16.04 was a ridiculously sexist retro commercial...I loved their outfits but ugh the performances. I will have to see if I can find screengrabs, I guess. Sara went home, which makes sense. I FORGOT TO INCLUDE SARA AND MIKAELA IN MY LAST RANKING AND HAD TO GO BACK AND EDIT.
This shoot, with the baby jaguar is...cute. Fun. Good. Most people didn’t do very well.
*photos not mine*
1. Brittani
Brittani is obviously not MOST PEOPLE. She looks like a fantastically beautiful and evil heiress and I want to read a book about her/watch her starring in a TV show. She is 1) serving an interesting face that shows off her eyebrow, cheekbone, nose, and lips to especial advantage 2) selling that faux fur coat and 3) holding the jaguar like a fashion accessory. That’s MAJOR.
2. Hannah
This was a close call (and Hannah actually got top call-out from the judges). She looks gorgeous, and almost ethereal--and I love cats but the jaguar isn’t overpowering her. Her hair being lit like that? Stunning. The way her face is turned towards the light and the graceful, eager line of her neck? YES. Also I love the tension in her hands. They’re almost claw-like, but in a beautiful way.
3. Monique
This doesn’t come close to the top two photos, but Monique looks beautiful and model-like, her expression is a bored sneer that still manages to be elevated, and the cat is Doing His Thing.
4. Mikaela
I think Mikaela’s face would really connect here more if she closed her mouth. Her open lips don’t create enough contrast to the downward angle of her cheekbones. Also, her leg is super awkward here and she’s not managing the cat well.
5. Alexandria
Kind of cute, but really just OK. She’s not really modeling here--anyone could do this, and the placement of her free hand shows how little effort she put into this pose.
6. Dalya
Dalya got sent home for this, which was honestly fair and probably would have been choice as well--she wasn’t performing well from week to week, and this is a middling photo at best. Her lovely bone-structure looks flat, her hands are almost meek, and the line of her body is not exaggerated or directional at all.
7. Molly
Poor Molly. She deserved better, and I’m sure she took better--I think Tyra just chose this as her “best photo” to try to push her to handle the HORRIBLE HAIR they sewed onto her head more capably. Her face in this shot is strong and elfin, but the proportions of the photo are terribly off and the cat and her hair are swallowing her.
8. Jaclyn
Jaclyn is trying here, but this just looks strange, and it’s the most unflattering angle for her face possible.
9. Kasia
And then we have Kasia, who looks as if she is about to DROP THE CAT. Kasia won best performance in last week’s commercial (and she looked gorgeous in it), but I think her presence in interviews and real time have been stronger than her pictures so far. I think she probably CAN produce a strong picture, and I want her to, but I might have put her in the bottom too for this awkward, open-mouthed shot, just to shake her up a bit.
And here we have one of my FAVORITE shoots of the cycle, because, well, COUTURE. I love the over-the-top Alice in Wonderland vibe here and the fact that the girls were grouped together. This really helped thin the pack.
*pictures not mine*
1. Hannah
I mean, part of it is the Carolina Herera gown, which is dreamy and gorgeous and so fun when paired with those gloves (which, yes, Tyra herself said AND I AGREE). But I also love Hannah’s broken, unusual pose and the shape it’s giving to the dress. This is when Hannah really started to stand out, in my opinion--and she stayed strong throughout, though never becoming the exact front-runner.
2. Jaclyn
Jaclyn is SO Taylor Swift (Speak Now version) in this shot, how could I not love it? The way she is holding the skirt is romantic and yet functional: it’s showing the intricate ruffles of the dress. I love how she’s looking over her shoulder AND creating a dynamic line from her chest to her neck. Her face also looks lovely and lush here, but her features don’t overwhelm her.
3. Brittani
This is an incredible shot from Brittani, not least because she is wearing a ridiculous hat and looks cool as hell in it. Her makeover is something I would never want on my own head, but it suited her amazingly and she totally embraced it. She isn’t doing a lot with her body here, except holding i poised and ready--and so, of course, showing off the dress and the jewelry, which is her job.
