Ten cycles later, Tyra still finds suitable girls who ‘wanna be on top’
By Courtney Baldasare, Staff Writer
February 29, 2008 | 11 a.m.
Dressed to the nines in mock preparatory-school uniforms, the newest beauty clan of “America’s Next Top Model” strutted its stuff and did its best to impress the judges as “ANTM” Cycle 10 began.
The theme for this cycle’s premiere was “prep school,” and even the veteran judges and coaches fit the part. Judge J. Alexander, better known as “Miss J,” and model coach Jay Manuel, or “Mr. Jay,” both wore their preppy school outfits along with the “Top Model” contestants.
For the girls’ first photo shoot, they took quick snapshots for their fake school identification cards. Some of the girls seemed quite comfortable in their new role. However, others appeared to be somewhat of a fish out of water, like edgy punk-rock girl Lauren.
Regardless of their feelings about the given roles, the contestants willingly donned the proper threads and remained as enthused as little schoolgirls could possibly be about the show. The animation level of the girls throughout the beginning of the episode was exceeded at only one instant: the emergence of modeling extraordinaire Tyra Banks.
Following suit with the “prep school” theme, Mr. Jay and Miss J announced that there was to be a Homecoming Queen as they stood in front of a stage among previous contestants of the show dressed as pseudo-cheerleaders. To the utter surprise and amazement of the girls, Banks emerged from behind the stage sporting an extravagant yellow gown with a glimmering crown that bejeweled her flowing, curly locks.
The squeals and shrieks of the contestants were to the obvious amusement of Banks, who exultantly announced that the bunch would soon be heading off to New York City. Joining Banks on the judging panel this season will be supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who has replaced former habitual judge Twiggy, as well as the all-too-familiar Nigel Barker.
Halfway through the show, the ladies got their “midterm report cards.” On the cards, either the word “PASS” or the word “FAIL” was printed. The lucky contestants who passed were in a group that was allowed to stay on the show, but the group was to be further diminished at the end of the show.
The second photo shoot required the girls to do their own makeup and take their mock senior portraits. After the judges analyzed these portraits, it was time for another elimination. Under normal “ANTM” circumstances, the judges would have chosen only 13 girls to go on to the next round.
However, Banks felt that 13 was an unlucky number. After calling out the 13 girls that would remain until the next episode, Banks declared that she wanted a 14th girl, Dominique, to join them for the next round.
This cycle’s collection of aspiring models is made up of girls that have come from all sorts of backgrounds and states, each as unique as her look. The 14 girls that remain on the show are Atalya, Whitney, Katarzyna, Amis, Lauren, Dominique, Aimee, Marvita, Allison, Stacy Ann, Claire, Anya, Fatima and Kimberly.
Some of the girls are more on the reserved side, like Claire, the Julia Stiles look-alike. However, as with any reality show, there are several girls with standout personalities. Anya seems especially lively with her thick accent and bubbly personality.
One of the two plus-sized models, Whitney, made it to the next episode. Whitney gives off the impression that she has the confidence and grace to carry herself well in a field where being plus-sized is not always looked highly upon.
Many “ANTM” fans recognized Marvita, as she was a previous contestant in Cycle 9. She is back for another go at the competition, supposedly with a better attitude and disposition than before. However, in the first episode, she seemed to have improved only slightly, and in this case, slightly may not be enough.
Marvita was especially rude to Fatima, the girl with the seemingly broken soul who endured a great deal of hardships in her childhood. Fatima emotionally shared some of these experiences, including her circumcision as a small child, with the judges and fellow contestants who generally took the information in a very supportive manner with the exception of Marvita.
One particular lady who was a competitor on this cycle’s “ANTM” is actually an Ohio University student. Speakeasy Magazine had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Marguerite Swallow, more commonly known as Meg, about her experience on the show.
Finding out that she had made the cut to be on “Top Model” was not, as one would expect, the most gratifying moment of her life. “Honestly, I wasn’t really all that enthused," Swallow said.
"I wasn’t sure I wanted to be seen like that," Swallow said. "It’s a really intimate portrait of your daily life, and they can twist your words however they want. I wasn’t even allowed to tell anyone I was doing it.”
The experience also was not apparently as glamorous as most would imagine. She explained the chaos that all of the models had to go through for the show and how much of a hassle it was to have their laptops, cameras and even cell phones taken away.
However, some parts were quite entertaining. “The costume and the whole getup thing was really fun,” Swallow said. “The whole charade was just fantastic. It was fun to have a theme and mess around with the girls.”
Swallow seemed to get to know the other girls pretty well. “There were some really cool girls,” she said. “There were some that were just there for the attention and to make themselves look like fools for more camera time.”
She expressed her aversion toward some of the tactics of the cameramen. Estrogen levels may have been a little bit too high for one show, causing a number of catfights. Apparently, the cameramen would even coax the girls to make the fights more intense. They would finagle their way through the rest of the surroundings and do their best to get right in the faces of the models, especially during dramatic affairs.
Although there were some rough patches in the show, Swallow still got the opportunity to do some things that many girls would kill to do. “I got to meet Tyra and Jay and Miss J,” she said.
Being on “ANTM” made the model realize that the show is not exactly what it seems. “I found out just how shallow the business really is," Shallow said of her time spent learning about the workings of the series. "There was a whole lot of underhanded scheming going on. Obviously, they’re in it more for entertainment than for people behind the entertainment.”
Not only did Swallow learn about the show, but she also learned a lot about herself in the process. “It was an ego check, I guess," she said. "It put my image into perspective."
Swallow loved Los Angeles and relished the time she spent there. “But I have a whole lot here that I couldn’t possibly get out there [in Los Angeles],” she explained. Although it’s no Los Angeles, Athens, Ohio, is clearly still where the heart is for some.
Be sure to catch the catfights, chaos and of course, charisma of the Cycle 10 girls and their striking photographs. Tune in at 8 p.m. every Wednesday to the CW to see just “who is still in the running towards becoming ‘America’s Next Top Model.’”
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