Last time on America’s Next Top Model, we got a tour of the model house from The Property Brothers. The model house proved to be too much to handle for Alexa, and she leaves the competition. We were left hanging as to who among the remaining 21 models will make it to the Top 14. Who will still be in the running towards becoming America’s Next Top Model?
Challenge: Shipping Yard Runway
Continuing from last week’s cliffhanger… The models will be walking a 2-foot wide runway four storeys up in a shipping yard. But this is not just an elimination, it will also be this week’s challenge. NEXT agency director Alexis Borges and Miss J Alexander will be judging and scoring their runway walks.
Devin’s “I’m signed to six agencies” is this cycle’s “I was married at 18 and divorced at 18.” We get a quick recap of last week’s catfight between Devin and Bello. Mikey’s backstory: His dad was in prison, while his mom had to work double shifts to support their family. Courtney’s backstory: She was bullied because of her weight and her gap-tooth.
The models will be wearing clothes from fashion designer Erik “Mister Triple X” Rossetti. And a bonus for the girls: they’ll be wearing shoes by Miss J Alexander. It’s her first collection and they’ll be worn for the first time ever. Miss J reminds the models to walk naturally, no hands on hips, and no big smiles. They do a test walk on a runway down on the ground. Miss J sarcastically calls Devin “Miss Banks.” To which Bello replies in confessional that Devin is no Tyra Banks. Oh snap! Mamé is worried to walk in heels on a very narrow runway.
The models are brought up high to the runway. Dustin is up first. When he gets to the end of the runway and doesn’t have any more ground to walk on, the harness drops a bit. But after a few scary seconds, it rises back up, and he’s the first guy through. Lacey is walking fiercely, and she’s safe. Mamé walks next. “Girls, that’s you’re competition,” announces Ms. J. Hadassah agrees that Mamé is her biggest competition. Mamé is, of course, safe.
Bryant really wants this, but unfortunately, he is dropped at the end. Awws all around. He’s upset and tears are welling in his eyes. I kinda want to hug him. Ms. J told Justin to pick up the pace with his walk; he’s walking a little too slow for runway. But he’s safe anyway, and Mamé is super happy. Nyle is safe, but Alexis thinks Nyle needs to work on his body movement more. Larissa looks great, but she’s dropped too. Ms. J also seems to be upset with this result. Another drop from Gage. And a couple more models that are still in the running: Stefano, Ashley, Hadassah, and Delanie.
Bello is next. It’s the third week and Devin still can’t pronounce Bello’s name right. Or it might be intentional. Bello is safe, and Devin is upset about it. Miguel is the third one dropped. Damn, I kinda liked him. Ms. J did too. Maleesa is next and is dropped too. Ava is next and safe. Alexis comments that her walk is “a little bit scattered.” I kinda don’t know what he means. India, who was obviously freaked out with heights, is the next one out. Mikey’s walk is a bit bland, plus he’s not really posing. He looks like he’s just hanging on the harness. But he makes it to the other end and is safe. Courtney is also safe.
It’s down to the last two, Dallas and Devin. Dallas is up first, and he’s dropped at the end. Bello is not happy. Ms. J reminds Devin that his safety is not guaranteed. Devin is last to walk. He continues to do this thing with his mouth. It’s really weird. And at the end of the runway, while he’s hanging, he’s running… on air. WTF. But he does get through. Most of them are happy, and Bello is not. We now have the Top 14!
Eliminated: Bryant, Larissa, Gage, Miguel, Maleesa, India, Dallas
Now that we have the Top 14, Tyra Banks arrives to greet them. The models are on top of a forklift/truck(?). Tyra congratulates the Top 14 and tells them to celebrate! Can I get a dos y dos? Can I get a twenty-twooooo?
The models happily return to the model house, and their challenge scores are flashed on the monitor. Mamé wins the challenge again with a perfect score of 10. The rest of the scores are as follows:
- Lacey, Ashley, Dustin, Mikey, Justin – 9
- Nyle, Delanie, Hadassah, Stefano, Ava – 8
- Courtney, Bello, Devin – 7
Devin expected the low score. And in a rare moment of self-realization (finally!), he says: “If I would be eliminated pretty early, I would have to re-evaluate my modelling skills.” At least you were signed to six agencies. Hahaha. The models opened the bubblies, and Nyle shouts (via his phone app of course), “Let’s celebrate bitches!” Woooo. We get an entertaining confessional from a drunk Bello. But even in his drunk state, he still isn’t having any of Devin, and wants him out the soonest.