5. Molly
Poor Molly got the most despicable weave, which Tyra finally had removed after it was consistently revealed to be nothing more than stringy yellow yarn, basically. Despite this, Molly delivered a strong, imposing shot with a lot of attitude reading in her eyes and mouth despite that puffball chapeau. I think her legs are interesting, looking long in that short, awkward shirt, but I don’t love the garments she was given so I’ve selfishly ranked her a little lower than Hannah and Jaclyn, who had stunning pieces, and reasonably ranked her lower than Brittani, who made me...want that hat.
6. Kasia
Kasia with the open mouth again! It’s an ok shot, she looks beautiful, the dress is exquisite...she also looks short, and a little safe, and thus she lands in the middle for me.
7. Alexandria
I love the lines of Alexandria’s body here--she is giving a lot of dimension to a very loud, bright, overwhelming dress. She loses me with her face, which is staring off at...nothing, seemingly? IHer gaze seems vacant and her hand in her hair a little trite.
8. Dalya
This is probably Dalya’s strongest shot of the cycle, and I wish it wasn’t being compromised by a lens flare. Her hand on her face is better than Alexandria’s, because of the curve of her palm and fingers, but the rest of her...is not doing much.
9. Monique
Looking pretty, doing nothing. This is one of my favorite dresses of the shoot, too, so that’s a shame. Granted, she was dealing with Alexandria being Her Worst, but she should have dominated the shot, not faded into the background, in revenge.
10. Mikaela
I originally forgot this include this photo, which is how you know it wasn’t. memorable. at all. I don’t know if this really was their best shot, TYRA, because they are caught awkwardly mid-step. Mikaela is the same old song--beautiful but doing nothing--but I ranked her higher than the bottom two because at least she is making me want that dress, her hair looks cool, and there is something strong/interesting about the way she is holding her neck.
11. Sara
Talk about deer-caught-in-the-headlights (which I think the judges did). Her new pixie cut looks great on her, this dress could have looked great on her, but what is she doing with...her entire face and body?
12. Dominique
...but Dominique deserved to go home. Here she is, in a million bright colors and what looks like a GEODE necklace, and she looks like she is off to the side holding a pile of fabric. Her face looks vague, distressed, and bored all at once.
THE BEES. This is the photoshoot I always remember from this cycle. It’s not so creepy crawly that it freaks me out (looking at you, Cycle 3) and it’s not awkward or overly contrived. It’s edgy, high-fashion, and yet simple.
Mike Rosenthal has had some good ANTM shoots.
*photos not mine*
1. Brittani
Once again Brittani takes top honors for me. I absolute love this photo. It’s delicate and fairy-like, but arresting all the same. Although the quirky minimalist makeup is helping, it’s her eyes and mouth and the arch of her neck that really sell the whole look. She’s hunch without losing elegance and form in her shoulder and back. The headband looks like a well-deserved crown, and she is utterly unbothered by the bees.
2. Monique
Monique is ridiculously pretty--though this doesn’t always translate in photos. She is also, as she appears here, a bit bitchy. This is a great, villainous ice queen look. The brows and her glare and the blue lipstick are alluring rather than off-putting. It’s one of her strongest photos to date. Her left eye does look a little sleepy, but it took me a while to notice.
3. Hannah
I love Hannah, so I didn’t mind Tyra giving her top call-out for this, but I find the tilt of her head a bit more awkward than the two above so: it lands third. Her tears and the graceful motion of her hand help elevate this photo for me, as does her absolutely stunning neck and collarbones. Without the tears, Hannah’s face would be a little weak here, so it doesn’t earn my top spot.
4. Molly
This photo of Molly is seriously underrated. She was called just before the final two! Although it’s not the most memorable photo in the bunch, I think she is radiating strength here and I love the fact that she has basically NO makeup and still manages to pop off the screen. Molly isn’t the average blonde bombshell and this photos hows her delicate steeliness in a way that deserved more credit.
