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We are down to the final six, and ever more tension begins to surface between country-mates. First we learn that Laura can't stand Eboni, in part because she's so vain. She probably thinks this recaplet is about her! And continuing a trend that we've seen in the last few episodes, Alisha and Sophie do not seem all that fond of each other. Perhaps everyone will get along better when they get to their international destination of Macau! Yes, that's right. Nigel delivers Chinese food with giant fortune cookies, and the girls learn that they're going to Macau, y'all, and subsequently hop on a plane. As they settle into their fly new penthouse at the MGM Macau, Alisha gets pissed that Sophie took her dresses out of her suitcase and put them on the floor. That is really a weird thing to do, though I think Alisha is really lashing out because Sophie has been doing so well in the competition.
Soon after their arrival, the ladies head to meet Clement Chan, Chinese astrologer extraordinaire. He walks them through the five elements - fire, wood, water, earth and metal -- and gives each model a reading to explain their prominent elements and what's missing. Alisha learns that she is close to her mom, can be stubborn or arrogant, and is going to have to make a sacrifice in the area of family or work. Laura is emotional, but tries to be strong on the outside. Her element is metal, and she needs water. People are jealous of Sophie, because she's going to be famous. Still, she needs fire. Catherine is dull and obviously going to be eliminated. There's no sense wasting much time on her reading. Annaliese is a great entertainer, and Eboni can look forward to things getting better with her family. There's a challenge tacked on to this experience, in which the girls have to make themselves a whole new aura out of makeup, accessories, and fabric. And they must do it all in ten minutes! Laura wins and earns herself a spa treatment back at the MGM. She picks Eboni to accompany her, which makes for a very awkward afternoon. Maybe she was just trying to be zagalicious in her choices? [It seemed like maybe she was coerced, as Eboni was her "teammate." - Angel]
For the week's photo shoot, the girls wear silk couture dresses from Designer Barney Cheng that are accessorized by real live silkworms! They are squirmy and crawly, and of course Laura loves them. She even wants to make out with a silkworm, because that's how she rolls. While Laura excels mainly because of her crackling sexual tension with the worm and gets best picture in the process, most of the other girls are mediocre at best. Eboni is neckless in a lovely pink dress and Sophie is just meh, but it's Catherine and Alisha who land in the bottom two. In the end it's Queen Catherine who gets the boot for her inability to evoke non-death-based sadness. It's not all bad news for her, though, since she'll at least finally have a chance to do something with that hair.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The US took another hit as Seymone and her whining ways got the boot. Now, there are twice as many models from the UK remaining, with the US team being down to the non-dynamic duo of Laura and Eboni. And, bonus! They hate each other! I am proud of my countrywomen for showing the true American commitment to good bitchery.
It is a lovely day in L.A. as the models return home to see Alisha's best-of-week Hello Kitty dominatrix photo displayed as digital art. Alisha reminds us that she's been up and down throughout the competition, so is savoring this moment of being on top (na na na na na na -- anyone else miss the old theme song?). Eboni, meanwhile, narrowly escaped elimination, and tells us that her plan going forward is to remain youthful. This, of course, means that she'll wear ponytails all the time even though she looks so much better with all of her ratty weave pulled back in a bun.
Laura tells us that, in her opinion, Seymone was a stronger model and deserved to stay. Eboni has skated through by the skin of her 30-Never molars, but, Laura tells us, there are no more chances. It turns out that Eboni is more perceptive than we had anticipated, and suspects that Laura doesn't like her. This is based on evidence including some hard-core glowering. Alisha decides to be the great clarifier on this matter, and asks Laura (in front of Eboni) whether she likes Eboni or not. Laura responds with a dry, "Not particularly," and says that Eboni can be sickeningly vain. Apparently, she preens at her own reflection a lot, and also tends to talk down to people. Annaliese co-signs on the assessment of Eboni's vanity. Maybe she's just trying to get her ponytails right? I can't hate on anyone who constantly looks in a mirror, because I've almost walked into telephone poles while trying to check out my hair in a car window.
