Yeah I heard about that :( RIP Franca too, she was a huge part during the Vogue Italia seasons

my god they f*cked India up real bad

 

*recap will come soon!*

India looks amazing! It's such a modern look and suits her face.

 

This is the best season since season 16 and I love Ashley Graham.

Also not really a fan of India's hair. YET. I feel bad for what happened with Cherish, she went against her innermost wishes with her hair and then got eliminated, producing that rather intense exit. "I'm a unicorn". Krislian just doesn't really do it for me, I thought she'd probably go home, although I didn't find her photo awful.

Yay! Time for the recap!

 

They're really gonna shape Courtney and Binta to be the bitches of this season. Binta comes across as pretty volatile while Courtney seems like she's gonna play the victim every single time. That said, here's my call-out. I was actually surprised at the quality of photos because I thought everyone brought it.

 

FCO for me is a shock, and that goes to...

 

1.) Paige!!!: Arguably my favorite makeover this cycle and she produced something that's not too sexpot but not too subtle, it's actually a little bit of both. It's a shock for me because she's been flying under the radar for me so far, but the bangs and shoulder-length hair worked so much better with her than during Cycle 19 when Kristin got them. And for the first time in a photo shoot, I finally noticed her.

 

2.) CoryAnne: A large improvement from last week. Her face is selling everything, her body positioning is selling everything, and her hair just looks SO ON POINT. I think CoryAnne is starting to stand on her own and not let the pressure of being a legacy get in the way of her individual success.

 

3.) Courtney: Probably the biggest improvement for me this week. I love her new bob and I think it suits her more than the primal look she gave last week. She looks softer and more angelic while still giving a pretty hard look. I agree with the Marilyn Monroe comparisons - I can see Courtney giving classic elegance now while still being current.

 

4.) India: She got a really weird porn star makeover and she still manages to deliver week after week after week. I love the softness in her eyes - it's very cherubic and she's displaying the versatility of her facial expressions. I was so worried throughout the entire shoot because she didn't feel comfortable posing nude as she didn't really have that much experience with it, but I'm glad she was able to let loose her inhibitions and just went for it.

 

5.) Cody: There's actually something about this that reminds me of Fatima from Cycle 10 - maybe it's the way her hair was styled during the photo shoot or maybe it was the makeover itself, but she's continuing to bring it. I'm not as enamoured with this photo as I was last week, but I think I'm starting to like the long hair with her. She still looks current, but now she has some new hair to play with. I hope she works with it and doesn't let it hide her.

 

6.) Kyle: I like the slight hesitation in her face. It's like "Ooh, I'm gonna give you Miley but at the same time I won't give you Miley because I'm Kyle". Also one of my favorite makeovers this cycle - that look kinda suits her and yet doesn't make her blend in with the others. So once again, good job Kyle.

 

Plus, I love her in red lipstick.

 

7.) Tash: Still manages to exude classic Hollywood glamour even with the block cut that she had. I love how she seems to be utilizing Courtney's body to emphasize the fact that she's stark naked, yet she pulled all the focus onto her face especially with that makeover. I would have preferred a makeover that had somewhat longer hair (like Sundai's Rihanna-inspired makeover) but whatevs. She still did pretty well.

 

8.) Giah: Strangely enough, I like Giah's makeover. It reminds me of Tamar Braxton for some reason. That said, I think the judges were underselling the photo because it's still a rather strong shot. It's just that compared to Courtney and Tash, she seemed to have blended in a bit. It's not stellar, but she's consistently producing good photos. She better not be getting the Monique edit where she gets eliminated for coasting.

 

9.) Binta: It's a bit of a weaker picture than last week, I do think that she could have chosen a better pose and shown a little more neck, but for what it's worth, I think she still brought it this week. She's being smart and utilizing everything in the shoot, especially when she's leaning on Cherish's back and grabbing Krislian's.

 

10.) Tatiana: I find her blending in now, which is sad because I really did think she had what it takes to win this. Her hair looks great her face looks great, she's not standing out as much as I would like, but it's still a quality photo. It's just unfortunate that she's this low because the quality of these photos was so high, this was kinda the victim of circumstance.

