Honoring an Iconic (Alleged) Pedophile ~ America’s Next To Model Blog Cycle 17 (ANTM)

I should start off by stating I have mixed feelings about anything honoring Michael Jackson.  On one hand I recognize he was a multi-talented individual who revolutionized music, dance, and video…then on the other hand his whole Neverland approach to life, as well as various allegations, indicate that he wasn’t the ideal person to have watch over your preadolescent son.  He died while on a career upswing career which has probably helped his legacy from being remembered as a man who had been accused of pedophilia but never found guilty despite out of court settlements, serving reportedly alcoholic drinks to the under-aged children called ‘Jesus Juice’, and putting poor Bubbles the Chimp in some facility because he had out grew his general in command of a fairy tale army uniform cuteness.  Of course now Jackson’s attending doctor is being tried for his death after providing the singer with drugs like Dipravan usually used as anesthetic for surgery.  I mention all of this because ‘Top Model’ provided homage to the man in the mirror with their photo shoot.

 

                Before any ill attempts of moon walking was done, the models were forced to walk in a Kardashian fashion show for their Sears klassy kollection.  Hey, if you are a fan of polyester leopard print then you are in luck this holiday season!  Maybe it is just me, but I didn’t find any of the clothing items the women were wore (models and the Kardashian trio who made an appearance) very inspiring.  I did have a bit of a laugh when it was announced that the model with the best catwalk would win a Sears Kardashian ensemble…serious, wouldn’t we all rather wear something from Target.  In the end the sisters couldn’t decide on just one model so both Bree and Lisa had to crabwalk away with a knock-off from a better designer Kardashian mess on their backs. 

 

                Of course no fashion show is ever complete on ‘America’s Next Top Model’ if there isn’t some chance of severe injury involved.  This time around the models were instructed to catch a ride on a carousel (which seemed to be going really) to then get off and walk the catwalk – all in high heels.  Of course there were the usually slips and near concussions, but in the end no horrendous injuries besides bruised pride happened. 

 

                Later the women were introduced to their guest judge Latoya Jackson who helped them prep for their Michael Jackson shoot.  Despite my before mentioned apprehension about this photo challenge, I like it when ‘ANTM’ does these sorts of shoots.  Beyond all else, this shoot with the ‘All Stars’ demonstrated models who were more polished when it came to executing their interpretations of Michael Jackson through the years. 

 

                Shannon Ratiff once again did a decent job with the assignment.  Latoya provided her with a belt which probably belonged to her brother and gave Shannon the instruction to ‘work it’.  The judges had some sort of criticism, which I think was about Shannon softening her face or something, but overall she is still doing well in the competition.

 

                I’ll talk more about this in detail later, but she got into a rift with Bianca.  She was emotional about how Bianca and some of the other girls keep pointing out a perceived hypocrisy of Shannon being a self-declared ‘Christian’ while doing things that they do not consider the most Christian.  I don’t think her behavior has demonstrated hypocrisy, but she fails to recognize a larger issue not necessarily of her making.  I concede she has a point about feeling she is being held to a higher standard because she is a Christian and that sometimes people, Christians and non, make mistakes.  In Shannon’s case I see her point; however I have experienced that many Christians tend to wear their religion on their ‘holier than thou’ sleeve as if their actions are better than non-Christians because they believe Jesus has their back.   Overall, I think the reaction that people have with someone who is waving the Christian flag is that often these same folks do not recognize that others live by their moral codes as well that isn’t made better or worse for their lack of believe in a religious figure.      

 

                Lisa D’Amato had another bad week and was in the bottom two, but was saved by Latoya’s declaration that in the spirit of her brother she couldn’t expel anyone because her bro was all about love…the girls would just have to try harder next time.  I don’t really want to concede a point to Nigel “noted photographer” Barker, but all of Lisa’s photos thus far have her posed with her legs spread apart to different degrees.  This week I simply can’t believe that there wasn’t a better photo of Lisa to choose from because she was busting the moves.  She also had a cute little bit with Alexandria where they were dancing…it almost made me like Alexandria.

