America’s Next Top Model 7, Episode 10: Cold as Ice

Previously: The girls headed to Spain for go-sees. Eugena and Michelle performed the best in a photo shoot with a bull, but Michelle’s uncertainty did her in. They totally leave out the part about CariDee accidentally insulting Nigel. Four girls are left - Eugena, Phil’s CariDee, Melrose, and Amanda.

We (and the girls) are still in Spain. CariDee and Melrose are dressing Amanda. She says that last week she was in the bottom two with Michelle, who went home because she admitted she was the weakest. We get a flashback of Michelle telling the judges that she doesn’t know what she wants. Amanda notes that if Michelle hadn’t said that, she would probably still be in the competition, but where would that leave Amanda? She feels like Michelle sacrificed herself for her sister.

Amanda reads the letter Michelle wrote her as she was leaving. I love that she addresses Amanda as “twin.” CariDee interviews that Michelle knew Amanda wanted this more than her, so she let her stay because that’s the kind of person she is. Amanda says it’s weird not having Michelle share a room with her now. She’s uncertain about how things will go from now on. The girls get Tyra Mail that says that working with a partner has many pros. “You just have to keep them from stepping on your toes.” Sounds like dancing to me.

The girls take a subway to a dance studio, where they meet Nacho Blanco and Naama Hernandez Ruiz. (I guess Nacho is a popular name in Spain, since the male model who didn’t like Jaeda was also named Nacho.) CariDee’s first impression is that he’s short. Nacho is a dancer, it appears, and Naama is his translator. Nacho tells the girls that in modeling, they usually work alone, but sometimes they’ll have partners. He’s going to teach them how to walk with a partner.

As four guys enter, CariDee tells us that they started to dance. They’re doing the flamenco, which I love watching. When they’re done, CariDee says, “Again!” Nacho has the girls each pick a guy. Amanda is nervous about dancing because she knows she won’t do it well. Nacho teaches the girls some steps. Eugena, who gets the steps down pretty quickly, says that dancing comes easy to her because she has rhythm and used to dance ballet and jazz.

Melrose says that when she messes up, she has to start over. Amanda is awkward and Eugena says that she basically looks like Amanda dancing. She forgets her moves. Melrose says that Amanda is cute but has two left feet. However, it’s obvious that she’s trying. Nacho asks Eugena if she’s danced flamenco before. She hasn’t. Amanda is sure that she looked awkward, but she wishes Michelle had been there because she probably would have looked worse. Awww, gotta love the sibling teasing. Eugena thinks that she learned the fastest and came out on top today. Nacho tells the girls to keep practicing because tomorrow they’ll be tested. Amanda admits that she definitely didn’t know what she was doing.

The girls go out to dinner and notice that there’s an extra seat at the table. It’s reserved for… Ms. J.! CariDee is excited to see him because he’s on the panel and she hasn’t spent much time with him on a personal level. Ms. J. is excited, too, because he has lots questions and things to say to the girls. He tells them they’re getting a crash course like they wouldn’t believe, and lots of people are wishing they were there.

Ms. J wants to know how they wound up on the show. Eugena says she got there through the website. Melrose talks about how she studied fashion design first. She couldn’t fit into any clothes and her mother and grandmother were seamstresses. I wonder how Melrose would do on Project Runway. She would probably try to be Tim Gunn’s best friend and he would make hilarious faces at her. CariDee interviews that Melrose is manipulative and can be creepy. Melrose continues that she started making her own clothes because she’s too skinny and tall to find things that fit. Excuse me if I don’t feel sympathy. We can’t all be six-foot-tall size zeros. CariDee wonders if Melrose needs medication.

Ms. J. tells Melrose that she reminds him of a pinup. Melrose interviews that it’s intense to be in the final four, but she feels like a pro and is ready to win. Ms. J. tells the girls that they’re goofy. Amanda interviews that Michelle leaving has changed things for her because she’s never done anything for herself. CariDee says that the numbers are going down. She does a fun Tyra imitation as she talks about how she’s still in the running to become America’s. Next. Top. Model.

Tyra Mail! The message tells the girls to keep their heads up and put their shoulders back because “it’s going to be a stiff competition.” CariDee says she knows her body and mind. She knows she can do the dance steps, she just needs to get comfortable so she won’t overthink them. She and Amanda practice together. Amanda says she needs it because she forgets some steps. Melrose is 100% confident she’ll shine. She doesn’t want to overpractice. When she starts dancing, it just works.

