America’s Next Top Model – Episode 1607
Welcome to the world of America’s Next Top Model Live 2012! Yes my lovely fashion mavens, you heard right….in May 2012 an incredible fashion, beauty, modelling and shopping experience is coming to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and I am your inside ticket to the creation of what is sure to be the social event of the year!
For those of you who are already fans of America’s Next Top Model, the fabulous Miss Tyra Banks and all things fashion, this will be the place for you to rest your heels and contemplate the television fixture that is ANTM. You will surely know all about looking good H2T (Head to Toe), putting on your best SMIZE (Smiling With Your Eyes) and being as FIERCE as you possibly can! As for the rest of you, jump right in, the water is warm and you do not have to watch the show to be interested in immersing yourself in a wonderful weekend of retail therapy, beauty advice and the Top Model experience!
This week’s ANTM brings a fantastic array of in-fighting, jealousy and bloodshed! Who doesn’t love a good mix of DRAMA? Coming off of last week’s win for Brittani, we start off the episode by discussing our favourite model who everyone loves to hate, Alexandria. It seems that although most of the girls have a problem with her, it is definitely Brittani who spearheads the anti Alex tirade and desperately wants her off the show. Alexandria is not having any of it and claims that any negativity that comes her way simply ‘adds more fuel for [her] fire’. No doubt the continuation of an epic battle.
The first challenge brings us to Smashbox Studios where we meet our handsome judge extradordinare, Nigel Barker. He explains that the girls will be doing a photo shoot for the Ford Warriors in Pink (www.ford.com/warriorsinpink) campaign supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Nigel then informs the girls that he will be shooting their photos himself! Many of the girls spoke about how breast cancer has touched the lives of those they love and they all seemed excited to be able to deliver a positive message through modelling. The girls were given the opportunity to choose their own hair, make-up, styling and props for the shoot and each one was assigned a symbol to represent in their pictures.
Jaclyn, our cute Southern belle was up first and represented Courage. She spoke about her aunt who battled breast cancer and sported some red boxing gloves, while trying to show her fiercest face. Can I just say I LOVE Jaclyn’s sweetness, she is so genuine and kind and seems to shy away from the drama, PLUS she is really coming out of her modelling shell and showing some range in her poses.
Other noteworthy appearances came from Brittani, who mistakenly told Nigel she doesn’t think when she looks at the camera and had a hard time emoting anything…although maybe it was the bonsai tree she was holding that didn’t give her any inspiration. The tree just didn’t do it for me…she was supposed to represent the Dove….anyone think holding an actual dove would have been a great alternative?
Hannah had a hard turn in front of the lense with her ribbon dancing, as Nigel put it, she was so concentrated on spinning the ribbon, that she forgot to model!
Alexandria ended the photo shoot with her tree of love interpretation, which of course, was her, pretending to be a tree! To everyone’s dismay (insert the numerous amounts of eye rolling here), Alexandria won the challenge and a 2012 Ford Focus! Alex was, of course, thrilled to be able to prove to everyone that she deserves to be in this competition and really felt good about winning. All of this was marred by Brittani bad mouthing Alexandria within earshot and starting a shouting match with herself while Alexandria surprisingly kept her cool. Cut to a shot of Nigel looking none too impressed as the drama rages on! You gotta love it!
The next morning brings an excited Miss J into the apartment to wake the girls up and take them to Universal Studios where they were taken on an exclusive tour. As the girls pulled up to the Bate’s Motel we see Miss J get out of the tour bus only to be attacked and killed by none other than Mr. Jay himself dressed as an old woman! Gotta say he rocks it much better as a man!
After the bloodshed, the girls are escorted to another area where Mr. Jay asks them how crazy they are for fashion? He introduces Eric Daman, who is the celebrity stylist for Gossip Girl and brilliantly dresses the beautiful and fabulous. He tells them that he will choose clothing and accessories that will help to shape them into who they are supposed to be representing in the shoot.
I loved Mr. Jay’s assessment of Hannah being a ‘hot mess’ because it took multiple shots for her to get a good pic. Jaclyn was by far my favourite with her crazy for make-up pose, she looked completely unlike herself….a little obsessed and slightly scary, which made for a fantastic photo! Mikaela had the hardest time showing she was crazy for sales and went from one awkward pose to another without much success.
Pre-elimination is one of my favourite points in the show because there is always something amusing about watching the unflappable Tyra in casual mode joking around before the girls come in. Today found Tyra adjusting the ruching (decorative edges of gathered, pleated, or frilled fabric – as if you didn’t know!) on her white top in an effort to make her ‘girls’ look even. After a few futile attempts, you see a cut to elimination where she is wearing a whole other outfit! Ah, the life of a diva….I am seriously thinking about always having an ‘emergency outfit’ on hand for just that kind of occasion!
Elimination time brings us to the fallout of Brittani’s tirade as Nigel schools her for acting inappropriately in front of a client. Brittani starts to cry and says that she is ‘mad at herself for allowing Alex to do that to her’, showing her lack of personal accountability for her actions. As frustrating as Alexandria’s behaviour has been in the past, Brittani showed unprofessionalism and lack of judgment. Tyra is adamant that she wants Brittani gone, but gets out voted by the panel and instead Mikaela gets sent home for her weak photo. Mikaela takes the elimination well and acknowledges her own shortcomings as a model and what she needs to work on to become better at her job. You gotta love Tyra for saying it like it is and letting Brittani know that what she did is not tolerated and she is on warning for next time around.
I for one look forward to next week and seeing what comes next in the world of ANTM!!! What are your thoughts? Did the right girl go home? What is your take on the Brittani and Alexandria fiasco? E-mail me at ctement@nationalevent.com and share your view of the ANTM world!
Till next time Glamazons!