ANTM Cycle 11: Winner Edition

The girls shoot another commercial, this time with a line in Dutch. They also don’t get a teleprompter. Afterward, they shoot a Cover Girl ad.

Annaleigh completely blanks. She tears up, and says she can see her dreams slipping away. She lost all her personality, so Jay breaks it down line by line for her. She does better after that. In her shot, the photographer comments that she really uses her body.

McKey can’t remember her lines and is super nervous. She starts out stiff, but improves as she goes. Still, though she delivers her lines well she is jittery. Her photo is unique.

Samantha remembers her lines, but has no energy. In her photo, she struggled. Her poses were not clever.

DURING PANEL
Annaleigh’s commercial was painful, but she looked gorgeous. Her photo looks like an actress’ headshot, and she does the same face over and over.

McKey talked too fast but looked great. Unlike the other girls, her photo “looks like a model.” But sometimes in her film, she looked crazy.

Samantha’s commercial was distracted, choppy, unconvincing. She was insecure. Her photo was adorable but looked forced.

Annaleigh is eliminated. I find that bullshit.

McKey and Samantha do their 17 cover shoots, and they both “astound” the editor. Their runway is insane, involving ramps and stairs. They both look utterly terrified. Nobody falls down, but their walks are kind of lackluster. Once she gets out there, McKey transforms. She struts her stuff and looks proud. Samantha just looks scared.

And (in one of the least surprising ANTM finales to date) the winner is … McKey.

ANTM Cycle 11: Drunken Edition

The CW webmaster should be fired. For the third week in a row, something is messed up with the ANTM photos. This time, Sam’s photo is in Annaleigh’s portfolio, and Annaleigh’s photo is nowhere to be found. I will update with the photo when its fixed.

THE RUNDOWN
McKey is the only one who hasn’t been in the bottom two yet. Marjorie doesn’t like being thought of as weak. She resolves to project a different image, though her nerves give her an edge that she doesn’t want to lose. Later, she invites over the guys who drove their boats during the go-sees, asking them to bring wine. None of the girls drink except Marjorie, who gets wasted. Everyone has fun at first, but then it turns “messy,” as Annaleigh puts it. Marjorie gets into the tub with one guy and Annaleigh is understandably concerned about her drunken friend. The other guys are all, “Hey baby, no big deal, let’s leave these two alone” while trying to shuttle her out of the room. Annaleigh isn’t buying it, and soon the sober girls are yelling at the guys that it’s time to leave. McKey threatens to drag the one dude out of the tub herself. The next day, Marjorie talks about how the whole thing was wonderful because since she was the only girl drinking, she knew everyone else would take care of her. Lame!

THE CHALLENGE
Paulina teaches the girls that they have to be able to sell anything without speaking. They work with dead fish, toilet paper, a cell phone, and a letter. They all do quite well. Their challenge is a 30-second audition for a sports shoe commercial – girl is jogging down street, sees cute guy in a cab, guy gets out of cab, girl kisses him and runs off. Supermodel Mark Vanderloo is the guy. The girls are all, “Woah, did it just get hot in here?”

The winner gets a $10,000 shopping spree at G-Star denim. But the audition isn’t quite what they expect. They “jog” on a treadmill while Mark Vanderloo stands next to them pretending to be in a cab. Then they jump off the treadmill, kiss him, and run off. They all do well, but Marjorie is the winner because her interpretation is “unique.” She chooses Annaleigh to share the spree with, and lets her have half the money. That’s pretty nice.

THE SHOOT
The girls pose in the Dutch countryside in extreme hair and makeup. Jay says they have to “come through” the makeup and props.

Marjorie is ungraceful, looks crazy, seems drunk, and lacks presence.

Samantha complains that her shoes hurt. Her shoot is very weak. She’s gone from 10 to 0 in just a few days. She rallies for her last few shots, but returns to hair & makeup in tears. She knows she fucked up.

Annaleigh is beautiful and dynamic, and tries lots of different things. She comes up with the idea of jumping in the air, which both Jay and the photog love.

McKey is gorgeous and creative, and works her props. Jay says she’s “genius.”

DURING PANEL



Marjorie’s photo is very editorial. She looks lost, “like a spaceship just dropped her off.” However, her film was not strong and her personality is faltering. She is fighting her nerves too hard, and now she is just flat.



