The Petite Cycle

When was the last time I blogged about Top Model? That was a really long time ago. I use to blog a lot about the shows I watched. But sadly, Top Model went downhill, Prison Break ended, Grey's Anatomy wasn't great. After one of models I quite dislike won, I decided it was time to take a break from the show. I was disappointed with the lack of excitement the show used to have and I no longer had the urge to find out what was going to happen next. But I picked it up again this year and I had to catch up on the previous cycle I missed. Writing about it after such a long time shows signs the show is just above par again. In such a short time, America's Next Top Model has created its 13th winner. It's a terrific achievement for Tyra Banks and the producers. Here's the winner of the 12th cycle Teyona with her winner's shoot!
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~

Fall Season!

Every September is exciting times for TV shows addicts, the fall season signals the return of shows from their breaks. As usual, the four shows I look forward too every week.
The delicious line-up
Tuesday - Prison Break (Season 4 Premiere)
Wednesday - Boston Legal (Season 5 Premiere)
Thursday - America's Next Top Model (Season 11 Premiere), Private Practice (Season 2 Premiere)
Friday - Grey's Anatomy (Season 5 Premiere)

Every day is a day to look forward too....after coming back from college. I shall reward myself by watching them every day for a day's hard work.
Btw, the dates for these returning series are

Prison Break - 1 September
America's Next Top Model - 3 September
Boston Legal - 22 September
Grey's Anatomy - 25 September
Private Practice - 1 October

So I guess things would be at full force by the end of the month. So which of the these shows I just can't wait to start watching. Next Top Model? hmm..predictable at times and after 7 seasons of watching this series, definitely not this. Boston is quite hilarious but not the kind of excitement you would virtually countdown the days for the next episode. Grey's Anatomy, this one would be one to look out for. Interest is still fresh for this show so I'm quite excited by it. Private Practice is relatively is relatively new, but the second season of shows usually gets more attention from viewers. We'll see how much better it does.So this just leaves one show left I am totally excited about. It had the worst season ever the last time. Prison Break ! Time for redemption and the first stride has already been taken even before the show has started.
Photos gives better descriptions. So here is it.

The Return of Sara !!! Looking hotter than ever.
Cast for Season 4!
How glad am I to see her in that picture. I had the worst feeling in the world when we first 'lost' her. Btw, I don't think I see Whistler in the picture...hmm..
Main points from last season's finale.
1)Michael , Whistler, Mahone and McGrady escaped from Sona.
2)Sucre is now trapped in Sona with Bagwell and Bellick.
3)T-Bag has the 'bird' book.
4)Whistler and Mahone seem to have known each other before.
5)Sophia has left James Whistler.
6)Michael found a file on "Jason Leef"

there's just so much to look forward to, with new characters and more information on what The Company wants, it has to be promising. Hopefully it lives up to expectations after a disastrous season 3.

~deyao~

BNTM 4

It's been such a long time since Britain's Next Top Model Cycle 3. The previous cycle was won deservingly by Lauren Mcavoy . I absolutely loved her.

This was one of her best photos taken in that cycle.

Consequently, she got her winning prize of a 6-page spread in Company magazine and of course as you can see , the cover.
For those of you who are less familiar with the series, it is an adoption of America's Next Top Model which is the pioneer of the Next Top Model series , created by Tyra Banks. Now she is raking in cash from all the royalties from these shows. Now that explains her 23mil in earnings over the previous year and being 68th on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List.

Factfiles on BNTM
1) The winner gets a contract with modeling agency Models 1, a contract with cosmetics giant MaxFactor and as stated above, the Company magazine spread.

2) The format is the same as any other Next Top Model series. It starts with challenges with rewards , photo shoot and lastly judging with an elimination.

3) The show does not screen the auditions, so you pretty much only get to see the contestants.

4) Contestants still have the phone to call their loved ones, but it is rarely shown.

The usual features of this review would be having comparisons with similar faces and of course additional information from my searching.
The show is still screening at Episode 9. You can catch the episodes from the BNTM4 Channel from YouTube.So let's cut the chase, lets get to the models.

Oh wait, judges first.

In the middle is the host Lisa Snowdon, she is former model herself. On the left is style guru and occasionally creative director Gerry Deveaux and on the right Huggy Ragnarsson , also a former model and one's of the most respected photographers. Gerry and Huggy are very prominent in the industry working with top guns such as Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Erin O'Connor.Both of them are debuting in the show, replacing Jonathan Phang and Paula Hamilton.
As usual, I always start with my favourite.This one is my very clear favourite and I'm sure it would anyone's. She has great personality, beautiful face and a very lovely smile.A nice accent too! She is Charlotte.

I went a long way capturing these frames as having her smile was hard to get. The swerve of her hair was perfect. Like the her smile yet? I do. She's attractive too.
So here's are some of her shots from the show. Here's her best photo, taken by none other than Huggy herself.
The photo is about "Modelling's 10 Commandments" and it is stated on the photo. Nice photo ey...Similarities, Nicole Linkletter, winner of ANTM Cycle 5.


I think I got this one pretty good. And yes I am bias, Charlotte's description would be longer than anyone else. So here are some of her other photos.

I can't remember the first one, but the second photo is about desire, it's like walking into the room and looking for someone. Obviously, both pictures aren't very strong.
She also mentioned that her idol would be Adriana Lima, what a great choice. She is fierce !!

Two more captures ....


And this caps it for Charlotte.

Next we move to Rachael.

I feel she has one of the best chances in succeeding in the competition. She takes very good photos and she is very confident. She has been accused by a few of being fake, but I'm not sure I can entirely be on their side. But if Gerry says she's fake, that's kinda bad. She's been quite lucky to have got some nice prizes in challenges, but will she be able to win the ultimate prize?