Nigel shows up at the house with bags and bags of Chinese food. I kind of miss having a girl around with severe body issues to freak out at this development. Everyone sits around the table and eats, and Nigel tells the models that the most important thing for him is having at least a little bit of life in the eyes. Annaliese, meanwhile, has some sort of crazy reflective eyeliner right in the middle of her lids, which makes her look like a googly-eyed demon every time she blinks. Is that enough life in the eyes for you? But enough about modeling. There are gargantuan fortune cookies that the girls must open in front of Nigel. Catherine's says, "Beauty is ageless but not timeless." Sophie's fortune is, "Keep your friends close and the envious closer." A totally non-envious Alisha tells us that no one would ever be envious of Sophie. Who's envious? Not Alisha. Even though Sophie gets all the good feedback. But why would totally not-envious Alisha ever be envious of that? Envy? Ha.
Annaliese's fortune says, "You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?" A subtle dig at her runway skills! I like it. Laura's is, "A hard edge makes for smooth sailing," while Alisha's says, "It's a long fall from the top." Sophie is definitely NOT envious of that sucky fortune cookie. Eboni's fortune says, "For what you lack in maturity, you make up in youth." Now that has the syntactical ring of an actual fortune cookie. And then Nigel smashes open his fortune cookie with aplomb. This is probably why he got fired. He releases the fortune inside, which reads, "Your fortune awaits you in Macau!" Confetti appears from nowhere, and models cry with excitement as Nigel tells them that Macau is one of the most beautiful islands in Asia. There is more excitement and screaming as Nigel tells them that they're going RIGHT NOW! This means that everyone gets to pack and jump up and down simultaneously. While all this is happening, we get a little moment in which Catherine tells us her hopes that this competition will give her modeling career a boost. Yeah, she's toast. Eboni, meanwhile, is not particularly excited that she's going to have to be on a plane with five bitches for fifteen hours. Load up on those sleeping pills, honey!
After a break, the girls take a three-second animated plane to Macau! I am on an airplane as I type this, and I can tell you it's not nearly so efficient. Also, the lady to me is reading Fifty Shades of Grey and whispering conspiratorially into her husband's ear. And they just used their drink coupons. My giant metaphorical fortune cookie fortune simply says, "OH NO." The models are all appropriately wowed by Macau (Mac-wowed?), and thankfully there is not a culturally illiterate ingrate in the bunch. I credit the high percentage of Brits. For some reason, at this moment we get to learn more about Laura's alcoholic parents. They were alcoholics. Oh, you want more detail? Apparently their alcoholism surfaced when Laura was about nine, and from that point forward they became very secluded. Laura wants to be an example for her parents, who are probably too drunk to even see what a great experience she's having.
You know who else had a rough childhood? Yes, Eboni. I know we've heard about Laura and Eboni's painful childhoods in at least four episodes, but bear with me. Eboni lived in her grandma's attic, and had to sleep on a blow-up mattress. Probably a low-quality one, because they were so poor. Eboni then tells us that she got a full ride to the University of Washington, but put it on hold to pursue modeling. Well, at least we know that Eboni makes youthfully horrible decisions. In contrast to the rough lives we've heard about previously, Sophie had a great upbringing. However, when she left home she had no financial support from her parents. She's worked hard as a waitress and model and hostess, and is grateful for everything she has now, and for this experience. But did she have to sleep on a blow-up mattress while waitressing? I would ponder this, except that now the middle aged Fifty Shades of Grey couple are clutching hands and snuggling and watching The Hangover 2! Oh no, indeed!
The ladies end up at the MGM Hotel, where they get a really spectacular greeting from dragons and dancers and some singing guy who is probably big in Macau. Jay Manuel is there to welcome them, along with MGM Macau VP Toby Leung, and Head of Tourism Product Division Isabel Augusto. So, the dignitaries really came out for this one. The models are escorted to their new digs at the MGM, which are typically spectacular. There are giant pictures of Tyra everywhere, just to underscore the fact that Eboni is not, in fact, the vainest person these girls have ever met. Also, reminder: Alisha is poor too, and loves her mom a lot. We don't get too much information about Annaliese's family background, but she does tell us that in London her main focus is presenting, and she's got her own radio show. Can we hire someone to pipe that radio show into Kelly Cutrone's house at random intervals throughout the day? Though her focus has been presenting, Annaliese's strong showing in this competition has made her realize that modeling might be more of a possibility.