Samantha is wearing another bad outfit. Her photo is fabulous and her expression is great, but her film was disappointing. Jay had to force a performance out of her. She took 53 bad frames, and 7 good ones.


Annaleigh’s photo is the best of the bunch. The judges love it. The guest judge, the editor of Seventeen, loves that Annaleigh is all sweetness and light in person, yet can be so dark in her photos.



McKey is wearing a very fashion-forward outfit. Her photo is unusual, her face is phenomenal, and her legs “just go on and on and on.” She mixes strong and feminine, and Tyra thinks this will become her signature look.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Marjorie has managed to lose her nerves, but in doing so she lost her charm. The Seventeen editor finds her condescending.

Samantha takes consistently good photos, but this week it took way too long to get the shot. Her presence just doesn’t say model.

Annaleigh is taking flight. She has become a girl to be reckoned with … though Miss J is still not sure about her.

McKey is fantastic. The judges love her. Her eyes are magnificent.

The first photo is Annaleigh.
The bottom two are Samantha and Marjorie.

Samantha just doesn’t get it. The judges don’t understand how she can STILL not understand what it takes to be a model. Her film was incredibly weak.

Marjorie takes exquisite photos, but was flat this week. She doesn’t understand balance.

Marjorie is eliminated.

Well. At this point I guess it will come down to McKey and Annaleigh, with Annaleigh winning. But I only say this because McKey has done everything right lately, and that usually doesn’t bode well for whatever reason (Nik vs. Nicole, Melrose vs. CarriDee). However, if Sam can step up her game in the final episode, it’s all up in the air. I am rooting for Annaleigh, if only because she’s so sweet. She reminds me of Nicole from Cycle 5. I would be happy with McKey, too. Sam would be just ok.

Side note: I caught the end of The Big Bang Theory on Monday, while waiting for HIMYM to come on, and Annaleigh and Sam were guest stars. Which, contrary to what I said above, kind of makes me wonder if they’re the final two. Hmmmm.

ANTM Cycle 11: No-Makeup Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina irritates everyone. Marjorie’s insecurity rears its ugly head. Shocking, right?

THE CHALLENGE
The girls do go-sees…but they have to travel on the canals, in the slowest boats in the world. Anyone who returns after 5:00 pm will be disqualified. Here is what we do see:

McKey makes it to 4 go-sees. The designers say “That’s it! That’s what I want” and “Stunning.”

Samantha makes it to 4 go-sees. She is too commercial.

Marjorie makes it to 2 go-sees. She gets hopelessly lost, and is extremely uncomfortable with the designers. When one designer says he’s “seen enough,” she gets totally discouraged and gives up. She goes to the end location and sits around twiddling her thumbs.

Elina makes it to 4 go-sees. One designer says she is “ok, but she’s not a model, she’s just playing at being a model.” Another wouldn’t hire her because of her tattoos.

Annaleigh makes it to 3 go-sees. She presents herself well, has style, and is willing to learn. One designer loves her “fresh look.”

McKey is a few minutes minutes late, and is disqualified. But the designers LOVED her. She would have won, if not for being tardy. The designers were very disappointed with Marjorie. Annaleigh wins something like $18,000 worth of the goods from the designers.

THE SHOOT
When the TyraMail leans heavily on the word “exposed,” the girls become terrified it’s a nude shoot. Get used to it, girls. Turns out Tyra is their photographer, and they will do one “natural” shot and one “glam” shot to see how they do at both.

McKey is gorgeous and listens. Tyra says, “She can MODEL!”
Samantha looks hot, came alive, her theatrical shots are great.
Marjorie is nervous and intimidated. Her glam shot is a little better.
Elina poses too much and is too stiff. Jay is truly frustrated because she doesn’t listen.
Annaleigh’s natural shot is just ok, but her glam shot is lovely.

DURING PANEL
McKey booked 4 of 4 jobs. In her natural shot, she really used the teach Tyra gave about a signature pose. Her glam shot is amazing – even in an uncomfortable position, she doesn’t look strained.

Samantha booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is great; Nigel says it could be an advertisement. It is the judges’ favorite shot of her to date. They love her glam shot; she was totally “on.” She shows off the clothes wonderfully.

Marjorie booked 0 of 2 jobs. In her natural shot she is posing too much and looks like a broken doll. Her film is a disaster. Her glam shot is beautiful and sharp. The judges wonder what it takes to get Marjorie’s glam side to exert itself in person.

