Originally aired on Wednesday, 09/27/2006
Episode Rating: *** (3 out of 5 stars)
Episode Overview: The girls are treated to fresh new makeovers by Fredric Fekkai, but some diva attitudes cause Jay Manuel to walk out in disgust. The next day the girls compete in a makeup challenge where they're evaluated by none other than Queen Latifah who names
Eugena Washington the winner. Back at the house,
Monique Calhoun angers the rest of the cast by hogging the phone and getting into a fight with
Anchal Joseph. The girls' next photo shoot finds them modeling crazy wigs and hairpieces and while Anchal and
Melrose Bickerstaff come off like sexy peacocks,
Megan Morris and
Jaeda Young get lost behind the neon. During elimination, Megan and Jaeda are left in the bottom two and Megan is sent home.
Episode Highlights:
- The girls meet Queen Latifah and are given fresh new looks by Fredric Fekkai.
- The girls model wacky hairpieces on their second photo shoot.
- Megan and Jaeda both deliver bland photos and Megan is eliminated.
Recap:
The girls get a Tyra-Mail telling them to meet the two J.'s (Alexander and Manuel) for breakfast. The girls mention how much they're all looking forward to makeovers while Miss J. Alexander points out that every girl can't wait for makeovers until they face the scissors and start crying. Hmmm, I wonder if he's foreshadowing something?
Upon returning to the Top Model house, the girls are surprised by Tyra Banks who leads them into their living room which has been converted into a full salon. Tyra introduces world-renowned hair stylist Fredrick Fekkai and tells them today they'll each be getting fresh new looks. Brunettes Melrose and Megan both go blonde. Eugena,
CariDee English and
Megg Morales all get extensions, while twins
Michelle and
Amanda Babin both become redheads, you know, so you can tell them apart easier. The girls hit the styling chairs and, as Miss J. predicted, it doesn't take long for the tears to start flying. Jaeda worries she's not going to pull off her new short haircut, Melrose can't fathom being a blonde, and
A.J. Stewart can't stand her new, softer style. But no one struggles more than resident drama queen Monique who breaks down in the bathroom marking the second consecutive week a Top Model girl has wound up in the bathroom crying. None of this sits well with Jay Manuel whose near-infinite patience is wearing thin. He chastises the girls for being disrespectful towards a master stylist and walks out.
The next morning the girls meet a calmer Jay in the lobby of a posh Los Angeles hotel who presents them with a makeup challenge. The group will have thirty seconds to grab the makeup that best suits them and make it into the elevator before the door shuts. Any girl not on the elevator before time runs out will be disqualified, sort of like CoverGirl meets American Gladiators. Jay starts the clock and the girls stampede the makeup counter, grabbing lipstick and eyeliner by the handful and rushing for the elevator. With seconds remaining, Megg sprints for the elevator, but the door closes right in front of her and she's eliminated. One down, eleven to go. On the second floor the girls have thirty seconds to pick out dresses. They all rush to the racks and make it back in time. On the final floor, filled with shoes and accessories, Monique gets left behind and the look in her eyes says there's hell to pay. Something tells me it's going to be a rough night in the Top Model house. Meanwhile, the remaining girls meet with a Cover Girl executive who turns out to be (gasp) 'Taxi' and 'Barbershop 2' star Queen Latifah! Her Highness evaluates the girls to determine who put together the best look under pressure. Eugena is named the winner and chooses Jaeda and Caridee to appear with her in a photo shoot for the CoverGirl website.
Back at the house, Monique is pissed, as usual, and locks herself in the phone booth, which causes problems with Melrose who needs to call her landlord about her rent. An hour and a half later Monique is still on the phone and Amanda speculates that's she's just getting back at them for her being DQ'ed. Finally, Anchal confronts Monique about respecting others but it does little good and Monique stays on the phone for another two hours.
Tyra-Mail tells the girls their next photo shoot will have something to do with wigs, because what better way to show off their new hair styles then with, um, wigs? At the shoot, Jay Manuel introduces the weavologists behind Hair Wars, wild wigs and hairpieces that includes everything from windmills to parakeets; I think I even say the Virgin Mary in their somewhere. The girls get outfitted with their mini-modern art pieces and step in front of the camera. Anchal, Caridee, and Melrose all manage to break through the craziness, while Megan and Jaeda get lost behind the neon mohawks and spinning doughnut curls.
The girls meet the panel for their second judging. Anchal, Melrose and the Sisters Babin all get high marks for taking those wacky hairpieces and making them look hip and modern. However, they find Eugena, Monique, Jaeda and Megan's pictures bland and uninteresting. The judges deliberate, the girls are brought back in, and Tyra starts handing out photos. First is Melrose, who Tyra compliments for rebounding from last week's near elimination. Next is Anchal, then Amanda, Michelle, A.J., Caridee,
Brooke Miller, Eugena, Megg and Monique, leaving Jaeda and Megan in the bottom two. Tyra says they both failed to step out from behind all that crazy hair, but perhaps one of them can still be found. She gives the last photo to Jaeda, eliminating Megan who says she wishes she could have shown more character in front of the judges.
-Scott K.