America’s Next Top Model 10: Top Model Tips

For the first time since Cycle 2, I will not be recapping this season of America’s Next Top Model. I know, I know… like anyone cares. That being said, I will be reviving my article on what the girls can do in order to stick around – also known as my “Top Model Tips.” Jenn Brasler and I had worked on this article a few seasons ago, but it’s back and better than ever this season. I plan on dissecting each elimination and figuring out why each girl isn’t a top model. Well, all the but the final one! So what are these alleged “Top Model Tips” that I speak of? Let me run them down for you!

Tip #1 – Be open to and welcome change. For the love of God, I cannot stress this enough. We are on Cycle 10, so you know by now, going on the show, that there is going to be a makeover. Be ready to look some way that you have never looked before and you don’t think looks good on you at all. Remember that the judges know what they are doing, so there’s no reason for you to cry over a new haircut or makeup style. It’s going to happen, so you must deal with it. Do you really think the judges are going to make the winner one of the girls who breaks down over a new look? Do you remember Yoanna, Danielle, Nicole, or Eva freaking out THAT much over their new look? Nope. The point is, you have to keep an open mind. The girls who do best are the ones who go into the competition wanting to try new things and branch out. All those other girls get left behind.

Tip #2 – Know something about the fashion industry. Nine out of ten times, the judges will pick a girl who knows what she is getting herself into over someone who just “looks pretty.” If you do your research, you’ll see that many of the girls who have made it to the final three or four know something about the industry. There are exceptions, of course, like Christina, who was sent home first during her season, but girls like Lisa from Cycle 5, Jaslene from Cycle 8, Shannon from Cycle 1, and even Jade from Cycle 6 all knew many things about the industry and what they were up for. If the judges ask you what designers you like the most, be ready to name off four or five! If they ask you what you read, be prepared to tell them Vogue or Glamour. The fact of the matter is the more you know and the more your prepare, the better you will do. Makes sense, right?

Tip #3 – Practice posing, walking, and working on your flaws. Truer words have never been spoken, and the biggest example can be summed in just one word: Natasha. In Cycle 8, Natasha was one of the first girls almost sent home, since the judges weren’t sure how high fashion she could be. Each week, she would land near the bottom and the judges would give her something to work on. Instead of crying about how she was in the bottom two, Natasha would consistently work on what she was told needed to change, and would come back better the next time. The judges loved this about her because she was doing exactly what they told her to and becoming a better model each week. When she had a flaw, she fixed it.

Girls need to do the same thing when it comes to their walks. There is a runway in the house for a reason – to use! We saw several times last season when girls would ask Ambreal to help them posing in the mirror. Ambreal might not have looked extremely high fashion, but she knew how to pose, and that goes a long way. Unless you plan on working on things and changing your habits, you have no shot at making it through a bottom two scenario.

Tip #4 – Personality counts! It’s not just about the modeling, folks. If it was, then as much as I hate to say this, Melrose would have beat MY CariDee. This show is looking for more than a girl to walk the runway and pose in photos. It’s no secret that once a girl wins this show, she becomes a face that many people will know and want to talk to. If you have a nasty attitude, that’s not going to send a great message for the show or for Tyra. They are looking for fun girls, and girls who have a sense of humor and personality. Can you name one winner who the judges said wasn’t personable? Heck, Naima wouldn’t have won if she didn’t turn it around and become more relatable. Even Eva, possibly the most famous winner of the show, didn’t have the competition in the bag until she showed a little more of herself. Yaya didn’t, and Eva won the title.

The girls have to remember that this isn’t for just a modeling contract – this is for a Cover Girl ad as well, and Cover Girl is looking for girls that people can relate to. CariDee and Danielle have been the only two winners so far that have been resigned by Cover Girl. What a coincidence – they are the two most personable winners to date! Keep in mind that Jaslene and Saleisha are still under contract and not up to be resigned yet. You can be focused on the competition and be intense, but you need to be ready to show some personality as well, in order to be on the judges good side.

Tip #5 – Focus on yourself, not the other girls. Sure, you are competing against 12 other girls, but you have to remember that you are in this for you, not the others. Over the years, I have seen girls fall by the wayside because they are so caught up in the way the other girls are looking at them or how they are performing or even what they are doing in their photos, that they lose focus on what THEY are doing and end up being sent home. There’s nothing wrong with sizing up the competition, but you can’t let the other girls get to you.

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