And now, it’s time for a rousing game of "Judge a Book By Its Cover"! No need to feel guilty, PopWatchers, we’re going to focus on the 13 young ladies who’ll compete in the eighth season, er cycle, of America’s Next Top Model, which returns to The CW schedule Feb. 28. Inside Bay Area has photos of the entire baker’s dozen, which includes two plus-size (read: normal) contenders, and I’m kinda digging Jael (mostly because her name continues a fine ANTM tradition of ridonk monikers), Whitney (’cause it’s not gonna happen for the other ‘plus-size’ lady), and Natasha (who, as this picture shows, knows how to pout it out while standing in a wind tunnel). And my totally uninformed choice for Cycle Eight winner is: Natasha! (Why not?) You can catch some brief video of the gals at the show’s official site, but really, aren’t we going to be annoyed by all their personalities soon enough anyway? Let’s keep them mercifully wordless for another 26 days. It’s not like any of them will ever be Dani anyway. (Ahh, Dani, where you at?) Who’s your first-impression selection to win it all?
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Comments (1-27) of 27 Add your comment
Eh. I’m ambivalent. Once one realizes that this show doesn’t actually produce working, respected models, all the fun is a little diminished. As one journalist pointed out ages ago, the girls chosen for this show are too old, too heavy and too American for the current market. Kudos to Tyra for trying to change the tide, but her antics and the dopplegangers this year (they look like every girl we’ve seen before) won’t be enough to keep this show as interesting as it was cycles 2-4.
Yes!!!! I can’t wait! I can watch my ANTM then some Lost! I like Samantha, but you’re right, Natasha will probably win. Btw, anyone else notice that girls who have gotten kicked off are doing better than the actual winners?
Smeh. Looks better than last cycle. Lets just hope the production value goes back up to the UPN years. 7 felt like it was made on $6.50 every week.
And what’s up with Dani(elle) now? I’ve never loved a contestant more, but she got weird in the cover girl ads and doesn’t seem to be as pretty any more. They sucked the life out of her. She’s still the funniest contestant ever.
Also I have to note that in a year with plus sized models, the other girls are wearing shorter skirts and skinnier jeans than ever before.
And I think Jaslene looks kinda trashy now, but could take really good pictures. Especially a beauty shot where they slick her hair back and give her a nice bronze look. Also, I take novelty in the fact someone is named Kathleen. It seems so old-fashioned! I’m not going to really pick a favorite prior because last time I did that it was Christian. And then I saw on the show and I didn’t see her the same way and she got booted first.
Woo hoo! the return of Jasline! (sp?) I remember her from the premiere of cycle 7. I don’t know how long she’ll last, but she’s hilarious.
Oh Slezak, can you PLEASE do the TV Watches for the next cycle of ANTM??? Your blogging of cycle 6 was as fun to read as watching the show itself! Please please please consider this. I don’t think I could stand Whitney Pastorek and the JANK job she does for a whole other cycle. Whereas you can make fun of the show and still express your affection for it, Whitney I swear to Tyra seems to just HATE it. Her overwhelmingly acerbic take on the last cycle made me wonder why the heck she even had this job. Sure the show is ridiculous, but at its heart it’s still sweet to see how much these girls want and cherish this opportunity! I think you get this, Michael. Please Slezak, save us!!!!
The only thing that stuck out to me about the new contestants is the size of Natasha head…WTF? That’s some scary stuff.
The last I heard about Dani(elle) was that the modeling agency was trying to distance her from ANTM. It actually hasn’t been that long since she won so I’m still hopeful.
Has anyone noticed how high the proportion of African-American girls is this season ? Half of the cast is black ! Not that I mind at all but something tells me Tyra was unhappy with how weak the black contestants were last season and how much they had to strain themselves to make one (Eugena who didnt deserve it that much) one of the final three.Just my theory.
Some cute girls in there for sure !
Maybe I’m a little old fashioned, I don’t know, but Jael just looks trashy to me.