 

11.) Cherish: Sure, her face looks a bit scrunched up and she looks like she's hiding herself a bit, but it's not that bad of a photo! She looks softer here and more vulnerable, and I don't see why the judges wouldn't like it. Didn't really deserve to get eliminated when Krislian is clearly the weakest contestant left. Also I LOVE her hair.

 

12.) Marissa: I have yet to see Marissa stand out in her pictures because she isn't really doing that right now. Her first photo was too extra, and now this one is too forgettable. She needs to learn balance. I honestly find her SUPER overrated. That said, how she handled the Courtney situation was very mature of her.

 

13.) Krislian: I feel like the sexpot look is starting to wear off for me too much and she's facing the same problems Brittany had during Cycle 4. And her photo was SUPER underwhelming this week. Kind of a BS elimination because I didn't think Cherish's photo wasn't that bad.

India's hair is what all the high fashion girls in East London have at the moment, it's not porn star at all. It's made me think she looks like a mini Gigi!

India's hair is what all the high fashion girls in East London have at the moment, it's not porn star at all. It's made me think she looks like a mini Gigi!

Her old hair or post-makeover? I was talking about her post-makeover look, her old hair reminded me of Gigi.

Courtney really has got IT. Krislian definitely should've gone this week aswell, she seems very one dimensional and I don't see a model in her at all, while she's pretty.

Heeeeere we go. Once again some strong photos and some that just passed me by. Courtney is just annoying the f*ck out of me with her villain edit. The photoshoot though was stupid. It feels so low budget.

 

My Call-out Order:

 

1.) Krislian: From the bottom all the way into the top. Everything about her three photos effortlessly sell the outfits she's wearing, and it just exudes confidence. I love the pose she makes in the third photo: the lighting and her face makes me wonder if I'm looking at a spread in a high fashion indie magazine. Probably the winner for best breakthrough for me. For a second, I thought that she was getting into her own head, so getting bottom 2 was a real kick for her.

 

2.) Paige: I honestly really wanted to put her in joint-first with Krislian. Never would I have thought that she was going to be the girl who was going to deliver week after week after week. I was impressed with the quality of all three of her photographs - they look like their own spread in Paper rather than Instagram photos. Once again, the third impressed me the most. She's getting such a silent edit lately, maybe that's setting her up for overseas?

 

3.) Giah: She seems to be silently slaying as well. Where the hell was this energy and those facials she was giving? She was serving the lifestyle and getting it in with her extras while keeping herself the center of focus, which is one of the main purposes when trying to model. Her hair and her outfit really popped with the lighting.

 

4.) Tatiana: I personally love the whole "Cinderella story" aspect of her story, the masquerade mask really illustrates it (or maybe it's "a classy night on the town" that's the theme?), so overall it's a pretty strong film. She's giving absolutely nothing in terms of edits and at this point that's what people like Kendal (Cycle 15) or Matthew (Cycle 21) seemed to be getting at this point so I'd better watch for her. She is capable of producing a strong film, though.

 

5.) Courtney: I like the photo of her on the floor, it's very editorial and chic, and it's something that I would have expected to see in earlier Top Model cycles. It's not too trashy, and yet it gives enough energy to make it look like she's not just lying on the floor. She's definitely got IT, despite the fact that she was so f*cking annoying the entire episode.

 

6.) India: Eh, they're all really good photos in terms of Instagram, like she would get a shit ton of likes because they're so fun and lit, but as high-fashion portfolio shots I don't really see her getting booked using those. Maybe the aspect of getting signed has changed and digital photos can also be taken into consideration. It just wouldn't happen in earlier Top Model cycles.

 

7.) Cody: I personally love the idea of it. Cody's theme is addressing a problem when it comes to Instagram shots - it's more of a narcissism and ego issue rather than wanting to stand out, because there are those people who just aren't for that life, so I don't agree with the panel interpretation whatsoever. That said, her blue dress stands out a ton in that lighting, but she's blending in and going in the middle of the road, which is what Drew doesn't really wanna see in the long run.

 

(I was also correct in predicting her to be the top twin!)