Photo Shoot: Bound
Yu Tsai is at the shoot with their photographer this week (again), Erik Asla. It’s a beauty shoot to showcase the models’ amazing features. They’ll be in pairs, in their underwear, and bound in strings or wires. The models are paired up, and it’s obvious that the show knows its love teams:
- Lacey and Bello – chain
- Hadassah and Dustin – skinny belt
- Justin and Mamé – computer cord
- Courtney and Mikey – hair
- Nyle and Delanie – rope
- Ava and Stefanie – Christmas lights
- Devin and Ashley – barbed wire
But before their shoot, Tyra gives the models a tutorial on good no-neck and bad no-neck. She says that this no-neck wisdom is based on the animal kingdom. It’s to address everyone’s criticizing everyone else about being no-neck monsters in their photos. Even her! She says that good no-neck is a real thing.
The bad no-neck includes: “the turtle,” when the neck is sunk down into the shoulders; “the iguana,” when the shoulders look too thick; and, “the gorilla,” when the model is hunched. Tyra gives last cycle’s Will as an example of someone who did “the gorilla” early in the cycle, but corrected it by the end. She says that the models should be inspired by “the giraffe” as an example of good neck: it’s all in the length. (That’s what she said.)
But there are examples of no-neck that are still good: “the horse,” when something, like your hair or fabric, covers the neck; and, “the owl,” when the model turns their head and looks over their shoulder. Hadassah is having a hard time following Tyra’s instructions. Either that, or she doesn’t really listen. I’m guessing it’s the latter.
OPPO phone product placement! You can shoot selfies with the O Click remote. This week, it’s Lacey and Nyle taking a selfie. On to the shoot:
Bello and Lacey are first to shoot in chains. Lacey is giving strong face and body, but Bello is struggling a bit to interact. Devin and Ashley are in barbed wire, and surprisingly, Devin is not as freaky-looking. Both very strong! Hadassah and Dustin are tied together in skinny belts. There’s no chemistry between them. Dustin is a bit stronger than her, but Hadassah is bringing the photo down. Tyra calls out that she needs to do profile and find the light, but Hadassah isn’t listening.
Lovebirds Justin and Mamé are entangled in computer cords. Mamé is Justin’s baby girl. Ooh. Tyra and Yu Tsai say that the “love” is a little bit too real, but need it to be a bit more fashion. We get a bit of Delanie’s backstory, so we know she’s next. She was overweight and bullied because of her weight. As with the previous photo shoot, Yu Tsai, and even Tyra, notices that Delanie is too grounded and doesn’t know how to move her lower body.
Stefano is being overconfident as usual and is trying to give Ava modelling tips, but she does not want any of it, as she should. They are in Christmas lights. Ava is fierce; she’s upstaging Stefano a lot. Ava is the star, and Stefano is just an “accessory” to her. Before her turn to shoot, Courtney is crying. She’s stressed out by the competition and worried about her lack of confidence. Mikey comes up to her and asks if she’s okay, if she’s eaten, like an older brother. Courtney gets over her fear and is able to shoot.
Now back at the model house, the models are in the pool again. Courtney is floating in the pool on an inflatable doughnut, while Mikey, Ashley, and Devin are in the shade. Mikey says that she’s tired of being Courtney’s emotional support. The three of them are laughing. Mikey’s a jerk. Courtney overhears their conversation, and is upset, crying. She storms into the bedroom, and is snugly hugging her blanket, while still crying. Mikey follows her to the room, and asks why Courtney’s crying. Courtney thought she had a friend in Mikey and is upset by how he really feels. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, and she thought Mikey is one of her first friends in the model house. She rightfully feels betrayed. Then Mikey proceeds to list down the times she’s helped Courtney. He says that he didn’t need to remind her to eat and compete. Oh my. Bye Mikey!
Deliberation
Tyra, Ms. J, and Kelly Cutrone will be deliberating this week’s photos. “The clapping won’t help,” reminds Kelly. The models are scared. Haha.
As with last cycle, the judges are each still giving the models a (decimal) score from 0.0-10.0. Adding all of the judges’ scores and the challenge score will be their score for this week. What’s different this cycle is instead of announcing their scores immediately, they’ll be typing in their scores into a tablet. The models will only find out the judges’ scores at the end of deliberation. I like this scheme! It’s a happy medium between the original way of judging from Cycles 1 to 18, and the new scoring beginning with Cycle 19. Good riddance, social media score!
