Bianca thinks her entire problem is her face, but I'd argue that her personality has a lot to do with it. Ashley and Lulu sit around and talk smack for a while about Bianca. Then the girls get their runway challenge at the Conga Room. Miss J and a little mini-girl version of Miss J strut their stuff. This girl is seriously adorable. Can she win this competition? I'd watch the hell out of that show. Anyway, Diva Davanna shows the models that they can be awesome, even if they are the size of elves. Lulu has a signature walk involving criss-crossing her legs, and refuses to change it. At their house, Lulu and Ashley basically become runway experts and decide to tell Brittany that she doesn't know anything and she's doing it all wrong. They end up at some mansion in Malibu and they have to work with tall girls for their fashion show challenge. Ashley and Lulu both get called out for their stumpy walks. Turns out that Brittany wins, bitches. She gets to be in a Seventeen photo shoot and she picks Laura and Kara to go with her.
Back at the house, Bianca talks about how she's a sensitive person inside, she's used to hiding her scars and she's trying to feel pretty. Mean girls Ashley and Lulu tell Nicole that she's stupid for buying into Bianca's story. They trek to a "grungy warehouse" where they have to make themselves look really tall and "cheat their proportions." They're given long dresses, big hair, insanely tall shoes and a jungle gym set. Jay lets the girls sit and watch each other, which allows for more catty commentary and makes some girls (Bet you can guess who!) insanely overconfident. At panel, Tyra says that mini-modelettes are allowed to be short, but only girls who look tall will get jobs, which sort of negates the purpose of this season? Kara wins hands down, but Nicole also earns kudos for looking like a giant. Bianca lands square in the middle, instead of at the bottom for a change. Brittany and Lulu comprise the bottom two. Brittany's picture wasn't special and she didn't grasp the concept, Lulu doesn't show spark when she photographs. Brittany stays, which means that week we'll probably hear a lot of complaining from Ashley. -- Angel Cohn
Previously: The girls had a tete-a-tete with Wilhelmina President Sean Patterson, and Rachel's tete rolled at a surprise elimination. And then we learned that Tyra has lost the few marbles that remained as she let her multiple personality / alter ego, Super Smize, make an appearance on the show. Partial nudity and horses were just the ticket for many of the girls, but Courtney hit a decline on the equine and was sent home. Eleven bitches remain!
As the episode opens, the girls are in a limo heading home from elimination. Bianca is saddened by being in the final two for a second time (of three eliminations!) and says she's walking on eggshells. I'm sure she'll soon complain about how the eggshells don't complement her skin tone, thus annoying the judges enough to send her to the bottom two for a third time. Bianca says she has to work on her face most of all, and in particular has to make it softer. She also has to work on not being so stank all the time. Will they never learn? Stank gets you far on America's Top Model, but it never makes you win.
Back at the house, Erin's mysteriously best-of-week photo is displayed. I really don't get that girl, which I'm sure Tyra would say is because I don't understand about different types of beauty, and thank goodness she is here to learn me. Ashley is also disappointed about her performance last week, and we are reminded that she's a dancer and that's bad. She vows to be more broken down, which is always a good strategy on a reality show. Also try contracting some disease that isn't really your fault (i.e.: not crabs). Lulu says that she thought Bianca was going home for sure, and Ashley replies that she's really tired of Bianca and all of her stank. We get a stank-back showing Bianca being weird about the dishes, and Ashley says to the others that her attitude puts people off. But wait! Perhaps the fault lies not with Bianca alone. Nicole interviews that every time she's around Ashley, Ashley is talking smack about someone. Lulu, according to Nicole, is like a ridiculous little sidekick, and is also delusional. Tough talk for a girl whose first glimpse of the world was through a bloody eyeball. Nicole's final word on the subject is that Ashley and Lulu are judging Bianca without talking to her, and that's not fair. And just to clarify: if I do it or you do it, it's fair. But when the bitches do it to each other? Decidedly unfair. I can't wait to see how this bitchery twist unravels!
