This week's penultimate episode of Cycle 10 found me a bit under the weather. You see, life in Rome isn't always cactus hats and romantic rendezvous with smolderingly sexy signorini in shadowed streets. (But sometimes it is.) No, there are times when Rome is a blanket of pollen that covers you every time you step outside causing your nose to go bonkers and your eyes to water like you're back in 1997 watching Titanic (allergies) for the very first time. Hooray for allergies! So, you can see why I was worried that another horrible episode would send me over the brink. But no, somehow the cosmos aligned and the unthinkable happened. The judges finally spoke with the voice of reason and seemed to apply rationale to their commendations and criticisms. Miracle of Miracles! I'm thrilled!
If you need something else to get you excited, just think about these big hands. And you know what big hands mean. Big... gloves.
Like every week, we open to the girls ruminating over the previous panel. Unsurprisingly, Whitney's concerned that she was in the bottom two for two weeks running. We get all sorts of model math like this week will be really hard because since there's four models, half of them will be in the final two! Dominique readily observes that you have to be the best out of the bunch. Gee, doll, I was so confused as to what the goal was the last ten weeks!
I'm reminded of a quick aside that I wanted to bring up this week when Anya interviews that she can't be concerned with the other girls but can only focus on doing her best - her hair is all dolled up in big sausage curls, a look we haven't seen before. BUT STILL, she is wearing the same red tank top that she always does in every interview. I've noticed for weeks that the girls have been wearing the same clothes in the cut-away interviews while the degree of their makeup and hairstyles have varied greatly. I apparently never put two and two together and thought this out - hey, maybe I'm not so good at model math. Do you think production really has the girls change into the same top for the sake of continuity when they interview them periodically throughout filming? I'm thinking more and more that the answer is yes and I don't know why that seems so crazy to me because there are a lot of practical applications for it. It probably does a better job of helping keep the winner a secret. I also remember reading an interview with Elyse from Cycle 1 where she complained that the show was edited to use some unflattering footage from the first week of shooting in the last couple episodes that showed her ranting about the other contestants. She got her panties in a bunch because apparently, she wasn't hating on the other girls at that point in the game, and she claimed that everyone could tell because her hair and shirt were from another pre-makeover episode. So maybe the producers wizened up and instituted this same-shirt rule to deceive us viewers? All the better to manipulate you with, my dear!
Stumbling into the glampartment, the girls are shocked to find the walls covered with pictures of Cycle 9 winner Saleisha. I'm sort of like, WTF, but Dominique at least seems to have been anticipating this because according to her, the pictures of Saleisha are "finally" up. Also, ouch Saleisha, this is quite the downgrade because Jaslene's pictures were pictured all over the permanent LA digs instead of just randomly brought in by the Tyra Bunny for half an episode in the temporary abroad residence.
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Comments (13)
as appalled as I am of the fact that Dominique is still in the competition, i can't help but feel like they didn't pick a good picture of Dom just so they can have a reason to kick her off?
Also, can Cover Girl hire better make-up artist coz Saleshia looks HORRID in those commercials she does. She looked 10x better when she was on the show and Cover Girl didn't do her make-up. Looks like a drag queen.
1 of 13 | Posted by chibby | Posted on May 10, 2008 6:24 PM
I'm rooting for Fatima and Anya. Anya definately deserves it the most since she hasn't taken a crappy shot and has won so many challenges. But all the same, her speech is horrendous. Fatima is gorgeous and exotic, but her photos aren't the greatest. She seems to either be really good, or really horrible. I thought the judges went easy on her this week... her shoot was just awful and her picture was "pretty" but totally had nothing to do with being caught by the paps.
Whitney? I don't know. We saw from her last commercial that she can't act worth a crap. I think she's has a snotty attitude, and her pictures I'd put at the same level as Fatima. I'd say out of the 3 she's the only one I'd root against.
And good riddance to Dominique! She made it wayyy too far.
2 of 13 | Posted by shia0bundan | Posted on May 10, 2008 6:57 PM
They definitely wear the same clothese in the off camera interviews. I noticed that in Cycle 8 when Renee always wore that one brown shirt with the lacey thing at the top. She wore it all the time.
I didn't like Dominiuqe but I thought she made a pretty graceful exit (surprisingly). Then in watching the marathon rerun this weekend, she didn't seem so bad.
3 of 13 | Posted by KermitGirl_22 | Posted on May 11, 2008 9:06 AM
i can't stand whitney! not since C5 Nicole have i loathed a contestant so much. at least she Nicole took good pictures. this bitch always got her mouth open. since i hate her so much, this of course means whitney will win. sad panda :(
4 of 13 | Posted by Niecy | Posted on May 11, 2008 11:13 AM
I think I might have a little girl crush on Paulina - because she's the only judge (except sometimes Nigel and Miss Jay) that actually tells it like it is. The rest of them let their love for particular contestants get in the way of their judgement. Bloody annoying.