Bello and Lacey are first to be deliberated. I’ve seen this face from Bello before, nothing new for me. Lacey, though, is working the strong eyeliner, and that jawline. The judges love the photo. Bello is soft and looking dreamy, according to them, while Lacey is strong and fierce. Tyra likes Lacey’s “dimple booty chin.”
Next are Hadassah and Dustin. Tyra brings up the issue with Hadassah not listening to the mentors in the shoot. Hadassah gives an excuse that she’s not too familiar with the modelling terms. Um, Hadassah: I’m pretty sure you’ve heard and know the word “profile” in your pageant days. And you said last episode that you liked watching television. “Finding your light” has been a catchphrase on this show for a few cycle’s now. Excuse me! Dustin is kinda bland in this photo. He has much better profile in another photo, but they had to look for a photo where both of them looked good.Devin and Ashley in barbed wire. Whoa! This is a great high-fashion picture. Devin is serving beautiful face, not the freaky cartoon he defaults to. No wonky eyes. Ashley was doing a mix of “the giraffe” and “the owl” — the “gowl” as Tyra coined. Even though she’s short, she really elongated her neck.
Nyle and Delanie’s photo is meh. There’s zero chemistry between them. And instead of them being close to each other, it looks like they’re both trying to be unbound. Both of them are too safe. I’m worried for Nyle. Tyra tells both of them to know their bodies more. Delanie needs to be stronger, think gangster. Nyle needs to own his sensuality more, be like a Don Juan.
Exes Mikey and Courtney are next, in hair. Mikey proceeds to judge Courtney’s performance, saying she did great in the shoot. They both look good in the photo, but I’m not feeling it as much. The awkwardness between them is so apparent. The judges rightfully mock him. Tyra says it reminds her of “the Scandinavian mountains, Game of Thrones, and Thor.” So… incest? Kidding!
Ava and Stefano are all wrapped up in Christmas lights. Let me say first that that picture is blurred as hell. What is up with that? This is Ava’s photo. Stefano is just in the background, an accessory. Tyra says that the reason she included guys in ANTM is so that the guys are put in the model spotlight, and not be merely an accessory to female models. Their photo though is what she’s trying to go against.
Lovebirds Justin and Mamé, and computer cords. Mamé has a beautiful profile that is showcased in the photo. Justin is behind him looking at her longingly. Half of his face is hidden behind Mamé. Very editorial. They both look great. Even though Justin is hidden behind Mamé, he is not an accessory here, unlike Stefano’s earlier. The judges say that they’re both beautiful, but they’re not together, and there’s no story.
Call Out Order
- Devin — FCO
- Justin
- Lacey
- Mikey
- Ava
- Mamé
- Bello
- Ashley
- Courtney
- Hadassah
This is a difficult little project in front of us. — Kelly, referring to Hadassah
Bottom Two: Stefano and Delanie
Eliminated: Delanie
What an outrage! Delanie is eliminated with just 0.3 separating the two.
This is a good episode: perfect balance of model house drama, high-stakes challenges, and modelling. Not bad for their first photo shoot as the Top 14. I hope the shoots keep getting better as the cycle progresses. Although that call-out order is so bizarre. Mikey getting a higher score than Mamé? What even. I’m sad to see Delanie go. Her face is stunning, and it shows in the photo. But she lacked the fierceness that the other girls, save for Hadassah, exuded.
Next Episode
Ashley and Mikey are in the bathtub. Hadassah vs. Devin. The models are having their “Ty-overs.” Hadassah doesn’t want to have to shave her head. Stefano has a douche haircut. How fitting. Mamé vs. Stefano.
Social Media Roundup
Every week, I’m going to gather some interesting social media posts from our models. This week, we’re starting with Courtney (@iambeautiful1994) showing us what she learned from Tyra’s no-neck monster wisdom.
Winner of this week’s best photo Devin (@devinljclark) shared a behind-the-scene snap with production staff after their high altitude runway challenge:
Miguel a.k.a. Cirio Arman (@cirioarman) might have been eliminated before the Top 14 but the world is still his runway.
https://www.instagram.com/p/6ncjwPilCS/
And last but not least a message from the first model eliminated, Delanie (@delaniedischert):
Who is your favorite among the final 14 models? Are you team #CourtneyANTM or team #MikeyANTM? Are all of these product placements and beautiful selfies persuading you to buy your very own OPPO phone? Do you agree with the judges’ scores? Sound off in the COMMENTS below.
Who had the best Top 14 Bound photo? Vote in the poll below:
Don’t forget to watch America’s Next Top Model Cycle 22 Guys & Girls every Thursday night on ETC same day as the US, and on Star World PH, at 8.
