The Challenge
Nothing worth talking about happened in the house this week, so we’re going to skip right to the challenge. This week was all about unconventional beauty and for this week’s challenge the girls had to use unconventional tools for “beauty hack” videos alongside YouTube personality Patrick Starr. From tape to boiled eggs and chicken cutlets and shaving cream to condoms. Yes, condoms. Overall, the girls weren’t particularly creative in what they used their tools for because three out of the five of them used their unconventional beauty tools as beauty blenders. The other two used theirs for contouring and exfoliation.
Rio and Christina had the tape and their video was a little painful to watch because of Christina. Rio had personality and energy and was engaging. Christina, apart from being very slow, was kind of just there and she doesn’t’ have the voice for presenting or anything of the sort; it’s too irritating. Jeana and Kyla were the chicken cutlet pair. They were fun to watch and they looked like they were enjoying themselves. They did good.
Shanice has been on a roll since last week. Law telling her that she was acting pitiful was the best thing to happen to her. She’s so funny and likeable now and she brought that to the video. Sandra was cute and bubbly. I was a little worried about Erin, but she did so good. She was interactive and personable and so was Liberty. Coura started off a little weak; talking so quickly made her come off as aggressive. But she, Khrystyana and Brendi K. seemed to have pulled it together and they looking like they were having so much fun that watching them made me laugh.
I didn’t have anyone pegged to win, but it made sense that it was Sandra. She was the only one who had experience as a vlogger.
At Dinner
I was disappointed with Rio’s behaviour this week. I did not expect that kind of conduct from her because she always carried herself with such maturity and like I said last week, she seemed to be the one who always had something encouraging to say to the other girls. This week she attacked someone for something that was out of their control.
Rio set herself up for disappointment. She put far too much stock into the challenge and the “signs” that the universe was giving her that she took to mean her victory was ensured. She built it up far too much in her mind. She felt like she let down her family because she didn’t win the challenge? Really? Girl it was not that serious. She blew that out of proportion. Her problem was not with Sandra at all. Her problem was with herself and her insecurities and she took it out on Sandra. Like she said, Sandra reminded her of the girls she went to high school with who made her feel like nothing., because they succeeded with what she perceived as minimal or no effort.
The entire thing was just ridiculous.
The Photoshoot
I found it interesting that Rio, Coura and Jeana were grouped together since they have the strongest faces, in my opinion. I wish Rio had been put in the middle so that they would have been going from lightest to darkest, but their skin tones were beautiful together. I also liked the match up with Brendi K., Khrystyana and Liberty. They all had different coloured hair which was striking. Christina, Erin and Shanice looked beautiful together, but Christina was ruining it with the smushing. She was weighing down both Erin and Shanice. Pretty as they were, that just threw off everything. Kyla was also on a roll from last week. She once again looked a lot better on set than she had before. So did Sandra. The instruction they got from Ashley really helped.
Judging
I didn’t love Jeana, Coura and Rio’s photo. My eye didn’t go to anyone immediately. It did look like a beauty campaign, but it also wouldn’t have looked out of place in a dentist’s office. It was a little “blah.” They all looked beautiful but Jeana looked sleepy a bit and Coura looked like she was in the middle of a sentence. Rio was the only one who really brought anything. Christina, Erin and Shanice’s photo I liked a lot more than the first trio’s. That rich, golden hue that the photo had because of their skin tones was gorgeous. Shanice was stunning; the best of the three, but thanks to Christina’s smushing her right eye was wonky. Erin looked younger than the two of them and very beautiful. Christina looked pretty and relaxed, but again, because of the smushing, her right eyes was wonky. It looked like she was putting all of her weight on everyone else.
The same way that Christina, Erin and Shanice’s skin gave their photo a golden radiance, Brendi K., Khrystyana and Liberty’s made theirs luminous. It was almost a tough call settling on who did best, but ultimately I gave it to Brendi K. She was smizing and looked comfortable and serene. Khrystyana looked gorgeous and there was just something about her eyes. Liberty didn’t seem to be doing much – she was the weakest – but was still pretty. For the first time in this competition I was impressed by Sandra. This was the best photo she had taken in the competition. She looked relaxed and effortless and her everything was working. Kyla was soft, pretty and youthful. She looked like she belonged in Seventeen.
Coura and Christina were my picks for the bottom two.
The Call Order and Elimination
I would not have called Rio first. Either Brendi K. or Khrystyana, the two of them could have been either first or second. Third and fourth was equally interchangeable between Sandra and Shanice, as was fifth and sixth with Rio and Kyla. All in all, the six girls I would have placed as the top six, were the top six, so it’s all good.
I was shocked that Coura was sent home and Christina stayed. The other girls seemed to be just as stunned about it as well. With all of the clips of Christina bragging, the girls talking behind her back all episode and her making herself look bad in front of the judges again, I thought it would have been her. Plus, Coura only had two bad weeks and her overall performance was better than Christina’s. But the show did seem to be positioning Christina as the villain now that Liz is gone so I suppose that’s why they kept her around.
Random thoughts:
- Khrystyana is the most adorable.
- Oh gosh I confused Sandra for Rhiyan and not for the first time.
- Seeing previews of this episode, I thought Patrick Starr was a woman.
- Using a chicken cutlet and a boiled egg as a beauty blender is just disgusting.
- Rio comparing Sandra to Kim Kardashian is so apt.
- I really thought that Brendi K. was about to come for Shanice.
- Surprised that Sandra got caught up in drama.
- Sandra has a lot of haters this week.
- Rio is so salty. The competition is starting to get to her.
- I forgot that Christina is thirty-four. She doesn’t look like it.
America’s Next Top Model airs Tuesdays at 8PM on VH1.