There is Tyra Mail! "How old were you when you learned to walk? Love, Tyra." Everyone immediately knows that there is some runway in their near future. Brittany tells us that she practiced walking in front of the mirror for four years. When she wasn't doing all of her math homework, of course. Study hard, kids, and stay in school! Brittany reminds us that she was close to being called first last week, and hopes that her trajectory will continue upward.
The day, the girls head to the Conga Room where there are velvet ropes and a red carpet laid out in the form of a makeshift runway. And then, from behind red curtains, Miss J. and his newfangled mini-me emerge in a fit of corsets, leggings and black tulle. They fan their faces, they pose, they leave no doubt as to their fierceness. Kara tells us that mini-me, as tiny as she is, really knew how to walk. I guess if anyone on this show were going to make a mutant clone, Miss J. certainly isn't the worst contender. Miss J. then introduces the creature standing beside him, noting that she's been modeling since she was four years old. She's now nine and has appeared in over 200 fashion shows. Sounds like Polanski bait to me. Tyra discovered her videos and brought her to the Tyra Banks show where she worked her magic. Her name is Diva Davanna. And really, this is all I need. Diva Davanna does a walk and spins and struts and shows herself to be some sort of catwalk savant. I do not think this should be encouraged. Go out and hit a softball, kid. Pick up a frog. And for God's sake stop smizing at me. Ashley tells us that Miss J. is trying to prove that you don't have to be tall to walk tall. Again, go get a skinned knee, kid. It's not your fault, Diva Davanna, but you're kind of our culture's downfall. Well, the second one, after Miley Cyrus, whom I had the misfortune of accidentally seeing on the new VH1 Divas Live, and who made me want to do nothing so much as bludgeon my own eardrums.
Today is Miss J.'s Runways Tips and Teach Day. The girls have clothing provided by Mara Hoffman. Brittany tells us that she's very mathematical and structured and needs to show the sexy Brittany that exists under all the fractions and coefficients. And, I mean, she's been tarting it up in her "hot for teacher" way since day two, so I think she's probably all set. Rae is first to walk on the runway, and elicits a grimace from Miss J. He notes that her right arm is velcroed to her leg. She does look half-paralyzed. Jennifer is , and needs something extra. Like an eye that moves the way it's supposed to. Nicole overarches her back, and Miss J. says that we can see what she's thinking, via her nostrils. Sundai is bored and boring, and needs to work on her speed and presence. And on growing seven inches. (No! Super Smize! Don't attack me with your powerful... SMIZE!!! Gah!)
Lulu's steps are short, and she's hunched and shy. Well, that's according to Miss J. According to Lulu herself, she has a signature walk, and has had said walk since she started wearing heels and crossing her legs. She's not going to change it. Too bad for her, since it sucks. Just because it's a signature walk doesn't mean it's a good walk. Miss J. tells her to think happy, then imitates her dour, Neanderthal stomp. It's not flattering. Brittany is sexy, which Miss J. says is unexpected because he didn't pay attention for the first two weeks. Does no one remember the afterglow that was so apparent as she lounged half-naked on her horse in last week's photo shoot? Erin walks as though her right leg is not hers. I mean, literally like she has a prosthetic leg. Heather Mills had that same runway walk. What ever happened to her, by the way? Is she still making people miserable somewhere across the pond? I do have to admit that I liked her for a hot minute when she was on Dancing with the Stars, if only because, like everyone else, I reveled in the suspense of whether her leg was going to fly off mid-mambo.