Later, some of the girls get ready for bed while Amanda interviews that as the numbers dwindle, she gets more nervous because the competition is getting tougher. A surveillance cam shows her practicing until late at night.

In the morning, the girls get ready for the day and CariDee has Eugena feel how smooth her armpits are. Weird. CariDee interviews that Eugena is a real person; she listens and is genuinely concerned. CariDee practices her dancing a little, then asks Eugena if she’s scared. Eugena interviews that they’ve bonded over the past few weeks. That explains them teaming up for the go-sees last week. CariDee tells Eugena that she wants the two of them in the final two (me, too!). If Eugena wins, she’ll be sad, but she’ll be okay with it. Melrose, however would be a different story.

CariDee interviews that Melrose is fake. She’s like WWF wrestling - she performs well, but there’s nothing there. Awesome analogy. Melrose, by the way, doesn’t like CariDee any more than CariDee likes her. She says that of all of the girls left, CariDee gets on her nerves the most. She doesn’t want to be mean, but CariDee can be vulgar. We flashback to her accidentally insulting Nigel. Melrose continues that she’s there to win and compete, not to make friends. The official reality TV “I’m the Villain” statement!

Outside, CariDee tells Eugena that she doesn’t like Melrose. Eugena says that with her and Melrose, there’s sort of respect, but they both know they don’t like each other. CariDee says it’s keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. If Melrose wins, she’ll puke. I’ll join her. I really want CariDee to win, but at this point for me it’s anyone but Melrose. (Like last season when it was anyone but Jade.) Inside, Melrose dances obliviously.

After some beautiful shots of Spain, the girls gather at the bottom of some steps for their dancing “test.” Nacho tells them that there will only be one winner. There will also be a photographer there to shoot them. The girls head to hair and makeup, greeting the male dancers with kisses. Eugena says they put on complete flamenco costumes. Melrose thinks she wore her flamenco dress to prom. Amanda interviews that sometimes when you want something, you don’t get it because you psych yourself out. The guys practice. Melrose isn’t sure how she’ll be able to do the footwork in her dress. It’s too bad they didn’t get a dress rehearsal.

Everyone gathers to begin, that there’s a little audience there. Nacho says the girls look nice. CariDee is first with her partner José. She’s a little heavy-footed, but very graceful. Nacho interviews that she showed a lot of attraction to her partner. Eugena and her partner Oscar are next. Eugena does very well and looks like she’s enjoying self. She says that her strategy was to follow her partner because he knows what he’s doing. Works for me! Nacho says she was very elegant in her body.

Next up are Amanda and her partner Grua. Amanda has the steps down, but she’s not that graceful. However, Nacho notes that she’s working hard and has a sweeter expression than the other girls. Melrose thinks that everyone looks better than they did last night, but she feels like she has the footwork down. She and her partner Angel dance last. Melrose looks very nice and graceful, but she gets thrown off and has to “fib” her moves. She knows she messed up. We get a little dancing montage. I’d say Eugena and CariDee are the two best dancers.

Naama says Nacho is proud of all of the girls. Nacho tells Amanda that she was relaxed. CariDee worked well with her partner and Melrose had a good attitude and facial expressions, though she made a few mistakes. Eugena was very good and Nacho liked her attitude and expression. He actually liked all of the girls, but he chooses Eugena as the winner. She gets to pick a friend to share in her prize, and despite her bond with CariDee, she picks Amanda. CariDee interviews that she would have chosen Amanda as well because Amanda hasn’t won anything yet. Naama tells Eugena and Amanda that back at the house Amanda will receive one present and Eugena will receive two.

After everyone else is gone, Melrose tells Amanda that she messed up and couldn’t start over. She doesn’t like it when dance is so serious. Amanda says she pulled her ankle and thought, “Oopsy.” She interviews that Melrose reacted the same way to her loss as she always does – she freaked out. Melrose, who’s now crying, interviews that you have to be perfect to win a competition.

Elsewhere, CariDee tells Eugena that she doesn’t understand why someone would be so upset over losing a challenge. Eugena says it’s because Melrose is used to winning everything and is a sore loser. Melrose says she’s mad at herself, not the other girls, because she’s trying her best. Dancing is her soul and passion, and she doesn’t like being critiqued on it.