Elina booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is too controlled. Every time Tyra tells her to “hold it,” she turns it into a posey-pose instead. Her glam shot is ok. They told her to go crazy, and she didn’t. Tyra mentions that she’s 18 (!!!) and the other judges are shocked. They tell her she looks and acts 30. Ouch!

Annaleigh booked 3 of 3 jobs. Her natural shot isn’t great; the judges say it looks like a casting photo. Her glam shot, however, is amazing. Her legs are fantastic, and she looks perfect.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey is true high fashion.
Samantha blew them away.
Marjorie is too frail. Nigel wouldn’t book her for a job either.
Elina is too controlled, and is not inspirational.
Annaleigh is a dream but Paulina thinks her face doesn’t photograph well. Nigel disagrees.

The first photo is Samantha.
The bottom two are Marjorie and Elina.

Elina has a unique face, but is too controlled.
Marjorie is exquisite, but is too nervous.

Elina is eliminated.

ANTM Cycle 11: Red Light Edition

THE RUNDOWN
There isn’t much here. The girls go to Amsterdam and have to find their house through a series of clues, like a scavenger hunt. They team up in pairs, and Sam and Elina end up together. They win, and get 50 extra frames to split. That night, Annaleigh, Marjorie, and Elina share the large tub. Samantha, bigoted as usual, describes what they’re doing as “a lesbian party.” Elina comments that Amsterdam reminds her of the Ukraine, and Sheena and McKey get very irritated by that. Talk about intolerant. While I admit that Elina can be a bit whiny, the sense of “us vs. them” in this cycle is overwhelming.

THE CHALLENGE
A group of Dutch designers is taking over part of the red light district, and the girls pose in windows much like prostitutes do, in pairs. The winners get to walk in Amsterdam Fashion Week. McKey and Samantha win.

THE SHOOT
This one is pretty unoriginal. The girls pose on a ship.

McKey is editorial, breaks out of her shell, is creative.
Elina is editorial but completely ignores Jay when he talks. Like, completely.
Samantha starts weak but gets better.
Sheena looks like a can-can dancer, does lewd poses.
Marjorie does well, takes constructive criticism without crying.
Annaleigh is beautiful, Jay says “hallelujah!”

DURING PANEL
McKey is wearing a fabulous outfit, was fantastic, she really gets it.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though in general her film was stiff.
Samantha filled the frame, it’s a great shot.
Sheena has a great face but her body is terrible, the photo is dull.
Marjorie is gorgeous, passionate, and strong though she’s shy in person.
Annaleigh looks like a beautiful pirate, uses the props, they love it.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey has taken her best shot yet.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though she didn’t listen to Jay.
Samantha looks like a mallrat in person, her shots don’t match.
Sheena has no life, can’t balance hoochie and pretty.
Marjorie “is like Bambi” in person but transforms in front of the camera.

The first photo is McKey.
The bottom two are and Elina and Sheena.

Elina takes pretty pictures but they don’t see a model.
Sheena is full of personality but her photos are just ok.

Sheena is eliminated. Hallelujah!

ANTM Cycle 11: The Fiercies Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina and Samantha both grew up with very controlling parents. There is a lot of talk this cycle about how Europeans don’t show any emotion. Interesting. Annaleigh is concerned that she can’t find her niche. Elina is very critical of the other girls, which is funny since she’s consistently slipping in the judging room. The girls chat about how Lauren Brie has no personality; she’s “translucent.”

THE CHALLENGE
The girls go to a photo studio, where they find Tyra modeling. She teaches them about the “signature pose.” They get 10 shots on their own, and then they get to look at the monitor and get 10 more shots with Tyra directing them. The winner is Marjorie, who takes her awkwardness and turns it into “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She and a friend get diamonds, and she chooses Annaleigh.

THE SHOOT
At the Orpheum Theater, the girls have to act out embarrassing moments that happen at awards shows with photographer Mike Rosenthal. It’s kind of a weird theme, and Marjorie gets a stupid version of it for the second week in a row.

Sheena: Girl Whose Dress Was Stepped On
Concerned about being “hoochie,” she reeled it in way too much. She doesn’t look pretty.

Elina: Overemotional Crier
Jay really pulls it out of her, and she sobs. He says it’s the best she’s done yet.