Miss J. says that Kara's problem is her Cro-Magnon chin. I think she's got more Cro-Magnonesque problems than that. Bianca tells us that she absolutely refuses to lose this competition, and is planning to step her game up after her disastrous two weeks in the bottom two. Her reviews are relatively positive. Miss J. thinks that her walk is a bit controlled, but that she can make it work. Ashley walks like a dancer, which, in case you forgot, is not a particularly good thing, and she needs to bring some sexiness in with her dance training. Laura, who is wearing an off-the-shoulder ensemble that is certainly a modern interpretation of one of Bea Arthur's tunics, tells us that every walkway -- including the frozen food aisle at Wal-Mart -- is a runway for her. Laura gives extra like the black girls do, and I can't see how that's a bad thing.
Miss J. points out something that I, drinking rose and enjoying a delicious chicken pot pie, missed the first time around, which is that the girls are paired in matching outfits. Because they're going to have a (motherfucking) walk off! First a smize-off, now this. Miss J. tells the girls that when they're doing doubles some girls walk faster than others, so they have to work with each other. Kara and Lulu are first, and Miss J. gives pointers on how to use your peripheral vision to make sure you're relatively in sync with a bitch. Sundai and Rae are paired up, and because of odd numbers Erin, Jennifer and Bianca are a trio. Erin tells us that sometimes in the industry you'll have to pair up and walk in tandem with another girl, and we have video footage of Beverly Peele and Tyra walking together for Michael Kors. It's sepia-toned, because it was in olden tymes. Brittany and Ashley walk together, and Ashley smack-interviews that Brittany's proportions are strange, and her walk is forgettable. Straight out of a Tyra show audience! Victory is mine. Maybe Tyra will send her to T-Zone Camp for adults. With that, the teach is over and Miss J. swishes off. This is not a gay slur, but rather a literal description of his exit strategy.
Back at the house, Bianca is feeling down. She says that Courtney's exit was emotional for her, because she considers Courtney a friend. Sundai tells Bianca that she shouldn't cry over it, and when Bianca asks why Sundai says, "Because she really wasn't that much of your friend." Sundai reveals that Courtney talked about Bianca behind her back. Oh, who doesn't? Bianca's been so stank that it's practically a requirement of knowing her. Courtney apparently said that Bianca had a mouth, and that she wouldn't even be Bianca's friend if it wasn't for Lulu, who apparently also claims to be Bianca's friend but talks shit behind her back. Like a circle in a circle, like a wheel within a wheel. We get a quick cut to Laura dousing all of her food with barbeque sauce, which is approved by both myself and Tyra. Bianca wonders why Lulu didn't tell her this, and Sundai says she doesn't know. Bianca claims to have lost her appetite, which should do wonders for her modeling career. She interviews that after what Sundai told her, her guard is up.
Ashley and Lulu enter the room and Ashley tells Bianca, whose eyebrows are apparently in a perpetually upward state, to put her eyebrows down. Ashley is for sure a stealth bitch. The tone gives it away every time. Bianca is not in the mood to talk, and Ashley asks why she has an attitude. Bianca says she doesn't have an attitude, and I have to take her side on this one. She really wasn't being stank, but rather was just sitting there in her hoodie doodling on her placemat and feeling kind of sad. Ashley interviews that Bianca has been full of negative energy since day one, and she doesn't want any part of it. Except when she's talking shit, which is apparently quite often. Bianca explains to us that she was pretty hurt and doesn't know who to trust. Meanwhile, Lulu passes a bag of lemons to Ashley, who says that when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade. Or lemon pie, if you're Jay-Z. As Bianca confessionalizes that she doesn't have much to say to anybody, we head to commercials.
When we return, there is more Tyra Mail. "If you don't walk tall then you'll come up short. Love, Tyra." Everyone is on edge, thinking that there's going to be a mid-episode elimination, and so there is a lot of runway practice. As Brittany takes a turn, Ashley interviews that they were all helping her because Brittany has a lot of things to work on. Brittany thinks that they're being overcritical and intense, and that it's really annoying. She hopes that her walk is sexy and not awkward, but Lulu and Ashley appear to have their doubts.