5. Ondrei
Ondrei quit for personal reasons in this episode, and I don’t begrudge her at all, but she definitely had potential to continue on in the competition. She was also one of only a few black/POC models this cycle, so it’s a shame that, by the final eight or nine, it was so...white.
The white eyebrows are genius against Ondrei’s skin, but she is not resting on the makeup. There is purpose and dimension in her gaze. I feel like she’s telling a story--something of a warrior queen, perhaps, and i love that even though it’s a beauty (face) shot, it still looks as if she is springing into frame.
6. Sara
Sara’s in-between hair length here isn’t my favorite, and though I love strong brows, hers look a bit piecy here. Part of that is styling, but Sara--though quite elegant and even majestic in this photo--isn’t holding my gaze as much as her predecessors. Still, I love her nose and mouth here, and the angle of her cheekbone.
7. Alexandria
The aqua bandeau is really working in her favor, as are those stick-straight brows. This is a solid photo, but originally I thought I would rank it higher. I realized, when I get down to it, that I like the symmetry of her arms and the firmness of her mouth here better than I like her eyes. She’s looking straight to camera, but it’s not a very lively gaze.
8. Mikaela
...and, as usual, this gaze is even less lively. Mikaela is stunning (though I like the look of a smoky eye and dark brow on her better) but the outlines of her features are doing more work than she is here. If she squinted her eyes just a little more--as Tyra says, smize so that the white below your iris isn’t visible--there would be a lot more power here. Compare this to Brittani’s photo and see how stark the difference is.
9. Kasia
I have a lot of respect for Kasia...she took the competition really seriously, had a great deal of fashion knowledge, and was the only plus-size model in the ring. I wish her photos had been stronger. This is the first of many open-mouthed shots, and while her mouth is great--she has really nice front teeth, if that isn’t a weird compliment? There isn’t a lot of fire in her eyes or tension in her face. That’s partially a problem with having your mouth open, and partially a problem that can crop up when you’re not as angular as, say, Mikaela (not that Mikaela did much with her bone structure). Kasia was in no danger of being eliminated this week, so there is plenty more to see from her. With the exception of that fabulous earring being well-displayed, however, this is not a great showing in my opinion.
10. Jaclyn
Love love LOVE Jaclyn, but profile shots are tough--it might mean you didn’t have any full-face shots that were good enough, for one thing. For another, it gives you less face to work with. Here, the earrings are cool, and her neck LOOKs like it’s at an interesting angle, but her hands are creeping me out. They’re wax-like and don’t seem to belong to her.
11. Dominique
This is graceful but boring. Dominique struggled with insecurity and uncertainty during her tenure on the show, and I think you can read it in her eyes.
12. Dalya
Again, in my bottom two! HER EYES ARE CLOSED. THIS IS NOT A SHOT WHERE YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR EYES CLOSED. It’s very pretty, but (obviously) very sleepy. She has a long, gorgeous face and a lot of potential, but 2/2 so far ain’t working.
13. Nicole
I might have sent Dalya home at this point, but I wasn’t mad that they eliminated Nicole. Her picture last week was OK, and this one is awkward as hell. Her shoulder looks dislocated, there’s no passion in her face, and her mouth is a bit sneering. She’s not committing to anything in this photo--it’s almost like she was caught between shots. Actually, I take it back, I wouldn’t have eliminated Dalya. Nicole, nice knowing you.
This photoshoot stands out in my memory for some really beautiful angles and for the fact that it doesn’t have a contrived, overly glossy appearance. Cycles 15 & 16 were ANTM’s sweet-spot for more expensive, sophisticated shoots...and though this is a bit of a soft open, it’s a solid one.
*photos not mine*
1. Brittani
Brittani is the well-deserved winner of this cycle, and although I was very fond of Hannah and Jaclyn, Molly was her only real competition. This is the shot I always remember from this photoshoot, along with Mollie’s. For once, it’s actually for the same reasons as the judges: she is keeping her face beautifully calm and composed despite the fact that they are literally poking a pencil in her eye. There’s a real Audrey Hepburn vibe to the dynamic of this shot--it’s minimalist, yes, but also vintage. Her skin looks flawless, her brows are a dream, and her eye manages not to look creepy or odd despite being forced open.
