America’s Next Top Model 2, Episode 9: Wine and Hot Tubs Are Always Trouble Together

Off to the flea market! Each girl is looking for an outfit, trying to use Stephen's feedback from the day before. Shandi isn’t sure what to do though, because her mind is elsewhere. She can’t focus on the competition and is worried about that as well. After shopping, they get in a van and head to a small city outside of Milan where they will get to see Stephen's villa. Shandi is all depressed in the van, wondering if every time she finds someone who is proud of her, she will screw it up. No time to worry about that now though, they have arrived! Stephen greets the girls and takes them on a tour of the house. The losers of the competition will stay in a small room while the winner will have an amazing room with an awesome view. The girls head off to get changed in their new outfits.

Time for the revealing! April goes first, and then Yoanna. Yoanna tells Stephen she could have done better as he comments on her outfit. Mercedes says she tried to work on the legs, and Shandi also says she showed off her legs and does a walk. Stephen says April did a nice job, but the skirt ruined her outfit. The winner is Shandi. Shandi is happy she won, especially knowing her mind was somewhere else. Yoanna is somewhat disappointed and thought she had it nailed. Stephen says he picked Shandi because she listened to him the most and took his advice. She’s allowed to pick one person to join her and she chooses Yoanna. They are to meet Stephen for dinner at seven.

As the girls arrive at dinner, Shandi and Yoanna are guided to the main table, while Mercedes and April have to sit at a very small table. It’s like they are the children at Thanksgiving who have to sit at the “kiddy table” and can’t listen to the grown-ups talking. Yoanna says that at dinner it’s obvious that Shandi is still thinking about what happened. Dinner ends quickly and the girls get Tyra Mail saying that they have gotten to know each other well, but prepare to get to know each other even better tomorrow.

Now it’s time for the drama. Shandi is dialing her boyfriend and is ultra nervous. She starts crying on the phone and he gets worried. When he asks her if she had sex with someone else she says yes. YES? Holy crap, she had SEX with the guy? Okay, I’m not saying that has never happened before, but what an idiot! Of course, he’s very upset and who can blame him? He tells her she has changed and he doesn’t want to be with her. Shandi, at this point, is crouched in the corner crying. He hangs up on her as we fade out to a commercial.

The next morning, the girls meet Jay Manuel for their shoot. There will be two teams. One team is April and Mercedes, and the other is Shandi and Yoanna. There will also be two photographers, who will shoot them at two different angles. Nolé Marin is there too for style tips. Each girl gets a straight weave that makes them all look oh so hot. Jay says that in true Italian style, they will be nude, with Yoanna stating the only accessory they will have is the weave! Oh, shoes too. Whew, good thing. I was worried they would be totally nude! April is happy about all this and can’t wait, while Mercedes was ready for art, but not art with April!

As Yoanna and Shandi begin their shoot, April says that she and Mercedes may not be as high fashion as the other two, but when it comes to getting boys, they would win. The photographers love Shandi and Yoanna, and Jay even comments on the way Yoanna is hiding her midsection and taking direction very well. Shandi, however, is having a tough time with the direction thing. She’s exhausted. Mercedes and April step up and although Mercedes is somewhat uncomfortable, they are doing alright. However, April is starting to direct the shoot and Jay isn’t happy with that. He says Mercedes is a little off and allowing April to boss her. Mercedes just wants to finish, and on that note, they do just that.

That night, they meet up with Tyra at a little cappuccino café. Tyra talks about how she had to do the girl on girl shoot before, and the girls are doing all the same shoots she has done in the past. Shandi asks Tyra if she ever cheated on anyone. Tyra, the perfect woman that she is, replies that she never has, though she has been cheated on. Shandi eventually tells Tyra she cheated on her boyfriend, but instead of going off on her, Tyra tells her that everyone messes up but you have to fight against that. Shandi does deal with it though, and vows to move on.

April says she has changed because she used to work in business and is now starting to remember what it’s like to live with emotion again. Mercedes never thought it would be this hard, and Yoanna says that there is so much to learn, and she is catching on more and more each day. All the girls thank Tyra for the talk, and head back to the apartment where some Tyra Mail tells them that someone is going home the next day.

Shandi goes outside and calls her boyfriend. They talk a little and she tells him that she wants to stay together because he makes her happy. He’s mad, but doesn’t want her to give up. He is going to stick this out. Aww, I’m happy about that. Everyone does make mistakes, and I’m glad he’s going to talk with her and work it out.