America’s Next Top Model 10: Why Atalya is Not a Top Model

Once again, here we are! Another season of America’s Next Top Model, and I still can’t believe that I’m not recapping it. But a girl has gotta do what a girl has gotta do! Well, I mean, that and the fact that my work schedule is ridiculous this time of year and I simply don’t have the time to call it as I see it. Enough about me, though – I’m not a top model, and I couldn’t follow the Top Model Tips if I tried – I’m just not built for heels!

That being said, Atalya couldn’t cut it either. Tyra said when she sent Atalya home that the judges felt like she was simply a pretty girl who they didn’t see making it in a high fashion industry. When I talked with Atalya, she didn’t buy that explanation at all, and felt that had she lasted until the makeover episode, she would have done well. However, could she have simply followed the Top Model Tips and lasted longer that way? Let’s investigate.

Our first tip tells models that they must be open to and welcome change. Obviously, I think Atalya was definitely open to change because she was looking forward to a makeover. However, we’ll never know if she would have freaked out had the judges shaved off all her hair. So it’s safe to say that we’ll never really know if Atalya was welcome to change, but from my discussion with her, I think we can say she was.

The second tip says that you should know something about the fashion industry. I mean, you wouldn’t become a mechanic if you hated cars, right? [Associate Editor’s note: Kim would.] Atalya had a very strong interest in the fashion industry, and even had some modeling experience under her belt. When I spoke with her during out interview, she told me that this is something that she has wanted to do for a long time, so it’s no secret that she’s has wanted to be a supermodel for many years. Atalya did a good job with the second tip.

Practice posing, walking, and working on your flaws is the third tip. Here is where I think Atalya hit her biggest bump. She had stated that she knew she was commercial, but there is nothing wrong with that since Saleisha was commercial and she won the cycle before. If anything, that’s a reason to go out of your way to NOT be commercial! Chances are, if the judges choose a commercial model one cycle, they are not going to choose another one the season after. If Atalya knew that she was coming across as commercial, then she should have been in front of the mirror every day trying to look more high fashion. If you aren’t practicing, you aren’t getting better. Sure, maybe Atalya had a good walk, but you need the look as well, and she wasn’t working on getting the look the judges wanted.

The next tip says that personality counts. Well, here we go again. To be honest, I didn’t even realize Atalya was there until she was in the bottom two. The second that happened, I knew she was done because we had barely seen anything of her! When you have a booming personality, like Amis, you have a good chance of sticking around. Atalya didn’t really show us much of a personality, so she was sent packing, and I wasn’t surprised at all.

Our fifth tip says that girls should focus on themselves, not the other girls. I don’t think this tip really come into play with Atalya, since she did a good job here, so let’s move on.

Atalya didn’t really have many problems with the next tip either, which says to never fight with the judges and roll with the punches. In her interview, Atalya said that when the judges gave her comments, she did stand up for herself and tell them how she felt, but it must not have been done in bad taste since it wasn’t shown, so I’m going to say that she did well with this tip. However, let me reiterate that there’s a difference between standing up for yourself and coming across as argumentative.

Our next tip says to show the judges you want to win. I really think that Atalya needed help with this tip. We didn’t really get to know her that well, but when we saw her with the judges, there was no sense of winning there. She stood there, took in what the judges had to say, and moved on. To be honest, she didn’t even seem all too upset when she was sent home. I’m sure she wanted to win, but that was never really shown, and the judges can take that as “I don’t care either way.” That’s never something you want them to think.

The final tip says to show confidence, not cockiness. Again, this doesn’t really apply to Atalya, since she didn’t really show either, hence why she was forgotten and sent home so soon.

In the end, the judges gave Atalya the boot for not shining through as a high fashion model. After looking over the Top Model Tips and applying them to Atalya’s elimination, that is definitely one of the main reasons that she deserved to go. The fact that Atalya admitted to being commercial and not really doing anything about it, coupled with the fact that she never really did anything to stand out, goes majorly against two of the Top Model Tips. I think that had she followed the tips laid out, she would have at least lasted until the makeovers, then could have served up some high fashion. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be, and that’s why Atalya is not a top model.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent America’s Next Top Model articles on RealityNewsOnline:

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

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