America’s Next Top Model 10, Episode 10: Fighting for the Top

Previously on America’s Next Top Model, the girls hit the streets of Rome and had to shoot a Cover Girl commercial in Italian. Some girls did well with the challenge and others fell flat. Whitney and Lauren bottomed out and Lauren was sent home.

We start out with a montage of sound bites from Whitney and Fatima. With it getting down to the final five, every panel counts. Whitney talks about how she needs to loosen up and Kat tells her to just be herself. Fatima doesn’t think she has any competition remaining and thinks the judges are spot on with their assessments of people. She says that she hardly remembers Kat. Nice, Fatima. Kat knows she has to show more personality to the judges in order to stay. Amazingly enough, we don’t hear anything out of Dominique.

The next morning, the girls are off to some ancient ruins. They spot some Romans, or actors dressed up as Romans, complete with gladiator garb, fighting with swords. Fatima tells us that she doesn’t like violence, which I can understand considering she grew up in an area filled with violence. A woman warrior eventually does in a male gladiator. The girls get to learn how to be fierce, tough gladiators today.

With something that resembles a large paint stick, the girls learn gladiator moves, including how to take off someone’s head, chop them at the knees and stab them in the chest. They learn five moves that once put together, look pretty fierce. Kat actually gets to speak, saying that she’s really enjoying this exercise.

The models face off and Dominique wanted to be with Whitney, but ended up with Fatima. Dom, of course, is a tough chick, while Fatima limply handles her sword. Dom tells us that this weakness is only going to hurt Fatima, not her. Fatima replies in a separate confessional that all she was thinking while she was fighting Dominique was, “Go home, bitch! Die!” Wow, girl! Don’t hold back!

The girls are immediately sent to get costumes on and they come out looking like they’re in a bad movie. Shhh, don’t tell the show producers that. They think the girls look great! Anyway, in their costumes, they’re taken to another miniature coliseum where they’re met by Ms. J and Jay Manuel for more expression training. Did I mention that the two men are dressed warmly, head-to-toe, while the girls are shivering in these miniature outfits? Granted, they have some sort of brown cloth draped over them, but you can see that they’re miserable.

What the girls don’t know is that this is not just another training session; this is actually the next photo shoot and challenge. They have to look as if they’re fighting warriors all while remembering to pose. Oh, and they’re fighting against Russell Crowe, or some other beefy, beautiful warrior. Each girl is only going to get five frames. For some reason, J and Jay repeatedly say that this is a photo challenge. I suspect that one girl just doesn’t get it, huh?

Anya volunteers to go first. She tells us that she had it in her head where the lights, the camera, and the gladiator were at all times, so she thought it was easy. She actually does look strong as she goes through several types of kills with her gladiator.

Next up is Kat and as she goes up for her mini-shoot, Ms. J tells her to remember to stay open to the left since that is where the camera is. In her voiceover, she tells us that she has to think about having more lively in front of the camera. She does a decent job of it as well. I wonder if we’ll see an Anya/Kat fight off at the finale?

Whitney is up next and while I love her, she really looks like Anna-Nicole for some reason today. She does a good job and Jay comments how he likes that she keeps her body open towards the camera. The first frame looked like she was too posey, but by the last frame, it is believable. I am mildly surprised that they put her in a little two-piece number like the other girls. Dom even comments that Whitney looked like Xena, Warrior Princess, with her blonde hair and big boobs; she’s comfortable in her own skin.

Whitney tells us that she’s scared of the warrior and she forgets all her moves she learned earlier. You can see her struggle to even stay on her feet. Jay and Ms. J don’t look happy and even point out to her to remember to open up to the camera. She goes back to doing the same thing. Not good, Fatima!

Up last is Dominique. She tells us that she just wants to stand out from the other girls. Whitney sums it up better than I can by saying, “I don’t know how anyone who has a face like a gladiatrix, yet have her body that’s posing.” She nails it as Dom looks absolutely ridiculous and as if, once again, she’s out of a B-movie.

Jay and Ms. J run through quick critiques on site. Anya did the poses that she was taught. Kat’s sword looked heavy, but her pose and face didn’t make it seem real. Whitney did a great job and was unafraid. Fatima, as expected, crossed her body and looked like a wreck. Dom looked very pretty and this was her best to date, but the guys say that this is not what was asked of her this time. To me, her photo looks like she’s going to “crane” someone (for those of you who are old enough to remember The Karate Kid).

The winner of the challenge receives 1000 Euro to go shopping in Rome; the graphics guy shows us that this is the equivalent to about $1556. The winner can take a friend to go shopping and split the money or she can choose to go by herself. Jay says that two girls were very close, but with only one winner, it’s Whitney. She chooses to take Anya with her and Jay says that the two blondes are going shopping. Heh. This could be a great setup.

Anya tells us that it was kind of Whitney to take her. They have a great time shopping through a market area and both girls return with armloads of bags.

Tyra mail comes with a cryptic, “Your inexperience should now be a thing of the past.” Very clever, Tyra. With all the ancient ruins around Rome, do you think they’ll do a shoot somewhere historical? Eye roll.

They’re brought to a castle that’s over 600 years old, according to Jay. Honestly, that’s a new McMansion in Rome and fairly modern if you consider how old most of the rest of the city is. Anyway, there are many paintings and frescos inside the castle that depict the Renaissance era. So Jay says that they will be depicting a modern view of the Renaissance.

