CNTM: Overstated, Underwhelmed, Unimpressed

via CNTM
Stephany photographed by Pedro Virgil

I'll spoil it for you now. Both Trudy and Susan were eliminated and only Stephany and Treveen remain. There really isn't much more to say about it other than that, so we'll skip straight to the recap.

Stephany continues to surprise me. While I'm not completely convinced that she's ready for the kind of work that CNTM should be preparing her for, she's been creeping up in the ranks. She improves every week, and  has been focusing on improving rather than interpersonal drama. She's slowly convincing me that she's a contender. This shot is one her strongest to date. It's dramatic and eye-catching, but I can't be sure that that is due to her skill as a model. I am confident that she has a future in modelling however. She has an incredible presence and continues to show that she would be pleasant to work with. Going into the finale, I'm cautiously putting my bets on Curacao.

I'm beginning to think that the competition is actually doing a disservice to these girls because it isn't requiring them to really push themselves to their limits. It's so apparent that these girls have talent and potential, but week after week, they fall short of what they're capable of. If it's a problem that affflicts all the models, then I have to think that the issue is in the competition, and not with the models.

CNTM: Disrupting the CHI

via CNTM
A still from Stephany's winning CHI nailpolish commercial

My biddies, I apologize for this very late review. This week has been hectic, and unfortunately it meant that CNTM dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities. I promise, I did not forget you. But since episode seven airs tonight, and as of yet the footage from the models' commercials has not been made available online, this will be a very abbreviated review.

Honestly, the only thing I really want to talk about this week was Athaliah's unceremonious ejection in favour of Susan in the bottom two last week. Now, Athaliah has garnered herself very few fans over the course of this season, and I would hardly count myself among them, but she did not deserve to be eliminated so early. That is simply a fact. And to send her home in favour of keeping a girl who has yet to take a good picture on purpose, well... I'm every bit as pissed as Athaliah must have been.

I think we can all agree that Athaliah is an outspoken and divisive character on the show. That pretty much goes without saying. But attitude aside, Athaliah has consistently been one of the strongest girls in the competition. Whether or  not you like her, you have to admit that. Athaliah's walk is strong, her presence is dramatic, and her look is stellar. (Don't hold that terrible makeover against her. It wasn't her fault.) She is one of the only girls who has a working understanding of her body and her angles, and as much as I'm rooting for my girls Trudy and Treveen, Athaliah is the girl I would pick if I needed a spectacular model on short notice. She is the only one that I think would go into a shoot confident that she could deliver.

I said it last week and I'll say it again: at this point I'm actively campaigning for Susan to go home. It isn't that I dislike her, or that she isn't beautiful, or doesn't deserve a chance to shine. It's that she is all of those things and still hasn't managed to make any major improvements. And with Athaliah gone in order to preserve her place, she is now at the point where her presence is denying more qualified, talented and deserving models from access to the few opportunities available to Caribbean models.

It was a strange week. The acting challenge in preparation for the commercial shoot was cringe-worthy on many levels, and often unintentionally hilarious. (I'm looking at you Trudy). The shoot itself was also less than stellar. Most of the girls were able to cobble together enough takes to create a decent clip, but if we're honest, none of them really produced anything that could air in syndication without embarrassing everyone involved.

The only bright spot was that for ONCE the callout order was as it should have been, which is why Athaliah's dismissal came as such a surprise to everyone who watched with me on twitter. The general consensus seemed to be that though she was not well liked, she was talented, and deserved to stay. But alas, all of this unfolded almost two years ago, so there's little any of us can do about it now but whine and tweet passive aggressive things!

Tonight, the models get a visit from the ANTM hall of fame: Bianace Golden (who has her own reputation for being difficult) drops in to teach them a thing or two about making it in the industry. I have to admit, I'm a little bummed Athaliah won't be here for that. That would have made some spectacular television.

What were your thoughts on Athaliah's exit? Do you think Susan deserved to be saved? As the competition gets tighter, who are your picks for the top three?

Previously on Caribbean's Next TopModel: 
CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 6: I'm In Redface, Hear Me ROAR!
CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 5: Who Been Sipping That Jesus Juice?
CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 4: Carnival is Bacchanal 

CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 3: Flounder or Flourish?

CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 2: Beginners, Bullies and Buck-Toothed Bitches

CNTM Cycle 1, Episode 1: Introducing Caribbean's Next Top Model

CNTM: I'm in Redface, Hear me Roar!

via CNTM
Trudy photographed by Calvin French

I always start these posts off with a ton of preamble, and it makes the reviews rather long, so this week, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to cut down on the word count. But before I get to the reviews, I want to call attention to something that I'm sure went over most people's heads: this entire shoot was done in redface, and that is NOT OKAY. Naturally I blame the producers of the show for not thinking, even for a second, that this might be problematic, but I'm a little disappointed that none of the girls pointed it out. (Or maybe they did and it was edited out? Let's pretend that happened.)

Other people have said it more eloquently than I, (specifically as it relates to Native Americans in the US, however the lesson translates well) but the basics are this: to be Amerindian is an identity. It is not a costume. It is the very essence of who the indigenous people are. To reduce their existence to a homogeneous hodge-podge of tacky war paint and feathers is to ignore the fact that indigenous people exist among us today, and to perpetuate the belief that their customs and cultures are a thing of the past. Correct me if I'm wrong (I am more than willing to eat crow) but I doubt that anyone on the CNTM team went through the appropriate channels to verify that this was an accurate depiction of Amerindian culture.

But enough with the social justice. That was your lesson in cultural appropriation for the day. Onto the critiques:

Everybody knows I love me some Trudy, but I don't love this shot, and it's not the best this week.The thing is, Trudy doesn't look bad, and the shot actually works quite well if cropped down to just her face and upper body, but the differing elements of the picture don't form  a great cohesive unit. Trudy looks as though she's been captured mid-articulation, but just before the point at which the action becomes interesting.  And her male model's poor pose is distracting, and draws the eyes away from her. Trudy actually has a spectacular profile, but there is no energy in her face in this shot, which immediately detracts from its power. 

Trudy should be dominating this competition, but her shots have slowly been getting worse. Mind you, they are still well above most of the other shots, but they aren't up to the standard that Trudy is capable of. I expect more from her.

CNTM: Who Been Sipping that Jesus Juice...?

via CNTM
Stephany photographed by Marvin Bartley

This week was... interesting. There were a lot of problems that had nothing to do with the girls, but can we just agree that the drama between them is just too draining to be worth mentioning anymore? Kendra, you are not humble if you talk about how humble you are. Athaliah, someone not asking excuse, while rude, is not a capital offense. Calm down. Lisa, stop with the passive-aggressiveness. It's not cute. And all of you, leave poor Treveen alone please. There's a reason she's shooting past the rest of you while you battle for a spot in the bottom two. Top Model is a family franchise. There is no reason TV6 should have to place a parental guidance warning before the show. Tone it down ladies. 

But as we mention the bottom two, can we please discuss how completely messed up the call out order was this week? AGAIN? Somebody on that judging panel is hitting that Jesus Juice a little hard. I won't say who, but it rhymes with "Shmashmendy"... I mean Wendy. Wendy is sipping that Jesus Juice. There is literally no other explanation for this mess.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that they pulled out the nude shoot so early in the game, but if the rumours are true and this is to be the only season, I guess that makes sense. Aside from the usual issues, this episode was plagued by the phantom boom mic, which kept popping into frame at the most obnoxious times. My other peeve this week was the photos themselves. Not the girls, mind you, but the composition of each shot. So many otherwise great shots spoiled by trees and shrubbery! But enough griping. Let's get to the critiquing.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I do not love this photograph of Stephany. It’s not terrible, but I don’t love it. It’s very close to “quite good” and it’s a marked improvement in Stephany’s overall performance, but this is not the best photo of the bunch. Stephany needed to extend the energy in her eyes into the rest of her body; what Tyra call H2T modelling: head to toe. She needed to point her toes, lengthen her back, and exude more purpose. This photo looks like she is simply reproducing one of the yoga poses that they learned earlier in the week. There is nothing about this that distinguishes it as anything to be praised. It is however, one of Stephany’s better shots, and it’s a marked improvement from her portrait shot two weeks ago. So, for that alone, congratulations. 

