America's Next Top Model 9: Kicking Off Cycle 9
Episode 1 Recap byBy Jacob D.
September 20, 2007
Hello and welcome to the brand new season of America's Next Top Model! When last we left off, Cycle 8 bid farewell by crowning Miss Jaslene Gonzalez its latest winner. Her tiara will soon be passed on to another as we watch 13 new girls catwalk and catfight, snap photos and snap quips, and face the judges one by one until only one is standing. Let's get started by checking out the semi-finals.
Tyra starts by telling us about the possibilities of fashion and voiceovers about the new auditions. Thousands of girls come in, but only one will come out as the winner. We see spliced footage of the girls recording the time when they got the call from Tyra. How convenient that a video camera is available at this time. Tyra, as we see, tells the girls to strike poses over the phone and they do. She also tells them that for the first time, the 33 semi-finalists will be going to the Caribbean for casting.
Down in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 33 semi-finalists are taking a bus tour. Their guide tells them that a surprise is in store and tells all the girls to put on blindfolds. The girls comment on the long trip and trying to walk in heels while blindfolded. When they are finally let off of the bus, Miss J, in a full skipper uniform, tells them to take off the blindfolds. A big cruise ship is docked before them and they learn that the castings will take place on the boat this week. That's pretty cool. At least the girls who don't make it can pretend they're on a cruise. I'd think it'd be more fun spending the downtime playing shuffleboard than sitting around a hotel. I like shuffleboard.
Miss J tells the girls that 33 will go on the boat, 13 will go into the Top Model house, and only one will win. This is Ebony's cue to say that none of the girls are competition for her. She looks a lot better on the show than she did in her broke down photo, but I'm already not liking her attitude. Miss J tells them about all the features onboard, including a rock-climbing wall, a miniature golf course, and an ice skating course. Miss J says it's not a party and directs the girls to the deck outside.
While the girls have their floatation devices on for a safety briefing, Miss J comes walking up in fierce "Miss J" fashion. He lets the group know that a top model must be able to work anything they are given. Oh of course. Who didn't see that coming? A fashion show in floatation devices. Heather tells us that she's terrible at "wunray." She means "runway," but it sounded like she said "wunray." Marvita tells us that she's going to do whatever it takes to get into that house.
Jenah starts off the runway show and is nervous about all the strangers watching. Another girl in a denim mini-skirt walks too tight in the booty and Miss J calls out that she's moving too much. Miss J mocks how she's walking, saying that she sticks her booty out. Hmm. This girl's name is Spontaniouse. Ummm, ok. Victoria says she has never done runway and has the fashion sense of a 12 year old boy. I didn't like Victoria at first, but she's actually really cute on the show. Sabrina tells us that she can be a diva and give the judges anything they want.
Ebony says she doesn't have any modeling experience, but the catwalk comes naturally to her. The "broke-down" model of the week is Heather. She's all discombobulated and Miss J calls her on it. She tells us that she works with computers and so has developed a hunch from leaning over so much. Miss J says she looks like she should be digging for clams. Heather voices her insecurities by telling us that she never thought she was beautiful and thinks it's tough when you're not comfortable in your own skin. Miss J finishes the show by telling them that a lot of them need work, but a few of them show some promise.
Later, at dinner, some of the girls decide to talk about who they can see being in the house. Lisa endorses Heather, saying she has intense eyes and a great face, but her posture is poor. Heather says she needs help because she's so gangly and awkward. Ebony, the tactful, polite girl that she is, tells us that she calls Heather "Hunchback" and doesn't think she'll do well because of her insecurities. I called it. In my pre-season rankings I said Ebony seemed like she'd be the diva and she's already sporting some major attitude.
The next day, the girls gather in the theater for breakfast. Jenah says she can't believe how much some of the girls are eating, including herself, and Sarah says she's just now realizing how thin everyone is. She doesn't mind and says she'll represent for whoever sees themselves in her. I love Sarah. As the girls are eating, some people file in on the stage and Tyra bursts out singing some silly number in a silly costume. Only Tyra. The girls holler and cheer. Only top model girls. Jennifer, who has a thick Boston accent, says Tyra looks flawless, like she just jumped off of a magazine cover and Ambreal is completely star-struck. Tyra gives the girls a pep talk before the interviews begin and makes a grand exit. Jenah says none of the girls will stand in her way and she is going to fight for her dream. That's the difference between Jenah and Ebony. Ebony is acting like she's better than everyone and Jenah is just saying she will fight for her dream.