Back at the house, Eugena and Amanda get their presents. Amanda thought that Eugena would pick CariDee, so it was a nice surprise to get chosen herself. Amanda gets a jacket from the designer Custo Barcelona, and Eugena gets a Custo jacket and shirt. CariDee oohs and ahhs over the jacket.

Melrose interviews that CariDee is a lot to deal with. She doesn’t have to like everyone in the house. That interview seems really out of place; I’m not sure why they put it there. CariDee was being nice to a friend; what’s wrong with that?

CariDee interviews that she’s over Melrose. She has a problem with not winning and will lash out. Melrose says there are some diva attitudes in the house. She’s over CariDee, too, and is determined to win. The girls get more Tyra Mail: “Will you drown when faced with your own competition? See which girl will sink when she sees you floating to the top.” CariDee thinks the next challenge will involve sharks. I’m not sure how she got sharks from that.

The girls meet up with Jay, who tells them that they’ve walked down a long road and traveled across the world. Now they’re down to the final four. He’s brought someone along to the shoot to bring the competition to the final level. It’s Tyra, and Melrose says it’s huge to have her there because she’s helping them with their careers. Tyra tells the girls that she’s there to guide them in their shoots. It’s important to her to see how they work with a photographer and see what she can get out of them when she coaches them. She misses coaching, which she did in seasons 1 and 2.

In this challenge, the girls will be photographed floating on their backs in water. Tyra hopes they know how to swim. If they can’t, they’d better learn really quickly! Melrose just hopes there’s no chlorine in the water so her hair doesn’t turn green. Why am I not surprised?

There’s another element to the shoot – the girls will be working in pairs. Tyra teams up CariDee with Amanda and Eugena with Melrose. Eugena says she knew she’d be with Melrose. After all the CariDee/Melrose animosity, I’m surprised they didn’t get paired up. Eugena isn’t sure whether or not she’s happy. I’m going to guess she’s not. She doesn’t know how well Melrose will communicate with her since she’s selfish.

Jay tells the girls that they’ll be shooting as ethereal nymphs, so they’ll have long hair and flowing dresses. As they get ready, Eugena tells a hair guy that she doesn’t want glue in her hair. Tyra gives some instructions to the makeup guys. Melrose and Eugena are the first in the water, and Tyra tells them that the secret to floating is to arch your back. Eugena and Melrose get in and Tyra tells them to try different configurations.

The water is freezing cold, which Eugena quickly mentions. Tyra tells her she should try shooting a Sports Illustrated shoot in the snow. Jay notes that Eugena’s jaw is quivering. The girls shriek. David Ruiz is the photographer for the shoot and Tyra tries to speak Spanish to him, though, as we learn later, he speaks English. A for effort, though.

The floating begins and Eugena starts sinking after a minute. Tyra tells the girls that it’s okay for them to tell David if they need a break. Melrose is okay, but she notices that Eugena seems to be struggling. “Don’t they hate each other?” Jay asks. Maybe, but remember that Eugena and Monique didn’t get along very well in the beginning, and look what happened there.

As the shoot goes on, Eugena continues to sink too much. I think she’s arching her back too much. David thinks Monique has a soft face. Tyra says the girls look like they love each other. She mixes their black and blond hair. Eugena says they’re supposed to be floating like angels, but she couldn’t move or float. She hopes she didn’t look like a dead fish. Jay says it was a typical E shoot – flat, boring, and she looked like she was drowning. Does he mean that she always looks like she’s drowning? Because that’s kind of weird. Eugena says that she couldn’t control herself.

When Melrose and Eugena are done, Eugena confirms to Tyra that this was definitely the hardest shoot. Melrose says she tried not to complain because she’s competing. She and Eugena lie on the hot ground to warm up. Amanda is sure she’ll be a baby in the cold water. Eugena says she never wants to do that again.

It’s Amanda and CariDee’s turn. CariDee says the water was unbelievably cold, but she had to do what she had to do. David tells her and Amanda not to show the cold in their faces. The girls float well but Tyra thinks Amanda looks stiff. She tells her not to think about drowning. CariDee interviews that Amanda is young and naïve. At this point in the competition, it’s not about trying, it’s about having it or not.

