America’s Next Top Model – Planes, Trains and Slow Automobiles

CW

(Season 11, Episode 10)

Tyra must sit at home watching a lot of reality TV, because this week’s episode started out as a poor-man’s version of The Amazing Race. The girls had a mini challenge with Daphne Deckers, the host of Holland’s Next Top Model, in which they had to run around and find their way to their apartment. Samantha and Elina formed an uneasy team, but managed to get there first and win 50 extra frames for the photo shoot. It looked for a while like they would put their past differences behind them and become friends, but that quickly proved not to be the case.

Since they’re in Amsterdam, the topic of sex workers obviously came up in the house. Samantha took the position that selling oneself in a window is degrading, whereas Elina seemed to be of the mindset that if that’s the choice they make, more power to them. Regardless of which one you agree with, I definitely get the feeling that Elina is the type of person who chooses her side on any given issue just to be contrary.

Continuing with the sex work theme, the second challenge this week involves the contestants modeling clothes in the same windows in which Amsterdam’s prostitutes model… themselves. Everyone keeps saying how controversial it is, which I don’t get. When it comes down to it, Tyra didnt’ take these girls and make them into sex slaves so that she can actually make some money off of them–they’re just modeling some clothes in a window. They’re not hookers, they’re just hooker-adjacent.

The girls had to work in teams for this challenge as well, and Sam managed to pull off another win with her partner, McKey. I think everyone has been underestimating little Samantha, but she’s proving to be quite the contender. She only furthers this during the photo shoot. She may show up to panel looking like a somewhat slutty soccer mom, but she pulled out an editorial photo.

The shoot itself went pretty well for everyone. There wasn’t a single instance in which Jay was completely disappointed in someone’s shoot. However, both Elina and Sheena stumbled. Elina when she acted kind of bitchy and dismissive of Jay, and Sheena, when she tried to make sweet hootchie love to the sailboat.

In reading your comments from the last episode, I know I’m not the only one who watches the photo shoots and feels like there’s no way the “best” photo is actually the best one from the batch in many cases. For instance, Annaleigh had some amazing poses, but the one they chose was just “eh,” and although the judges didn’t comment on it, her face looked kind of busted to me.

Sheena’s was another one. They chose a really boring pose for her. I know they wouldn’t have used the one where she was kicking her leg up or straddling the beam, but it did seem like she had some more interesting photos in that batch.

Here is the order in which the photos were handed out:

McKey (2nd challenge winner)

Annaleigh

Marjorie

Samantha (1st and 2nd challenge winner)

Elina (1st challenge winner)

Sheena’s luck finally ran out. It was really just a matter of time, as the judges have been gunning for her since the very beginning. I see where they were coming from with their “too sexy” comments, but in watching the episodes, I always felt as though she pretty much managed to reign it in for the actual photos, if not in person. I guess sometimes people just see what they want to see.

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Oct 29, 2008 @ 23:59 EST5EDT