At the interviews, Ambreal is the first girl in and the first girl to run in screaming. Tyra asks her what university she goes to and Ambreal says Howard U. Tyra reads in her notes that they have fashion shows at Howard and Ambreal shows them what they're like. Most of the walks seem to be over-the-top and one walk is apparently called the "crazy choreography type." As Ambreal walks out, Tyra says that if you took some of the hoochie out of her walk, she'd be like Naomi Campbell. Sounds to me like Ambreal left an impression already.
Chantal is next and she's my Austin girl so she already has me on her side. She looks so beautiful in person too. That makes me worry a little because if she can't take this beauty and turn it into a photo, she may not go so far. Then, again, Ann from Cycle Three and Bre from Cycle Five couldn't take a good photo to save their lives and they still went to the top four. She tells us that people see her as a "Southern Barbie," but she says she does have knowledge of the industry. Tyra asks Chantal who she feels she is built for, as in "which designer's clothes could you model?" Chantal impresses them when she says Rachel Roy. I guess because it's not an obvious answer. Chantal has a nice figure for bikini modeling too. As she walks out, Mr. Jay says that everything about Chantal is so naturally model-esque. Well, my girl Chantal has also made quite an impression!
Sylvia is next and she's one of those girls who always gets the "Are you a model? You should be a model!" comments. Girls like that need to be careful because the fashion world has a different viewpoint on beauty and style from the regular world. Tyra asks Sylvia to do some "interpretive walks" such as acting out a butterfly and a high fashion robot. Sylvia just looks gawky and gangly. Sylvia actually kind of looks like Kyle from Cycle Five.
Heather slumps in and catches the judges off guard when she says, "Hey pretty lady...and Tyra." I guess she meant Miss J. The judges have a laugh and Heather assures them that they're all pretty. Tyra reads from her notes that Heather was diagnosed with something when she was 13 and Heather talks about her Ausberger's Syndrome and ADHD. She says Ausberger's is described as a mild form of autism. Heather does look a little spacey, but I sympathize with her. She said she didn't have many friends growing because no one understood her since she was wired differently. As she walks out, the judges discuss her posture, but think that since she's hunched over, she'll be able to hit all the awkward poses. In some weird way, it works for her in their eyes. Mr. Jay says that's fine, but can she do runway? Tyra thinks she's fine the way she is because every now and then someone like Kristen McMenamy will come along where the walk is so wrong, it's right. I don't get it. They beat down all the poor walkers in the past, but suddenly it's ok?
Next before the panel is Saleisha. Tyra says she already knows her because Saleisha went to her T-Zone camp years ago. For those who don't know, Tyra has a camp for girls called "T-Zone" that seeks to empower young ladies. Tyra asks her what she got out of the experience and Saleisha says it instilled confidence in her. Mr. Jay asks her what her aspirations are and Saleisha says she wants to be in Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated. I like Saleisha. She's a very sweet girl aspiring to be something great.
We then see footage of the girls goofing off before Victoria takes her turn before the panel. In my pre-season rankings, I talked about how I was angered that Victoria didn't really have a passion for this, but she's actually very pretty. I like her look and the way she carries herself. She's a bit meek, but I kind of like her. I just wish she had a drive for this because I do think it's unfair to take away a space from a girl who really wants it. Then again, like with Michelle from Cycle Seven, maybe they want to see what she can do. Victoria says that she should win because she is smart and strong. She's trying to be forceful, but she's still very meek. She starts to say that the other girls are smart too, but Tyra tells her to tell the truth. Does she think some of the girls are dumb? Victoria admits that she does and has a charming chuckle. You know what? I actually really like Victoria. Now I want to see what she can do. She says she knows that this is some other girls' dreams, but she is here to compete. Go get 'em, Vikki.
Next is my girl Janet who saunters in and introduces herself in spectacularly funny fashion. She introduces herself as Janet from the small town of Bainbridge, GA and she cheers about how they just got a Wal-Mart. Ha! Tyra notes that Janet does bikini waxes for a living and actually has Janet demonstrate the technique on her. The less said, the better. Janet tells us that it's cool that Tyra is so down-to-Earth.
