Tyson,
thigh-gaps, and enough tears to fill the Thames. That’s right folks, Britain
and Irelands Next Top Model has
made a welcome return to our screens for its 9th series! There’s one
major change this series as we say goodbye to the beam of LA sun that was
Whitney Port, and wish G’day to Australian designer Dannii ‘Project D’ Minogue. And boy, does Dannii join the judging
panel with an almighty bang, despite being half the size of ‘The Body’, aka
Elle Macpherson...
The
first episode greets us with an upbeat montage (everyone loves a montage,
right?) of 28 naive and excitable model hopefuls leaving their dreary lives
behind and heading to the big, bright lights of London to achieve their dreams.
For some, the journey becomes more a day trip because within the first 10
minutes we have our first catwalk challenge which see’s 8 girls leave the
competition before they’ve even had chance to unpack! We see a flurry of panic
across the group as some admit to not practicing their catwalk. Now, I don’t
know about you, but if I was heading onto a national modelling competition, I’d
probably give my walk the once-over beforehand...just in case.
Nevertheless,
the show must go on, and the girls strut, wobble and dance their way towards
the judges. The girl’s backgrounds range from army cadets, to cage dancers, to
afternoon-tea drinkers, so definitely a mixed bunch this year. On first
impressions, the girls this year are much more ‘model’ in their appearance.
They are tall, slender and have just enough quirkiness that could make them
stand out from the crowd. For some though, first impressions failed to hit the
bar and after a quick judge deliberation we waved goodbye to 8 girls who even
now I probably couldn’t tell you the names of, so sorry girls…maybe next year?
There’s
no time to dwell on the first cut as the lucky 20 return for day 2 where all
their worst nightmares come true in the form of a photo-shoot that calls for no
make-up! Oh, the horror! As the wet-wipes cut through the layers of carefully
applied contouring (it’s all about the cheekbones remember!) we hear yet more
insecurity from the girls who have never had a photo-shoot before. Again, I
have to question the tactics here and ask myself if it’s wise to emit such a
lack of confidence around your competition?
We
are treated to our first MMD (model melt down) from Elizabeth, but she quickly
pulls it together with the help of army-girl Emily, and joins the rest of her
group. However, this is before we’re quickly thrown into our second MMD as
Elizabeth finds just sitting down too much and is in very much need of an
Elle-hug.
After
much uttering of the word ‘perfect’, you’d be led to believe that no one is bad
enough to be eliminated. Oh, how wrong you are! We’re quickly thrown back into
the judge’s deliberation as they cut the group from 20 to the final 14 who will
move into the model house. The groups are called in one-by-one and we are
treated to a buffet of tears and joy... and that’s just from Dannii. After this
rollercoaster, we are left with Lauren, Naomi, Angel, Jessica, Sophie, Sarah,
Christina, Holly, Saffron, Danielle, Emma, Abi, Laura and Emily.
Check out our bumper guide, with everything you need to know about The Final 14
The
series opening episode ends with the girls running into the iconic model house
and we are treated to yet another montage of the upcoming episodes. Expect
tears, make-overs, exotic locations, and crazy challenges that will surely push
this year’s bunch to their limits and give them an insight to model life.
From
what we’ve seen so far, this year’s group are strong in their looks and
individual quirks, but seem to lack in confidence so it will be interesting to
see how they tackle the harsh realities of being a model. My early favourites
have to be Emma, a call-centre worker from West Yorkshire, with her legs that
appear to go on for days, and Sophie, from Southbourne, who seems to have just
been plucked from the 1960s and looks scarily good without any make-up.
This
series promises to be full of the great photo-shoots and model catfights that
we all know and love. If the opening episode is anything to go by, it’s going
to be a tough call for this year’s judges and it will be down to who can truly
survive in the crazy reality that is model life.
Who
were your favourite from this year’s models? Do you agree with who the judges
kept or cut? Let us know!
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