Fall TV Blog

On Wednesday night’s ANTM, the remaining seven contestants shot their first Cover Girl commercials and got wind of a very special surprise: Amsterdam is in their future.

During their drive back home from their last photo shoot, Elina and Marjorie were once again feeling misunderstood because of their European upbringing, but this time Sam and Sheena weren’t having it. They ripped into Elina and Marjorie, questioning whether they even like being in America and uh, oh yeah, “Didn’t you guys move here when you were eight,” asked Sam about their so-called European upbringing.

The next day during the challenge the girls were taught how to model accessories. Marjorie managed to pull a Tara Reid when the sexy skintight dress she was modeling fell off from the top without her even noticing. Joslyn’s attempt at modeling a belt resembled a “kind of strip show” as she tried putting it over her head. Elina, who was panicking because she couldn’t breathe in the spandex and almost had a breakdown actually ended up winning the challenge. Her prize: a holiday fashion story in Seventeen magazine, which she got to share with two other contestants of her liking.
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You thought the debates were scandalous? Wednesday night’s ANTM rewind made presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama look like kitty cats. (Imagine if Tyra moderated!) With an hour of favorite moments and never-before-seen clips, we looked back at the beauties, bodies, brains, back-stabbers, bathtubs — and blossoming love? — of cycle 11.

10 of the Top moments:

• The season took off at the Top Model Institute of Technology, where the fresh faces tried to mimic Tyra’s expressions. Uh oh. There’s go-go girl Sheena, as she “ODs” on her posing, Hannah’s moose-chase reenactment, and Marjorie’s awkward eccentricities. Oh, and everyone learned about Isis, the sweet, self-sufficient transgendered contestant who is unapologetic about her uniqueness.

• The models get their mansion on! As they enter their new dream digs, a bedless Sam has to “build her nest” on the floor. This was the first sign of her happy-go-lucky lifestyle. Who couldn’t love her? (more…)

Beauty took a backseat to charisma on Wednesday night’s ANTM as the eight remaining contestants had “signature pose” lessons with Tyra Banks — and later practiced their new moves at an awards show-themed shoot.

While the judges found Marjorie’s awkward disposition endearing (at last!), Lauren Brie’s blah-factor deemed her to be as vanilla as her skin tone and she was eventually sent home. Sheena’s “hoochie-ness” was slightly less off-putting — especially at judges’ table, where she scaled down her appearance, looking less like “Jenny from the Block” and more Banana Republic babe. Alina blamed her strict Russian upbringing for her inability to express herself, while Josyln cried about not liking her nose.

Applause goes to Analeigh, who, despite overhearing gossip that she “doesn’t look like a model,” rose to the occasion and pulled off both photo shoots, proving that she’s capable and confident. That said, it was an episode for the outcasts to shine.

After being coached and critiqued by Tyra on the importance of finding your “one thing” — like Gisele’s backside or Tyra’s glare — the girls took turns finding the best versions of themselves in front of the camera. (more…)

On Wednesday’s ANTM, the contestants did there best in disastrous photo shoots, Marjorie’s negativity almost got the best of her, Joslyn hit rock bottom and Clark, who was last week’s top model, faded to black.

Apparently, France is to blame for Marjorie’s constant negativity. “It’s just second nature because my parents grew up in France and they focused on the negative,” she said before this weeks challenge, which tested how “clothes” minded the girls could be. With a tool belt filled empty water bottles and binder clips, they each had to make an unflattering outfit look catalog-ready for judge Paulina Porizkova.

Although Samantha “botched” her outfit, Marjorie looked like she was going to throw up. She explained to Paulina how she’s in a rejection zone and not really feeling comfortable. Paulina could relate, but Samantha wasn’t buying it. “I think Marjorie is kind of a baby,” she said. “Welcome to America. This isn’t France anymore.”

The next day, as the girls walked onto the set of their photo shoot, they got spooked when they saw Jay Manuel in what Samantha described as an “Alien vs. Predator costume.” The subject of this week’s photo shoot: natural disasters in ’60s mod outfits, of course! (more…)

On last night’s America’s Next Top Model, it was buh-bye for two models rather than one. And Miss J’s runway lesson in a bowling alley didn’t exactly work wonders for all the girls. A sample of Jay‘s walking witticisms: Isis “walks a little bit like she’s on ice. How convenient. Is-is.” And “we could actually bowl between your legs,“ he said of “bow-legged” Sam. But ultimately Hannah got offed for her clunky, bizarre strut during a runway show for Jeremy Scott (watch the clip). Tyra didn’t even bother to show up to deliver the news. Instead, Hannah had to hear it from the Jays alongside Seventeen editor-in-chief Ann Shoket.

