#cycle8

[topmodelranking2]

Which models are you disappointed on how they are now?

Unsurprisingly I think the first one that jumps to mind is Natasha from Cycle 8, what a disappointment seeing what she is posting on social media nowadays. Similarly, seeing Sara from Cycle 2 post what she did after the Supreme Court decision, or Keith posting homophobic/transphobic posts...breaks my heart. Another one is Brittney from AusNTM Cycle 6, was disappointed to see her become an anti-vaxxer, one of my random faves.

I am sure there are more out there who would disappoint me if I looked into it, but I'd rather focus on those who are thriving out there like Dani, or those who are still friends from their seasons like April and Mercedes. There are so many great people on this show, and the few bad ones just don't deserve our time anymore.

[topmodelranking]

What did you think of Jaslene as the winner of cycle 8? Also, what did you think of Natasha being the runner up or of her bizarre personality for that matter. People think she is so sweet and funny and I have no proof to say otherwise but I do feel like there is something disingenuous there.

I supported Jaslene when I watched the cycle, but the flaws in her personality have become clearer over time. She did seem a bit full of herself, but nothing that stopped me from believing she 100% deserved to win. She had such a strong portfolio, a great walk, and earned it in the end.

Natasha being the winner is more questionable. I’d have put Renee in the final over her, as I just think Renee was as strong throughout, and was definitely the best in the last week. I loved her personality though. I get what you mean about being slightly disingenuous. I think the relationship part of the competition was hard, and she ended up putting up a front throughout the show. Still, I think she was a sweet girl, who just wanted to say what was right.

[antmrankingskd]

CYCLE 8

Model Ranking

Top 10 Favorite Photos

Call-out Orders

Week 1: Political Controversies

Week 2: High School Clichés

Week 3: Candy-Coated Nude

Week 4: Crime Scene Victims

Week 5: Gender Swap

Week 6: Four Personalities Beauty Shots

Week 7: ANTM Moments with Past Contestants

Week 8: CoverGirl Queen Mascara Commercial w/ Australian Accents

Week 9: Swimsuits for Men’s and Women’s Magazines

Week 10: Indigenous Australian Dances

Week 11: CoverGirl Print Ad & Commercial

Final Runway

[topmodelranking]

I can’t take Liz seriously. She reminds me too much of Jael. She seems like the kind of person who would end up with a substance abuse problem. She also kind of looks like a crackhead on her Instagram with all the weight she’s lost.

Yeah, Liz was definitely a massive personality. Even Jael kind of seemed sane in comparison, when you consider Liz was literally insane from the get-go, with her break-down with Khrys the first episode.

I can see someone likening her to a crackhead, but I think that is weirdly enough just her style. She really seems to have found her niche, and seems to be doing better than a lot of girls this cycle.

[topmodelranking]

#3 – Felicia Provost

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 Brittany’s meltdown it left just Jaslene and Felicia. Felicia to me just had everything, we didn’t 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 “Baby Tyra” from the beginning, and while in person there wasn’t much similarities, on film they could easily have passed as sisters. Felicia didn’t 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 wasn’t the most dramatic photograph ever, wasn’t as cutesy as Brittany’s or sexy as Sarah’s, 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 isn’t 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 didn’t 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 don’t kick her out so early.

[topmodelranking]

#4 – Natasha’s Women’s Magazine Swimwear Shot

I didn’t really remembered this shot after my first viewing of the cycles, there were others that just stuck with me. I think maybe this shot just got lost due to that week having so many strong photos, and I never really got a chance to appreciate the true serenity of the shot. It is just utterly breath taking. Real and raw photos always tend to be my favourite, and this definitely falls into this category. It isn’t artificial, it seems like a captured moment, Natasha doesn’t look flawless, her beauty is just a completely natural one. This is exactly what I want from a swimwear ad, nothing polished, something true and honest. And that is what Natasha produced.

[topmodelranking]

This list will cover my top 10 photos from the first ten cycles, this is all based on my personal opinions on the quality of the photos. It may not have to do with the particular challenge of the photos, but rather just the artistic quality.

Honorable Mentions

Sara’s Swarovski Shot

CariDee’s Bullfighter Shot

Jaslene’s High School Shot

Jenah’s Couture Rock Climbing Shot

Dominique’s Paint Beauty Shot

[topmodelranking]

#7 – Cycle 8’s Men’s and Women’s Magazine Shoot

The duality of this photoshoot was an inspiration, allowing the models totest their abilities in a truly unique way. The models actually had to think about their body language, and distinguish between each of the poses. Some of the shots produced are truly spectacular, I mean looking at Renee’s portfolio from the shoot it is fascinating to see the minor differences between each of the photos that amplify either the sexuality or the sensuality. All but 1 shot from the week was fantastic, and for everyone but Jaslene my favourite photo of theirs from the cycle was produced. I feel ideas like this, multiple photos from similar shoots to stress the need for the models to be able to model differently in different situations would be really interesting to have more often.