The models unpack, and we learn that Sophie is the big slob of the bunch. Alisha notices that one of her dresses is on the floor halfway across the room. Sophie had apparently taken some clothes out of Alisha's suitcase so she could dress up as Alisha. That... really is pretty dumb, though probably not quite the horrible offense that Alisha seems to feel it is. Sophie apologizes, but this doesn't stop Alisha from going on and on and on about it for what seems like hours. Poor Catherine and Annaliese, who have also emerged from a 15-hour flight, have to hear it all. Annaliese tells us that Alisha is good at getting on her high horse, and sometimes thinks she's the leader of the bunch. As Sophie claims not to care, Alisha confessionalizes that she should watch out, because she's about to wash out some bitches. What does that even mean? I'm sure most of them actually could use a bath, if that has anything to do with it.
After a break, there is Tyra Mail: "Your face is your fortune. Can you change your destiny? Fierce and love, Tyra." Though Eboni wonders if they're about to embark on a Cover Girl-related outing, the girls instead wind up at the Chee Hon Monastery. J. Alexander is there, of course, in full finery. Maybe he was fired because the wardrobe budget couldn't accommodate him anymore? He tells the girls that they need all the help they can get with fame and fortune, and introduces Chinese astrologer Clement Chan, who in turn introduces all of the students at the monastery who are studying with him. Clement explains that the Chinese believe everything is bound to five elements: fire, wood, water, earth, and metal. He's going to do a reading for the girls, to talk about which elements they are and what's missing. Alisha is up first, and Clement brings up her horoscope on an iPad. Is that legit? It's part face reading, part horoscope, and part aura. Wait, there's an aura app? I'd pay a dollar for that.
From looking at her portfolio, Clement can tell that Alisha is very close to her family, and especially her mom. This is of course true, and Alisha cries as Clement tells her that she might have to make sacrifices either in the area of family, or the area of work. Alisha also needs a little more black, gray and blue in her life, and Clement tells her that she can also be stubborn or arrogant at times. Sophie agrees, and then says, "She's not my strongest competition. I don't know if she's anyone's strongest competition." Oooh, girrrrrrrl.
, Clement tells Laura that she's a very emotional person who tries to be strong on the outside. He wants her to be herself. Laura's primary element is metal, and she needs water. I would take that literally, as she always has a bit of a dehydrated air about her. Clement can tell that Sophie has positive energy, and is destined to be famous. However, the cost will be jealousy. Cut to Alisha. I guess Clement couldn't tell by her reading that she is absolutely not envious. Sophie is a metal who needs more fire, so should wear red clothing. Catherine is also a metal, and needs more wood in her life. He does not acknowledge the double entendre, and simply tells her to wear green. Annaliese is a great entertainer, and even the class clown. Clement can tell that she likes to talk. Annaliese's primary element is wood, and water complements wood. Eboni is , and Clement tells her that although she has a youthful energy, her childhood was a mess. There's no way this guy didn't get notes. Eboni asks if things will get better with her family, and Clement says that they will. She should focus on the competition, remember that she's still young, and not be too harsh on herself. To aid in this, she probably shouldn't listen to Laura.
With the readings done, Miss J. points the girls in the direction of tables containing makeup, accessories, and fabric. They will have ten minutes to create a new aura with these materials, and the girl who is most improved will win a spa treatment (with a friend!) at the MGM. Laura's strategy is to go simple, to offset the chaos in her life, and so she strips her jewelry and dresses in a simple black scarf. Meanwhile, Sophie names Laura as her strongest competition, and says that she'd like for the two of them to be in the finals. Blondes unite! Catherine is having a hard time trying to figure out how to wear the scarf/fabric thingy, and so winds up with a lot of bra showing.
The models each parade in front of Jay and Clement and give a little speech about what they did. Alisha wore a gray scarf, because Clement told her she should wear gray. Inventive! Laura says that the simple form of herself is the best form of herself, and Clement tells her that he can already feel some changes in her energy. Sophie went for bohemian red plus undergarments, to express her fire and passion for winning the competition. Catherine went so far in her efforts to green herself up that she's wearing green lipstick. Clement tells her that this is not a great option, I think less for astrological reasons than fashion ones. Annaliese's wood and water outfit is a hit, and Eboni goes with a red and purple ensemble to represent the fire that she needs to bring out. Clement says that everyone did well in this useless challenge, but the winner is Laura. In a move that further complicates her aura, she chooses Eboni to share in the prize with her. Since they dislike each other, it's a bit of an awkward girls' day out.