CNTM: Carnival is Bacchanal

via CNTM
Treveen photographed by Kerron Riley

Oh my darling biddies, I'm sorry to say that I missed everything but the judging this week, so I have little to say about the models' interpersonal drama. Unfortunately that means that this week, I'll have to base this review exclusively on the their performance in the photoshoot. I know! Comment très ennuyeux! But that can't be helped. Let's get on with it.

 It seems Treveen has once again found herself at the top of the pack and with good reason! This
shot has all the Charima Uniquness Nerve and Talent you could ask for. Treveen is engaged with her body and in her face, she's interacting with the other characters in frame, and she still manages to stand out amongst all the feathers. I can easily see this as an ad for Trinidad Carnival, as it fantastically captures the idea of interacting with a new culture, while also being wary of it. In this shot, Treveen has accomplished the near impossible: she looks demure in a Carnival costume. That takes serious skill. So congratulations again, Treveen. You clearly plan to go very far in this competition.

CNTM: Flounder or Flourish?

via CNTM
This week's winning photograph
Treveen photographed by Andros Belfonte

Firstly: I TOLD YOU BITCHES IT WOULD GET BETTER! This week we saw improvements in almost every aspect of the show (except the damn sound editing. *shakes fist*) from the judging sets, to the girls' house, to the girls themselves in the form of makeovers. Sadly, Wendy was still gorgeous and still boring, and the final call-out order was an absolute mess, but we did finally get a clear picture of the prizes: a US$50K contract with bmoblie, a cover and feature spread in Caribbean Belle Magazine and a modelling contract with Factor Women.

But it was makeover week, so naturally there were tears and complaints, but other than Kendra, no one seemed to have any serious traumatic experiences. In general the makeovers were pretty great, but the colours were mostly atrocious. None were truly terrible, but there were only a handful of standouts. (See Treveen, Trudy, Lisa, Susan) Everyone else looked different, but not necessarily better. (See: Sedia, Kendra, Ashley). But as usual, the makeovers added a new element to the competition, where we got to see which girls were literally resting on pretty, and which girls understand what modelling is all about.

When it comes to Treveen, it was clear that this makeover was incredibly needed. She didn't love it, and she cried, and she stalled, and she whined, but at the end of the day, her makeover marked the biggest improvement. I appreciated that she took the time to talk herself into accepting it and having a good attitude. It sucks to feel like you don't look your best, but modelling is about looking the way the client wants you to look, so I'm glad it didn't take her too long to recognize that fact.

The great thing is that her picture seriously benefited from her attitude adjustment. It was clear going in to the shoot that she still wasn't completely sold on her look, but she took the time to mentally set her reservations aside and get the job done. This shot is amazing. She is giving face, and angles, and sass, and attitude, and pretty much everything you could ask for in a portrait shoot. She deserved the praise she got for this shot, but I'm mostly impressed with how well she was able to set aside her personal feelings and do her job.

CNTM: Beginners, Bullies and Buck-Toothed Bitches

via CNTM
The Winning Photograph, featuring Trudy and Susan photographed by David Wears

So… almost an entire week has passed and I’m just getting to this review. It’s a little bit laziness and being busy at work, but it’s mostly my complete and utter inability to make heads or tails of what happened on Monday. 

And I’m not talking about what happened in the episode.

But first, the task at hand: A few minutes in, Rachel opted to leave to take a job she had interviewed for prior to making it into the competition. Power to you girl. Go make that money. Modelling may seem glamorous and fun, but it can take years before you hit a stride and make the kind of living you want. In the spirit of fairness, model hopeful Lisa was invited to take her place. With that all sorted, the journey continued.

There was some screaming, two gorgeous male models, arrival at their new accommodations (a drastic, minimal, military style barracks) and commentary on who is or isn’t “real”, who causes comess, and who is a lesbian. 

More on that in a bit.

CNTM: Introducing, Caribbean's Next Top Model

Let me first preface this review by saying that I am not a model, have never been a model, and have no intentions of ever being a model. (I mean really. At 5'2" I don't stand a chance) What I am, is someone with a vested interest in fashion and the fashion industry, especially locally, and an avid, nay obsessive viewer of ANTM. I even watched the British Invasion season. It's that serious.

So I do feel qualified to comment on this latest iteration of the ANTM franchise, and frankly, there's quite a lot to discuss.