The girls head to Malibu the day and end up at a mansion that Sundai describes as a sort of double-wide White House. Miss J. welcomes them and tells them that they'll be doing their very first fashion show here today, for designer Kevan Hall. There is a twist to today's challenge, which is that our munchkins will be walking with girls who are 5'10" and above. You know: real models. Our tiny tater tots have to stand out and not let the glamazons work them. Jennifer despairs that her teeny legs might not be able to keep up. The girls head to hair and makeup and Lulu tells us that they're all going to have to walk like tall chicks or be exposed for the itty bitty Oompa Loompas that they are. Doopity doo.
Oh, and GREAT. Effing Ann Shoket is there. Give me Super Smize any day. Ann, who manages not to say, "Hello, ladieeeees!" tells the girls that the winner of this challenge will be featured in an advertorial in Seventeen. Laura can't think of anything better than being in Seventeen magazine. Well, five minutes ago she couldn't think of anything better than a hot Spam n' Velveeta sandwich on Wonder Bread with a side of bovine testicles, so let's just say that her frame of reference is limited.
The girls get dressed and have dinner (?????? In the clothes?????) as the crowd files in. Lulu tells Ashley that as they were sitting in the make-up room, Bianca was sitting to her. And was annoying. This is news? Nicole confessionalizes that Lulu is distracted by the drama in the house and is losing focus. What drama? This is drama? When someone busts into a speech about brownies and respeito you call me and I'll recap it. Jeezum crow.
Finally it is time for the runway show to begin! Laura is nervous, since this is her first runway show and she'll likely be made to look like a midget, to boot. Sundai reminds us that she's only 5'3" and the legit tall model to her is going to ruin everything. Sundai is plucky yet exceptionally dull at the same time. She is first to walk with her tall companion and does, in fact, look growth-stunted. And apparently having long legs does make you walk faster! Sundai scurries to try to keep up. Ashley is and is feeling very confident about her walk. She doesn't look quite as short to her tall friend, though the fact that the regular models are styled in long dresses and our midget models are in slim, above-knee ensembles only exacerbates the difference.
Brittany is and tries to put all of Miss J.'s teachings into effect. She feels tall and fierce, and Miss J. thinks she looks great. Lulu prattles on again about her signature walk, which is dull and lacks energy. Her signature is sucking. Kara is wearing my favorite dress of the evening, but she and Rae get short shrift (no pun intended, har har!) so must have done fine but not exceptional. Bianca explains that the serene environment calmed her, which hopefully made her look softer. We don't see much of Jennifer or Nicole. Erin reminds us that she's 18 and technically still in high school, so it's a big deal to have her eyebrows bleached and hit the catwalk. Laura is full of adrenaline and says that wearing designer gowns beats the shit out of strutting toward Sam's Choice pizza rolls. With that the show is over, and Ashley thinks they rocked it. Take that, tall girls!
The girls meet with J. and Ann Shoket, who busts out with a long awaited, "What's up, pretty girrrrlllllllls?" Ken Mok must really have had to search long and hard to find someone who's more of an idiot than Tyra. Victory is his. It is time for critiques. Bianca is strong when she walks, but has a stumpy stride and is a bit too controlled in her shoulders. Laura held her shoulders straight and back, which is just what J. instructed. Brittany was thinking tall and had length in her neck and stride. She did a good job. Lulu has a beautiful smile and sparkling eyes, yet none of that translated in her walk. She has a short and stumpy stride. But it's her signature short and stumpy stride. Ashley had a cute wiggle in her walk, but it might have been happening because her hips were so tight. All of this happened, of course, because she is a dreaded dancer. Fail.