2. Alexandria
I loved to hate Alexandria, along with everyone else, because she was The Worst. She did have a beautiful face in photos, though, and I love three things in particular about this photo: her cheekbone, her neck, and the way she’s holding her hair. Her cheekbone is just nature, but the angle of her neck is really strong without appearing forced. She is doing the pouting thing with her lips that she would later be known for, but it works because of the context of the shot. Extra points for how graceful her fingers are, despite the fact that her arm is in what could be an awkward position.
3. Molly
Her! Jawline! Her flying hair! This is a great first shot for MOlly, who is managing to give this angle without her face looking distorted or her eyes being swallowed up/sleepy. Molly is consistently great in photos all cycle, and this was a strong beginning. It’s only because it has a slightly less composed elegance than Alexandria’s that I’ve ranked it third.
4. Hannah
Hannah has never looked more like Jennifer Aniston than in this shot. It’s a beautiful shot, and despite the resemblance, still looks “model-esque.” Molly is serving face next to her but I still think Hannah’s holding her own. She has a direct, powerful gaze to camera and isn’t working the muscles in her face too hard. It’s serene but stand-out.
5. Monique
This is a beautiful photo--one of Monique’s best because a) she is beautiful and b) she looks ALIVE. The only thing that I’m picking about is that her eyes are in the middle of being narrowed (yes, “smizing”) or wide-open.
6. Mikaela
Mikaela has one of the most sharply gorgeous faces I’ve ever seen. She never (at least by the pics Tyra picked, but also, realistically) figured out what to do with it. This is...ok, but she’s not popping out here as strongly as she could. She IS giving good neck though.
7. Ondrei
Ondrei left early in the season for personal reasons, but she definitely had potential. Her eyes are absolutely gorgeous in this picture, and her face is purposeful and strong. Her arms and body are stiff and awkward, though, which is why I’ve ranked this picture in the middle.
8. Nicole
Nicole does not read too old in this photo, like the judges said. I actually think she did pretty well--she’s overcoming a dark, out of focus shadow to connect with the camera. There’s a story here, which is more than can be said for some of the other photos.
9. Dominique
Dominique never really got off the ground in the competition, but this photo shows what an unusual and interesting face she had. She’s also working for this shot. You can tell she’s not just sitting there, and since it’s basically a beauty shot, I think this deserved better than the bottom two. Honestly, it’s the softness of her mouth that propels the picture for me. Unlike Alexandria, it doesn’t seem like she’s pouting.
10. Jaclyn
I love Jaclyn, and she looks beautiful in this photo. It’s very Ava Gardner. However, that’s pretty much all it is--a pretty photo, without a real story, and with a bit more stiffness in her mouth and neck than actual poise.
11. Sara
Sara’s awkwardness doesn’t overshadow this photo. She looks riveted and directional, and from the shoulders up it actually could have ranked a lot higher. However, the rest of the shot just seems to capture her mid-step, undercutting the effectiveness of her gaze.
12. Angelia
Oh Angelia, we barely knew ye. This is pretty, alluring, and didn’t really earn her the send-home. That said, she wasn’t one of the stand-out girls in the line-up so I’ve never been enraged about the decision. If her hair was out of her left eye, this would really pop more.
13. Dalya
Dalya is GORGEOUS. Dalya is likeable. Dalya...never took a picture that was worth very much. She is literally just sitting here, this is a (beautiful) candid shot with no personality whatsoever.
14. Kasia
Whereas this isn’t even a candid shot. Kasia did not deserve to be eliminated this early--she was actually capable of some strong shots at times--but this is just awkward. She is widening her chest with her hands and doing half-hearted chicken-wing arms. Her face is pretty but hesitant, and there is nothing compelling about this picture.
