Cycle 3, Episode 1: "The Girl With The Secret"
We’re back for Cycle 3! I’ve got a new job and renewed joy in the world! They sent me to Paris for a week of onboarding and was it a coincidence I was there for Paris Fashion Week? I think not.
I also figured out how to get my hair the right shade of white blond I’ve wanted for so long. The secret: doing it myself and waiting more than a week between bleach processes. I’m still scarred from getting it done at the salon in January. And to make it worse, I unknowingly had Covid when I got it done, so I definitely burnt the bridge with that stylist.
We start this new cycle of ANTM with a sassy recap of the first two seasons and a voiceover from Tyra in front of a green screen.
The semi-finalists begin arriving at the LA airport.
One standout from the start is Toccara.
She is the first REAL plus sized model to be on Top Model. Miss Robin from Cycle 1 just had hips and wasn’t a stick. Toccara is way more confident in her size.
The models are in LA for a week of casting. This one is SHOCKED when Jay Manuel tells them there’s going to be an elimination.
Tyra comes out and everyone goes crazy. (They didn’t give a shit about Mr. Jay.)
I like that Tyra talked about how she grew up in LA, which put her at an advantage for modeling because she could access agencies, etc. She deliberately seems to pick contestants for the show that are from the middle of nowhere. Sometimes that plays into stereotypes and tropes about country bumpkins and low class people. But I see Tyra’s coming from a good place.
We’re still in the early 2000s.
We see someone who will become the most iconic contestant in ANTM history.
ANTM turns into the Bad Girls Club when the contestants go out to a bar to unwind and someone pours beer on Tiffany’s head. Tiffany retaliates by throwing a drink back at the person. It’s a mess. How did this happen? Did the producers want things to get heated? We know Toccara for sure did.
Eva gets a reputation throughout the season for being a diva. During casting, she is very vocal about another contestant Amy who’s very thin. Eva says Amy has an eating disorder, she’s too thin, no man will want to sleep with her, etc. It’s super off-putting and hasn’t aged well.
When Eva walks into the casting room, Tyra gives it to her REAL. She says 80% of the other contestants have something negative to say about her. Tyra doesn’t want to cast “another Black bitch”. That shows she’s aware of how the contestants are portrayed on the show and how it could shape the public’s perception.
Tyra pulls the heartfelt moment and says she think Eva’s been hurt and wants to hurt others. That causes Eva to tear up and talk about how she lacks a strong support system and has been let down by her loved ones.
After that, Eva apologizes to the group. Is that enough to make up for telling people another contestant has an eating disorder and no one will want to sleep with her? Who am I to say?
Fourteen of the contestants are eliminated to make it 20 finalists. Then Amanda, who has a 2-year-old son, “decides” to tell everyone (including the ones who just got eliminated) that she has a degenerative eye disease and will be completely blind by age 30. But it’s ok. She’s seen her son’s face.
With the casting director standing right next to her.
The remaining 20 do a photoshoot with Mr. Jay. It’s nothing special.
Tyra then calls out the top 14 one by one. It takes so long.
NOW we have our finalists who will move into the house, and the cycle will officially start!
I want to highlight one of the eliminated contestants who has become a massive celebrity, just not really in the U.S.
Nargis had applied to Cycle 2 and also made it to one of the final rounds of casting. But she didn’t make it all the way.
She now has 7.2 MILLION followers on Instagram!! THAT’S MORE THAN TYRA HAS!!!
What happened? She became a huge Bollywood star. Work, Nargis. Tyra closed that door in her face twice, but Nargis found a window with LOTS of money and fame on the other side.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you back here for Cycle 3, Episode 2!! Follow along by watching the episodes on Amazon Prime or Hulu if you like commercials. If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to get added to my newsletter.
Fierce and love,
P