All right, ladieeeeees! Miss J. and Ann are in total agreement that the winner is Brittany! Take that, stank bitches! Brittany is thrilled. She gets to pick two friends to be in the advertorial with her, and chooses Laura and Kara. Ann Shoket's response? "Congratulations, ladieeeees! So exciting." Laura does a dorky yet adorable "I'm going to be in Seventeen!" dance, and pledges to buy copies for her whole town. Tens of magazines will be flying off the stands. Brittany, Kara and Laura ride in a limo to their shoot, where they meet Yvonne Yue, creative director of Xcite. Which is a label that apparently makes hideous prom dresses. They look like they could have been designed by Beyonce's mom. Shudder. Nonetheless, the three girls are thrilled.
Back at the house, several girls sit in the hot tub and Nicole asks if she can see a soft expression from Bianca. Bianca just shakes her head no, uncomfortably. Erin wants to see her vulnerable side, but Bianca says she doesn't do that because that's when you get hurt. By making your face look nice while modeling? Yes, pain, tears. Before we can get into Bianca's psychoses, we cut to Lulu and Ashley looking out the window and noting what a bunch of weirdos are in the hot tub. Technically they are correct, but this is also more evidence in the case against their bitchery. Lulu and Ashley confessionalize together that Bianca knows she needs to shape up or go home and so is putting on a bit of a front. They are not fooled. Meanwhile, Nicole tells Bianca not to shut herself away. Bianca interviews that although she has a hard exterior, she's actually one of the world's most sensitive people. The WORLD. Bianca explains to Nicole that she was in an abusive relationship that at one point landed her in the hospital. It was then that she started to learn a lot about herself. Bianca attributes her survival and strength to her belief in God. However, she says, she's still trying to feel beautiful again, and is trying -- both in her photos and in her interactions with others -- to become more vulnerable. Her redemption arc is really protracted, isn't it? I'd hardly gotten the chance to properly hate her.
As Nicole and Bianca come inside from the hot tub, Ashley tells us that Nicole is very naïve and Bianca is just playing her and using her for a crutch. The two bitchskateers and their new recruit Kara confront Nicole, who says that Bianca was being very real with her. They do not believe it. Nicole interviews that Ashley has become a prototypical mean girl, and also displays an irritating sense of superiority. Lulu, meanwhile, is the Shaggy to Ashley's Scooby, or vice versa. She's the sidekick, is what I'm saying. Nicole has no desire to be around the negativity. Ashley tries to convince Nicole that some people just aren't capable of changing as we head to commercials.
When we return, there is Tyra Mail. "Objects in mirror may be shorter than they appear. Love, Tyra." The models conjecture that their photo shoot might have something to do with mirrors. They head to a grungy old warehouse decked out with sofas and jungle gyms and lead paint. Jay Manuel greets them and reminds them that even though they're short, they can cheat their proportions and make themselves look really tall. So for today's photo shoot, they'll be using the weird random jungle gym to somehow do this. Did they ever get a lesson on how to cheat their proportions? That would have been really useful, so I'm guessing no. Jonathan Mannion is the photographer for the shoot. He did one of Tyra's early comp cards back in the day. Fascinating. And what does all this have to do with mirrors, anyway?
The girls head to get themselves done up, courtesy of makeup artist Marco Berardini, wardrobe stylist Gena Tuso, and hairstylist Mitch Stone. Jennifer explains that everything -- their dresses, hair and heels -- are designed to give them length. For no apparent reason, Ashley and Lulu are sitting in the corner talking shit about Brittany yet again. Nicole wishes that they could leave the drama at home. This would be a great time for her to unleash the Bloody Eyeball and punch one of them in the throat. Brittany is up first, and all the other girls get to watch her. It puts them at an advantage and makes her uncomfortable, so Lulu and Ashley must love it. Brittany struggles a bit, and Jay tries to give her pointers on how to cheat her whole body and not just her legs, to no avail. Lulu is not impressed, and also hates Brittany's face. Kara is up , and Jay says that she has the potential to engage into a flow. What that kind of clarity coming from your creative director, how could you do poorly? Once Kara believes in herself, Jay thinks she's going to get it right. Laura is and Jay wants her to look less like a pageant princess and more like a model. Eventually she seems to get it. When it's Lulu's turn, Jay whips out the classic Janice Dickinson "amputee" line, which indicates that 1) Janice was really the greatest judge and Jay secretly misses her; 2) Lulu's not doing so well. Jay calls this her worst shoot, and says it's boring boring boring boring...ish. He mock-chokes Lulu and she says that's exactly what she needs. I wrote a paper on lesbian S&M in college (thanks, Vassar independent study!), and this was not what I had in mind.
