Was anybody really asking for a sequel?I mean after sitting through "Boo Hoo: This Competition is Hard Because I'm European", starring Marjorie, did we really need a part II? Either way, we got one as last night's (not)spectacular sequel featured twice the amount of whining and twice the amount of Europeans!
On a bus ride home, Elina jumped into the fray and joined Marjorie (pictured, right with Elina) in complaining about how the judges (which include Europeans Nigel and Paulina) and, more specifically, the other girls don't understand how tough the competition is for them because they're not European.
While the rest of the girls could've been a little more sensitive, you can't really blame them for their exasperated, exaggerated eye-roll of a reaction, since they've been watching Marjorie act out this movie for a while. As a result, I'm on the side of Samantha and Sheena (USA! USA!) in that Elina and Marjorie just need to shut it and suck it up. I actually think both of them have what it takes to win this thing. Their complaints are even more maddening when you consider neither one had been in real trouble up to that point, which just makes them sound whiny. Also, their European-ness only appears to be a problem when they perform poorly in a challenge or photo shoot.
I have to say though, as far as contrived drama goes, this was pretty entertaining. The highlight for me was the "tense" moment in the kitchen when Sheena came in to grab something to eat, while Elina stood there silently snacking and neither acknowledged each other. Genius.
The contrived drama wasn't even necessary in an episode that featured one of my favorite yearly "Top Model" traditions. No, not the Aswirl Twins (ick) — the Cover Girl commercial shoot!
Before that, the girls did endure a session from the twins and a visit from Boy George lookalike David St. James, who introduced this week's challenge. The girls would be modeling clothes while covered head to toe in green screen fabric, making them invisible on screen and making the clothes appear to float.
On top of being super cool, I thought the challenge would be a great way to objectively see which of the girls had the best moves. It was also pretty hilarious seeing them all backstage and talking to each other in their green outfits.
Unfortunately, they failed to deliver the goods. Sheena was too hyper, Joslyn was too strippery (continuing her downhill slide) and Marjorie didn't realize the top of her dress had slipped off, revealing invisible boob. In the end, Elina swayed her arms around semi-gracefully, was named the least worst and won the challenge, bringing Marjorie and Analeigh along with her to holiday-themed Seventeen Magazine photo shoot.
Back at the house, Sheena and some of the others had sipped some Haterade and chastised Elina, an atheist, for participating in a Christmas-themed photo shoot. I had Sheena's back before (USA! USA!), but here she's just dead wrong. The holiday shoot is just another job for Elina and her personal beliefs don't really have anything to do with it.
Later, the girls met up with Mr. Jay and last cycle's winner Whitney, who was at the Cover Girl commercial shoot for a reason yet to be determined. Still, it was good to see her and her "surprise" reveal (sitting in a beach chair in a bikini with her back to the girls while talking to Mr. Jay) was appropriately silly.
Despite the fact that the girls had it easy this year on the commercials (they got to speak English AND use teleprompters), only a few stood out.
The judges rightfully lavished praise on Analeigh, who made the controversial decision of actually using her product on camera instead of just holding it up. Sheena also exceled and probably would've had the best commercial out of almost any other cycle if she weren't in this cycle with Analeigh. Both of the girls' personalities shone through in a way we don't always see in their pictures.
Meanwhile, Mckey was completely forgettable and tried to go down the wrong flight of stairs, and Samantha's was clumsy, but likable.
As for Elina and Marjorie, I felt a bit bad for both of them. Marjorie's was hopelessly awkward to watch, though, if you close your eyes, sounded pretty good. She could be a good model on TV for people who watch commercials from the other room. And poor Elina doesn't even realize she's doing the controlled thing that she still can't help doing.
In the end, the judges sent home Joslyn for her fake, over-the-top delivery and the fact that she's been on a steady decline for a few weeks. They still praised Joslyn for working while she was ill (and vomiting on camera, ick), while still managing to complain a LOT less than Elina and Marjorie.
Although we all knew Joslyn was going home and not Elina, I have to admit — Tyra totally got me with her fake-out elimination. She told Joslyn that "this was something she would survive." Unfortunately, she was talking about surviving her elimination, not her poor performance. I also thoroughly enjoyed the audible pleas for Elina to go home from Samantha and Sheena (who totally won that wooden clog challenge).
So it's off to Amsterdam for the girls! Do we think the word "Europe" will come up?
So what'd you think of this episode? I know she had mentioned that her mother was Russian, but why did Elina decide to start identifying herself as a European (and stop identifying herself as bisexual)? This a reality show, damnit — you can only be one thing? Was Analeigh's Cover Girl commercial the best ever? (Um, yes.) Finally, who ya got in a fight? Sheena or Elina?
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