Feb 28 2008
WELCOME TO THE BIG APPLE
The models arrive in New York in style. Marvita interviews that she is excited, and she really wants to win. Being back in New York reminds her of when she was homeless, which wasn’t so long ago. Kim is still upset that folks are taking her for a dumb blonde. She says she feels so special because she is sitting where a whole lot of other girls wish they were right now that got sent home. Fatima talks about going from Somalia to an American homeless shelter to Top Model. One of the Aimees had to change her name, so now, we have Aimee, and Amis. Amis says she chose that name because it was close to Aimee, plus it’s in the Bible. I’ve heard of Martin Amis, the British author. I’ve heard of Amos, the prophet. The shepherd. Amis? Not so much. But I could be wrong with all the new versions of the Bible floating around. Anyhow, call the weirder of the two Aimee’s Amis now.The ladies assemble for lunch at a restaurant, and Tyra mail is delivered in the form of a tube reading “Welcome to New York. Go check out your new loft and celebrate.” They scream. They run across the street and up the elevator to their new home in the Big Apple. It’s a beautiful loft, complete with two bedrooms. One lined with bunk beds, the other with one gigantic bed some folks will have to share. Atalya, in her worse lisp yet, shares with Stacy-Ann, who could care less, that she has never had to share a bedroom with anyone. There are no smoking signs all over the loft, but that doesn’t faze Kim, Aimee or Fatima, who sneak outside for a toke. In fact, Kim says she doesn’t see how smoking will affect modeling. Back inside, Amis is going on and on about basically nothing, and Fatima tells her she talks too much and needs to calm down. Amis says that Fatima needs to mind her business. Fatima can’t understand how she actually pisses people off.
TIME TO CHECK OUT NY
The two J’s arrive to take the girls out and about. They jump on a tour bus and ride around Manhattan. They see SoHo, Bryant Park and Times Square. Then they are told that they will be doing a runway show for Badgley Mischka that evening in Times Square, and they need to head off to hair and makeup-now. Marvita is nervous and it shows. She flies down the runway and back with her head down the whole time. Kim complains that the shorts she is given to wear costs $500, while the purse was $700. She doesn’t believe in paying that much for one outfit. Lauren, the resident outcast, looks like an extra from Night of the Living Dead lopping through the woods. It was embarrassing to watch. Whitney rocked it for the plus-size gals. Afterward the girls gathered in the greenroom, and Fatima accidently brushed her hand across Marvita’s face, which Marvita took offense to. Remember, she is missing her therapy sessions to be on the show. Won’t take much to provoke a sistah.THE TRUTH HURTS
The next day, the girls are taken to the Elite Management office for a truth session. They meet with Neal Hamil, Director, who introduces them to supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who will provide them with candid critiques. Personally, I think Paulina looks a little worse for the wear, but who cares what I think? Maybe it’s the HDTV. Anyhow, Paulina tells Amis that she has bad skin and needs a dermatologist. She tells Kim she looks a little too “High School Musical,” and that if she has a dark side she needs to pull it out. Kim says she has no secrets, but she isn’t as innocent as she looks. Huh? I cannot possible blame all blondes for that one. This chick is on her own. Then Paulina tells Dominique, my second favorite behind Claire, that she looks like actress Robin Wright Penn, only in drag form. Ouch! To add insult to injury, Neal says they want to take a brillo pad and clean her up. Afterward, they take the FabCab to their photo shoot.THE SHOOT
The shoot will consist of three real homeless girls posing with the models, who should portray a homeless person themselves while still trying to “model.” The models will be in street clothes, while the homeless girls will be dolled up for a change. Atalya doesn’t give the photographer anything to remember. Fatima gets emotional thinking about her own time in a shelter, as does Marvita. Once they share their stories, they kind of call a truce (…until the next episode, I’m sure) and kind of become friends. Kim says it’s hard having people tell her what to do. After the shoot, and back at the house, Kim says that she loves modeling, but not high fashion, and she doesn’t want to support paying that much for things. The other girls look at her like she’s crazy.THE JUDGING
My one and only, Nigel Barker, is back on the judge’s panel. He is seated next to Tyra and Miss J, who wears a vest with everyone’s name on it. As they are eliminated, he’ll remove their names. Beats the heck out of last season’s ever-growing afro. Then Tyra tells the girls it’s a new city, and they have a new judge – Paulina. She saunters up from behind the ladies, and they SCREAM again. Finally, the judging begins.Nigel feels that Lauren’s nervousness will be a problem. Paulina says it’s allowed the first couple of weeks. I’m with Nigel. Lauren is a lost cause. Tyra tells Anya she’s the girl to beat and the other’s need to watch out for her. Amis is inexperienced and boring, a critique she needs to listen to. Fatima is told she got one great shot, but needs to work on standing out. Dominique, called Dragalicious by Miss J, is told not to squat in pictures. Whitney is praised for her ability to make it look like she has a natural wind machine on her hair. Marvita took a nice, butch, but glamorous picture. Claire was the best of the bunch. Kim steps up and says she doesn’t want to be there because she doesn’t like high fashion. The panel is stunned. Tyra asks her if she want so leave. She says yes. Tyra says, “Well go on home then.” She leaves, and Tyra tells the ladies there will still be an elimination. After some deliberation, Amis and Atalya are left standing, with Amis given another chance to be America’s Next Top Model.
