#nzntmcycle2contestants

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New Zealand’s Next Top Model Cycle 2 Call-outs

My call-out orders for the second cycle of NZNTM, including individual call-out averages for each model.

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Danielle

Place: Winner

My call-out average: 2.83

Panel call-out average: 2.91

Favorite Photo: Tribal Mudpool Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Paired Shot

Danielle had such an incredible journey on this cycle. She allegedly entered the competition on a dare and clearly had no idea what she was doing at the start. It was really compelling to watch her rapidly hone her natural talent and see her passion for modeling increase with each passing week. She had all the raw potential in the world and instantly jumped out of the lineup: her breathtaking face was so distinctive and she had a perfect body for the runway too. All of that was a factor in her slaughtering the go-sees challenge and booking 9 out of 10 jobs. Her potential definitely translated on film since Danielle was a total beast when it came to photos, her insanely strong portfolio was by far my favorite of the entire cast. I gave her 5 total FCOs and she ended up with the best call-out average in the bunch. Her Tribal, Bird, and CoverGirl shots are among my favorites for the cycle, and she had plenty of other standout performances as well. She did sometimes rely on her signature fierce expression, but she changed it up often enough that I didn’t mind. Even at her worst (Hollywood and Paired shots) she was still totally adequate. As magnificent as Danielle was in pictures she was more hit or miss in other aspects of the competition. I was blown away by the improvement in her walk. At the beginning she was a wreck (especially in heels), but was so much better by the time of go-sees. However, she majorly stumbled in the finale fashion show since she missed cues and broke character constantly (her actual walk was still fine at least). Danielle also struggled immensely with commercials. The most frustrating part is that she basically defeated herself before even giving a real attempt (she fully gave up in the charity commercial challenge and didn’t even learn her lines for the CoverGirl commercial). Despite some faults in non-photo areas I still fully agreed with Danielle’s win in the end. Her book-ability and spectacular portfolio speak for themselves, and she just had that special something. Danielle is one of my favorite NTM winners!

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Michaela

Place: Runner-Up

My call-out average: 3.5

Panel call-out average: 2.91

Favorite Photo: Tribal Mudpool Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Ford Action Shot

I wouldn’t have batted an eye if Michaela was chosen as the winner in the end, the girl was one heck of a model for being only 16 years old. She had the most stunning eyes, and while her face was more commercially inclined she was able to adapt to high fashion as well. What makes her a worthy winner choice for me is that she was probably the most well-rounded model in the cast and wasn’t weak in any major area. Her walk was quite strong; she was great in every runway teach/challenge and owned the finale fashion show. She was excellent at delivering commercials and it was really awesome how quickly she nailed the CoverGirl take in the final episode. Booking 6 out of 10 jobs in the go-sees challenge was impressive as well. In addition to all of that Michaela had an outstanding portfolio. Her book was definitely a couple steps behind Danielle’s (and about equal to Elza’s) but she was undeniably one of the best photo models of the cycle. She landed in my top 3 call-outs more often than not, and other than her Ford Action shot she never produced a truly bad picture. Her Tribal shot was sensational, and I adored her Hollywood, Fairy, Overdramatic, Elephant shots as well. My only real issue was that she tended to give a similar soft/somber expression in most of her photos, but it worked most of the time so it’s a very minor complaint. I agreed with Michaela finishing as the runner-up, but it’s very easy to come up with an argument in favor of her winning since she was a complete package who excelled in all areas of the competition!

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Elza

Place: 3rd

My call-out average: 3.67

Panel call-out average: 3.55

Favorite Photo: Paired Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Hollywood Shot

Elza got such poor treatment during her time on the show. Her twin Nellie’s elimination seemed to have the sole purpose of breaking her down and reinforce her codependence as the center of her storyline. When she managed to quickly work through her grief the judges still kept bringing up Nellie over and over, which was just annoying and mean. She almost never got proper credit for her work either. There were several instances when she was the best performer on set, yet her best shots weren’t picked. While she usually got positive feedback at panel she was never placed higher than 3rd, and towards the end she was dismissed as being good but not great. It’s a shame because I think that Elza could’ve been considered as a legitimate threat to win. Her portfolio was terrific and extremely consistent, with her Pair, Bird, and Body Paint shots being my favorite showings. She was always incredibly creative on set and also showed a ton of versatility week to week. It was hard for me to choose a least favorite shot since she never fully disappointed me, she just had a couple average photos here and there. Elza’s go-sees performance showed that she was bookable for the runway, and I thought she had a stellar walk (other than the head bopping in the lingerie runway challenge, which she corrected immediately). She also proved that she had a lot of knowledge and passion for the industry, something I always appreciate. Elza was a tough and consistent competitor who fully earned her place in the Final 3 on her own merit, not as an afterthought/default choice as the judge’s treated her. 

