America’s Next Top Model 7, Recap Episode: More Monique, Please!

Tyra stops by the house and Anchal cries, then when Tyra leaves, what we didn’t get to see originally is all the girls laying into Melrose about how condescending she can be. Megg is frustrated, and all the girls are over it. However, Melrose doesn’t seem to care and basically defends all her actions.

The next photo shoot has the girls acting out acts from a circus sideshow. Some of the girls struggle with their transformation, like Megg, who just can’t nail the bearded lady. Her photo ends up failing to impress the judges, and she is sent on her way. A.J. is not happy.

What we didn’t get to see the first time around is the girls cutting loose the next day with yoga class and some free dance. All this loosening up helps Michelle come clean about not knowing what her sexuality is. The look on Brooke’s face is classic… you would think she never came in contact with someone who is or might be gay before.

The girls are shipped off to the Entertainment Tonight studio to learn how to interview people. Melrose and MY CariDee do a great job, while A.J. just gives up because it’s not her thing. This attitude floats back to the house, where A.J. confesses to the other girls about her mixed feelings with doing well in the competition. CariDee admits that A.J. has a darker side, while Melrose is tired of hearing A.J. complain about everything.

The next day, the girls are challenged on their interviewing skills by having to ask Janice Dickenson a few questions. A.J. freezes under the lights and Jaeda is tongue tied. Melrose steals the spotlight and wins the challenge, making the girls even more mad that her streak isn’t broken.

Tyra makes a visit to the girls that night though, and Melrose admitts that she is a bit intimidating and over-confident, however, she is scared of showing a vulnerable side. MY CariDee tells Tyra about her psoriasis and desire to win this thing.

Tyra says that the girls get a chance to see what it’s like to be famous for their next photo shoot, when they depict celebrity couples. The photo shoot requires double the work, since each girl has to be shot twice. A.J. suffers an identity crisis as J.Lo and Marc Anthony and feels it is too hard to “act” like a Latino.

Jaeda does her best with Bobby and Whitney, but she is so frustrated that she holds a judging of her own when the girls get back to the house. In previously-unseen footage, we see Amanda and Michelle as the bottom two, but before Jaeda can announce who is going home, MY CariDee farts. Good times! In the end, Amanda is sent home by Jaeda since she and Michelle look too much alike.

At the real judging though, A.J. takes the most flack for her photo, along with Jaeda, who makes her third trip to the bottom two. However, it is A.J.’s indifference that has her given the boot. In her exit interview, it seems like A.J. doesn’t really care that she was sent home, and feels that the show pointed her in a new direction and left modeling out there as an option in the future. At least she’s realistic!

Tyra takes the remaining eight girls’ pictures in a wild and sexy black and white photo. All the girls work it out, especially my CariDee who says that sexy and scary go hand in hand. The girls meet up with Dita Van Teese, who shows them how to be sexy, but some of the girls have some problems with this, especially Michelle, who is used to being a tomboy, and Brooke, who says that it’s not her normal routine.

The next day, the girls are challenged to walk on a table while people are having dinner, and act sexy. Melrose stepps it up once again, while some of the other girls stumble. Brooke’s performance is far from perfect and she knows it. In the end, Melrose wins again and Anchal’s confidence takes another hit. She talks about how she used to be as skinny as Melrose, but gained weight fast. MY CariDee gives her some advice and Anchal vows that she will follow it.

The most recent photo shoot has the girls posing for romance novel covers along with Fabio. During their shoot, Anchal and Fabio are on fire. Brooke finally runs out of steam and at the judging ceremony, the judges call her out on her youth and inexperience, which I still don’t understand since Nicole won Cycle 5 and she was the same age as Brooke. What’s the difference? Anyway, Brooke is sent home, even though she wanted to win more than most of the girls still remaining.

Only seven girls are left. Melrose, the bold beauty. Eugena, the sexy siren on the runway (notice how they didn’t say “in her pictures”?). Michelle, the long, tall tomboy and Amanda, her twin. MY CariDee, the stunner with the great personality. Anchal, the gentle beauty. And Jaeda, the statuesque student. Who will be America’s next top model? One more is going home next week!

Now it’s time for me to vent on this episode, since I always hate the “recap episode.” We got about 15 minutes of new scenes and the rest was crap that we already saw. I was disappointed as usual, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect it. To be honest, I think the last segment gave the rest of the show away. Let me explain.

Look at the way Jaeda was only described as “the statuesque student.” That basically means she’s going home next. The way the twins were grouped together? They’ll go after Jaeda, and Eugena will follow next. The whole episode focused on the great qualities of Melrose and MY CariDee so you know they will be the final two, along with Anchal in the finals. My prediction at this point is that Melrose will win because she will be the next “Eva.” People won’t love her, but she’ll be the most qualified to win. People will be upset when MY CariDee doesn’t win, but she’ll go on to be more successful, and the world will balance itself out. Mark my words. The end.

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Phil Kural is an office manager at a law firm, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. You can send feedback to him at pkural@gmail.com.

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