Well, let’s start this cycle and see what Tyra and co. have in store for us this go-round.
Wanna be on top?
I missed the first three minutes and apparently missed most of the guys entering. I enter with Nyle introducing himself…and Ramon, his interpreter. Nyle’s deaf and communicates using ASL. Well okay then. This should be interesting and I have a feeling I’m going to be jealous of him since he won’t be able to hear all the drama and ridiculousness contestants are known to spew.
So a double decker bus pulls up and Yu Tsai hops off as the guys cheer. Yes, Yu Tsai is back for Cycle 22, y’all! Justin is nervous to see Yu Tsai, saying he’s tough. The guys are going to take a tour of Hollywood…while taking pictures that will happen who will make it to the next round.
Yu Tsai checks the guys in: Bryant (who says the boys will be intimidating), Devin (does have agents and hopes to achieve a wider audience), and everyone else. Justin says he can’t wait to meet the girls…
You know what that means!
Cue the girls!
The girls exit the bus as the boys cheer. Justin is happy, so is Mame. Though she says she’s a diplomat’s daughter so she’s going to be a good girl during this competition. Bets on how long that lasts? Anyway, we next meet Lacey, who is our small town girl this cycle. And she’s not experienced with men, she says. Yu Tsai greets the girls and checks them in: Ashley, Raquel, Alexa, and everyone else. Ashley says she’s an independent girl and that the boys will be a distraction, but she’s going to stay as focused as possible. Once the girls get on the bus, it starts rolling.
Dustin says the bus stops and then he’s up to take photographs. He says he’s a farmboy and a wrestler. Who likes brunettes but open to others. Alexa takes her shots and Yu Tsai says he can tell she’s been to Vegas. Stefano says he’s turned off by girls with plastic surgery which Alexa admits to the other girls she got. She says she loved her boobs—both before and after. Hadassah says hers are fake as well and Mame doesn’t know what to make of her.
Bello says he’s risking a lot to be there. And my god does he have the most gorgeous blue eyes ever. I could stare at them all day for goodness’ sake. Anyway, the camera pulls away from them as Yu Tsai gives them their phones for this cycle. Shilling ensues. As do selfies. Which Courtney loves, though she needs to make it to makeovers so someone can touch up those roots. Nyle follows her and says he wants to show that the deaf can do everything hearing people can do. Bello isn’t thrilled by Devin while Mikey has to tie his long hair.
Yu Tsai says the cast has high energy and calls them the rowdiest cast ever on America’s Next Top Model.
That should be promising, right?
Lacey tells us that she started to hear something as the bus turned a corner. At Hollywood and Highland, she says there’s a bunch of fans surrounding a runway. As she tries to figure out what’s going on, we go to…
COMMERCIALS!
Yu Tsai greets the crowd and introduces the judges: Kelly Cutrone, Ms. J Alexander, and Tyra Banks! I’m liking Tyra’s short do. So does Lacey. Bello is just a fan of Tyra in general. She says people on the street beg her to take away the height requirement for the show. Wait, really? That’s what people beg you to change about the show? Okay. Anyway, she says they are the original modeling show because they don’t put people in a box and say “This is how you have to look like to be a model.” She tells the audience to not let anyone stop them from pursuing their dreams. Time to get the cycle started!
So, wait, did they drop the height requirement? She didn’t say.
The models take to the runway. Mikey and India S. go first. If she has an initial, does that mean there’s another India there? Protesters run out and try to get the models to break. India succeeds, Mikey not so much. Lacey and Bryant are next. They nail it and hug each other after. DElanie and Stefano follow. Kelly says that Delanie reminds her of Helena Christensen while Stefano gets a “Not bad” from her and Ms. J. Devin is paired with Mame. He outpaces her. Kelly says he forgot the woman was there. Miguel and Ashley are next. He was in the military and I think he said he knows science. He’s also gay.
Dallas and Larissa are next. Kelly realizes he did a chest bump and doesn’t want to talk about him. Nyle and Samantha are next. Kelly apparently knows sign language. Who knew? She thinks Nyle is hot. Alexa walks with Dustin and pulls off a hair flip. Courtney and Gage go next. I don’t think the end poses were a hit, though. Jake and Raquel follow. He dips her and Kelly is not impressed. Justin and V are next. Yu Tsai praises Justin for keeping his composure on the runway. Last is the trio of Bello, Ava and Hadassah. Mikey calls Bello fake, including those hypnotizing blue eyes.