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Courtenay

Place: 4th

My call-out average: 5.36

Panel call-out average: 3.6

Favorite Photo: Jungle Monster Body Paint Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Anti-smoking Shot

There were a lot of unique faces in this cast and Courtenay was no exception. She had a modern Twiggy-ish vibe to her look that made her stick out in person, and her makeover was awesome as well. Courtenay was generally a decent competitor, but when I look back at her entire portfolio I have to say that it’s not at the level I’d expect for someone who made the Top 4. I only placed her higher than 4th on one occasion and she didn’t maintain consistency throughout her run; besides her Body Paint shot she never really blew me away either. She also flopped in the Ford and Elephant photoshoots and could’ve easily been axed at those points (her Anti-smoking shot is my least favorite, but almost everyone sucked that week). The funny thing is that if you look at the actual call-out chart for the cycle you’d assume that she dominated (especially the second half of the season) and was robbed. Since I liked her I didn’t mind too much that she was the darling of the panel, but she was definitely overpraised by the judges and I disagreed with both of her FCOs and her numerous top 3 placements. If Courtenay didn’t catastrophically fail go-sees I fully expect she would’ve made the Final 3, but while I don’t mind her 4th place ending she probably should’ve been let go a couple weeks sooner.

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Dakota

Place: 5th

My call-out average: 6.2

Panel call-out average: 6

Favorite Photo: Overdramatic Herbal Essences Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Anti-smoking Shot

Dakota has to be one of the most iconic NTM characters I’ve watched so far, on par with ANTM’s Jade, AsNTM’s Clara, and AusNTM’s Paloma. She was unintentionally hilarious so often, and her constant cattiness and lack of professionalism (while aggravating) was endlessly entertaining. The fun drama she brought made me not care so much that she made it to the Top 5, because based on her performance I’m not sure she deserved to go that far. Her portfolio was decent as whole and she had more good photos than bad; she didn’t have any huge breakthroughs, but her Overdramatic and Hollywood shots came close. However, based on what I saw on set every week it seems that she achieved most of her shots through luck rather than skill. She also had a few full scale disasters like her Anti-smoking, Body Paint, and Mudpool shots. The other problem is that Dakota didn’t always present like a model in person. On top of that she also had one of the worst walks in the cast and didn’t improve much either. Dakota may not have been the most talented contestant (and probably should’ve been cut earlier), but there’s no doubt in my mind that Cycle 2 wouldn’t be the same without her.

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Lara

Place: 6th

My call-out average: 6

Panel call-out average: 5.25

Favorite Photo: Tribal Mudpool Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Hollywood Shot

Lara was definitely plausible as a model. She had an adaptable blank canvas type of look and the height to go with it. However, I have to admit that I wasn’t very invested in or excited by her at all. Her portfolio was pretty satisfactory as a whole. I adored her Mudpool shot, and her Ford and Paired shots were awesome as well, while her Hollywood and Phuket Beach shots were massively disappointing. The rest of her pictures were mostly fine but extremely forgettable. She also seemed to struggle on set more often than not, especially towards the end of her journey. I will give Lara props for being a bit of a chameleon in pictures though; her face tended to look different week to week depending on the brief. She was fairly average on the runway, but I think her walk had the potential to be great with more experience. Lara was a prime example of a middle-runner; she mostly just coasted under the radar with a few fantastic shots every now and then, but wasn’t able to match the level of the top competitors. 

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Nellie

Place: 7th

My call-out average: 3.5

Panel call-out average: 6.86

Favorite Photo: Bird Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Anti-smoking Shot

I felt that Nellie proved herself to be one of the best models of the cycle. She, like her twin Elza, had a really interesting look since her height and red hair made her stand out. Performance-wise, she started off solidly in the middle of the pack, but it didn’t take her long to blossom. Her portfolio was incredible; her Overdramatic and Bird shots were some of my favorites of the cycle, and other than a minor slip-up with her Anti-smoking shot she consistently delivered week to week. I loved how she was able effortlessly serve intensity and edge with her face, and her poses were creative too. I gave her two FCOs and she never even landed in my bottom 4. She had a strong runway walk as well. All of that should’ve made her a frontrunner, but she was severely underrated by the panel. It became clear that her elimination was done purely for storyline purposes; Elza was a bit dependent on Nellie and the judges seemed to want to break the former down by splitting up the twins. I thought that Nellie deserved to at least make it to the top 3 or 4, and her being sent home in 7th place is one of the most bafflingly too-early eliminations that I can recall.