It's only the second week into the competition and drama is already filling the Top Model house; I don't know if it's big enough for both Tyra's egotistical posters and the now remaining twelve girls.

How flexible are you? Benny Ninja and Bree Robertson wanted to know. They joined the girls this week to help them practice contorting their bodies and posing in interesting ways. Who was most flexible? Sheena, the designated hooch, of course. But later in a rousing game of truth or dare in the mansion Jacuzzi, poor Hannah from Alaska seemed to come across as not personally flexible with "different" types of people she was surrounded with. After witnessing a steamy kiss between Clark and Elina (who is obviously attracted to her) Hannah told the cameras directly that she thought everyone in the house was "too sexual." In a moment replayed numerously, Hannah took her frustration (I guess about the sexuality) out on Isis, the transgender member of the competition, by pushing her out of her comfort bubble - claiming she didn't want her dancing all up on her. Most of the girls took this very offensively; spawning questions such as is Hannah a card carrying racist?

That question brought the girl to tears; she even summed it up as if she was being gang busted about her openness to others in society. On the other hand, she did tell the only Asian girl and the only half black/half-Native American girl that she thought of herself as the "stereotypical white girl." It looks like in this cycle of Top Model, Hannah is severely outnumbered.

This week marked the first competition for the girls and it was judged by handbag and accessory designer Tarina Tarantino. The girls were challenged to use the bag and accessories in the most creative and unique ways. A relatively simple game for the girls to play considering most of them copied what others did and just added a little something different each time, no brain power required. Two girls in the challenge stood out as the worst to Tarantino. Sheena, who can't escape her hooch comments (sometimes for good reason) put her legs behind her head and the handbag between her legs resulting in offending the designer by placing the product somewhere "it shouldn't be." And this week, again, Nikeysha's big mouth kept getting her in trouble. Before she even had the opportunity to pose, she let Tarina Tarantino know that she needed to pee and apologized in advanced if she peed all over herself. Elegant, huh?




Elina won the challenge competition by placing her fingers near her eyebrow and the bag on the other side of her face. It seemed simple, but it impressed the judges making her the winner of the evening.

No episode of Top Model would be complete without a photo shoot; unfortunately the biggest problem this week wasn't with one of the girls, it was with the background of the shoot itself. The girls were supposed to be climbing a ladder - using their newfound posing skills - up to the top of a hot air balloon. The balloon, though, would not stay in place due to high wind speed and therefore was just later CGI'ed into each of the girls' photographs.

Lauren Brie was the first to be shot by this week's photographer Mike Ruiz. According to Jay Manuel, she set the bar very high for the other competitors. The first girl to be shot in the photo shoot seems to have the lucky coincidence of being the first one called after judging is complete. Last week Marjorie went first and had the best picture of the week; this week Lauren Brie went first and had the best picture of the week. Perhaps this is going to be a running trend this cycle of Top Model. Tyra called Lauren Brie's photo one of the top five in Top Model history and said it had the look of a Dior or Louis Vuitton campaign.

But, challenge winner Elina would give Lauren Brie a run for her money. Tyra compared her look in today's photo to that of Angelina Jolie. Now, whether that's really a compliment or criticism take your pick, but regardless Tyra and fellow judges Nigel Barker, Paulina Porizkova, J. Alexander and Tarina Tarantino seemed to love the goddess in the sky look that Elina emulated in her picture.

Some girls who took excellent photos last week dropped their high ranking with this week's ladder shoot. Isis "needed to be edgier," according to Porizkova who very much disliked her photo. Also, pretty girl Clark was wearing way too much make-up for Miss J. It was something he openly mocked during the judges' deliberation. And poor skanky Sheena. During evaluations the judges called her "hoochiliscious" and Paulina flat out asked her if her boobs were fake. Sheena originally denied the claim, but later came forward and admitted the truth that it was a stupid mistake she'd made when she was younger and that she did in fact have fake breasts.

Ultimately, the final two came down to Isis and Nikeysha. This was Nikeysha's second week in the bottom two and she still couldn't keep her mouth shut enough to hold her own. Tyra told Isis she would be continuing in the hope of being America's Next Top Model but needed to not look like an elementary or high school aged girl anymore. Nikeysha could barely let Isis have her moment and insisted on showing Miss J her walk before leaving the competition. Sadly enough, even the show's editors began mocking her as they played her overly long farewell speech over the closing credits.

Next week is the makeover episode… Let's see who will scream and cry the loudest!

Give us your thoughts on this episode and check back every week for America's Next Top Model Recaps.


Story by Beth Wickman

Starpulse contributing writer