Natasha reminds me of that crybaby Brooke from cycle 6. It is probably the big lips. I don’t see her winning the whole thing, but I could be wrong. I’m always surprised with who they choose as the final winner.
Prediction 1: the “big girls”, despite Tyra’s recent weight hoopla, will be gone because some size 0 on-set assistant won’t have clothes to fit them
Prediction 2: the girls with long hair will get it lopped off, the girls with short hair will get extensions, the girls with funky cuts will get homogenized styles and an opposite color to what they already have.
Prediction 3: the baby faced Samantha will take it because she looks the most “Cover Girl ready.”
Prediction 4: the Tyra Banks lookalike for this season – Felicia – will stick around until one lousy photo session does her in.
Prediction 5: the bitchy girl – whoever that turns out to be – will stick around as long as possible because “it makes great tv.”
Prediction 6: someone will not want to pose nude, someone will have a melt-down, someone will have a hissy fit, someone will have a tantrum over her makeover, someone will be deathly afraid of heights but do the photo shoot then be subjected to a Tyra lecture anyhow.
Hahahahahaha, Diana is “plus size”! She couldn’t possibly be more than a size 8.
Also, Natasha really does have a giant head.
These girls are (as nova reports from a journalist source) “too heavy”?!?!? With the exception of the healthy-looking Diana and Whitney, they all look like a strong puff of wind could blow them away. (In fact, maybe it did happen during the photo shoot in the wind tunnel!)
Apparently the fashion and beauty industry has decided that the apex of womanly beauty is an undernourished 13-year-old. Or, if you’re Victoria’s Secret, an undernourished 13-year-old with giant fake knockers. Would Tyra herself, even 40 pounds lighter, get a job in today’s modeling world? Probably not. It’s all pathetic and disgusting to me.
mickey, check out natasha’s roots. if i were to have my picture taken for a contest, i’d get my hair done correctly.
Here are my picks – Brittany, Jaslene and Renee. Totally based on nothing but gut.
is it just me ordid jaselen come out in the previous cycle
Although none of the hopefuls stood out to me (maybe I need to see them post makeover, lol) I did like Natasha’s look. She has a bit of Angelina Jolie about her.
Aside from her, everyone else just struck me as really ordinary. As for the so called “plus sized” models, as much as I’d love to see one win, it will not happen. Fashion is still light years away from that!
I’m not sure Natasha is gonna be the winner – she looks a lot like Crazy-dee – the chick that won last year. I hope the new season is better than last – I thought there was WAY too much Tyra and that the contestants were whack. My 2 favorites are Dani and Elysse from Season 1 – she was a hoot.
My goodness! This lady needs to add at least ten pounds to her barely there body. This show is just publicity and ratings. It reminds me of Star Search. None of the models went on to any fame. Tracy Ross? appeared in a catalog magazine, now that is popularity.
They should do a side-by-side with Jaslene and Janice Dickenson in her heyday…they look exactly alike.
So I’m the only one who likes Renee, huh? She actually has some muscle tone in her legs, instead of being a total stick.
Jaslene reminds me of Teri Hatcher, but maybe it’s just that picture.
No matter what – if it’s real or not, if the girls succeed or not after winning, this show is the bomb. Love it every week!
Natasha looks short to me, which doesn’t mean that she won’t when, just that she shouldn’t. I like Sarah. She reminds me of Shandi and the twins.
Normally I’d say Brittney or Kathleen but I have a feeling that the show will have one of the “plus-sized” models win to coincide with Tyra’s rants about people calling her fat and to prove a point about body image and the media.
Jean…I think you are totally on to something here. I would never have thought of that, but it makes so much sense for Tyra to make her point this way. Good call.
Speaking of snap judgments, I think Slezak should judge this next: http://idolator.com/tunes/mp3/leak-of-the-day-avril-lavigne-may-look-glam-but-she-curses-like-a-sailor-234107.php