Later, at dinner, Victoria gets sick. Seasickness? Motion sickness? Who knows. The girl is sick. Sabrina, one of the girls that we know doesn't make it, says that she looks at Victoria being sick as her, Sabrina's, time to shine. Wait, hold up. A girl is sick so now it's your time to shine? First of all, that doesn't make sense to me or at least it didn't initially. Second, the girls are just at dinner. There's no competition going on. What exactly are you shining at Sabrina? Not only does Sabrina not make it, but she's an idiot too.
The next day, Victoria is feeling fine and says a little sickness is not going to stop her. For some reason, Ebony, already my absolute most favoritest girl in this competition decides to loudly initiate a game to find out who has an eating disorder. Ugh. Is this chick for real? She actually says, "Let's play a game and see who has an eating disorder." It's only the introductory episode and I'm already stunned and repulsed. Oh, and I really do not like Ebony at all. Marvita, the voice of reason, wonders why anybody would say that and takes Ebony to task. Ebony says very smugly that she just wanted to and tells us that she knows she is fabulous and intimidates some girls. If you read my articles for the last season, you'll know that I spent a good deal of time complaining about Renee. Ebony will surely be my "Renee" for this season.
Back at the fight, Marvita shoots back, "When was your last damn meal? You look anorexic." Score! I like Marvita. I wish she would've made it into the house and not Ebony. Marvita tells us that that wasn't a nice thing to say and she wanted to slap Ebony. I knew it. In my pre-season ranking, after watching Ebony's interview video where she said she wouldn't back down from drama and serve it up, I wondered if that meant she was going to stand up for herself or cause drama. It's obvious to see that Ebony is quite the instigator and is so stuck up that she doesn't care. She's like Monique from Cycle Seven only worse. Tearing people down for personal enjoyment is not cool. Marvita tells us that she is not intimidated by Ebony. Note to Ebony, there is a difference between being intimidating and just being unpopular. Ebony then tries to say it was a joke. Yeah, let her try to pull that joke in front of Tyra. Let her say that to someone who is very aware and very concerned about eating disorders in the fashion world and then try to say it was a joke. Mila says that they're all there together so they should try to stay positive. Thank you Mila.
It's time more to girls to face Tyra and the Jays. Jennifer, with a thick Boston accent, is next. Not much is said in her little segment. She does tell us that when she was born she hemorrhaged in her right eye and now has basically no vision in it. She was teased for that in school, but is happy that she is where she is today. Preach on, Jenny.
Marvita is next and she has a weird moment where she walks in and the situation takes a minute to register. She turns to face the panel and gets an "Oh my god!" expression on her face. As she starts crying, Tyra asks Marvita to talk a little about her life growing up. Marvita says she was passed around between family members and mentions that people did bad things to her. Tyra inquires and Marvita says she was molested and raped. Tyra then asks what has made her strong enough to still be standing and Marvita talks about her faith in God. After Marvita leaves, Tyra says the camera would love her bone structure. Mr. Jay asks if she's just here to stomp out her pain. That kind of puzzled me. Is he saying that Marvita doesn't want to be a model and is only looking for validation? Every girl comes in with a sob story and many of them have made it into the house in past seasons including Tiffany from Cycle Four and Monique and Anchal from Cycle Seven. Why is it different here?
Mila is next and she introduces herself with such exuberance and cheer. She says she celebrates everything because she's had a good life so far. Tyra says she seems so cheerful and wonders when was the last time she cried. If someone is happy, why do we always try to bring them down? Let the positive people be positive. Mila says that she is a positive person and feels that if she looks on the plus-side, the negative will go away. You hear that Tyra? Let the girl be happy! I know what Tyra is getting at, wondering if she is one-dimensional, but you just met her so let her be for the time being. After Mila walks out, Miss J mocks her clunky walking style. Geez, leave the girl alone.
Christie is next before the panel and she's another one of those girls that gets the "you should be a model" comments in her daily life. The only difference between her and Sylvia is that when Christie first walked in, I thought, "Model!" Tyra says Christie reminds her of someone and asks Christie if she knows who that person is. Christie says Adrianna Lima, but she mispronounces the last name like she's talking about the bean. Tyra asks Christie if she can dance and this sets off a montage of other girls acting a fool.
