She‘s ba-aaaack! America‘s Next Top Model cycle 15 premiered tonight, and once again Tyra and her crew wittled down their pool of tall, thin beauties to just the right group of 14 tall, thin beauties whom they‘ll test, tweak and mold until one is crowned a Top Model. Now in its fifteenth cycle, you may have worried that ANTM is entering the geriatric phase of its TV lifecycle--those golden twilight years before the sweet release of death (cancellation). But I‘m happy to report that, for all the love/hate feelings I possess for Tyra, her egomaniacal gang of minions and their ridiculous television program that is often about anything but modeling, after watching tonight‘s premiere, I‘m fairly convinced: Top Model will only jump the shark when Tyra tells it to jump that shark. With this new cycle 15, she‘s managed to revitalize and re-legitimize her modeling competition while still maintaining the elements that we love: The drama. The costumes. The self-discovery. The tears. And, of course, the Jays.
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Next week on America‘s Next Top Model, Tyra will put her 14 high-fashion-aspiring finalists to the test with quite the tall order (pun very much intended): A runway way, way, waaaay up in the air, where they‘ll have to model Diane von Furstenberg outfits without turning into human Hindenburgs. (With the falling. And the dying. Sorry.)Here are your Top Model sneak peeks for the week. And keep on peeking below the videos for more about next week‘s episode, which I had the privilege and pleasure of previewing before it airs next Wednesday, September 15 at 8pm on the CW.
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Next week on America‘s Next Top Model brings our favorite part of the season: Makeovers!Who will cry and who will come away with a hot new "high-fashion" look to wow the judges? These clips only tease and tantalize our thoughts on what each of the remaining 13 models will look like after the Jays have their way with them ... but they do reveal we‘re in for the one big staple of every makeover episode: Lots of tears. Check out these videos and next week‘s episode description to find out what‘s coming next on Top Model.
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model: Tyra‘s chosen 14 finalists move into their new home and get right to work, first on a neon runway at the top of a building, and then on their first photo shoot about teen bullying.Who thrived under the mile-high pressure, and who fell flat? (Without the "splat"?) All the details and the color commentary await you ...
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It‘s makeover time on America‘s Next Top Model! O, happy day!And as if the day isn‘t stressful enough on Tyra‘s models-to-be, some within their ranks decide to pull a simple yet twisted prank to get the rest of the girls riled up before their time in the hair chair. Who flourished and who flopped in their fallen angels photo shoot? Keep reading ...
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Terra White, the 24-year-old Arlington, Texas native who joined her younger sister Chris as part of the America‘s Next Top Model cycle 15 cast this season, was in for quite a shock during last night‘s episode--even after Tyra‘s stylists chopped off all her hair. The surprise? Makeover day was an elimination day for the remaining thirteen contestants, with Tyra‘s right-hand men Jay Manuel and J. Alexander deciding which girl didn‘t rock the new look she‘d just been given. When it came down to the final call, the Jays said Terra didn‘t have the posing skills to live up to her style, so they sent her home immediately, leaving her heartbroken sister to fight for the title in a challenging fallen angel photo shoot.I spoke to Terra this morning about her experience on Top Model, from trying out with her sister to her frustrating elimination:
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Despite having undergone the most drastic makeover in the bunch, Sara Blackamore, a full-timemother from Menifee, California, was the second America‘s Next Top Model contestant booted from the competition last night. But it wasn‘t her darker locks and lighter brows that did Sara in: Instead it was a challenging photo shoot inspired by fallen angels. Instead of looking heavenly, most of the models appeared uncomfortable and confused, leading Tyra to proclaim the shoot "almost" an all-out failure. Unfortunately for Sara, her performance was deemed the worst among the bunch, and she was sent home.I had the chance to chat with Sara this morning about everything from her drastic makeover to the challenges she faced in the fallen angel photo shoot:
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If there‘s a pattern so far this week in the ratings, it‘s that CBS is still the top dog. On Wednesday night the network had the highest-rated shows in all three hours of prime time and The Defenders became the season‘s third highest-rated new show of the season (behind Hawaii Five-0 and Mike and Molly, both also on CBS).