The judges say some of the models need work but there were good models too. Yu Tsai says he’ll see them tomorrow. We go to…
COMMERCIALS!
Tyra and the judges take their thrones to interview the contestants. Lacey is up first. Tyra loves her accent. Lacey admits she has some modeling experience and Kelly asks her to show off some poses. Tyra then asks her about her parents. Lacey says they hit a rough patch and divorced when she was fifteen. She lives with her dad and says she needed her mom. But they are closer now. Tyra likes her picture. Lacey said she lost weight recently.
Nyle is next and Ramon interprets. Tyra says he’s fine as hell and then asks about his competitive edge as a deaf person. He says that using sign language, he has to use body language and facial expressions as well. Tyra shows him how to be sexy. He gets it. Nyle says he was raised in the deaf community and that he didn’t realize it wasn’t normal until he was around hearing people. But he says he likes to break down barriers. Kelly calls him goofy and Tyra says he has to work on his tantalizing skills.
The contestants talk outside and Mame loves the guys. She also says it’s not fair that she has to go against so many gorgeous girls but now she has to go against all those good looking men.
Mame is next before the judges and they speak French to her. Tyra asks her about being the daughter of a diplomat. She says she lived in Geneva until she was sent back to the US for stability. Mame says it was difficult because she felt like she was being raised over the phone and it led to some resentment in her family. Mame says she tried to talk with her father about it but she says you don’t argue with African parents. She starts to…cry?…I don’t know, it looks kinda fake. Anyway, she says she doesn’t need anyone. Tyra and Kelly praise her skin and how it catches the light. Mame is also the reigning Miss Maryland USA!
Outside, Bello is telling everyone he won and they can go home. He has a crown and he passes it around. When Devin tries it on, it breaks. Bello wants to know who broke it and everyone seems afraid. As he stares down the contestants and Devin looks guilty, we go to…
COMMERCIALS!
LA! Bello says his crown cost a lot but Nyle doesn’t believe it. He goes on about people disrespecting things. Bello says everyone wants to meet an honest person until they meet him and realize he is honest. I’ve come to realize that when people say they’re “honest” it usually means “rude.” Especially on this show. He still puts on the broken crown for his entrance and then a motorboard. He explains his mother never saw him walk so he did that for her. Ms. J asks him about his eyes. He swears they are real and that he used to be self-conscious about it. Kelly and Ms. J examine him and we see a baby picture that shows Bello’s always had those baby blues. Ms. J starts going on about voodoo and Bello plays along, surprised when Ms. J spits out some water. They look at his picture and then hum “Pomp and Circumstances” as he leaves.
“What the hell was that?” Ms. J sing-songs.
Lacey admires Mikey’s hair before he goes to see Tyra. There’s even a twinkle in his eyes. Tyra talks about his swagger but then says he doesn’t seem like he pays bill. He says he does and he got his first job at 8. Tyra asks about his parents. He says things were tough growing up and his mom had to get her act together so she didn’t lose her kids. This included working two jobs. He is the first person in his family to graduate high school. And he’s also the first male relative not to end up in prison. So he didn’t have a dad and watched his brother make mistakes. And he counseled Mikey to stay on the straight and narrow. Mikey says his pictures are amazing.
Courtney says she’s excited to see her picture and goes to stand before the judges. She gives Tyra a present—a drawing. Courtney explains she takes selfies with her tablet in order to model. Courtney is overwhelmed to see her photo and the judges love it. Kelly calls her “freaky hot” and that she can break the rules.
Hadassah talks about pageant walking verses catwalk talking. She says everyone is going to want to be her friend. In front of the judges, she explains that she started doing pageants in order to build her confidence and that she’s come out of her shell. The judges aren’t too thrilled about her picture. Hadassah says people underestimates her intelligence and she says that it gives her the element of surprise. Yu Tsai wonders if she’s just pretty and not on the inside.
Outside, Bello asks them to name two people who need to go home. Nyle is smooth and says he doesn’t want to break people’s hearts the way Bello’s crown got broken. Stefano else flat out says Hadassah and Alexa, just the for the fact she is bragging about her rich husband who gave her a boob job. Alexa is insulted. She says she wasn’t bragging but just talking to the girls. Hadassah jumps in to defend her and Justin says it’s a mess. Stefano says he doesn’t respect her as Alexa cries.
COMMERCIALS!