Miss Sabrina, the doofus who thought Victoria puking was her time to shine, struts in, full of confidence. She knows she has what it takes. Tyra asks her what she thinks her best feature is and Sabrina says it's her hair. When asked what her worst feature is, she tells us that she doesn't think there's really anything she needs to work on. She feels she has a talent that is just extraordinary. Not only is she an idiot, she's deluded. Miss Thang is in for a rude awakening. It doesn't stop there though. Next, Miss Jenah walks in and when Tyra reads from her notes that Jenah was known as a bitch in school, Jenah says girls don't like her. Jenah then goes through a long list of what she's good at and how great she is. Shoot, and I was wanting to like her. It's kind of funny because as she's talking about herself, at some point the camera pans up on her wearing her bikini and she has major cameltoe. After she leaves, Mr. Jay says being intelligent, saying "like" ten times, and hanging out with guys does not give you a degree. Why do so many of these girls have to be bitchy? And why are so many of them becoming finalists over girls like Marvita?
Walking in to save the day for me is my girl Sarah. She decides to start off with a comedy bit, but not in the same way Janet did. Mr. Jay notices that she has something in her nose and Sarah pulls the, "Oh what? I have something here?" bit. She then pulls out a really long twisted up piece of tissue. It doesn't go over so well. Sarah tells us she wasn't originally planning on doing it, but it cracks her up every time. This girl is a dork, but there are worse things to be. Tyra notices that she is a little plus-sized, but by industry standards would be on the smaller side of the plus-sized spectrum. Sarah says people should work with what they have. Sarah tells us that she did want to model, but didn't think there was a place for her. Now that she knows there is, she is going to try her hardest to succeed. I love Sarah. I also remember that six of the nine seasons of Top Model have had a contestant named Sarah on it and the only seasons that didn't have a Sarah were odd numbered ones. Go figure. Mr. Jay loves Sarah's face and body, but Tyra is still stuck on her being small for a plus-sized model.
Next, we see some girls having fun at the ice skating rink. The girls take what I'm guessing is chipped ice and have a snowball fight. Chantal gets one down the back of her pants. A funny little moment for everyone to share.
Back at the interviews, Lisa is next in the room. I said in my rankings that there was nothing really memorable about her, but I do love her long and slender body. She has clean lines and is very smooth. She also looks a lot like Tracee Ellis Ross, Diana Ross' daughter and star of the show "Girlfriends." Isn't that show on The CW? That'd be some kind of weird subliminal cross promotion. Anyways, Lisa has brought with her a photo to show that she wasn't always so cute. Tyra looks at it and says she doesn't see an ugly girl. She sees someone who can be a model and Mr. Jay points to Lisa as she is now. Tyra says she had some similar photos of herself as a youngster. Lisa says she was in foster care for six years and has seen every kind of hurt. When Tyra asks Lisa what her occupation is, she admits that she is an exotic dancer. She says she doesn't get naked, she just struts the strut in a bikini. She tells us that she has only ever wanted to be a model. She has a fantastic, long, lean body. I like Lisa.
Later Lisa talks to some of the other girls about being nervous to audition and the girls tell her she shouldn't worry about it. One girl asks if she is really a stripper and when Lisa says she is, Saleisha lets her demonstrate her lap dancing on her. If you're into that sort of thing, catch a re-run. I'm not so I'm moving on. The show goes to commercial and we see Miss Jaslene, last season's winner, doing her first "My Life As A CoverGirl" spot. Once again, I won't be recapping those, but my girl is fierce with a capital F! I love me some Jaslene.
Bianca is next to be interviewed and she makes a grand entrance saying, "The champ is here!" It's actually a fun entrance and not a cocky, arrogant one. Tyra reads from her notes that Bianca feels there are two kinds of bitches. Bianca says there is the "fun bitch", which she sees herself as, and the "bitchy bitch" like some of the other girls. Of course, Tyra and the Jays jump at that dirt and ask her who the bitchy bitch is. Bianca mentions Ebony because Ebony acts high-and-mighty. When she mentions Ebony's weave, Tyra asks if Bianca has one and she giggles about her weave. I like Bianca. She does seem like a fun person. When she's in her bikini, I do notice that her right boob is bigger than her left and looks like it's about to spill off of the side of her body.
Next is the girl that I called a "star" in my pre-season rankings, Kimberly. She has a fantastic look and I can see so much versatility in her. Tyra reads from her notes that Kimberly freaks out when she is stressed and Kimberly demonstrates how she screams. This girl is so funny and cool. She tells us that her sense of humor will set her apart and if she can make someone laugh, her day is good. Kimberly is just absolutely aces in my book. Tyra and the Jays also seem to love her.
