For the second episode of “America’s Next Top Model” cycle 21, the model hopefuls were given the task of riding the Los Angeles subway but the catch was that they had to change into clothes according to season (spring, summer, etc.). Photographer Franco Lacosta from last season was there to shoot the contestants with #NoFilter. The contestants had to wear at least three items of clothing and get on the train before the doors closed or else they would be disqualified.
It was a mad dash as the numbers quickly dwindled from twenty-two to only two since most people couldn’t put on their coats for the winter round. Matthew and Danny were the final two in the challenge, and the winner ended up being Matthew (even though Franco called him boring for most of the challenge).
Back at the house there was some drama. Romeo proved to not be a fan of Cycle 20 returnee Danny, and made it known during a group discussion calling him old news and saying he shouldn’t be there. Then, Romeo and Mirjana were upset that Danny was talking about them in the other room. They wanted people to talk about their problems in the open. To loosely paraphrase Denzel, why did they have to be all about the drama and ruin a great moment? It just seemed petty to me.
Fast forward to the following day. All the model hopefuls are taken to the beach where photographer Yu Tsai is introduced as the new creative director of the show. Judge Kelly Cutrone is also there, and she asks a few of the contestants if they had made any love connections. It looks as if this cycle is going to focus a lot more on the personal drama and interactions than past seasons. Although, I did enjoy when Raelia offered this gem when talking about her virginity. “My purse is sacred.”
Yu Tsai first photographed each of the models separately. And to be honest, he gave a lot of the contestants harsh criticism. He said Jamie Rae had nothing going on in the eyes, and even asked farmer boy Josh if he need a cow to milk to feel comfortable. Then, in a surprising twist, all twenty-two of the models were shot together in a photo where they all laid on each other. It was done to see who would stand out from a massive group shot. Tyra, Miss J, Yu Tsai and Kelly Cutrone discussed the positives and negatives of each contestant as they looked at the photo. When it seemed that Yu had something negative to say about Romeo who is Wiccan, Tyra said, “Don’t say anything bad about him. I don’t want him to put the stink on me.”
Now it was time to trim the fat. Tyra announced that the twenty-two contestants would be cut to only fourteen. They were paired two at a time and one would be announced as a finalist while the other was asked to wait it out. Oh, the suspense! In the last round, both Adam and Denzel are accepted. “Every single one of you can model,” Tyra said to the eliminated contestants, “But not just on America’s Next Top Model Cycle 21.” I swear, I didn’t make this quote up.
Meet the Top 14
Surprisingly, Danny and Jamie Rae were cut. Which was a little weird considering how much screen time they got. In the next episode, the contestants will walk the runway naked, well except they will be wearing some silly string of course. Can you say wardrobe malfunction?!