 

8.) Kyle: Personally, I love the aspect of her showing off her androgyny (I'm pretty sure her story with the film is "I'm just one of the guys"), but there isn't a photo that isn't making her stand out as much as I'd like her to. She's not wowing me with her looks because they seem so treasured in this particular industry. She better be getting a good edit next week because I'm rooting for her and I'm just getting frustrated.

 

9.) Binta: It's the same problem that India had, in that the film was just a collection of good Instagram photos, but they're not standing out as much as India's or selling the outfits she's wearing. I don't know. I just feel that with her independent and strong-willer personality, there should be photos of her taking control of her life.

 

10.) CoryAnne: I don't think the problem with her film is that she's letting her extras overpower her in the shot (because it's pretty unclear in the third photo whether or not she actually had extras in her shot, it's her best shot either way), but that she looked lost throughout her photos. She's also getting the "why is life going on without me" edit and normally that's an edit that indicates elimination by the end of the episode. Why they're keeping her is a mystery to me.

 

11.) Tash: I mean, yeah, it's a train wreck, but it's not as bad as the judges say it is. I got the story through and through - she hooked up with some twins... and that's pretty much it. I feel like it's her trying to stray apart from the twin stigma and her failing, which is why I can sorta justify her elimination in some fronts. It doesn't look like she shot it in someone's basement though.

 

12.) Marissa: Honestly I even forgot she was in this episode, save for her pretty decent Snapchat lingerie ad. She sold the clothes effortlessly there. Otherwise, I have absolutely no recollection of her or her photos. And as I'm trying to remember them, she makes me lose patience. She's been in the bottom of my call-out just about every single time. :P I'm wondering why they're keeping her at this point, she's just not memorable AT ALL.

 

All in all I'm just not a fan of this photoshoot at all. It did produce Krislian's and Paige's photos which may be my favorites of the cycle so far but I just don't get the social media aspect of Top Model at all. It feels so half-assed.

 

-

 

I don't know if I should love or hate the next photoshoot, but I'm worrying for Kyle.

Average Cody Call-Out's so far:

 

1.) India: 3.75

2.) Cody: 4.5

3.) Paige: 4.75

4.) Kyle: 5

5.) Giah: 5.25

6.) Binta: 5.75

7.) Tatiana: 6.25

8.) Courtney: 7

9.) CoryAnne: 8

10.) Tash: 9

11.) Cherish: 9.33

12.) Krislian: 10

13.) Justine: 12.5

14.) Marissa: 12.5

 

my top 2 girls actually being the top 2 here! :cheer: :cheer: Paige I certainly underestimated.

I've re-watched so many seasons lately and have read back on loads of articles about wrong winners in comparison to the runner up etc. So many of them agree with me on my main ones which are. There are people that argue Cycle 4 and 5 had the wrong winner, but it seems to be Cycle 9 onward where the biggest "mistakes" were coming in.

 

Cycle 9: Saleisha Stowers winning over Chantal Jones (As well as Jenah in 3rd) - They did similarly throughout the competition in terms of call-outs, but Chantal's portfolio was a lot stronger. Saleisha seems to be deemed the first WTF winner for ANTM

 

Cycle 10: Whitney over Anya. This one seems to have be looked at as a plus sized tick box for ANTM, because the performance of the two finalists isn't comparable. Anya was called 5 five time, and was bottom 2 zero times, whereas Whitney was called first once and bottom 2 four times.

 

Cycle 12: Teyona over Allison. Probably the biggest one ever. I think Allison is probably the biggest fan favourite EVER, but I never found this as controversial as others did given Teyona did fantastically throughout the competition too, even though her 7 head annoyed me. The worst thing with Allison was that she should have won in All Stars but lost to Angela and then again to 80 year old Lisa when it was re-shot.

 

Cycle 16: Brittani over Molly. I wasn't so sure if it was just me but reading back on comments and articles has shown me that Molly really was the preferred winner, and after re-watching the cycle last week, it is easy to see why given the strength of her pictures, even if her attitude was a bit rotten (Not that Brittani's was much better). Even one of the weeks Molly was bottom 2 (The dumpster week), it was with a hugely superior photograph. I think her portfolio is, along with Anya's, Annes and a few more, one of the strongest and most consistent in Top Model history.