Marjorie: Has To Pee In A Too-Tight Dress
Both Jay and Mike love her, she used her lesson with Tyra and “turned it OUT!”

Annaleigh: Reporter With Attitude
Jay loves it, Mike says she “does bitchy really well.”

Lauren Brie: Trips While Getting Award
She looks like a movie star but is stiff like a mannequin.

McKey: Thought She Had Award In The Bag, But Lost
Jay says she’s “kinda cute.”

Samantha: Can’t Read Cue Cards Because Spotlight Is In Her Eyes
She’s too fake, her pose is terrible.

Joslyn: Sees Someone Else Wearing The Same Dress
At first she’s too posey, but later she uses her Tyra teachings and nails it.

DURING PANEL
Sheena is good but her eyes aren’t right, her body is good but not mind-blowing.
Elina didn’t get it right, not emotional, too steely.
Marjorie got an extraordinary pose yet her face is relaxed, used her teach, incredible.
Annaleigh impressed Mike, has a great face and body.
Lauren Brie doesn’t look like she’s falling, didn’t let go enough.
McKey is beautiful, her best photo, she’s really coming out.
Samantha doesn’t excite the judges, she looks sad, didn’t get the theme right.
Joslyn took her prettiest shot yet, has a great profile.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Sheena has gone downhill, Paulina doesn’t think she has what it takes.
Elina is exquisite but didn’t do the job.
Marjorie was Mike’s favorite, Tyra “j’adores” her photo.
Annaleigh is consistently improving, she did a great job.
Lauren Brie has a strong face but a terrible photo, she’s been coasting.
McKey is full of potential but Mike said it was like pulling teeth to get her shot.
Samantha did poorly, her photo is boring.
Joslyn looks beautiful, it’s her prettiest shot.

The first photo is Marjorie.
The bottom two are Lauren Brie and Sheena.

Lauren Brie is “gorgeously alienesque” but lacks personality.
Sheena has a shining, inspiring personality but is too sexy.

Lauren Brie is eliminated. In her exit interview, she says she gave up at the end.

If Marjorie can overcome her weird negativity, she will own this competition. I’m still shocked that McKey has made it this far. Sheena too, for that matter. Elina had a rough time this week – she finally let go only to have the judges tell her it wasn’t enough. Annaleigh is really improving, and Joslyn is kind of a non-entity. Oddly enough, she didn’t appear in the house scenes at all.

ANTM Cycle 11: You're a Disaster Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Samantha is determined to think positive after receiving scathing remarks from designer Jeremy Scott last week. Marjorie doesn’t understand the whole “positive mantra” idea and thinks it must be a cultural difference. She continues to be negative and tear herself down. Eventually, she and Sam get into a fight. Meanwhile, Joslyn is frustrated with herself because she is slipping week to week. Clark and Lauren Brie whisper in bed together. Those girls have become awfully close.

THE CHALLENGE
The girls go to a warehouse, where Paulina appears in an ill-fitting outfit. She explains that much of a model’s work is catalog, where the clothes don’t fit and the models have to make it work. I would think that would be the stylist’s responsibility, but whatever. It’s still a good lesson. The girls are each outfitted with too-big clothes and a tool belt filled with clips, bottles, rubber bands, shoulder pads, and other odds and ends. When Paulina judges them, Marjorie loses it. Paulina asks if she’s going to throw up, and the other girls jump to her defense, saying it’s just nerves. Paulina then talks about how in Europe, it is socially acceptable to have a negative attitude. It’s kind of weird. I lived in England for a year and I don’t really remember people being super negative. Anway, McKey wins and gets 50 extra frames for the next shoot.

THE SHOOT
The girls pose as “L.A. natural disasters,” which gives the stylists a lot of license (I mean come on, traffic jam?) During the shoot, Jay is kind to Sheena, Annaleigh, McKey (he said she didn’t even need the extra frames!), and Samantha (“she really thought about it.”) He is less kind to Elina, Clark, Lauren Brie (!!!), Joslyn, and Marjorie (he literally had to pose her like a doll).