The girls do get some good shots, though. CariDee is shivering a lot, and at a break, some guys wrap her in towels (though she’s still in the water, so I’m not sure what good that will do). David tells her that if she feels like something’s strange, she needs to speak up. Tyra notes that CariDee is from Fargo, so she should be used to the cold. “I forgot,” says CariDee. Hee.

CariDee says that her body took over and it felt like her skin was on pins and needles. But when the camera was on her, she tried not to let it show in her face. She asks for a break, and as she’s getting out of the water, she’s so cold that her hands are shaking. She says her breath was taken away. Some guys help CariDee out of the pool and wrap her in towels. Jay says that models need to tell people when they’re past their limit. CariDee pushed herself so far that became hypothermic. Then maybe they should take her to the hospital? However, when Jay comes over to check on her, she just asks how the photos are.

Tyra tells CariDee that she has to listen to her body and let someone know if something is wrong because all they know is “go, go, go.” Melrose interviews that CariDee let it go too far. Thanks for the insight, Melrose. There are still about 50 frames left, so Amanda takes some single shots. Jay says that if Amanda gives something great in a single shot, they can edit in CariDee from an old photo. CariDee says that she’s always nervous about panel but Tyra wouldn’t let her get back in the water. She couldn’t help her reaction and she hopes things work out for the best.

The girls get a typical Tyra Mail about panel. Amanda hopes that the person who goes home won’t be her or anyone she likes. So… just Melrose then, huh? Melrose says that she messed up and she’s disappointed because she practiced well. She knows she can only go up from here. Or… go home. Either one.

Eugena hangs out on CariDee’s bed and says that that was the hardest shoot, partly because her dress kept wrapping around her legs. CariDee has a sore throat. Eugena interviews that CariDee didn’t get to finish, but she heard that Amanda didn’t do so well because she was awkward, as usual. CariDee says that her body couldn’t handle the cold. Amanda interviews that they’re getting narrowed down, and she’s still in it, but she’s worried because she didn’t do that well. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up too high, but she really wants this.

The girls head to panel. Tyra calls them the top four finest… chicks. She wanted to say something a little dirtier. Tyra reminds them of the prizes and introduces the judges, including David Ruiz. Ms. J. looks like an extra in Grease.

The individual evaluations are first. Well, pair evaluations, since they had pair photos. Melrose and Eugena come up first. Tyra tells them that a lot of models won’t do shoots with another person, but it’s important to learn how to work with a partner. The judges look at Melrose’s dancing photo first. She looks graceful and like she’s very into the dance. Twiggy likes her arm work. Eugena’s dancing photo is okay; I don’t think they chose her best shot. They barely talk about it.

Melrose and Eugena give a little dance demonstration. Nigel looks bored, and when they’re done, he points out that there are two photographers at panel but the girls didn’t do any of their movements in their direction. The girls’ floating shot looks pretty good.

Twiggy thinks they look like mermaids. Nigel says that the point is to share the frame but also shine in it, and he thinks Eugena and Melrose did that well. Tyra says that they had tons of Melrose faces to choose from, but Eugena, not so much. She still has problems connecting, though she’s getting better. However, she’s not actually floating in the floating shot; she has her foot on the bottom of the pool. Tyra says that if she wasn’t getting it perfectly, she should have at least made sure her faced looked pretty.

Amanda and CariDee are next, and the judges look at CariDee’s dancing photo first. Twiggy thinks she looks like she’s really dancing. Did Twiggy not know the point of the challenge? Ms. J. and his castanets pronounce it “fantástico. Amanda’s dancing photo looks good, though we can’t see her face. Her feet are twisted, which kind of freaks the judges out, especially Twiggy.

Ms. J. asks for a dance demonstration and Amanda and CariDee give one. CariDee looks very intense, but Amanda, not so much. CariDee switches things up without Amanda expecting it and Amanda gets flustered. Nigel tells her that he could feel her embarrassment. She should have followed CariDee. Tyra says that she’s not expected to be a pro dancer, but she needs to look like one. She tells a story about how she had to flamenco in a Victoria’s Secret shoot. She learned the moves just a couple of hours beforehand, then forgot them all on stage and had to adlib the whole thing. Her teacher was probably mad, but the audience liked her.

