!! I hope that jet came with a cluestick, because they need to throw it around for a few hours. And we've definitely seen model savants on the this show before: Women who seem non-modely, but have incredible insticts with the camera. We've seen the opposite, too.
Dominique: She looks old to me too. But she should have been thrown off for getting the designer wrong. How many models could continue with a company if they gave the credit to the competition? How long would ANY of us work if we did that?
Katarzyna: In Cycle three, there was a red-headed girl named Nicole Borud from North Dakota. She worked her way through many a photo shoot and looked pretty sexy doing it. She also did her work without complaint and lived in the apartment without creating Drama. When they got to Japan, they chose to eliminate her over a contestant who spit out her food in front of the judges. Their reason was for "not being sufficiently noticeable"
Katarzyna needs to do something to get noticed.
Whitney: Whitney's a caracture on both sides. She's a caracuture by herself when she's slamming the industry, but she's also a caracture the way the producers and judges treat her. How many times did we hear "You look like a pageant contestant, not a model." tonight? Yeah, as if no Miss America was ever used as a model! And she had to have used Pageant contestant tape to keep her boobs from popping out of the designer's dress at the party. In my opinion, she had the best photo this week.
Fatima: Don't get me wrong. I want her to go ever since she went Pekingese Pup at the meat challenge. But it was waaaay too obvious that the producers were dictating the "drama" of her getting to the consulate to get her travel papers after all this time. Let's hope her or Dominique are the one who get to Rome, only to be quickly sent home.
Stacy Ann: I don't really know if she's the second coming of Rudy Huxtable, but she just grated me from day one. Even if she isn't faking all of that earnestness, it looked like she was. And except for the painted face, I didn't think she looked in any of her photos.
And Obveeus, you were spot on with the girls being "sent to Steerage" and they really wouldn't care. But I'll do you one better: Do you really think Miz Tyra and the judges used that particular Private Plane, or did they travel First or Business class on Commercial so they wouldn't have to talk to each other for 9 hours?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Elvis Bus,
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Posts: 516 | Location: Seattle | Registered: 16 March 2007
I'm starting to look forward more to your commentary than the episodes themselves.
Thanks.
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Anya: It's looking more and more by the editing that she's going ot be the one to win it all. She's already had two photoshoots, both of them in the nude. I can see her guest spot on E!s "The Girls Next Door" already being scheduled. However, I do worry about that weird accent. Apparently its coming from the beach scene in Hawai'i. And didn't Sprite do the Lemon/Lime thing to Lymon before?
Sprite is definitely the knockoff and 7-UP the original. The new marketing campaign with Anya 'au natural' is just to promote than 7-UP is going to a more natural ingredient list. Of course, it is all smoke and mirrors since they are still using corn is a sweetener instead of sugar (major Coke Classic scam/vibe in my mind at the moment) and they still aren't actually a fruit drink the way many overseas 'colas' are. As for the 'nudity', seriously, if the level of nudity shown in a 7-UP add is offensive then this country needs a major reality check.
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Lauren: This week, the judges were surprized that she did so well at the party. Tyra even asks "Why do you seem to do so terrible here in front of us?" BECAUSE SHE'S BEING JUDGED, DUH!!
Sure, but the 'party' was one long judgement as well. All the models were told to walk around inroducing themselves and 'selling' the designer dress (and themselves as models). I think lauren's cussing on the red carpet was a perfect example of how she performs in from of the judging panel. the fact that she somehow forgot she was being judged at the 'party' is proof that she can overcome the awkwardness. Now, she just has to find a way to channel that ability on command. Public speaking is definitely something that many people never learn to do well.
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I hope that jet came with a cluestick, because they need to throw it around for a few hours. And we've definitely seen model savants on the this show before: Women who seem non-modely, but have incredible insticts with the camera. We've seen the opposite, too.
Agreed. Heather was great with a camera aimed at her, but her inability to interact with other human beings was so severe that she would never get a job unless she was hired on picture along.
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Dominique: She looks old to me too. But she should have been thrown off for getting the designer wrong. How many models could continue with a company if they gave the credit to the competition? How long would ANY of us work if we did that?
I agree that was a major mistake. It looks from the preview like she may take on a similar form of babbling when trying to do an Italian commercial next week. It reminds me of the Miss USA pageant last year where the one contestant babbled on for several minutes without forming a complete sentence.
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Katarzyna needs to do something to get noticed.
Agreed, as long as it is something positive. Since she is an Ivy league graduate, she could do very well as a spokesperson/model. At this point, I find it ironic that she was critisized the first few episodes for being 'too sexy'. Now, she is almost invisible.
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Whitney: How many times did we hear "You look like a pageant contestant, not a model." tonight? Yeah, as if no Miss America was ever used as a model! And she had to have used Pageant contestant tape to keep her boobs from popping out of the designer's dress at the party. In my opinion, she had the best photo this week.
I agree about her photo this week. As for the beauty pageant remarks, she earned those by being so fake and answering everything at the party with canned material. She very much acts like a princess rather than a model.
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Stacy Ann: I don't really know if she's the second coming of Rudy Huxtable, but she just grated me from day one.
Her voice is really hard to take. She must have a helium ballooon hidden on her at all times.
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Do you really think Miz Tyra and the judges used that particular Private Plane, or did they travel First or Business class on Commercial so they wouldn't have to talk to each other for 9 hours?
I don't think they used that plane at all. I'm not even sure that plane could fly across the Atlantic. It was just for show. Besides, Tyra likely wouldn't fly over with everyone because she still has to do that daytime talkshow.
quote: Do you really think Miz Tyra and the judges used that particular Private Plane, or did they travel First or Business class on Commercial so they wouldn't have to talk to each other for 9 hours?
I don't think they used that plane at all. I'm not even sure that plane could fly across the Atlantic. It was just for show. Besides, Tyra likely wouldn't fly over with everyone because she still has to do that daytime talkshow.
Yep. Plus could you see all five of them couped up in one plane together?
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Posts: 516 | Location: Seattle | Registered: 16 March 2007