That meant she also did without Paulina’s nasty comments at the judging table (a sample from this week’s bashing: “This is the headless horseman drowning in a pool of his own blood!” she said of Marjorie’s photo.). Nor did she receive an annoying lecture from know-it-all Tyra, summarizing all her flaws. Wait, actually, perhaps this was a lucky break for Hannah, who reminded us all, yet again, that she’s just a small-town girl from Alaska. As if there was any doubt. Earlier in the episode she actually uttered this folksy bit to a down-on-her-luck Analeigh: “I don’t understand pity parties. You pick up your beans and you keep on rolling.” And yep, she even incorporated a finger snap. We imagine Hannah must be finger-snapping her way back to Alaska.
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On last night’s America’s Next Top Model, Tyra and company tortured the models with makeovers under the guise that Miss Tyra fairy godmother was going to grant them their wishes, ready or not. OK, not all the girls came out looking worse: Lauren Brie went platinum, Sam got chopped amid tears, and Clark supposedly turned “edgy” with her dark ’do. But poor Elina got “one of the most interesting makeovers we‘ve ever done on Top Model” boasted Tyra. Um yeah, if interesting means trading in shiny brown locks for a ginormous red curly weave.

Since we’re on the topic of wishes, we really, really (no, like, really) wish we didn’t have to endure listening to Tyra’s sing-songy fairy godmother makeover voice while we watched these poor model wannabes be curled, weaved and snipped to tears. “There can only be one Kimora [Lee] so I’m giving Sheena highlights, like me!” she declared from the corner of the TV screen in a tiara and poufy dress (watch the clip). Then, there was that cringe-worthy skit where Mr. Jay, as Prince Couture, kisses and carries away Tyra Banks as — what else — the pretty, pretty princess (It is her show, after all.). No discernible lip-to-lip contact, though. Phew!
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OK, America’s Next Top Model contestants do walk away from Tyra Banks’s modeling competition with the ability to sashay (and not just into reality TV obscurity). Eagle-eyed observers over at New York Magazine’s The Cut spotted at least five former ANTM models walk at New York Fashion Week: Dani Evans (winner of cycle 6) in Korto’s Project Runway show, Saleisha Stowers (winner of cycle 9) for Pamella Roland, Bianca Golden (right, from cycle 9) in Korto’s Runway finale, Eugenia Washington (left, second runner-up on cycle 7) in Jerrell’s Runway show and Naima Mora (middle, winner of cycle 4) in Joe’s Runway show. Which leads us to ask: Is there some sort of Runway-ANTM special model rate?

Which model do you think has the look? And now that you’ve gotten a sneak peek at Korto, Jerrell and Joe’s Runway looks–are you overwhelmed or underwhelmed?

KEITH BEDFORD/Reuters, RICHARD DREW/AP, Jason Winslow/Splash News

On the second episode of America’s Next Top Model, a game of Truth or Dare ended in tears for one contestant and “fireworks” for another. With all the drama in the house, it could have been an installment of MTV’s Real World, save for the modeling part, which kicked off with an extreme posing lesson from Benny Ninja and his contortionist sidekick.

While Nikeysha promised to control her motor mouth, even a confined space could not curb her chatter, and Benny was not impressed by her skills. “You look like you have gas,” he said. Meanwhile, Sheena showed off her bendy abilities and announced she now had the confidence to be “model sexy versus hooch sexy.”

Back at the house, though, she lost her focus started booty popping in a bikini during Truth or Dare. Things heated up from there, with Elina scoring a kiss with her crush Clark. “It was amazing! I saw fireworks!” Elina gushed.

It was too much dare for “small town” Hannah, of Alaska, who deemed it “definitely really extreme for my taste” and admitted she normally would not hang out with “characters” like bisexual Elina and Isis, “because she’s transgender.” When Isis got a little too close in the hot tub, Hannah pushed her away, grimaced, narrowed her eyes and scurried off. (more…)

In a new clip from Wednesday’s America’s Next Top Model, posing expert Benny Ninja is back and working with the contestants to show them how to pose with an accessory. Full of confidence, Sheena knows just where she’s going to put the product — and her leg! At the photo shoot, the aspiring models have to climb the ladder of success, which Lauren Brie quickly ascends, impressing Jay Manuel. Can Elina follow up with an equally successful shoot? Watch another clip. (more…)

America’s Next Top Model returned for its 11th cycle Wednesday with a wacky two-hour premiere that had the contestants getting a futuristic body scan, meeting with a magician and posing in voting booths decorated to look like political issues.

By the end of the first hour, Tyra Banks and company had selected 14 girls who moved into the Top Model house in Los Angeles. Among them, Marjorie, a French immigrant; Joslyn, who has auditioned for the show “more than 30 times;” Elina, a vegan animal rights activist; and Isis, a 22-year-old transgendered woman, who was born male.

While competition and catty contestants have created drama on every cycle of Top Model, the presence of Isis, who has not had an operation to complete her male-to-female gender transition (and used “the magic of tape” while modeling a swimsuit), in the house made some contestants feel uncomfortable.

“America’s Next Top Model is not going to be a drag queen,” Sharaun told the camera. “I’m sorry, it’s not.” (more…)