America’s Next Top Model 9: Ranking the Models – The Top 12

It’s the first edition of our rankings, telling how I think each contestant is doing, so let’s get to it!

1. Chantal: Chantal has all the right things going for her. Initially, all the judges could fault with her is that she’s flawless. That’s not a bad place to be. I think she can tame the “bedroom eyes” and stave off any more accusations of hootchiness. Everyone seems to like Chantal. It was so nice to see the moment where she was so grateful for being in the house that she couldn’t help but shed some tears. Chantal has heart, brains, beauty, and everything it takes to win this season. We’ll just have to see if she can stay on top.

2. Saleisha: Saleisha and Chantal may have very well prophesied the future. As it stands, they’re both set to do very well in this competition and I wouldn’t mind seeing them as the last two standing. Saleisha did well in her duo shot despite Heather’s issues connecting. Saleisha reminds me a bit of Felicia from last cycle, in that they are both mini-Tyras in their own ways. Her personality is positive and upbeat without being über-annoying like Mila.

3. Sarah: Sarah came out with a strong first showing, giving Tyra many photos that told a story. Sarah (like a few girls this season, thankfully) seems intelligent and able to connect well with her emotions for the camera. It would be great to see a “real-sized” girl win this season, even if it seems we’ll never have a plus-sized girl win this thing.

4. Ambreal: I’m not actually certain Ambreal deserves to be ranked this high, but I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. Her runway experience will become valuable soon, and her confidence is unlikely to be shattered by any of the changes thrown her way.

5. Janet: Shut up, Twiggy. Janet does too look like a model. I’m not sure if Janet will improve or hover in the middle, but I think she has more brains and potential than some of the others, so I ranked her somewhat higher.

6. Lisa: Expect emotions to continue to run high for Lisa this season. She’ll continue to butt heads with Bianca until one of them leaves, but I feel that Lisa may have the most issues with her makeover out of all the girls. There’s always one who can’t handle it, and I expect Lisa will be that person. I hope she proves me wrong, because her first shoot was awesome!

7. Victoria: Yale schmale. I’m not convinced Victoria is as smart as people are giving her credit for. How is it that she thinks it’s OK to just “wing it” for a shoot, instead of practicing? Does she just “wing it” for her exams? Every shoot is a test of what was learned in the previous few days; she needs to learn that lesson quickly. Also, I’m not a fan of the long face. I keep wanting to say, “what’s with the long face, Victoria?” Hey, does anyone else think she looks a wee bit equine?

8. Heather: Although Tyra called her first, I just can’t hand her that spot. Heather looked great in her top 33 water shot, but not as great in the smoking shoot, I’m afraid. I think she looked unattached and somewhat blank in the smoking half, and kinda scary in the mirror. However, I laud her strength despite the unkind words of her competitors. How can you not root for her? Heather will never get past the runway or commercial episodes. Can you imagine how line memorization would go? Night. Mare. That said, I love Heather’s look, and hope this competition goes a long way in boosting her self-confidence and social skills. It’s just a shame that Mila left when she did, because she was the most likely to befriend Heather.

9. Jenah: I don’t think Jenah is really doing anything wrong, but I just don’t see a model in her. (OK, now I’m getting all Twiggy.) I think she’ll stay around for a few more episodes, but I don’t think she has the “je ne sais qua” they’re looking for this year. I commend her decision to stop smoking before Tyra announced the rules, but I think this will make it even harder for Jenah to remain focused on the task at hand. Since she described herself as confrontational, I’d expect this to come to the foreground very soon. If Bianca leaves, Jenah will likely become the new instigator of cattiness.

10. Ebony: Her change of heart at Tyra’s confrontation really seemed to rattle Ebony. I don’t know if she can rebound to be successful. Although she said she had confidence and not cockiness, I have to strongly disagree. Once the shell was broken, a timid and insecure girl was revealed underneath. I think Ebony has covered up her brokenness for so long that she won’t be able to function well. A new weave may inspire her, though. I haven’t lost hope. Of anyone, I have the most hopes in Ebony to make a comeback.

11. Kimberly: Kimberly bugs me. Her comments about Heather were disturbing on many levels, and I hope she is duly chastised by friends and family for her narrow-mindedness. I was very surprised she made it into the house, especially over Marvita. All I could remember about her is that she was spastic. Now she’s just spastic and mean. I’m not sure how they’re going to fix her hair, but I bet she’s the one to get the most chopped off. She needs to a short, edgy cut. I don’t know if she’ll be able to take it, though.

12. Bianca: Bianca’s photo shoot was not good at all. A new weave will improve things a lot, but I don’t believe she can take it to the next level. Her personality is grating, and that comes through in her photos. I don’t think she’s long for this competition.

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

Asher Streets is a food engineer and musician who lives in Madison, WI. He has a love for all things Italian, most especially gelato, wine, espresso, and cheese. You can email Asher at asher.streets@gmail.com.

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