 

                Oh, before I leave Lisa I have to give her props for taking on Bianca.  She isn’t taking any guff from the girl and it is a pleasure to watch her head bump a former bully and current drama queen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Brittany ‘Bre’ Scullark along with Lisa won the Kardashian challenge because she was able to pull out a confident performance on the catwalk.  I think she also had one of the better pictures, but it wasn’t recognized.  Really, she was on her tip toes and as Tyra Banks pointed out she had a relaxed face.

 

                Since Bianca is a close friend of hers (besties who live together in Chicago) she was drawn into the conflict between Bianca and others.  She is mature enough to know that the infighting will only harm her in the competition but she wants to support her friend especially when she overhears other girls talking about Bianca while Bianca is preoccupied on the phone.  On the other hand Bre realizes that she simply can’t play the role as someone’s mother.  Props to her for showing that she has matured from the days when she poured another girl’s Red Bull down the sink.   

 

                Bianca Golden’s bullyish past has come back to bite her.  She, Lisa, and Shannon got into it with Bianca coming off as a Diva in every sense of the word.  It is sad to see that she seems to not care how this conflict is affecting her friend Bre but only that she sees herself being the winner because of her declaration that she works so much harder than the rest of the pack despite all evidence to the contrary.  Miss Jay commented on her lack luster performance on the catwalk and this opened an emotional explosion from Bianca blaming others for her distress.  Granted, she may have had a point when she was first questioning Shannon about the bathroom schedule, however she simply lost it afterwards.  Although she was not in the bottom two, she was close to the end of the pack.  I also have to question the picture the producers choose as her best.  It just seems to have no movement even though she seemed to be moving well on the set. 

 

                The truth is that Bianca is probably one of the most model like contestants, however she really does need an attitude adjustment. 

 

                Dominique Reighard is still in the competition, but honestly I can’t recall any of her photos from week to week so I think she is just in the middle of the group.  My friend who I tend to watch the show with, doesn’t like her at all and wants her gone like last week.  I guess time will tell.

 

                Allison Harvard is a contender for the win I think.  Her Jackson photo was ADORABLE!  She also knows how to avoid conflict in a good way.  When the girls are arguing, such as when Bianca was having an implosion episode, Allison turned her back in a way to let Bianca have privacy (of course the camera caught it).  She also walked out of the kitchen when some of the models were talking about Bianca and didn’t interfere when Bre put her finger to her lips indicating that she didn’t want Allison to alert others that she was listening.  Good for Allison – adorable and smart. 

 

 

 

                Laura Kirpatrick is another model that I think is a contender for the win.  She too is ADORABLE and her picture this week won best photo!  She does her job and isn’t a drama queen.  She even was willing to bruise her legs a little to give her photo shoot a little something extra. 

 

 

 

 

 

                Angelea Preston was also in the bottom two with Lisa but was saved by Latoya.  She was all tearful and grateful, but I think it is just a matter of time before she is asked to pack her bags.  She is too self-conscious but tries to cover it up by being pricklier than the others.  Plus her skin is just horrible and her picture was uninspiring because she takes a good idea (singing like she is Jackson) and over exaggerates it. 

 

                Kayla Ferrel managed not to vomit during this episode.  I thinks she was in the middle of the pack. 

 

                Alexandria Everett produced a photo that the judges loved but I didn’t.  They thought it showed a sense of humor which I suppose it did.  In the plus column for her is that she hasn’t been in the center of any of the drama this season…yet. 

 

                That’s it for this week. For more info on the show check out the show’s official website here.

 

Here are links to the last blog entries.

‘America’s Next Top Model’ Super Duper Cycle 17 ~ ‘ANTM’ ALL STARS Blog 

Models on Stilts ~ ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Cycle 17 Blog (‘ANTM’)

The Adventures of Elderly Models ~ ‘America’s Next Top Model All Stars’ Blog Cycle 17 (‘ANTM’)

 

 Westerfield © 2011