America’s Next Top Model: The Runway Ahead Special

Anna, the first contestant eliminated this season, goes next. She introduces her son and husband and adds how much she missed them while she was on the show. Jermaine, he husband, says that he has supported her from the beginning. Anna knew that there was a chance she would have to pose nude, but was hoping it would never happen. She saw the other girls “coochie” as she called it (With her husband saying “Honey, you can’t say that word on TV”), and she didn’t want to be part of it. Tyra says she respected Anna’s decision not to pose nude because she had a child and a husband. Catie even adds that Anna was in a different place in her life then the rest of the girls, but Anna says she is still very happy. She doesn’t regret any of it and loved the experience and the exposure. She has called agencies and obtained a contract. Currently, she is looking over it and can hopefully quit her 9-5 job and take up modeling full time. I wish her the best, this girl was nothing but class.

Time for Miss Shandi! Since the show, Shandi says she’ll never be the same and everything has changed. She wakes up in the morning and knows she is beautiful. She used to work at a Walgreen’s as a service clerk. There was nothing to lose, so she figured she might as well audition for the show, not thinking she would ever get picked, or even fit in. Bethany notes that Shandi’s uneven eyes made her look like a bird. However, she knew she had to try hard and the judges knew she was beautiful. When her hair was cut and styled, she loved it and started to believe that she belonged there. Then, we get to see what happened in Milan again. She missed her boyfriend and accidentally cheated on him by having sex with another man. Oops! We get to see all the tears again. She felt so bad over the whole thing and really didn’t want to be there, and she knew the judges saw that too. When she got home, she didn’t feel as lost and grew. She is back at Walgreen’s for a little while, with an old lady noticing her. Shandi is still having trust issues with her boyfriend, but they are working through it. Plus, she is beginning to finally get closer with her mom, who never believed something like this would happen to one of her girls. She plans to move to New York and see some agencies. ANTM showed her what she wanted to do, and will always try. Tyra says that Shandi will be shooting spreads in Glamour and Cosmo Girl.

And now – Bethany. She was aware that she could do swimsuit, and always gets put in that category because of her GIGANTIC breasts – but she has talent too! Tyra says Bethany was picked because her body type was sexy, but that she has to learn how to pose better. Xiomara says Bethany was more voluptuous then the other girls but Bethany insists there is more to her then just ta-tas. She didn’t expect to be eliminated so early and felt that she had more talent then half of the other girls. She wants to get some modeling jobs now that the show is over, and is thinking about moving to Los Angeles and seeing what happens. Wow, not much going on with this one, huh? I still liked her! She was one of the most honest girls I interviewed!

Tyra cuts in again saying that the judges get asked all the time why some girls are on the show. She says that being pretty is not necessarily the thing they are looking for and it’s not the only thing it takes to be a model. They want that extra something, and that’s what they are looking for – not just a pretty face. Um, okay.

Let’s take a look at Jenascia. She’s back in Seattle, and still working at Hooters. She’s yelling at the customers, but it’s actually somewhat cute. Jenascia never thought she would be picked, and knew she was short, but got to the point where she couldn’t wear heels all the time anymore because it wasn’t working for her. Everyone, however, reminded her about her height. Tyra notes that she liked Jenascia’s shortness though, and it gave her personality. Quite frankly, Jenascia was just getting sick of the tall card all together, since she can drink all the milk and take all the vitamins but still won’t get any taller. Then we see her trying to say “haute couture” and mess up several times before she just says “blah.” I miss and love this girl. Finally, she says “screw being taller” because she just wanted to act anyway, and figured modeling would be a good place to start. She loves comedy and is happy to be back in the “real world” where she can date anyone because she is shorter then all the boys. Go girl!

Time to look at April! Before the show began, she was an account executive for Airborne Express. Her boyfriend encouraged her to apply for the show. He wasn’t shocked when they picked her because she is a winner and very competitive. Mercedes says that April was perfect and Yoanna does a mechanical impression of her. April then says it was hurtful when she saw some of the other girls were talking about her. Even in my interview with her, she noted that Yoanna did a lot of trash talking. Her turning point was when the judges said she was only in it to “win,” not to be a model. She realized she wanted to be a model – badly. She felt misunderstood though because she wasn’t ashamed of whom she was. She’s a mutt, lout and proud. The judges misread her nervousness as rigidness during the shoot in which she was eliminated. We relive her elimination and how upset everyone was. Even though she was upset, she dried her eyes and went home to keep pursuing her dream. Recently, she has done a shoot with Stuff magazine. April says she enjoys the feeling of being in front of the camera because she is making art with her body. Tyra adds that April has signed with NY Models and the owner of the company was so impressed with her that he is managing her himself. Wow, I’m happy for April and I know she’ll succeed.