When everyone gets back to the house, there is more Tyra Mail. "Prepare to meet some smooth operators. Fierce and love, Tyra." Though the ladies think their shoot might have something to do with dragons, when they meet up with Jay Manuel, he tells them that they'll be wearing gowns made of one of China's most famous fabrics: silk. They'll also be "accessorized" with the producers of silk. Yes, that would be silkworms. And boy, silkworms really are nasty looking little creatures, aren't they? As the girls squirm in the manner of a squirmy slimy silkworm, we head to commercials.
When we return, Jay tells the models that he really wants to see emotion in their eyes, and not just body language. If that emotion is "squick," then so be it. The photographer for the day is Paul Tsang. The girls head to hair and makeup, and we get a glimpse of the gorgeous dresses. Alisha wants to get used to the silkworm feeling, so picks a silkworm/model named Edwin out of the big silkworm box. Edwin has walked the runway for such high-end shows as Worm Wormerfeld and Wormes St. Wormant, so is truly a collaborator of the highest stature. Sophie asks Edwin to smize, and he does even through what appears to be a bandage on his head. That is very avant-garde.
We get a glimpse of Barney Cheng, who designed all of the gorgeous silk dresses and also Edwin's head bandage. Eboni tells us that Barney is one of Forbes' most influential designers from Hong Kong, and I would add that he just seems like he'd be a good time. All of the models have sleek black bob wigs, I guess to Asia up the joint. Annaliese says that the judges always tell her that she's too commercial, and so she's on a mission to show her other sides. Like, for example, silkworm-loving sides. She stands looking gorgeous in her elegant pink column dress as Edwin and his brethren are placed all over her body and the dress. At one point she looks like she might barf, but gets over it quickly. Jay wants emotion from the models, and when Annaliese starts she's too pantomime. However, she eventually gets into the groove and takes direction well. Barney thinks that she worked the dress well, and gave a sultry Helmut Newton vibe. Annaliese is finished just in time to prevent Edwin from taking a trip down her cleavage. He's so fresh!
Laura is , and of course she just loves bugs. She used to have giant centipedes and tarantulas as pets. What sort of cause/effect relationship do you think the alcoholic parents played in that? Laura loves putting Edwin on her face, and eventually he tries to commit hari-kari, but she catches him. Jay asks Laura what makes her powerful, and of course she says, "Really good sex." Jay tells her to go for her best orgasm, and she does. I think at this point Edwin is probably feeling a little violated. Let me quote Alisha: "Laura...she's too sexual. A fucking silkworm is sexual to this girl. A fucking SILK. WORM." But silkworm sex is apparently a big inspiration to Laura, and Jay calls her shoot genius.
Eboni is in a baby pink gown, and has a great desire to redeem herself from last week. I think the fact that Jay tells her she looks like she has an old grandma booty does not bode well for redemption. He says that her shoot was middle of the road, and that she might have been giving emotion, but it was a bit difficult to say what precisely that emotion was. Sophie is up , and tells us that a silkworm is like a posh gross bug. Jay loves what she's doing, and it doesn't take long for her to get her shot. Laura tells us that Sophie is awesome and also her biggest competition, thus cementing their membership in the Laura-Sophie Mutual Admiration Society.
Catherine is up , and fears that she looks like a witch in her black wig. The stylists assure her that she does not, but...she kind of does a little. Just a little! Catherine is trying to invoke sad thoughts, and Jay tells her to put herself in a real situation that would rip her heart out. To Catherine, this is death, and she winds up crying on set. Jay tells her not to pose, but to look directly into the camera. Alisha thinks that Catherine is breaking down, which isn't precisely true. Either way, though, she doesn't do such a great job on the shoot. The emotion is there, but her poses are wooden. Alisha is in chartreuse, and Jay instructs her to give more raw emotion. She feels like she's in the zone, but Jay thinks it's too posey. Edwin tries to whisper sad (but not death-sad) thoughts to Alisha, to no avail. Jay tells us that he'd like to have the opportunity to work with Alisha again, but he isn't sure after her performance in this shoot that he's going to get that opportunity. Edwin weeps, because Alisha is his favorite too.
The ladies head home to find Tyra Mail of Doom. Someone is getting the boot! Catherine is concerned, but says that at least she was able to show emotion in her photographs. She's not ready to go home. Eboni tells some of the other girls that Tyra picked her for a reason, and she knows she's a good model, but Laura does not concur. She thinks that Eboni is a baby, and not right for this competition. Alisha taps her weave and says that she's not weak, and shouldn't be sitting there questioning herself. She was tested in this shoot and tried her best, and is not into getting put down. As she confessionalizes that maybe she should just give up and go home, we head to commercials.