LA! Alexa goes before the judges as Ms. J chants “Vegas.” She says she gets that and gets called a stripper. Tyra asks about the struggle she faced as a teenager. Alexa was anorexia and battled depression. She says high school was heard and dealt with mean girls. She said the anorexia was a control thing. Then she battled back from anorexia, gained weight and came to love her boobs. The judges like her photo and give her some tips.
Stefano plays some reggae rap on his guitar for Tyra. Ms. J’s eye roll says it all. Kelly stops him, thankfully. Stefano believes that religion is the root of all evil. Okay then. The judges like his shot.
Outside, boys are doing flips! Anyway, is it just me, or does it seem we already have our contestants for this cycle? Because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people in that room. I’ll admit I already know the contestants and nearly everyone we’ve seen so far are on the list.
Hmm…
Devin tries to impress the judges. He says people love him but don’t know what to do with him as a model. Tyra says she found him on Instagram and they make a comment about his energy level.
Dustin flips into the interview room. Tyra praises his style then asking about his wrestling days. She feels his ears. Tyra says something is too long on his body and Ms. J makes a face before Dustin even picks up on the innuendo. But it’s really his neck.
Outside, Ashley says she’s been modeling for a while and the men assure her she has it. Tyra asks her about her struggles—Ashley was in a shelter for almost four years. She admits to having been molested by someone her brother knew. She was five. FIVE. How awful. Ashley says she has a five year old sister now and she’s very protective of her. She says she’s proud to tell her story and says she’s blessed to be there. She’s going to fight. Tyra praises her picture.
COMMERCIALS!
Bryant says that Top Model has never seen anyone has hot as him before as he takes the stage in front of the judges. He admits to usually picturing people in their underwear and Tyra tells him to pick Yu Tsai. She then asks him about his Instagram followers. Apparently he has a lot of them. He’s also trying to rebrand himself. Yu Tsai tells him to cut his bad habits if he wants to do that. Tyra seems to like his picture.
Raquel is a Potterhead and uses her wand…to make herself disappear. We cut to Jake, who says he’ll get along with everyone…but “typical models.” He says that a typical model is someone who is full of themselves and didn’t earn it because they’re just naturally beautiful. Ms. J gives him a warning before we flash to Maleesa. She’s the shortest person here and says it means everyone is underestimating her. Tyra loves her picture.
Delanie talks about her weight loss and being bullied for her weight. Tyra says that helps a duckling build character as they turn into a swan. Delanie agrees and Justin comes in. Tyra says he reminds her of the Korean models from last cycle. He says he has confidence and it lets him be smooth and soulful. Justin was born to immigrant parents who want him to get a real job. Especially with his sister being a pharmacist.
Ava looks like a cross between a flower child and boho. She even calls herself a flower child and Tyra asks if she’s for real. Ava says she is. She is a Christian and she wants to show people you can be a good girl and have fun. And she has a pink guitar. Her photo seems to pass inspection.
About a time we saw a few people I didn’t see in the list. Ms. J hopes for some crazies and Yu Tsai says they are the most diverse class he’s ever seen.
COMMERCIALS!
LA! The models race to a beautiful house and Yu Tsai greets them. He makes sure Nyle can read his lips, which is nice. Anyway, he welcomes them to their house and reveals some of them won’t be moving in. They have to climb into the foam pit behind Yu Tsai and Ms. J. There are balls with the names of the contestants continuing on. If they have one, they get to go into the house. If not, they have to go home.
Lacey prays there’s a ball in the foam pit as the models dive in. Let’s see who moves on:
Dallas
Mikey
Justin
Hadassah
Courtney
Nyle
Dustin
Lacey
Stefano
Ashley
Alexa
Ava
Devin
Bello
Maleesa
Miguel
Delanie
Mame
That’s it. Yu Tsai tells the others that he’s proud of them and Ms. J tells them to keep fighting. Raquel thinks there’s a mistake that she wasn’t picked.
Mame warns the guys that a girl will win Cycle 22. Nyle is just excited to be there and Bryant says he’s going to win. Lacey is the only one who realizes that there’s another cut on the horizon.
Sorry for the delay in posting this! I kinda forgot it was on and that’s why I missed the first three minutes. Right now, I think Nyle is my early favorite for the guys and it’s a toss up between Lacey and Mame as my favorite girl. But we’ll see as the season shakes out.
Quote of the Episode
“Her face is like a buttery canvas.”—Lacey on Tyra
Next week: Property Brothers! Naked shots? Bello vs. Devin!
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