Do you wanna be on top? (America's Next Top Model)

Member Name: leanne8686

Product:	America's Next Top Model
Date:	16/10/08 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: shallow, unrealistic, bitchy, lots of fashion

Disadvantages: erm....shallow, unrealistic, bitchy!

I knew my title would get the boys to read but no I'm not being rude its the song that opens the show!



Currently on Cycle 10 of this Hit TV programme. Britain and Australia have brought out their versions but this is the original and in my opinion the best!

The programme is shown on Living TV in the UK at 9pm every Monday.

For this review I'm abbreviating to ANTM.


~~The Host and Judges~~
The host of this show is the very over the top, drag-queen-esque, Tyra Banks. For those who don't know she was a top model in the 1990s and is still gorgeous but a little bit crazy!
She has recently started fashion photography so is very helpful to the girls as she knows what works either side of the camera.

Joining Tyra on the judging panel for ANTM are:

* Jay Manuel: He began working with the show as a make-up artist in cycle one. He is now the shows creative director and oversees the fashion shoots each week. He is straight talking and his advice is second to none.

* 'Miss' J Alexander: This flamboyant man (?) started the show as runway coach and from cycle 5 took up his seat on the judging panel. Before joining the show he was a runway model himself so knows the ins and outs of the business!
His outfits each week are shocking! Good to watch just to see what he'll wear.

* Nigel Barker: An original ANTM judge, he's been there since day one.
Now a noted fashion photographer, he started in the business as a male model and after 10 years of that turned his hand to photography.
A lovely guy, honest with his opinions but kind.

* Paulina Porizkova: For each cycle they have a guest judge , cycle 9 was Twiggy. Now it's the turn of this supermodel!
She is a bit harsh with her comments but she knows as well as anyone how harsh the business can be.


~~The show~~
The search to find America's next top model is on.

Hundreds of girls compete to get a place in this show, only 14 of the girls have gone through to live in the 'model house' and compete for the title! These girls have come from all over America.
The girls are competing for the title of ANTM and also a contract with a leading model agency, a cover shoot for a top magazine and a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics.
There are usually around 12 episodes in a cycle.

In each episode there is a photo shoot (always along the theme of something Tyra has done before) and the results of this are shown at the meet with the judges. The photographs are judged and this is how the judges decide who to eliminate from the competition. Each week one girl will leave the show and fly home (in tears of course)

Aswell as the photo shoot, in each episode there is also a challenge. This can vary from a runway walk to a make up masterclass, always something to do with fashion obviously! The winner of this challenge can usually pick one or two 'friends' from the girls on the show to take with them on a treat; sometimes to a top restaurant or a spa break.
There's a lot of bitchiness in the model house always, the girls always seem to divide up into little cliques, this cycle we have the African girls against the wholesome all-American girls!


It's a bit like Big Brother in that when you've seen one cycle the next won't differ a lot, but still I watch it!
In each series, around episode 2 or 3 the girls all get a huge hair makeover; the things the stylists come up with you think will never work but it usually ends up looking great! Every cycle though, we have the girl with the long hair crying, she's never had it cut in her whole life... boohoo! They don't seem to realise that as models (if they make it that far) their hair and style will be changing daily, it's the job....!


There are always the usual stereotypes within the girls they pick:

The 'Plus size girl' which does add some variety to the usual skinnies! Stereotypically, she usually ends up losing weight living in this house with all these girls who live on lettuce and then being somewhere between plus size and model size, no use to ANTM and gets sent home! This cycle its Whitney and she's survived so far.
'The Geek', she will come out of herself as the cycle progresses, this year it's a girl called Lauren from New York who has never even worn heels before this show!
'The girl with a troubled past', this cycle it's Fatima who was brought up in war-torn Africa and suffered female circumcision as a child. Obviously you feel sorry for the girl but it does seem the show picks these girls for their problems rather than modelling ability.
'The young mom' this season its Claire who actually is really good (she's my favourite to win) but all through the show the 'Young mom' goes on about how much more this means to her than the other girls because she has her children's future to think about, gets a bit boring!



So yes it is unbelievably shallow, unrealistic and bitchy.... but I'm addicted!
I don't watch the British and Australian versions; its just not the same without Tyra Banks!
I will carry on watching ANTM aslong as they make the show (and Tyra is involved)
I recommend this show to anyone interested in the 'model world' though don't expect realism, the photo shoots are fun to watch and of course there are gorgeous clothes by the bucket-load!



Go to www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/nexttopmodel for more info and to meet the girls currently in the running to be Americas Next Top Model!

Summary: My guilty pleasure (well one of them)