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Yeeeeeesh. I don‘t normally watch Australia‘s Next Top Model (mainly because American TV is enough for me to handle as-is, and America‘s Next Top Model is enough models vying to be next on top as-is) but I‘m glad someone pointed me toward last night‘s Australian Top Model finale, because it manages to top even Tyra‘s most epic awkwardness, and is so second-hand embarrassing that it will turn your heart upside-down and throw it across the planet. (Look! Now your heart is in Australia.)Before a live studio audience at the finale, Aussie-NTM host Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner. Who then gave an acceptance speech. And consoled and hugged the "loser," who gave a consolation speech. And THEN Sarah got word in her earpiece that she had announced the wrong winner. Australia‘s Next Top WHOOPS! Watch what happened (spoiler alert if you watch this show, duh):
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Check out these sneak peeks of tomorrow‘s America‘s Next Top Model episode, in which the eleven remaining models are put to the (asinine and unrelated) test: Posing mid-ride on a rollercoaster!
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model: It‘s all about professionalism. Whether you‘re riding a roller coaster at Knott‘s Berry Farm with Joe the Plumber or being posed as an "Elizabethan mermaid" (whatever that means) by the godlike Matthew Rolston, it‘s important to always act--and look--your best.Just ask Tyra:
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Despite her vocal concerns that she was getting outshined by frontrunner Ann, her direct competition, Rhianna Atwood‘s elimination still came as quite a surprise last night on America‘s Next Top Model. She‘d shined during last week‘s fallen angel photo shoot, but now here she was, being told by Tyra that her performance in the undersea photo shoot showed a lack of versatility, as her fellow models looked on and shed quite a few tears.I had the chance to chat with Rhianna and found out why her competitors were so enamored, not just of her unique look, but also of her sweet, thoughtful personality. Despite agreeing with the consensus that she was booted too early, she had only nice things to say about her time on Top Model:
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model, Karolina Kurkova isn‘t just the guest judge--she‘s also the girls‘ guest mentor.Kurkova certainly has the resume to back up any advice she might bestow on the Top Model girls. The 26-year-old Czech native is a bona fide super model, and has worked with just about every major fashion name out there: Victoria‘s Secret, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior, Versace, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and the list goes on. Beyond judging their wrestling-inspired photos tonight, Kurkova makes it her personal mission to get Tyra‘s apprentices to eat better. Kurkova discussed her Top Model appearance in a media conference call yesterday, and it sounds like she had her work cut out for her: "I mean they were showing me how they cooked fried Oreos," said Kurkova, "which was - I‘ve never even heard that it existed."Read on for more from supermodel Karolina Kurkova on her Top Model experience, what she thought of the girls‘ prospects in the modeling world, their eating habits, and what she thinks of Tyra‘s show:
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It really was only a matter of time before Top Model ditched its new, more reserved, hoity-toity high fashion airs for Tyra‘s tried and true theatrics. Tonight, we got twice the insanity to make up for lost time: A conveyor belt (of love?) runway challenge AND a Mexican Wrestling photo shoot. It‘s like ANTM Christmas in October! (Sidenote: Imagine Tyra in a Santa suit. Terrifying.) I feel like we should actually give Tyra some credit for waiting until episode 5 to really unleash the ridiculousness. That‘s a level of self-restraint I would not have expected, even with (fancy accent time) ITAAAALian VOOOHHgue on the line. But as a viewer and a blogger and a believer in the art of the screencap, all I have to say is: F***ING FINALLY.Actually, that‘s not even close to all I have to say. TO THE RECAP!
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I try not to dwell on the fact that the reality contestants I write about might actually read what I say about them. I‘m not a fan of hurting anyone‘s feelings, but I like to think there‘s an implicit agreement between reality stars and viewers that makes lighthearted mockery acceptable. If you get to be on TV, we get to make fun of you. Seems fair, right?It‘s only once you talk to the reality star you mocked over the phone that things get a little ... awkward. Because that‘s when you remember: Oh yeah, these reality characters? They‘re people. Who have the internet. And can read. And if you were on a reality show, wouldn‘t you google your name to see what the blogs were bloggin‘ about you? And if you found a blogger who called you a "s***stirrer" (which, I admit, is a real "pot, kettle, black" thing to say) and then got that blogger on the phone, wouldn‘t you want to mention it? I know I would. It turns out Lexie Tomchek, who was eliminated from America‘s Next Top Model last night, would do the same thing. Because that is what she did when we talked today. And I couldn‘t be happier that she did, because it broke our conversation wide open and showed just who she really is: Honest, aware, and willing to make fun of herself, even the moments she may wish hadn‘t aired on America‘s Next Top Model this season. Even when the subject turned to her heated feud with Kacey, Lexie was forthright: She still doesn‘t like Kacey, and she told me exactly why. That kind of honesty is bound to stir things up in a modeling competition. But it‘s also refreshing. And makes these interviews a whole lot more entertaining. So, thanks Lexie!Lexie and I talked about a lot more than her "s***stirring," including her final photo shoot, makeover, and her feud with Kacey. Here‘s what she had to say:
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model: Fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier does his best to make the remaining nine models Vogue-worthy in a Rodeo Drive photo shoot. And Tyra stops by to give some hands-on guidance. Check it out below, and tune in at 8pm tonight on the CW for the full episode. (Be sure to check back here after for the recap!)