I thought Brittani and Molly were pretty neck-in-neck during the early weeks of Cycle 16 (even in attitude, with Brittani's vendetta against Alexandria, and Molly's general Grumpy Cat attitude), but then the latter really shot up overseas and it seemed like she was going to be the winner.

 

Brittani still has arguably one of the best walks of ANTM history.

 

(I also seem to be the only Whitney fan despite thinking Anya (and Katarzyna even) are way stronger but the producers thought the show needed a plus-size winner or else 23 cycles without a plus size winner would be too much for the SJW's)

This episode was SO dull. I understand why they're trying to encorporate social media these days but it really doesn't make for the best viewing. None of the pictures wowed me because it was all so poor quality, it just didn't translate past a mini challenge at all. And it was also just an excuse to give Krislian a storyline when she's really not model material at all.

 

I'm finding it hard to warm to anyone hugely. India is my favourite personality but not necessarily my favourite model. That might be Courtney? But I really don't feel like there's been enough focus on the modelling shots themselves, from the judges analysis to the time spent showing the models on set. More of that and a bit less drama please.

Loved the episode, another mess. I definitely get the social media aspect because that's the way things have evolved but god were they terrible photos...next week's shoot looks better thankfully and the episode looks juicey.

I'm gonna say that I don't fully agree with the elimination although she did do poorly, I just think that there were others that had worse performances overall. I bet Rita wanted to keep Giah and Kyle and get rid of Krislian. The "you can market a brand" thing was probably meant for Kyle.

 

My call-out is below, explanations will come later (edit: finally added!)

 

1.) Cody: Right off the bat, I was seeing and fawning over an alien princess inside a grocery store. I kinda figured that the judges were going to fawn over this photo to because her skin looks amazing, her face looks fierce, and she's making the clothes work. It's a dress made out of Polaroid film. Normally that would mean the flash would reflect from the photos and it would ruin the picture but somehow it works here? Love how much confidence she has. Also, I can't get over how much like Fatima she looks bone structure-wise.

 

2.) Paige: I think if there's anyone to give Cody a run for her money photoshoot-wise, it's this girl. Paige keeps impressing me and killing it week after week after week. In terms of the challenge, she had the right outfit but the braids had to go. Then she stepped into that shoot and commanded attention like nobody's business. She had a vision of what it was going to look like and she just went for it. Also, the dress contrasts with the color of the meat and somehow it works. Ugh, why can't they both be on top here? :(

 

("I'm getting married in the meat aisle" is gonna be a slogan :P)

 

3.) Marissa: In previous episodes, she would have been close to the bottom because I see someone who's pretty but never seems to pop. I am happy to say that for the very first time, I recognized Marissa in the episode. She did pretty well encapsulating the personality of her outfit in the photoshoot. Also, I hate clowns with a passion, and she was wearing a chic clown outfit and she made it look more high-fashion and not creepy. I give her props to that. Also the use of the milk was creative.

 

Drew: "Did you find what you're looking for, ma'am?"

Marissa: *giant smile* "NOT QUITE"

 

��������������

 

4.) Courtney: This call out is a reflection of her photo, not the complete package. I'm gonna say this - Courtney is annoying as f*ck. She complains about everything and it rubs people the wrong way. That said, she was completely in her element with this photoshoot. She was given something straight out of the Born This Way Ball and she rocked it like nobody's business.

 

5.) CoryAnne: It's a bit overrated (it's really good but just not good enough for FCO in my opinion), but CoryAnne still delivered in this shoot. I loved how tall the dress made her (so tall that her poof was almost at the ceiling, and she might have had better positioning, but whatever she did works for her. I don't wanna see her pull a Tahlia on us and say that she wants to be in the competition now that she's doing well.

 

6.) Tatiana: I get the "boss" element of her persona - she shamelessly plugs her company a ton of times in this episode. Her photo was among the best, but I don't seem to remember it as much as the other five which is why she's here. It's still amazing how much shape she can bring in that dress because it looks like others would have struggled keeping their balance. The amount of control she possesses is astounding.

 

7.) India: Once again, the focus is on her face because right now it looks like her hair is part of her outfit and not her face. I like the complementary effects of that though, it looks like India was given a Gaga-styled makeover and the prisms on her outfit are reflecting the purple onto her hair. Either way, her bone structure and her eyes are STRIKING.