When we return, it's panel time! There are prizes, there are judges. Barney Cheng is the guest judge. And miraculously, Cutrone is kind of smiley. Maybe jetlag agrees with her. Laura is up first for critique, and her photo is really great. The face is good, the body is good, and the black hair really agrees with her. Nigel of course loves it, probably because of the orgasm connection. Tyra thinks it looks like Laura was doing a dance and caught in a moment, which is much better than looking like you're posing. Cutrone raves, and agrees with me that Tyra gave Laura the total wrong makeover. Barney says that Laura has brought a fragility to the photo, and a tension between the hard and the soft, that is very Chinese. He loves it.
Eboni is , and Cutrone tells her that she's gotten her best fashion shot so far. Nigel loves the body language, but doesn't get much emotion from it. Tyra has a few criticisms of the shot: a) Eboni has no neck; b) she has a lumpy waist. Both of those things are pretty bad. Catherine is , and I call bullshit on the idea that this is her best shot. She might not have had the best shoot, but in this one she looks like she's carrying a giant phantom tray at Friday's. Barney says that he was surprised, because Catherine totally froze on set. Furthermore, when Jay asked Catherine to emote, she started bawling. Catherine explains that she was thinking about someone dying, and Cutrone asks why someone dying would make her carry a phantom Olive Garden tray. (Note: phantom Red Lobster tray happened before the weeping.) Cutrone says that Catherine looks like a tea salesman, whatever that is. Nigel tells her that heartbreak-sad always trumps death-sad, especially when you're trying to sell a dress. It is, after all, a lesson we all must learn.
Alisha is , and the entire panel thinks she looks like a singing telegram lady, due to a rather silly little UK flourish on top of the already silly UK t-shirt that she is forced to wear every week. Barney likes the top half of Alisha's photo, but says that if she was trying to sell the dress, she failed. It doesn't look good. Tyra says that models always think it's all about them, but in fact they are there to sell a product. Annaliese is , and looks absolutely gorgeous. Nigel thinks the whole thing is stunning, and all Barney can say is, "Love love love love love." Tyra commends Annaliese for taking a more high fashion turn, but of course Cutrone wants to nitpick about why Annaliese has her hand on her head. Annaliese explains that she was envisioning walking in on her man with another woman, and Nigel sees some defiance in her pose rather than sadness. Finally, there's Sophie. Nigel doesn't care for the photo, and says that the look in Sophie's eyes is too extreme. The dress does look amazing, but Tyra says that has nothing to do with how Sophie is posing. She's not giving something interesting, odd, or quirky enough.
The judges deliberate. Laura really delivered, and has an incredible turtle neck. Cutrone says that she's woven an amazing blanket of culture, couture and consciousness. What does that even mean? What do those three things have to do with a blanket? Eboni has great body language, according to Nigel, but the fact that she has no neck is a disaster. Barney says that it's not high fashion, but is a little bit interesting. Cutrone notes that they all like Eboni in person, but push her along from week to week in hopes that one day she'll actually look like a model. Poor Catherine's photo is a disaster. Nigel says that they all like her, but at this point it's about results. Cutrone pipes in that she also can't walk. Tyra says that there are weeks when Catherine's photos aren't that strong, but her performance in the video showed something special and magical. Alisha has forgotten that modeling is about selling clothes. Barney out and out says that the dress looks horrible, which is not good. Cutrone admits that Annaliese's photo is great, but says that she's still not really a model. Nigel points out that her photos are getting better and better, and Barney also is a fan. Tyra, however, is not sure if it's a great photo for Annaliese, or a great photo of a model. And then there's Sophie. Nigel thinks that her photo is average. Barney is okay with the shot because his dress looks good, but says that the model could be anyone.
Six beautiful young ladies stand before Tyra, but she only has five photos in her hands. And those photos represent the girls who are still in the running towards becoming America's Top Model. And the model with the best photo of the week is... Laura! Well-deserved, in this case. Annaliese is called , followed by Sophie and Eboni. This leaves Catherine and Alisha in the bottom two. Alisha made an amazing dress look less than it is on a hanger, forgetting the cardinal rule that you're not selling yourself, but a product. And then there's Catherine. She's done well in the competition, but her photo this week was weak. So who stays? It's Alisha. Catherine is going out really looking busted, too. It's a shame.