Tyra is their photographer for the day. Dom and Whitney are both nervous about Tyra being around as they know that if any of them screw up on the set, that it’ll get back to the panel and that girl will go home.

Kat volunteers to go first. She tells us that she’s nervous being in front of Tyra, and that she needs to bring a sense of life to the camera so that she can let Tyra get a sense of who she is. She starts out by asking what Tyra wants to get out of her that day. Smart move, Kat. Tyra tells her that her vision is exaggeration, as if this woman just got back from a Renaissance club on Sunset Boulevard. Has Tyra been dipping into the same stuff Paula Abdul has had the past few nights?

Kat doesn’t seem to be getting the understanding of exaggeration, so Tyra gets up for a moment and shows her some moves that she’s thinking. She gets a bit better and one pose seems to stand out, but I don’t think it was her best shoot; neither does Tyra. She tells us that she felt as if Kat took us only back to the ‘80s and she was posing for “Walk Like an Egyptian.” Snort.

Dominique comes out next looking like Cruella DeVille and I have to laugh as Jay tells her that she looks fabulous, but that she has to be sure she doesn’t come off looking like that same character. I swear I typed that before he said it! She knows she has to nail it and she did a great job. Tyra seems pleased.

Bitter Fatima tells us that Dom can pose, but that she doesn’t look like a model. You can almost see her sneer down her nose as she tells us that Dom isn’t her competition. Jay tells her that he doesn’t want to impose a time limit on her, but he’ll have to as he doesn’t have 10 minutes per frame to give her. She has to flow and move. She actually manages to pull off a good shoot. I’m impressed, as are Tyra and Jay both.

Whitney tells us that she’s not worried about this shoot with Tyra as she’s good at taking direction and can be herself. Tyra tells her to not stick out her boobs as much; be more high fashion and less sex. She gets stuck and keeps doing the same thing. So much for taking direction well, girl. Jay says that he was actually more excited about Dominique this week. Oh, that’s not good.

Anya continues to stun us all as even Tyra says that she is comfortable with her body and understands angles. To me, she’s over and above any of the remaining girls. She’s safe again this week, without a doubt.

Back at the apartment, Fatima tells us that she’s not worried about panel this week. She says that she’ll get called first again and that people are going to hate her. I’m over Fatima. I know she won’t go this week, but I hope she’ll be in the bottom two just to knock her down a notch.

Kat is worried, though. She says that she can usually pick out who will be going home, but now that they’re down to only a few, it could be anyone. Whitney thinks she’s vulnerable as Tyra didn’t fall all over her at the shoot. Anya says, “The only one she did love is Dominique,”’ which brings a headsnap from Fatima.

It’s panel time and Tyra greets the girls with, “Bon soir,” which she immediately catches with the record scratch sound. Good job, Tyra. That’s French! Hee hee! She goes on with her same spiel with really bad fake accents. I wish she wouldn’t do that.

For judging, Anya is up first and she is heaped with praise by all the judges. She flowed well and did a great job. Tyra admits to being nervous with this shoot in particular as this is the first time she had shot with artificial light. Anya’s photo is stunning, so Tyra must have figured out how to make it work.

Fatima is up next. Nigel says that she doesn’t look like Iman in this one, but herself. Tyra enjoyed working with Fatima this week as each of her poses flowed well. Paulina tells us that she’s jealous as she wishes she was in this shot. Well, it looks as if Fatima will stay for another day.

Dominique comes up the catwalk for judging and they tear her apart on her outfit. Tyra hits it on the head in saying that she looks like she should be in the mall or in a causal restaurant. Nigel thinks that this is the best of the three so far. Tyra loves it, then admits that she wasn’t excited to shoot her that day. Her expectations were low, but Dom proved her wrong. She did well.

Katarzyna is up next and the judges jump right into her photo. It was good, but she didn’t’ push through hard. She has beautiful features to work with, but she doesn’t stand out.

Finally, Whitney is up and the panel tears into her pretty hard. In her photo she’s staring at the light above her head and it just looks campy. Tyra says that this was her second to last shot and she finally got it, but it still wasn’t great. She has to get out of her habit of being so aggressively forward with her parts and learn subtlety. I think we know who is going home this week. Sigh.

I think Kat and Whitney will be in the bottom with Whitney going home. What do the judges think? Anya keeps getting better, but has a meek personality. Whitney is beautiful in person but she doesn’t come across as well in photos. Nigel likes her because of her personality and that she’s rounded. Dominique is consistently getting better. Fatima rests on her last photo shoot and good critiques. Kat doesn’t work with her eyes; she thinks too much.

With that, Tyra calls names. The first photo goes to Fatima, followed by Dominique and Anya. Dom is critiqued that she needs to come across better in person. Yeah, I figured as much that Kat and Whitney are in the bottom. The final picture goes to Whitney and I’m shocked. Her personality is probably what saved her, as Nigel really likes her. She’s visibly shocked.

Katarzyna leaves with hugs for everyone and Ms. J pulls the last name off the left side of his jacket. She leaves with grace and poise.

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

Kari’s favorite photos are taken spontaneously in photo booths. Which were your favorite girls for the week? You can send her comments at flystorms2@yahoo.com.

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