 

8.) Binta: I like this "gelatin queen" outfit she's got going on. That said, I wish they chose a picture of hers that would have popped more because she looks amazing and it's an exceptional photo but it's not keeping up with the top of the pack and it makes me scared for her position because she's one outburst closer to becoming the clear villain of the cycle. Like Marissa, I like how she's using the surroundings to her advantage. That's smart modeling.

 

9.) Kyle: I get why Kyle wouldn't be able to give it her all in this photoshoot. One, SHE FELL in those damn heels, and two, the whole "Hunger Games Capitol" style isn't really her. That said, I get the one-dimensional critique. It seems to be the same sultry "come and kiss me" smirk that she's giving in every single photo.

 

10.) Giah: I kinda get why the judges would send her home based on this photo because it just has waaaaaaaay too much tension in the mouth and she felt really uncomfortable with the balloons on her butt (why make her sit then?) and that's why she's even this low to begin with, but she had a decent portfolio going into panel. Everything else was a mess though. In terms of the challenge, I guess you can't fault someone who doesn't have that many clothes to begin with (Giah's giving country chic rather than hippie chic). Plus, she was willing to learn and grow and had more drive than some of the other contestants.

 

11.) Krislian: The thing about this photo is not that it's too sexy (which it definitely isn't), it's that she looks so lost in the photoshoot that she's letting the strands of her clothes control her movements. It makes her look too contrived and it shows in her face. I was seeing a 12th century Kazakh woman in the outfit, but Krislian definitely didn't deliver. It's pissing me off how many chances she's been getting because she's clearly the weakest model remaining. Also, if you don't want to get the "too sexy" critique, maybe just tone it down a tad?

 

-

 

Average Call-Outs:

 

1.) Cody: 3.8

2.) Paige: 4.2

3.) India: 4.4

4.) Kyle: 5.8

5.) Binta: 6.2

6.) Giah: 6.2

7.) Tatiana: 6.2

8.) Courtney: 6.4

9.) CoryAnne: 7.4

10.) Tash: 9

11.) Cherish: 9.33

12.) Krislian: 10.2

13.) Marissa: 10.6

14.) Justine: 12.5

 

why am i so in love with Paige now

Plus next week WE GET ANOTHER LESBIAN KISS :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

Aw no Giah was such a sweetheart <3 Like, really grew on me this episode. I honestly didn't find her photo that bad either, whereas Kyle's was such a yawn (sorry - I get that she had a hard time at the photoshoot etc) and I'm not really warming to her either.

Well, it should just obviously be Krislian going. I'm getting fed up with this already and Giah has kinda tipped that off. She had so much potential that they could build on, she clearly has no experience going into the competition like some have but from what they've shown, she's been given nothing to go off. The same goes for Cherish imo. With the previous judges, even the "booch" and "tooch" comments were somewhat constructive, there's nothing constructive about the way they were breaking Courtney down or saying "you're just not a model". Giah absolutely COULD be a model but with some constructive advice, help and guidance.

 

There's something very cold feeling about the whole series. They're focusing on largely cold and hard to root for contestants, a.k.a Courtney, Krislian, Binta. They're focusing on needlessly Cowell-esque critiques which do nothing to give the girls a boost and it's all just feeling not fun? I'm not sure where they're going with it but Giah was another bad decision, I think.

Some really good photos this week. Reminded me somewhat of ANTM's hayday in the 00s. I agree with the top photos apart from Tatiana's which was one of the worst I thought. India continues to slay me and Courtney's photo was indeed brilliant. The two male judges continue to be two of the worst ever, (at least Kelly knew what she was talking about most of the time).

 

OMG - 'Booch' and 'tooch' lmao. They pushed that so much! That reminds me how silly the show got in its later years.

I really liked the photos this week, don't get me wrong! Cody's, India's, Coryanne's etc really impressed me and it was easily my favourite week yet. I just wish the judging was more constructive, these girls aren't professionals and presumably need a bit of guidance, and we're not seeing that they're getting any. Just "it's good" or "it's bad", the other judges used to give something in the way of what to do moving forward and someone with so much potential like Giah never got that. Just "this week, I realised you're pretty, not a model" point blank.