TV Recap: America’s Next Top Model – America’s Next Top Model Is…

By Charmaine P. Dennis: 2008-11-20 10:00:12

The Fierce Fourteen finalists have now been whittled down to the top three. Who will win the coveted crown of America’s Next Top Model? Will it be McKey, the cage fighter’s girl who has successfully transitioned from a clunky, mannish boxer to a sophisticated model who can’t quite handle a commercial? Or will it be Analeigh, the model wannabe with the acting chops and the alien-like beauty (read: strange face) whose skater’s body finally produced some cool poses? Or maybe it will be Samantha, the healthy goofball with the great spirit and the awful runway walk?

Tyra Post: “Makkeljik, Fris, Mooi! Love, Tyra”

Translation: “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful!” CoverGirl! Next to their Tyra Mail, the girls find their lines to memorize for the CG commercial, the first one being in Dutch – good luck pronouncing that. The following day, the girls meet Jay Manuel at the scene of their CG commercial shoot. ANTM Cycle 10 winner Whitney shows up, not to share genuine camaraderie and advice but to yet again robotically advertise CG makeup and introduce the product McKey, Samantha, and Analeigh will be selling: new Wetslicks AmazeMint lipgloss infused with Crest peppermint oil to freshen breath and brighten one’s smile.

Corny commercial scenario: three American girls on a European vacation spot a cute guy while on a boat ride; they bat their eyelashes at him, apply their lipgloss, and smile; then comes the kiss. This season, the girls have been doing of a lot of extra kissing with random male models, maybe more than we’ve seen in the past. I would’ve loved to see how they handled the situation if Isis had made it to the finale.

First up in the commercial shoot is Samantha. She nails the Dutch line. The English, however, is a little less easy to manage. She has trouble keeping eye contact with the camera and her energy appears stifled. At first, McKey is also stiff and nervous. Her previous attempt at a CG commercial was a total disaster and she fears a repeat performance. Jay thinks she sounds a lot better this time around but he can’t stand her head bobbing and shaking. Our final girl, Analeigh, previously dubbed the born actress who blew away Jay and the judges with her delivery in the first commercial, completely bombs! She freezes up and forgets all her lines. Once Jay feeds her lines to her one-by-one, she looks and sounds the best of all three. But her sloppy start is a major set-back.

Next, the girls cross the street to the studio to shoot their CoverGirl print ad with famed photographer Jim de Yonker. The girl who wins ANTM will have her photo in a national ad, a billboard in Times Square, and in Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Samantha struggles with her presence before the camera and how to be more imaginative with her poses, but Jim loves her energy. Analeigh’s greatest asset is her ability to work well with her body, but Jim doesn’t see much variety in her poses. McKey borrows Sam’s mantle and becomes the kooky girl of the trio on set, but Jim appreciates her strangeness. She just needs to rein in her crazy eyed look.

The next day, the first of the final three is eliminated: Analeigh. A surprising decision. Our top two, Samantha and McKey, are left to walk in a fashion show with designs by Addy van den Krommenacker.

Sam and McKey meet Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket to shoot their Seventeen Magazine cover. Then they head to the runway designed by Mr. Jay himself. And what was he thinking? It’s miles and miles long. There’s a hill the models need to run up in three-inch heels in order to gain the momentum to reach the top. There are Seussian twists, turns, and steps everywhere. And it’s all in fuschia. Sam drops the gauntlet and makes the claim that it’s going to be the best runway show ever! Um, can’t say I agree with that. Both girls look super awkward and nervous. It’s okay to still be a bit green, but at this point in the competition they should at least be able to walk. They both look like Frankenstein in eyeliner.

The runway show would’ve been hot with my dream duo: Sheena and Isis. Or maybe Sheena and Joslyn. Hell, it’d make me happy just to have Analeigh or Marjorie back. But c’est la vie. We’re stuck with dopey Sam who doesn’t even realize she must immediately get changed after her first walk down the runway in order to prepare for her second; instead, she hangs around to check out other models like Whitney and Holland’s Next Top Model winner Ananda do their thing, making herself late and halting the show. And we have to deal with McKey whose face I really don’t like much and whose walk I like even less. Well, at least the fashions are beautiful.

At final panel, the girls show up looking gorgeous in really stunning gowns. But one of them is about to have her heart broken and her dreams smashed. The other will win these amazing prizes: a contract with one of the top agencies in the world, Elite Model Management; a cover and six-page spread in Seventeen Magazine; and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics.

McKey
J. Alexander liked her first trip down the runway in the Krommenacker show, but absolutely loved her second walk, saying she appeared more secure. Tyra loved how she not only “gave good dress, but gave good face” when stopping to pose before the judges. Paulina Porizkova also liked her “long-legged gait.” Nigel Barker brings everyone back to reality by pointing out how she could use some more grace.

Samantha
The judges don’t really offer Sam much helpful criticism of her runway walk – don’t say it’s good, don’t say it’s bad. But Miss J. and Tyra think she worked the garment well in her second trip, especially the chiffon train trailing behind her. Tyra does tell her to be careful of her down-turned mouth – it has a tendency to transmit worry too easily and ruin an otherwise decent performance.

In the head-to-head portfolio comparison and overall critique, the judges quibble over who traveled the greatest journey from inexperienced girl to fashion star. Both girls have lovely height, but is McKey an elegant gazelle or Lurch from The Addams Family? We’ve heard all season long that McKey looks like a model, and Sam has come light years ahead to produce some incredibly good editorial shots, but is she too commercial?

Well, there can only be one girl on top. America’s Next Top Model is…

McKey!

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