The rock star mannequin is certainly going all out!

Next we have Catherine.

She is the one of the thinner ones. She loves the vintage type of shoots. She too takes very amazing pictures, especially with beauty shots. She works one of the hardest in the show and she may make it all the way as well. Look-alike...........

Babin twins Amanda and Michelle from ANTM 7. Looks more like Amanda as she has the redder hair and a more feminine look.


Look out, Catherine has arrived!

Next 2, Leanne and Stefanie.

I'm running out of words and comments, so bare with me. Leanne had a strong start with solid pictures but would she be able to continue delivering?
Stefanie on the looks side, would attract many people, but her personality and attitude sometimes puts people off. But do the judges see that side of her? One things for sure, she is focused on the prize and that could be all thats required.

And lastly, Alex.

She had long hair in the beginning but the infamous makeover took it away, but she has settled with it quite well and is starting to show her best sides. She has the looks but can she impress the judges enough to compete with the front runners ?

To wrap things up, you can catch the show by following the link above. I only have 1 month left to be able to write long reviews like this as I am returning to studying...lol
I hope you enjoyed reading this review and your thoughts are welcomed.

Credits to for all the photos and info.


~deyao~

The 10th Cycle

It's been rather long since I blogged abt ANTM, one of my favourite TV shows. Although it seems like it's starting to decline, but since it has lasted for the 10th cycle,so I don't think there is too much pressure on the show. Starting with watching one of my first episodes in cycle 3 where the models posed on the rocks,couldn't remember much. But I would say, there were at least 4 very good cycles in 4,5,6,7.
Cycle 4 - Everyone loved Kahlen Rondot and she was very good, but Naima was clearly the winner based on her final runway.
Cycle 5- Almost a clear winner too, Nik and Bre were no match for Nicole, although she wasn't really likable.
Cycle 6 - This one was quite tough, I thought Joanie would be won it based on some of her unbelievable pictures, but Danielle had more of what the judges liked.
Cycle 7 - The battle between the insane and perfectionist. No one really likes a perfectionist , so it was quite clear. But you just gotta love Caridee.

So as usual, the winner of the cycle gets this.
Saleisha gets the winner's shoot with Tyra as winner of cycle 9!

So, for those who hasn't watched the entire cycle, I'm not giving away the winner.
But as usual, I neutrally highlight the potential good ones from the first few episodes even knowing the winner.
So here it goes, my personal favourite, Katarzyna.

She originates from Poland, so the pronunciation goes like this. It sounds like "Ka-Tar-Jennna"if you choose to go the easy way, but it's the closest I can explain. She has this very likeable look and very European-ish which people will love. In terms of personality, I gotta say she seems slightly missing at times. But with her extremely unique style, could she make it all the way?

This was her best shot from my take. The photo is based on a music genre , Emo. The short hair did do wonders.

Next up, is the Russian beauty , Anya.

She didn't really standout at first, but when she took off, she was unbelievable. At first, her Russian accent sounded nowhere like an American and everyone was fearing that she couldn't speak. But soon people took notice that her accent was actually very authentic and special. She sounds quite funny at times too! Judging after judging , the comments about her porcelain skin never stopped flooding. I have plenty of hopes on her.

And here's a model with a comparison. She hails from Somalia. So there's only one name that pops in the judges name. It's no other than supermodel Iman.

Oh wait!!! I haven't the even mentioned the contestant's name yet. Haha. She's Fatima.

Resemblance? Maybe not with these pictures. Well she has a very painful story in her life and probably really influenced Tyra. For many reasons, there's always doubt in the judges about her. Watch to find out why. But with pictures as graceful as the one on the right, it may be making history on ANTM.

And next we have Lauren.

She is at least 6 feet tall. The photo is a shoot for supermodel Elle McPherson's line. She took very stunning pictures in this cycle, but.....she walks like Sarah in Cycle 5 = Disaster. Is it because of her height, no excuses here. But with Tyra and Jay's walking lessons,can she do the walk and overcome this weakness?

In every cycle, we will have full figured models (plus size) trying to break the drought in ANTM. We seen countless ones getting eliminated. But this cycle, she is confident and she is proud of her size. She's Whitney.

The picture is mainly based on having paint poured on your face and it's based on the expressions, less of the body movement other than the hands. She did really impress the judges in the audition and she takes some marvelous photos too. With the odds against plus-sizes, is it gonna take a miracle to make history?

Blondes have been my prefered choice over a few cycles, but this one is totally forgotten. She kinda made history as well, like Ebony in the previous cycle, what did she do, you recall...
She's Kimberly.

She is a blooper I tell you and I am too disappointed to describe her . But sometimes, she does remind me of stunning Aussie supermodel , Gemma Ward.


99/100 people would probably disagree but this is just what I see. Personal opinion. But I confirm, Gemma is a gazillion times better.

So here's 10 reasons to watch ANTM cycle 10.
1. There is a new judge, and who would the new judge replace.
2. There is a returning contestant who failed to make to into the final 13.
3. The winner will have a billboard in Times Square.
4. Contestants return to a country visited before.
5.A visit by guest judge from another Next Top Model series.
6.Tyra doing a photo shoot she has never done before.
7. A new opening theme !
8. The most unique judging location and time?
9.Another double elimination?
10.Two contestants with identical names.

Here's all I can do for a preview. This is almost the best I could do, trying to brighten a dimming flame. But no doubt we will always hail Tyra Banks!

Credits to for the pictures

~deyao~