America's Next Top Model

Once again, as Tyra Banks told us about Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model, you might think you know, but you don't know, and I totally didn't know! Like some of you, I was completely under the impression that Sheena's story was being shaped around getting to the end.

You know what else I didn't anticipate? That the models would pose in the Red Light District! You know, like whores! Because nothing says “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful” like aping legalized prostitution.

Anyway, back to the elimination. Many of you are much savvier than I am, as it appeared our pre-show poll had most of you picking Sheena to go home. So kudos to those who are better tapped into the psyche of Tyra than I am.

Well, Sheena was usually entertaining, but not often that great in the photo shoots, so let's see where she landed with her last attempt.


Despite the criticisms of the judges, of all of the shoots, this one stood out to me immediate as the most high-fashion photo in the bunch. I can't imagine Marjorie could possibly win America's Next Top Model unless she…has some kind of confidence injection or otherwise gets some serious treatment for social anxiety stat. I'm not saying this to make fun of her or anybody else who suffers from that kind of nervousness, just that she might just be better served to have a career silently in front of the camera since she's so darn good at it.   I do hope she isn't going to be a one trick pony, though, and can bring more variety to the photos.


I know the judges loved it, and I agree that Analeigh did well in the shoot. But once again, her face – which is adorable and interesting – just does not translate to high fashion in the photograph. I really feel like it's still something she could achieve, and wonder if she did some quick study of fashion magazines, she could figure out a way to hold her features that was more convincingly “model-y.”


McKey also won praise from the judges, and maybe I am just being influenced by her mellow edit on the show but…I don't know. This is a solid picture, but there is something still kind of…limp about McKey's energy. For someone who is involved in an intense sport like mixed martial arts, she seems to bring a more languid vibe to her shoots. I would like to see her break through that and be a bit more electric in her shoots. She could do everything else exactly the same, but that excitement is what's missing.



This is such a weird picture of Elina, I can't decide if I love it or hate it. Or maybe I both love and hate it. Unlike Paulina Porizkova, I love the arm placement (looks like she's playing a harp and I thought it was creative), but I hate the foot position. Love how gorgeous she always looks, hate the zombie eyes and tight mouth. I finally understand how the undecided voters feel.



I totally disagreed with the judges on this. I still really like Samantha as a person and think she is cute as a button. But to me, this photo looks contrived and misses the mark.  I wish she could regain the ease and style she had at the “Natural Disasters” shoot. It's like she accidentally tapped into some savant modeling knowledge at the beginning of the Cycle that helped her overcome her relatively lack of fashion knowledge. But rather than staying with her instincts, she started overthinking everything and now we get this.


I think for a photo to leave us on, this is not the worst that Sheena's done. Like the judges, I think her face is showing something more interesting and model-y than we've seen in a while. Connection with the camera, some vulnerability, hints of a backstory. She almost looks like the famous logo for the musical Les Miserables. If you could mix what she's bringing from an interesting energy perspective with McKey's high-fashion look and posing, you'd have a pretty great model.

What did you think?





- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Images courtesy of CW)