Strolling in next is Diva Ebony. She struts up to her spot before the judges very self-assured and tells them they can stop looking because the champ is here. Tyra mentions that some of the girls have talked about Ebony's attitude and Ebony thinks it's just because she is fierce. She says she's from the hood and you can't be nice to people all the time or they'll walk all over you. That's only if you let them, honey. You can be nice and still be strong. Tyra asks who has walked over her and Ebony says her first boyfriend. She also says that her mother was a crack head as she was growing up and starts to cry. She says her grandma raised her and feels her grandma saved her. This is what we need to see. Not "Diva Bitch Ebony," but "Human Being Ebony." The girl is FIERCE though. Ebony tells us that she kind of has two personalities, a nice one and a bitchy one. Mr. Jay feels that there are evil people in the world with a black heart, but doesn't think Ebony is one of them. After her turn, Ebony mentions to another girl what Tyra said. Ebony says she doesn't care if people don't like her, but she felt bad about how she was putting people off. The girl tells her that she comes across hard, i.e. cold.
Now that the interviews are done, Mr. Jay takes all the girls to the beach. On the beach is Miss Jaslene and she talks about her life after winning cycle eight. We see some of Jaslene's pictures and the girl is still fierce. Now, all the girls will have their first preliminary photo shoot. Victoria starts it off and is nervous. Her photo looks good, but none of the other girls are worried about her. Don't underestimate people, folks. Ebony is next and then we see the rest of the girls take their turns. These pictures are looking fabulous!
Afterwards, it's time for the first cut, taking the group from 33 to 20. Sabrina tells us she is ready because she thinks there are some girls that don't even deserve the chance. Boy is she in for a rude awakening. Bianca, Spontaniouse, Jessica, and Janet find their pictures in the line-up, as do Victoria, Ambreal, Jennifer, and Lisa. Kimberly finds her picture and then Marvita as well as Sarah, Jenah, and others including a girl named Eleatrice. There are some interesting names this cycle. The rejected girls, including Miss Thang Sabrina, cry and hug and depart.
The 20 girls that still remain are sitting idly by in a room when Tyra walks in. She takes this opportunity to take statements from the girls about why they should be chosen in an effort to convince her and the Jays. Lisa starts by saying she is very relatable. Heather wants to show the girls who are in the shadows on the sideline of life that they can be something. Marvita and Jennifer talk about their passion and drive to be a model.
Tyra then walks off to have deliberations with the Jays. They think Jenah is very high fashion and Saleisha could use Top Model to morph into a fabulous model. I couldn't quite make out what Miss J was saying about Mila and Mr. Jay says Ambreal is tall, but looks short. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what they think of Kimberly and while they think Marvita is different, Miss J doesn't see her as being high-fashion. Lisa's vulnerability intrigues Mr. Jay and Tyra loves Victoria's odd look. They think Chantal is a natural and Bianca is fierce. Mr. Jay and Tyra debate about Sarah's size, Tyra feeling she is small for a plus-sized model and Mr. Jay thinking she is just normal sized. Tyra wonders what kind of model they'd classify her as and Mr. Jay coins the term "real-sized." Sarah did say she's ready to represent for whoever sees something in her.
On the subject of Heather, Tyra notes her bout with Ausberger's and says Heather is wanting to represent for the underdog. Mr. Jay says that in her photos he sees a model and not an awkward girl. Tyra is very impressed with Janet's pictures and Miss J says he loves a girl that doesn't need a makeover. I was worried about Janet, but that comment from Miss J is very interesting. It means he thinks she is incredible as she is. That will really help her campaign. The Jays discuss Jennifer's thick accent and all three agree that Ebony needs a "high fashion ass whuppin'."
A decision has been made and it's time to call out the 13 finalists. Tyra calls Mila first. She then calls Bianca, Jenah, Chantal, Ambreal, Victoria, Sarah, Saleisha, Kimberly, Ebony, Janet, and Heather. The other eight girls await their fate and the last one called is Lisa. The girls who weren't called cry. Marvita rolls with the punches and Jennifer assures us that she is not going to give up. The selected girls celebrate and we have our cast!
Usually, Top Model premieres with a two parter, but this season it's just the introductory episode. Tune in next week for the start of the competition. I'll certainly be there.
Next week on America's Next Top Model:
Heather finds it hard to fit in with her disability and Bianca challenges Lisa's place in the competition. See ya there.
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