Cycle 2, Episode 4: "The Girl Who Needs Six Months of Modeling School"
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In this week’s episode, Mercedes opens up about having lupus for the first time. She’s decided to keep it a secret from everyone else in the house. The medicine she’s taking for it is causing her hair to fall out, which I can imagine is stressful by itself. I just looked at the Mayo Clinic website for lupus and now my hypochondria has some new fuel for the fire. It can be tricky to diagnose and there’s no cure. NO! Health conditions need to make themselves obvious!!
The models work out at the gym, and it’s pretty boring. They do some sort of competition to see who can last the longest. (The exact rules were unclear to me.) April and Camille are the final two. Everyone else cheers for April. No one cheers for Camille.
Later in the episode, the models are asked to come dressed in their personal style to meet with Tyra and Simon Doonan, the creative director of Barney’s New York. I know Simon from his distinct voice and this episode of the Moth:
Tyra talks about times she’s been on the worst dressed list, showing examples on pieces of paper. Pieces of paper!! ANTM was still very DIY at this point and iPads hadn’t been invented.
Some of Tyra and Simon’s feedback didn’t age well/wasn’t the most constructive.
Because this episode has MULTIPLE guests, the models then meet with the one and only, the original quirky fashion designer Betsey Johnson. She then gives the weirdest challenge: the contestants have to put together an outfit by rummaging around in everyone else’s stuff. What? Not only do they put you in a house with a bunch of strangers, those strangers get to go through and wear your stuff. I’m appalled.
Shandi wins the challenge. I don’t think it’s deserved, but she does look more and more like a model.
Her prize is time with a secret guest who turns out to be Adrianne Curry from last season!
DRAMA: In this episode, Adrianne talks about how booked she’s been. But years later, she openly discussed her struggles after winning ANTM.
"I reached out to Tyra and Top Model, desperate to get out of my contract and get advice as I was not being given any castings, etc. by an agency that wanted me to fail."
I wonder if the show made her say this.
Adrianne, Shandi, Yoanna and Xiomara go to dinner where Shandi’s already branded herself as Shanthrax. That’s her DJ/karaoke hosting alias.
For this week’s photoshoot, the models are made over as style icons with the following assignments:
Catie - Marilyn Monroe
Mercedes - Billie Holiday
Shandi - Nicole Kidman
April - Catherine Zeta-Jones
Sarah - Angelina Jolie
Camille - Diana Ross
Jenascia - Salma Hayak
Yoanna - Audrey Hepburn
Xiomara - Grace Jones
Xiomara does not like her look. I get it because I think there is something about assuming all Black models/actors can portray any other Black person. Xio is pretty light skinned, so the makeup artists paint her several shades darker to match Grace Jones. I feel conflicted about the assignment, but I do think it was good to challenge Xiomara with a bold look since she’s pretty reserved. And her photo turned out pretty dope.
Tyra’s on set with the models and hasn’t invented “smizing” yet.
Before panel, there’s always a photo of Tyra in the same style of that week’s photoshoot. I will most likely never be famous, but I think if I was a supermodel and given a TV show, I would make them do similar shit for me.
This is Tyra’s photo for the week. Which style icon is she supposed to be??
According to the megafans online, she’s portraying Mariah Carey and Eve combined. Wut? I think she just felt cute and asked someone to take a photo.
But she looks fantastic IRL at panel.
And the models were actually given something appropriate to wear for judging.
Their challenge is to accessorize a little black dress. Most of them don’t know what to do and put on WAY too many accessories.
I hate how the models’ photos are in this fake ANTM magazine cover, but my faves are Mercedes…
And Xiomara
Jenascia and Catie end up in the bottom two. Catie has kind of taken a downward turn since her makeover. She cries easily and tells her boyfriend she doesn’t want to stay in the competition any more. And Jenascia’s one storyline is that she’s short and can’t figure out how to make it work in the fashion world.
So, it’s another “who cares who goes home?” situation. It ends up being Jenascia who’s ANTM journey is cut short lol.
After being eliminated, Jenascia said she’s going to go back to work at Hooters … and she does. Good for her. I bet the tip money was good.
She’s married now and has a few kids. Although she didn’t win Top Model, she did end up going on Wheel of Fortune and winning about $50,000! Big Money!
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you back here for Cycle 2, Episode 5. 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
So funny!