America's Next Top Model

Originally aired on Wednesday, 10/4/2006 Episode Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars) Episode Overview: The girls work on their runway posture by walking a tightrope with Miss J. Alexander, while the feud between Melrose Bickerstaff and Monique Calhoun heats up. The girls then compete in a runway challenge with the winner appearing in a charity fashion show hosted by Dennis Quaid. A.J. Stewart wins and she, Megg Morales, and Caridee English fly to Texas to walk in the show. At the photo shoot, Monique complains of dehydration and decides to go home, while the girls test their runway skills on a shaky catwalk. During elimination the panel questions Monique's commitment and she's sent home.
Episode Highlights:

• Three girls fly to Texas to walk in a charity runway show.
• Monique's poor health forces her to pull out of the day's photo shoot.
• Monique's no-show raises questions about her commitment and she's sent home.

Recap: Stir-craziness sets in to the America's Next Top Model house as the girls set up a mattress slide on the staircase and take turns crashing into a pile of pillows. Watch out US Olympic bobsled team. Meanwhile, the war between Melrose and Monique rages on with Melrose criticizing Monique for not respecting other people. The girls meet runway coach Miss J. Alexander who tells them the secret to a great runway walk is balance and posture and what better way to challenge their balance and posture than by performing a little tightrope walking? First up is an anxious Caridee who says she "can't even walk a straight line dead sober,�? while the Sisters Babin, Amanda and Michelle, point out how tough it is to walk on your tiptoes with flat feet. Meanwhile, Melrose and Monique continue to snipe at each other. Big surprise I know. Back at the house, the feud between Melrose and Monique turns ugly when Monique barges in on Melrose claiming she had first dibs on the phone. Melrose responds by slamming the door in her face. This clearly does not sit well with Monique, as she tells her mother ("Momma I'm about to f**k a girl up!�?). Later that night, Monique extracts her revenge by rubbing her soiled undergarments all over Melrose's bed sheets, which if memory serves me right, was a major diss back at summer camp. Tyra-Mail tells the girls to prepare to "rock their own line�? and Brooke Miller suggests maybe they'll be designing their own dresses. Um, wrong show sweetheart. They meet Miss J. who struts down a cobblestone path wearing a giant poofy red dress with matching Halloween mask. He introduces America's Next Top Model Cycle 5 contestant Bre Scullark, one of the show's best walkers, now sporting a wild, fire-engine red perm. Miss J. explains the focus of this challenge is to walk a straight line on broken slabs of concrete in heels. Things start out a little, well, wobbly, with Megg "Rock and Roll!�? Turano, the Babin Sisters, and Melrose all stumbling through the challenge. Miss J. then informs them that today's winner and two friends will be flown to Austin, Texas to model in the Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend Fashion Show, an event that raises money for children's charities, and not Dennis Quaid as I initially assumed. A.J. is named the winner and chooses Megg and Caridee to join her, much to the chagrin of Brooke who was looking forward to spending a day in her hometown. A.J., Megg, and Caridee board a plane for the Lone Star State and are greeted at the fashion show by a host of former ANTM contestants. They give the girls some last minute words of advice and hit the runway. The girls hold their own with the Top Model alums and enjoy a great night of fashion that raised some much needed money for some needy kids. But whatever, back to the Monique show. Back in LA, Monique is stricken with fatigue and is rushed to the hospital. The doctor diagnoses her with dehydration and sends her home. The next day, Monique questions whether she can make it though the day's photo shoot. She eventually decides to tough it out and boards the van with the others. At the shoot, Jay Manuel tells the girls that instead of a traditional fashion shoot, the girls will instead be modeling down a runway with their photo being the pose they strike at the end of the catwalk. What's more, the catwalk is actually a wobbly series of loosely connected boards floating in the middle of a pool. Safe money says someone's going in the drink. During prep, Jay asks Monique about her health. She admits to being under the weather and accepts his offer to return to the house. With Monique gone the remaining girls take to the runway, the highlight of which has to be Caridee, or more to the point Caridee's boob, which made a guest appearance during her runway walk. Course, at least she didn't fall into the pool. The same can not be said for Eugena Washington who stumbles and winds up with one foot underwater. At panel, Tyra Banks tells the girls they still have one more runway challenge left, rocking their signature walk while balancing a plate of fruit on their heads. What follows is a hilarious montage of fruit bobbing, wobbling and eventually falling off the girls' heads. Miss J. is in hysterics; they've still got a long way to go. During review, the panel again harps on Eugena's blandness and questions Monique's dedication to the competition with Miss J. leading the panel in a stirring rendition of the old bluegrass classic, "Monique Don' Wanna be Here No Mo.'�? Tyra brings the girls back in and starts handing out photos. A.J. is first, followed by Jaeda Young, Brooke, Anchal Joseph, Michelle, Melrose, Megg, Amanda, and Caridee, leaving Monique and Eugena in the bottom two. Tyra says it's frustrating that neither of them can transfer their amazing beauty to a photo. She hands the last photo to Eugena, eliminating Monique who doesn't even bother hugging the rest of the group before walking out, adding credence to the theory that if the panel ever starts singing a ragtime ditty about you, you're probably screwed. -Scott K.