DURING PANEL
Marjorie took a great pic, it works but she needs to take more chances.
Sheena is wearing a bad outfit to panel, Nigel loves her photo, good energy.
Elina had a good face, is the definition of “ugly pretty.”
Annaleigh is cute, great pose, fun, need to do something “extra” with her eyes.
McKey needs to remember her themes but Tyra loved her photo.
Samantha has a great body, great face, well done.
Clark wasn’t right at all, didn’t think about her pose, took it too literally.
Lauren Brie was too posey and stiff, needs to step it up.
Joslyn is slipping, has no energy, is a mess.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Marjorie has improved in person, her photos are consistently great.
Samantha is a ham, but a cute ham.
Sheena has personality and spice. I think Nigel has a little crush on her.
Annaleigh is great to some judges but then they say she’s not photogenic (???)
McKey is…I don’t know, because they joked around instead of talking about her.
Lauren Brie’s photo is way to cheesy.
Clark is mediocre and took a terrible photo this week.
Elina can do so much more if she just LETS GO!
Joslyn has potential, but the judges are confused as to what has happened to her spark.

The first photo is Samantha (Deservingly. All that water movement you see in that photo up there? She did all of that with her arms & legs, and still managed to get a hot pose).
The bottom two are Clark and Joslyn.

Clark started ok, got stronger, and is good but not fantastic.
Joslyn started strong but has drizzled away since.

Clark is eliminated.

Hallelujah! I haven’t liked Clark from the start. I don’t necessarily disagree with any of the cuts so far (except maybe Isis) but I am, regardless, shocked that McKey is still in the competition. I guess I just don’t get it. It was way disappointing to see Lauren Brie fail so miserably this week – and at the point in the competition when glittering past performance starts to matter less and less. Marjorie is going to go nuts and axe-murder everyone soon enough. And Elina is killing herself week by week. Although the end result this week was stunning, her lackluster performance during the past two shoots has been disheartening.

ANTM Cycle 11: Wicked Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Annaleigh is freaking out about being in the bottom two last week, and Hannah tells her to stop throwing herself a pity party. It’s almost as though Hannah is trying to make herself unpopular. In their lesson, Miss Jay teaches the girls to runway walk at a bowling alley. None of them are any good. Back at the house, Clark and Lauren Brie have a whispered conversation about how it’s time for Isis to go. Meanwhile, Isis chats about how women are intimidated by her. McKey says it’s because Isis “does girl better than most girls.”

THE CHALLENGE
The girls walk in a fashion show for Jeremy Scott. The catch is, they have to do it blindfolded. But it’s not as bad as it seems, because it turns out they can see through the blindfolds, although their vision is hazy. The winner will get to choose two friends and do an “advertorial” for 15-year-old Russian designer Kira Plastinina in Seventeen magazine. The loser will go no further in the competition. To my extreme disappointment, nobody falls off the runway. Annaleigh finally brings confidence to the table, and does wonderfully. Samantha flips her dress up at the end of the runway even though the designer told her several times not to do so. Joslyn wins, and chooses Sheena and Isis to be in the shoot with her. Hannah loses, and is eliminated.

THE SHOOT
The shoot takes place in the pool at the ANTM house. Nigel Barker is the photographer. The girls are shot with the lower half of their faces underwater, so this shoot is all about their eyes. Clark, Marjorie, Annaleigh, Sheena, Lauren Brie, and Samantha do well. McKey, Joslyn, Isis, and Elina do not. Elina is particularly bad – she is lackluster, cannot come up with any poses, and complains about being “stuck.” Isis is incredibly uncomfortable because she’s in a bikini again and is afraid that her tape will come unstuck in the water.

DURING PANEL
Isis did poorly, was too concerned about other things to pay attention.
Elina was the weakest of the bunch, they expected more.
Marjorie looks wicked and nightmarish (in a good way), pushed it to another level.
Annaleigh is stunning, has the whole package, her photo is to die for.
McKey’s eyes are intense but her hand is awkward and “looks like a club.”
Lauren Brie looks devilish and fantastic.
Sheena usually looks serene but here she is intense, she is fun to shoot.
Clark was the only one who smiled with her eyes, she shocked the judges.
Samantha has creative poses, was one of the best but one of the worst on the runway.
Joslyn looks terrified, she can’t swim and she should have told Nigel that right off the bat.

After guest judge Jeremy Scott trounces Samantha for her runway performance, Tyra uses her to make a good point about modeling: it’s about the designer, not the model. Models represent designers, not themselves. Samantha is in tears.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
The judges are surprised by Elina’s poor performance. They think Isis is trying too hard to be “one of the girls” and is afraid to stand out. The other girls all receive praise, although Paulina disagrees with everyone else about Marjorie’s photo.

