I’ve made no secret about my feelings regarding this cycle of “America’s Next Top Model.”At best, it’s been uninspiring and perplexing. (What WAS the deal with Tyra’s jumpsuits?!) At worst, it’s been downright horrible and unpleasant. (Hi, Angelea…and Anslee…and Alasia, at times…)
That’s why I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed the final two episodes. Sure, part of that was the fact that Angelea was gone for half the time, but I also have to give the producers credit — we somehow ended up with a shockingly decent final 2/4!
The evening started with a visit from ALT (because Tyra doesn’t visit the girls at the house anymore), who brought the girl (real) flowers (pictured, left) and tales about being Andy Warhol’s intern. I’m guessing he wasn’t purchasing his patented voluminous robes on his $50/week budget.
From there, the girls boarded a flight to Queensland which doubled as an impromptu runway challenge. Yes, this was thoroughly ridiculous, but I’ve seen crazier circumstances in actual runway shows (swinging, pendulums, walking on stilts), so it seemed like a relatively legit challenge.
The party line throughout the episode was that everyone was tired of Krista’s domination. Perhaps someone should’ve taken this opportunity to step up and actually beat her.
Alexandra’s walk was fun, but stopped, started and went on too long. Raina walks like a linebacker and Angelea didn’t take the challenge seriously. (How dare she not take anything on this show 100% seriously?!) That means Krista won again! She’s won so much that she’s begun to double up on pieces of jewelry from the reward challenges. Yes, it probably would’ve been a cool move of her to share some stuff with her competitors (or at least her buddy Alexandra). However, it would’ve been even cooler if someone else had raised her game and beat Krista, instead of jealously and aggressively hinting for a hand-out.
The theme for the week’s photo shoot (which would have a double elimination) was “ugly pretty.” The girls were supposed to uglify themselves in a way that still made them look pretty.
I thought Krista (shocker!) and Raina did the best job (they had strong, masculine photos, which was good because, let’s face it — most guys are ugly). Alexandra wasn’t too far behind, although her hand placement was more interesting than her facial expression.
Finally, ALT and the judges semi-raved about Angelea’s photo for no good reason. I mean, did no one see or care about the fact that it was out of focus? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!!
After a lengthy discussion about “ugly pretty” (we’re still not really sure what that means) and Angelea’s mental health if she were to be cut at this time, Angelea was sent packing. I wish I could say I was going to miss her, but I was thoroughly delighted when she was eliminated. I seriously had an involuntary smile on my face. I hated her.
Since Krista was a shoo-in for the final (and the victory) the real drama was between Raina and Alexandra vying for second place…I mean a spot in the finals. In the end, Raina’s stronger overall performance throughout the competition (and stronger face) won out over Alexandra, who was praised for her pretty face, great body, but not for her modeling. Oh well, at least the camera got to leer up and down her body a few times during panel. (That’s what she gets for wearing those shorts.)
It was pretty obvious that Krista would win. However, the only chance Raina — who apparently gave up a lucrative volleyball career for this opportunity — had to win was by completely dominating the Cover Girl print ad/commercial challenge.
Raina just couldn’t do it. Although in my mind, her lovely Cover Girl photo totally blew away Krista’s (who looked both a bit sad and angry), the commercial was pretty much a wash. In fact, Krista seemed more at ease and natural, even though she had to resort to the dreaded cue cards. In an unfortunate turn of events, Raina looked squinty throughout her entire commercial, which is too bad when you’re selling eye makeup. It also looked like she was straining to read cue cards — even though she didn’t require them the way Krista did.
After swinging by a Seventeen Magazine photo shoot (Raina looked about 10 years younger than Krista), it was time for the Anna Sui runway show. Apparently, Sui wanted the models (including last season’s winner Nicole and the model-testants who’d made the trip to New Zealand, including [shudder] Angelea) to have happy, upbeat walks and the finalists mostly delivered.
Raina was once again derided for her stompy walk. I don’t think “over-the-top” is the worst thing in the world in a runway show. Still, it DID pale in comparison with Krista’s airy, more sophisticated walk, which she modified to be upbeat without going over the top.
It was time for panel, which means Tyra graces us with her craziest jumpsuit yet. This one featured a purple rectangle just underneath her chin. It was so weird that I barely noticed that Raina’s skirt gave her a tail.
Anyway, the judges deliberated, but it was always going to be Krista, who, despite taking her worst photo during the Cover Girl ad, dominated the second half of the competition and deserved to win. To her credit, Raina took the loss well…probably better than Krista would have. Then again, Krista was never going to lose, so it’s a moot point.
So what’d you think of this episode? Where those passengers on the plane to Queensland regular people or “Top Model” staffers? (If they were citizens, they must’ve been REALLY confused.) How adorable were Krista’s mom and stepdad? (Raina’s dad could’ve gotten a bit more into it.) Finally, do you think this show could ever be really good again, or should it just wrap things up?
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