Jennifer is , and Jay says that what she's doing is stunning. Moreover, her left eye looks totally normal! Victory. Nicole is and Jay tells her that when she arches her back her stomach sticks out. She sucks it in, and gives herself three more inches. Ashley is and really doesn't want to hear the dance critique again. Jay is surprised by how well she does, and says that she stepped out and knew exactly what she wanted to do. We then take a moment from our regularly scheduled photo shoot for a word of shit talk from Lulu and Ashley. Shocking, I know. Lulu tells Ashley that Sundai needs to bring it, and adds that Laura, Brittany and Kara didn't do so well. Lulu and Ashley, of course, think they rocked it. Irony slides on a 4-inch stiletto. Sundai seems to be half good and half bad, and still hasn't figured out how to stop pushing out her lips. Rae is , and though Jay likes her body he's not sold on her face. He thinks it turns out interesting... ish. Erin's shoot is disgustingly gorgeous.
Then there's Bianca. Jay tells her that he wants her to settle into a softer expression, because there's nothing about this shoot that calls for a diva. Her body language is good, but the face is not happening. Jay says that working with her is both inspiring and frustrating. She lacks vulnerability, and the way she presents herself is really offputting. Jay asks Bianca what warms her heart. The thought of kittens suffocating in a bag. Just kidding! It's Jesus. Lulu smirks, and you can't fault her for that. Jay tells Bianca to look up as if she's seeing Jesus. Maybe His face will be in the brownies upon which someone writes a nasty message. The Lord does wonders for Bianca's face, and that's a wrap.
Back at the house, there is Tyra Mail of Doom. Someone is going home. Bianca paints her toenails and says that this competition has enabled her to grow and show some vulnerability. This means a lot to her, since she's been so hard for so long. She has Jesus to thank, or Tyra. Same difference. She thinks she did pretty well on the shoot. Meanwhile, Lulu and Ashley are STILL talking shit about Brittany! They think that, despite the praise the others heap on her, she looks old in person and photographs old, and her face suction is not working for her. Lulu thinks that Brittany did the worst on the shoot. Brittany, however, feels confident since it would be silly for them to eliminate the girl who won the runway walk challenge. Oh, you poor naïve thing. Just smize and accept the utter lack of reason that governs this competition, and you'll be better off. As Lulu adds a final word on how painful and uncomfortable Brittany's shoot looked, we head to commercials.
The girls head to panel where Tyra greets them wearing Hammer pants. There are prizes, there are judges. Jaime Rishar, petite supermodel extraordinaire, is the guest judge for the week. Tyra takes a moment to address the rationale between deliberately choosing short girls and then trying to make them look taller. She says that all of the girls are stunning, but that's not enough for high fashion. They must be able to appear taller if necessary, so as to not give someone an excuse not to hire them. I'm sure these fabled employers will have other excuses at the ready.
Erin is first for evaluation. The judges all agree that she's elongated herself nicely and the expression on her face is lovely. It's a good shot, much better than last week's in my opinion. Jaime, who I must say is looking a bit past her prime, compliments Erin on her long-looking legs. Bianca is , and though she's not elongated to quite the extent that she could be, Nigel thinks it's a beautiful photo of her and the first where she looks really soft. Jaime agrees that her face looks beautiful, and Tyra compliments Bianca on how well she models from the back of her neck. She acknowledges that it doesn't make any sense before she says it, which doesn't actually help matters.