The first photo is Clark.
The bottom two are Isis and Samantha.
Isis has lost her spark and is afraid to stand out.
Samantha takes gorgeous photos but the designer she worked for was insulted and disgusted.
Isis is eliminated.

ANTM Cycle 11: Makeover Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Not much to say here…it’s the makeover episode. The twist is that they don’t get to hear about what’s going to happen in advance, and all the mirrors in the room are covered so they can’t watch their transformations. Afterward, they all look really good and nobody complains, except Elina, who doesn’t feel like herself anymore. She gets over it quickly, though.

THE CHALLENGE
The girls do the Wal-Mart challenge from last year, but in addition to putting on makeup in under 30 seconds they also have to film an unscripted 30-second short about a foundation matching system Cover Girl is introducing in stores. Surprisingly, a lot of them do very well. The ones who don’t – most of whom are this season’s “golden girls” – are truly awful. Hannah wins.

THE SHOOT
The girls do a swimsuit shoot on the beach. The designer, Susan Homes, is there. And we get another twist – Jay does not direct the shoot. The girls are on their own. Again, most of them do well. Annaleigh, Hannah, Brittany, and Isis do not. Isis is noticeably uncomfortable in her swimsuit, and Jay reminds her that the photographer and designer don’t know about her situation. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help calm her down.

DURING PANEL
More girls are praised than critiqued:
Sheena has so much fire in person, but her shots are beautiful and serene.
Lauren Brie’s shot is amazing.
McKey’s makeover has totally changed her look; her pose is original and unique.
Marjorie looks like a page from a magazine.
Samantha’s makeover has made her look like a real model.
Elina is stunning; her makeover took her out of her comfort zone and it worked.
Joslyn has a great pose full of movement.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
The judges are concerned about Annaleigh, Clark, Brittany, Hannah, and Isis. They talk about how Clark and Lauren Brie are opposites – Clark is gorgeous in person but takes poor shots, while Lauren Brie is plain in person but takes amazing shots. Lauren Brie reminds them of CarriDee.

The first photo is Elina. Ironically, you can’t even see the swimsuit in her shot.
The bottom two are Annaleigh and Brittany.
Brittany is pretty, but she’s “just pretty.” There is no connection in her photos.
Annaleigh is tanking. They expect more from her.
Brittany is eliminated.

ANTM Cycle 11: Fear of Heights Edition

The focus this week is that half the girls in the house think Hannah is racist. When they’re all swimming in the pool, Hannah pushes Isis, kind of hard, for “getting in her personal space.” When Sheena and Brittany confront her about it later, Hannah says some nonsensical stuff about how she’s the “whitest white girl” and she just doesn’t like “urban things” like rap music. S&B talk to some of the other girls about this, and finally everyone sits down to have an intervention. They ask Hannah if she’s racist. She cries and says it’s “not very nice” of them to ask. A couple girls stand up for Hannah, saying it was just a misunderstanding. Hannah tells McKey that what the girls are doing to her “is like gang violence.” Meanwhile, Isis asks for Annaleigh’s help while taking her hormone injection, and afterward Annaleigh says she’s honored that Isis trusts her. It’s really sweet. At this point, it seems as though Hannah is the only one who still has a problem with Isis.

DURING THE LESSON
The girls learn about posing from Benny Ninja, and practice posing in fabric tubes. They’re not very good.

AT THE CHALLENGE
The girls pose with accessories by Tarina Tarantino, a jewelry and handbag designer. Most of them are terrible. Nikeysha, who still can’t keep her mouth shut, actually tells Tarina she might pee herself because she has to use the bathroom so badly. Elina wins the challenge.

DURING THE SHOOT
The girls pose on a rope ladder that leads up to a hot air balloon. The initial idea is for the ladder to be dangling from the balloon, but it is too windy. Instead, they anchor the ladder to the ground and digitally manipulate the photo. Lauren Brie, Elina, and Marjorie are fantastic. Joslyn is great. Everyone else struggles.