I am rooting for an Anya/Whitney final 2, Fatima can just burn.
Also, could it be that Anya has a speech impediment? Because my mother was watching with me(and she hasn't seen any of the episodes yet)and after Anya did one of her confessionals, I pointed out her atrocious accent and my mom, being a speech pathologist, said that she was pretty sure that Anya actually had some sort of speech problem, as opposed to just a stupid accent. Hmm...I wonder if that's why the judges haven't brought it up, as opposed to Danielle's, which they did ALL.THE.TIME.
But then, what's Jaslene's excuse?
5 of 13 | Posted by georgiababe | Posted on May 12, 2008 1:59 AM
speaking of nicole. i have a nicole spotting. i spotted her modeling clothes on lauren conrad's, from the hills, website. ugh her clothes are horrible.
who says that these girls don't get work after antm?
6 of 13 | Posted by reckless_saturn_11 | Posted on May 12, 2008 8:03 AM
I fucking hate Fatima and her goddamn obviously fake crying! Every episode she forces up a few tears, scrunching her face up like she's trying to fart. Seriously, if there's someone who's fake in the bunch, it's Fatima!
I actually felt kinda bad for Dominique this episode - it just seems a little messed up that they'd let a girl who obviously isn't a model get this far. All the other girls know she isn't competition, so why let her get to the top four?
7 of 13 | Posted by VegasDarling | Posted on May 12, 2008 8:29 AM
I agree that Anya's brows looked scary in color, but the way that the picture was shot, sort of far away, and in black and white, they kinda had to do that to make them show up. Otherwise it might have looked like she didn't have any.
Great recap btw :)!!
8 of 13 | Posted by LNNC92 | Posted on May 12, 2008 10:54 AM
I don't understand Anya's face. She looks GREAT when she's sitting around the kitchen (with no makeup?) chopping it up with the other girls. But then when they put makeup on her for photo shoots, it's AAAAAHHHHH!
Fatima has a beautiful face, kinda weird body proportions. She's two steps forward 1.5 steps back on photo shoots.
Whitney's gotta pretty face, but looks too Anna Nicole-ish to me to be ANTM. She should be Lane Bryant's Next Top Model. I like her body, though. Curvy but not flabby or wide.
Bye bye, Dominique! No more annoying "I am wonderful" monologues from you.
As much as she annoys me, Anya's win will be stolen by Fatima - Tyra's favorite.
9 of 13 | Posted by blahblah | Posted on May 12, 2008 11:26 AM
I'm stickin w Fat to pull this one out, once again, she clearly had the cover girl look, with Whit pulling a good alternative. I do think Whit has the best voice over, and I'd love to see thinking outside the box and a CG campaign with a Plus size model, with the Queen Latifah tie in, maybe, just maybe it could happen. I hope they've thought ahead and had whoever's line they're modeling for the end walk keep some looks in mind for Whit.
Anya may deserve it tho, I agree, she's sweet and won challenges, and when have they let diction stand in the way, they don't even seem to harp on it as much as they have in the past. With some vocal coaching I think Anya could have a lovely accent, but it does sound nasaly and lispy a bit.
Really enjoying the recaps and feedback here!!! I could see the glaze happening w Dom's belief speech, she should have entered the AI song contest, "I have all this, I just have to believe I have it, and I have to convince others I have it, damn it! I do have it!!!"
Cover Man, bwa ha ha!!! Does anyone else have to rew to catch the Mizz Jay bon mots? He loves to growl "dragaliscous" or something . . . .
10 of 13 | Posted by juddfan | Posted on May 12, 2008 12:41 PM
I am not really a whiteney fan, but I have a feeling that she is going to win just because she is plus-size and they want a plus-size girl. I think anya definitely deserves the win the most though.
11 of 13 | Posted by kelseym13 | Posted on May 12, 2008 4:40 PM
WHY WHY does Tyra have to act so weird and try all these weird accents...just talk normal for GAWDs sake!
Fatima is too skinny...on a casting the designer even said that to her....and Whitney is a size 10 which in REAL life is not plus-size (Lane Bryant starts at a 14 or something)....I think Whitney will win. Oh, and Dominiques exit interview was so humble and nice, I was like "who is that?"
12 of 13 | Posted by melpladgett | Posted on May 14, 2008 5:55 AM
just wanted to note that anya does NOT have a speech impediment -- it's just that crazy hawaiian accent! haven't you heard hawaiians talk before?? holy crap! i know a lot of them and they all talk with that accent to varying degrees. i'd says hers is one of the worst i've heard, but not an impediment.
btw, that reminds me of my friend who was born in the UK. when she moved to a small town in the mid-west in elementary school she had a british accent and they thought it was a speech impediment. they made her get speech therapy. yeah.
13 of 13 | Posted by nyrlieht | Posted on May 14, 2008 8:45 PM