Brittany is and, sadly for her, she looks short. Her neck is hidden, and Jamie tells her that she has to have a wide shoulder to avoid looking small. However, she is smizing, which is something. Sundai, the shortest of the bunch, looks stunning and relaxed. Miss J. wants her to bring the confidence in this photo to the catwalk. Then there's Laura. Her photo is not so great, and the judges give her tips for leg positions that would have given her better length. Jennifer is , and the judges like her photo, though they don't rave. Tyra notes that Jennifer's eye looked totally fine in all her film, and her ptosis is nobody else's business. up is Nicole, who actually looks like she's on stilts. Nigel jokes that she's on Sundai's shoulders. Tyra thinks that Nicole looks like an Anna Wintour discovery featured in a Vogue spread. We don't see the close-up of her face, but I'm sure it's lovely as usual.
Lulu is , and her shot is pretty but it's not fashion. Nigel thinks it looks like a portrait of an actress or a singer, and is overall very average. Jaime tells Lulu not to point her knees toward the camera, because it automatically shortens her legs. Additionally, Lulu has no tension in her body and no fierceness in her face. She does have bitchery in hear heart, but that didn't help in this situation, did it? Kara is , and the judges love her photo. She's using the set to her advantage to dynamic effect, and her neck is extended to give her height. Jaime thinks it's one of the best photos so far. Rae didn't do so well at stretching herself and gets some pretty "meh" reviews. Nigel says that lying down to stretch yourself out doesn't really work. It's all about tricking the camera and playing with angles, and Rae didn't do this. Finally there's Ashley. She managed to stretch herself out a little, but she's not smizing and seems to have inherited Jennifer's wonky left eye. It's not great.
With that it's time for the judges to deliberate. Erin's photo gets raves all around. Miss J. likes Bianca's photo. The face works even if the body isn't as good as it could be. Jaime and Nigel are more lukewarm on it. Brittany's photo is roundly criticized. Nigel thinks that Sundai's picture is her best to date, but adds that she's lacking in presence in person. Laura was not great. Jennifer has some fine tuning to do, but Jaime thinks that her photo is pretty good overall. Nicole looks like she's over six feet tall, which means that she wins. Lulu is exceptionally average. She's one of the cutest of the bunch but, Nigel says, there's no "it" factor. Kara's picture is great. Tyra thinks that she's special, and that her face stands out in a crowd. Rae didn't grasp the concept of elongation, but she did grasp her skirt. Ashley's shot also wasn't great. She's trying to work the background, but unfortunately for her nothing else is working. And with that, the judges have reached a decision.
Eleven young ladies stand before Tyra, but she only has ten photos in her hands. And those photos represent the ten of them that are still in the running towards becoming America's Top Model. Tyra first calls Kara, who has the best photo of the week. Nicole is called second, followed by Erin, Sundai, Jennifer, Bianca, Laura, Ashley, and Rae. This leaves Lulu and Brittany in the bottom two. There are two of them, but Tyra is only going to call one name. The person whose name is not called must hightail it out of there, hopefully nicking some silverware or bedding on her way out. Lulu is one of Nigel's favorite girls to look at, but she exhales when the camera is around. She needs to inhale. Brittany looked tall last week, but short this week, so it's possible that her good picture was a fluke. Who stays? Brittany. Take that, haters! Tyra tells Brittany to play with her proportions as Brittany cries and takes her photo. Ashley is crying too, ostensibly because she lost her minion. Lulu lacks tension, and Tyra tells her that she looks like she isn't interested in modeling. She needs to study tension and get some power and force behind her beautiful face. Lulu plans to go home and work on the things Tyra suggested because, she says, this is not the end of her modeling career. Or maybe it is. Who can say. She says that Top Model opened a lot of doors for her, and she's going to enter those doors. She is literally exiting a door as this is voiced over, which is a lovely ironic hint on which to end the episode.