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model: It‘s a low- and high-class cocktail. First, the girls head to Wal-Mart to pitch Covergirl cosmetics to the masses. Then, famed fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier joins them in a high-end, high fashion Rodeo Drive photo shoot.Plus, you‘ll never guess who gets best photo of the week. Never ever, in a million years, if you‘ve seen a single episode of Top Model this season, will you at all remotely be able to guess who gets first callout. NEVER.SPOILER ALERT: That was sarcasm. On to the recap:
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It‘s unusual for Tyra and her judges to send home the defending challenge champion on America‘s Next Top Model, but, unfortunately for Kacey, the 20-year-old dance teacher from Palmdale, CA, they made an exception last night. After Kacey had wowed the crowd at the Covergirl challenge but failed to connect in her photo shoot with Patrick Demarchelier, she was the sixth girl eliminated from the competition--while Ann, who bombed the challenge but aced the shoot, got her fifth consecutive win.I had the chance to chat with Kacey today about her time on Top Model, including the drama surrounding her in the house, why she was so devastated to get eliminated, and who she thinks should be crowned America‘s Next Top Model and cover Italian Vogue. Here‘s what she had to say:
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model episode 15.7: The girls compete for the illustrious title of "Grammy Girl," and then portray eight iconic fashion designers in their photo shoot. Plus: Ann‘s winning streak is finally threatened. Who will be onstage handing out an award at this year‘s Grammys? Who looked totally silly as a man? Who finally gave Ann a run for her money at panel? Read on for that and more, dear reader. But FIRST: Please look at this Halloween-inspired slideshow of 50 More Scary Tyra Faces. As in, Part II. Now we have an even hundred! (Documented. Lord only knows how many scary Tyra faces have gone undocumented. The mind boggles.)
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Today is apparently International Caps Lock Day on the Internet, and the BuddyTV writers aren‘t just celebrating: We‘re cele-berating, by using our caps lock key to virtually yell at the people on TV who piss us off.They may be kind of hard to read, but isn‘t that the point? It‘s clear these characters are in need of some serious tough love. Read them, then try your own!
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Tonight on America‘s Next Top Model: Zac Posen, a legitimate fashion designer, is gracious enough to include Tyra‘s wannabes in his runway show. High fashion cycle 15! But then Tyra goes and sticks the girls in the silliest "commercial" ever made. Poor Nigel Barker. You‘re too classy and British for this.
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Remember when you laughed so hard at Michael Scott on The Office that beer shot out of your nose? Or the time you caught yourself actually singing along during Glee? Or how about when you couldn‘t stop cringing at Dexter‘s latest slice of life? So many TV moments are too great to share with just your couch cushions. And now thanks to BuddyTV, there‘s an app for that. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 28, the BuddyTV app is available for free download in Apple‘s iTunes store, enabling you to connect with other viewers of your favorite shows, share your thoughts on new and past episodes and see what fellow fans have to say. All from the comfort of wherever -- and whenever -- you‘re watching.
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Hailing from Massachusetts but born in Israel, brunette beauty Esther Petrack was memorable on this cycle of America‘s Next Top Model for several reasons: First, she took this gorgeous photo at right with fashion photographer Matthew Rolston, easily one of my favorites, if not #1, from the season so far. More on that below. She also entered the cast with a splash, revealing to the judges her 30G chest size and that she is an observing Orthodox Jew. She promised neither would get in her way as a model--and they didn‘t.What got in Esther‘s way, surprisingly enough, was that the judges deemed her not memorable during the all-important photo shoots. I had the chance to chat with Esther, who‘s currently back in Israel, on the phone this morning about her time on Top Model, including what the other girls in the house thought of her, and what she thought of their latest challenge, a crazy commercial shoot on skates. Here‘s what she had to say:
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