Ms. J. gives the girls a little lesson, inspiring Tyra to want to dance with him. He tells her that wasn’t an invitation. Aww, let poor, eager Tyra have some fun. They dance and Tyra loses a shoe but keeps going. She makes that point to the girls, then limps back to the table.

Tyra is impressed that CariDee kept going even though she was cold. There wasn’t one frame where she looked cold. CariDee says that when the time came to shoot, she wasn’t cold. She tried her hardest. Tyra says it’s impressive, but she has to know her limits. If she’s getting sick, she has to step away. Ms. J. points out that you’d never know from the photos that CariDee was cold.

The models leave so the judges can deliberate. Nigel says that Melrose seems to be able to do no wrong, but something about her irks him. Tyra thinks it’s her pink beret. I’ll say. Nigel thinks Melrose says and does everything she’s supposed to, but she doesn’t seem natural. Twiggy notes that she always takes good photos, but her look isn’t as unique as Amanda’s. However, she has other elements. Tyra is shocked at how well she did at the shoot. She knows Melrose was trying to impress her, but she did.

Twiggy says that something about Eugena worries her. David says she’s elegant and beautiful. Tyra notes that she struggles at shoots and it’s almost like she gives up. She’s still in the competition because of her potential, not what she’s delivering.

Nigel thinks that CariDee has shown that she’s capable of giving a good photo. Twiggy says that she’s toned down her manic side. Nigel says she seems like she’s high-maintenance and needs lot of attention, which is fine for a Top Model, but she’s not actually a Top Model yet. Ms. J. thinks that with CariDee, it’s “all about me, me, me.”

Twiggy says that Amanda has no coordination, but she does have a great face. Nigel calls her face inspirational. It’s the face of fashion today. Twiggy says she doesn’t look like anyone else. Um, except Michelle. She wonders if they can just take her head and not her body. Creepy! David thinks Amanda needs to know her body more, and that she’s too young. Tyra likes the way he pronounces “young.”

The girls return. Tyra has only three photos and says that this is where it starts getting tough. The first photo goes to… Melrose. Really? Huh. Tyra says she’s a strong model, but the judges feel like they haven’t seen the real Melrose yet. The next photo goes to Eugena. Tyra tells her she’s still here by the skin of her teeth. The judges see someone who’s pushing forward and improving each week.

CariDee and Amanda step forward. Tyra tells them that they both have strong potential and a model look. Amanda has an edgy, high fashion look that excites the judges. They love her photos, but something is awkward about them. They also like her personality, which is sweet and engaging, but maybe too soft. CariDee has a bubbly personality that sometimes bubbles so much that it spills over. But some of the judges don’t think she’ll be able to handle extreme elements in shoots. So they think she needs to leave because she got cold? Bleh.

So who goes? The awkward girl with the edgy looks, or the girl who has classic looks but possibly not the strength? The answer is Amanda, as CariDee gets the third photo. She hugs Amanda, crying, and Tyra tells her that she needs to figure out how to get over her weakness with the cold. Tyra is there to give her the tough realities about the business, but CariDee needs to protect herself.

Tyra hugs Amanda. Amanda interviews that it’s hard when something good ends, and this was definitely something good. She wanted to be in the final two to get to experience everything, and she wanted to win, but she had fun. This is something she’ll never forget and something that will never happen again. It’ll be hard to pack up and know that tomorrow will just be a regular day. Amanda did want this more than Michelle, and it’s hard to leave this. There’s no real way to explain how she feels. It’s like she’s breaking up with the show. Hee.

I guessed that Amanda would be the one to go this week, but I’m sad to see her gone. Without Michelle, she really came into her own. Next week will be tough – I thought Eugena would come in third, but now I’m wondering if Melrose might be in danger. Here’s how I think things will go:

Eugena
CariDee
Melrose

Next week: the season finale. The final three do their Cover Girl ads, and they all struggle with them. Only two will walk an unconventional runway in a cave with… flower girls?

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these America’s Next Top Model articles covering last episode:

Jenn Brasler is an Assistant Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, Virginia. By day she works for a court reporting firm, and by night she’s a spy for a covert branch of the CIA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. She just wants Melrose OUT!

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent articles on this show at our America’s Next Top Model page and take a look at our sections on The Apprentice and Survivor. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about America’s Next Top Model, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: America’s Next Top Model!