smoke and mirrors...(ANTM)

This week the ladies had their first photo shoot and challenge. The shoot was an anti-smoking ad (here goes Tyra, taking the high road), and the challenge was to find some essential wardrobe pieces in Old Navy (okay, somebody's brand is on the come-up).

The anti-smoking ad was actually two (two! two!) shoots in one. The first pose depicted the glamorous side of smoking; the girls were beautiful and sexy with cigarettes in tow. The second shot depicted them with one of the MANY DISEASES OR SIDE EFFECTS CAUSED BY SMOKING. Mr. Jay, with the help of technology, then combined (or as he likes to say "composited") the shots into one photo. He used the set-up of a mirror and it's reflection to show both images (one as "real" and one as reflected). Everyone looked beautiful, after all that's how they made it this far, but only a few really showed any modeling chops. (Granted, they haven't really been schooled yet, so these would be baby chops at best.) Sarah and Victoria did an excellent job, and so did Chantal. Lisa also rocked it out, and that's not even my favoritism talking. Heather didn't really pull off anything extraordinary, but luckily she's already striking. The panel did like her ghastly reflection though; Heather and Saleisha modeled together - showing the effects of secondhand smoke, and they were even called up together during panel. The two were nearly foils of each other - Heather the awkward beauty, and Saleisha the valedictorian of T-Zone Camp or "Self-Esteem U." By the way, Saleisha won the Old Navy challenge. Tyra told the girls that, overall, everyone's diseased/sickly images were really well done, but they need to work on being more convincingly pretty (I thought that was pretty funny considering...) Unfortunately, things weren't much prettier off the set either.

Ebony's role as villain did not play out this week; she was actually kind of timid and unremarkable. Bianca, on the other hand, had her colors flying high as Lisa's nemesis. In hair and make-up for the photo shoot, and again afterwards, she made off the cuff remarks about people's attitudes and their abilities. While the others ignored or kept quiet, Lisa was not trying to hear it. So she would respond in a manner that made it clear she wasn't backing down. As a result, Bianca had to go for the jugular after the photo shoot. Everyone was standing around when the two got into it, and Bianca tells Lisa that nobody wants an exotic dancer as America's Next Top Model; "What kind of role model is that?" she asks rhetorically, and proceeds to tell Lisa that she should just pack up and go home. Well! It didn't get physical, but Lisa was crying and yelling and swearing and the whole nine (for a minute I thought I was watching VH1). In a confessional, Lisa says that hers is a great story to be told, for how many people come from nothing and have to work hard to get to the place they want to be. Tu che, Lisa; I'm cheering for you even more. Lisa and Bianca's interaction so far has appeared to me like the personified relationship of these 2 great places, New York and Jersey.
Heather has been catching hell in the house as well, the girls wasted no time in preying on her unique position. Their lack of sensitivity is appauling. Do I expect Heather to receive special treatment? No, but saying stupid things like, "I don't want her to cling to me", and demanding that she educate your dumbass on her condition is totally unacceptable. I so hope Heather rocks it out, and I especially want her to be around longer that Kimberly (cling to that, heifer).

At panel, the girls were all critiqued, as usual. Ebony's timidity caused her to be in the bottom two, but it was Mila's chances that went up in smoke.