The people on this list for the most part should have gone a lot further, but outside my top pick, who is sort of in a league of her own, Felicia is, by far, the most robbed contestant on this list. For all the others there was at least some validity to their eliminations; Cycle 3, 5, 6 and 10 were all very strong seasons. The models, while not terrible, suffered in comparison. None of them would be contenders for my pick for winner. Felicia stands out as honestly, despite only being in the competition for 4 shoots, would be my pick for final 2 of Cycle 8, along with Jaslene. Cycle 8 was a weak, kind of comical season, so Felicia was one of the few girls with the true natural grace. Jaslene and Brittany were the other two contenders for me, but with Brittanyâs meltdown it left just Jaslene and Felicia. Felicia to me just had everything, we didnât get to see much of her personality but she seemed like a happy, young, fresh girl, who had a willingness to learn, even if a slight immaturity. Her storyline could have easily been built around maturing over the competition, not just being a strong model, but becoming a strong person. That is the cycle I wanted to watch, but sadly it was cut short.
Felicia was pegged as âBaby Tyraâ from the beginning, and while in person there wasnât much similarities, on film they could easily have passed as sisters. Felicia didnât have the same fierce insanity in her shots, but definitely read as a younger, more understated Tyra. If we ignore her last photo, and I always choose to, her portfolio was flawless. The political opinions photo was divine, one of the few good photos from the week. She rocked the hell out of the wedding dress. Her second photo is probably the masses favourite, but I will admit it is my least favourite of the trio. Still, it is another iconic jumping shot, the composure she retained while jumping was impressive. Another insanely well executed photo. The candy shot was my personal favourite, it wasnât the most dramatic photograph ever, wasnât as cutesy as Brittanyâs or sexy as Sarahâs, but instead it was just breath taking. She just radiated fashion, energy, brilliance. Felicia could have passed for a true top model in that shot, not relying on gimmicks, just a stunning face, and flawless body. It is the true star in her portfolio, and one of the most underrated photos in the history of the show.
There isnât much else to say about this really, Felicia deserved so much better from this competition. A girl filled to the brim with potential, who just didnât fit with the fixed narrative of the cycle. It is sad really, but all I can do now is appreciate what she did produce, and hope the next time someone as mesmerizing comes along, the judges donât kick her out so early.