DURING PANEL
The amazing: Lauren Brie, Marjorie, Elina
The good: Hannah, Clark, Isis, Joslyn
The bad: Annaleigh, Samantha, Nikeysha, McKey, Sheena, Brittany

And something odd happens after panel. During her evaluation, Paulina asks Sheena if her boobs are real, and she says “of course.” Then, after every girl has been critiqued, Sheena comes forward again, visibly upset. Her manner is confrontational, and it seems like she’s going to say something stupid and get herself kicked off the show. Instead, she admits she had breast implants at a young age, and says she feels that it was a stupid choice. The judges commend her honesty.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
The judges are absolutely blown away by Lauren Brie, Elina, and Marjorie. They even go so far as to agree (!) that Lauren Brie has taken possibly the best photo in the history of ANTM. They liken Elina to Angelina Jolie, and marvel at Marjorie’s ability to be a chameleon.

The first photo is Lauren Brie.
The bottom two are Isis and Nikeysha.
Nikeysha is eliminated … and even then, she tries to talk over Tyra.

Man, where did Lauren Brie come from? She looks totally plain when she’s not on a shoot. Her personality didn’t make an impression during the premiere. I don’t remember anything about her last shoot. And yet her photo this week was truly stunning. The shoulder that looks like it’s popped out of socket, the elegantly arched foot, her level of comfort on a swaying rope ladder … incredible. And of course, Marjorie and Elina were terrific as expected. Like the judges, I was pleased to witness Marjorie’s ability to change her photo personality along with her look. She just needs to pull it together during panel. She constantly looks like she’s cowering, about to burst into profuse apologies. Despite that, at this stage of the game it seems that these three are setting the bar way too high for the other girls to reach.

ANTM Cycle 11: Wooo! Edition

Yes, this [unnecessarily] two-hour premiere was chock-full of skinny girls throwing their arms in the air and screaming “Woooo!” Set in Los Angeles this season, the premiere of ANTM had an unsettling “it’s 1950 but we’re pretending it’s 2010” retro-futuristic theme. I hope it does not continue because yikes, was it poorly executed.

Choice quotes of the night included:
“I come from a disadvantaged area but that doesn’t make what you could become”
“I’m Asian but my personality doesn’t match”
“My opinions aren’t close-minded, they’re traditional”

MEET THE MODELS
Shauran: can’t name a single fashion designer
Lauren Brie: blonde Barbie who describes herself as “exotic looking”
Analeigh: was a competitive figure skater
Clark: openly admits she will manipulate others to get ahead
Kacey: comes off as racist
Marjorie: French, looks indie, super insecure
Joslyn: has auditioned for ANTM 30 (!!!) times, super squeaky voice
Isis: transgendered beauty who was “born the wrong body”
Sheena: super confident, talks about herself a lot
Lindsey: too big to be a regular model, too small for plus-size
Brittany: is totally nondescript in every way
Hannah: grew up in Alaska with no electricity or running water
Elina: stunning vegan animal liberation activist lesbian
Nikeysha: says “heeey” too much, flashes the judges
McKey: tomboy who helps train her boyfriend, the cage fighter
Susan: Harvard English grad who can’t name a literary heroine
Samantha: California blonde who can’t name a single working model

They do a basic shoot, and Kacey, Lindsey, and Susan are chopped. The girls move into the loft and bombard Isis with questions. She is good-natured about it. Some of them are totally cool; others are completely freaked out. One girl says, “Walk around like that in a small town and you’d get shot.” Another says, ““My opinions aren’t close-minded, they’re traditional.” Sure they are.

AT THE CHALLENGE
The girls go to the Magic Castle and get one-on-one time with each of the judges. I kept hoping Neil Patrick Harris would make a cameo. I grow to like Sheena more than I expected. Isis does fantastically in her meeting with Nigel, though he comments that there is something “strange” about her. Supposedly the other judges don’t know about her situation until the judging room. Sure they don’t.

DURING THE SHOOT
The theme is “Voting Is Sexy.” Each girl portrays a political issue. The good: Marjorie (immigration), Brittany (military), Elina (foreign policy), and Isis (privacy). Shauran and a couple other bitches are involved in Isis’ shoot and they say nasty things to try to throw her off. She rocks it anyway.

DURING PANEL
Marjorie, Elina, Samantha, Analeigh, Brittany, Sheena, McKey, and Isis are praised.

The first photo is Marjorie. The bottom two are Shauran and Nikeysha. Shauran is eliminated and she completely loses it, falling to the ground and sobbing her heart out. Good riddance!