The 12th cycle proved to be quite good, with at least 3 of the others very capable of winning. However, this was one cycle which had no one being consistent all the way, even Teyona screwed up her commercial. The very nervous Allison was really very close to winning it as well. Her progress was unbelievable and she almost made it, almost. Her walk improved tremendously and she was a big contender. At the end of the day, it was't her eyes who pulled it off, it was her desire to win that did it. Her few bloopers in the competition made me laugh quite a few times. She wore an attire twice to judging, said another photographer was the best she has worked with in front of Nigel and told Tyra she was pretty right after she shot her. It was so hilarious when she gives the "oops" look. Anyway, here's her shot for the Covergirl commerical.
The shot below was inspired by Brazillian Carmen Miranda.
Till now I haven't got to the topic of this post yet. Cycle 13 is the first cycle in Top Model history which only allows participants with the height of 5'7 and below. Petite is the reference given to models of that height. Previously, only models with a certain height are only chosen unless they prove to be significant exceptions. This cycle is so different, it opened the doors to people who thought they could never make it because of their height. And yes, anyone taller than 5'7 was not allowed in the competition. This cycle was a real breakthrough, it gave hope to people who thought height was an absolute must. Just like a black model, who some perceive to be inferior, has to work extra hard to keep up with the "natural" models. This cycle emphasised on trying to elongate the height of the models through posing skills like pointing their toes and positioning themselves to deceive the camera. It really works, some poses make you look extra tall in front of the camera. And if you go wrong, you might look exactly your height. No winner is going to be announced in this post, just the few good ones. I actually do have a bit of a memory loss this cycle because I had about 1 month pause in between.So firstly, Brittany
At the start of the competition she was my favourite and she fared pretty well. The picture on the right was one of her best (can't remember the theme). The one on the left, was not quite there as you can see she doesn't look taller than she is (Look at Nicole's shoot below). She is really pretty in person but her mediocre personality didn't spell superior to the judges . She didn't win this cycle but her early showings caught my attention.
I like this picture because of the very strong face.
Next, we have Laura!!
She is arguably one of most likeable contestants of all time. She is right up there with Kahlen of cycle 4 and cycle 7 winner Caridee. In terms of personality and humour, she really is one big winner. Coming from a country background, her job back home is castrating bull testicles!! But she is no where near old fashion and her bubbly personality makes just makes people love her . She has a few funny moments like wearing her grandma's sewn dresses. Some of them are really funny. Even the judges, knowing some was really not appropriate for judging, made it a laughing matter at the end. Battling dyslexia at the same time, could she really do commercials? Well, you should check it out.Here are some of her pictures.
I really can't remember the theme of this picture.
The theme of this one was sort of martial arts. Each contestant gets to choose their weapon of choice. This photo is really good. The way she lengthens herself using the weapons is quite genius.
I only have two words on my mind when I see this photo. "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED". I wouldn't be surprise to her in one of the spreads in the future. This shot was just brilliant.
Then we have Nicole.
In terms of taking wonderful pictures, this girl delivers picture after picture of stunning quality. Personality wise, not impressive, but you wouldn't find a reason not to like her. She struggles quite a bit on the runway though. But overall, could she pull it off ?
A few of great pictures below.
Now this one makes her look tall. The lengthening factor this cycle mentions so much about. How does she look ? Six feet?
And also the weapon shoot.
Next up is Jennifer.
I never really fancied Asians after the disastrous Gina appeared in cycle 6. But Sheena made quite an impact in cycle 11 although she didn't exactly get to the top 3. Her personality took her pretty far. At auditions I was thinking...another Asian....I get things wrong on many occassions on Top Model and this one was one of them. Jennifer was a shining star in this cycle, she took great pictures and her personality made her likeable. She didn't have that strong character and confidence of Sheena that sometimes annoys people. Jennifer also battled with her left eye muscle which had undergone surgery before. But she learned how to cope and not make that weakness show on pictures. She did really well at the end.
Next up we have Rae,
The first time I saw Rae, I saw a lot of drive in her during the audition. A young mother at 21, he gave the impression of being a serious contender. Her stunning features gave her a real edge especially in the beginning. She did work really hard in every photoshoot and delivered some gorgeous pictures like the one below. But towards the 2nd half, her inability to stand out from being good to very good made it hard for her to stay. Even her bubbly personality was just not enough.
And lastly, we have Erin
The youngest in the competition at 18 but her competitiveness is something to watch out for. In one of the challenges, she was so aggressive until some of the other girls were upset with her. She's sometimes criticised for not being mature enough for the competition. But she doesn't let anything get in her way and she certainly shows a lot of it in the competition. Her very strong look is something the judges love and true enough in judging, it was too hard to eliminate her. Two pictures of her below.
It has been quite a comeback for ANTM. The signs of improvement has surely got me back on the show's side. Although there are rumours Tyra has lost touch with ANTM and is focusing a lot more on her talk show. I would say she is still doing enough to keep the show alive, the petite theme was certainly a great idea. Also former contestants of Top Model being able to breakthrough the modelling industry is surely great encouragement for Tyra to continously develop models from her show. And the fact that Tyra became world known for her modelling over the last 20 years, I don't think her passion will die off anytime soon. So for now, it will be till Cycle 14 in the usual March.
~deyao~
