America’s Next Top Model Review: Gotta Be-weave In Yourself!

This week’s America’s Next Top Model episode was the one I think we were all waiting for- makeover day! It was time to see who made the ultimate transformation and whose life was ruined by a horrible ‘do. I love to see what kind of ideas Tyra has up her sleeve and some of her choices were so fitting for the models. The ladies had the pleasure of having their hair cut and colored by top hair stylist Laurent D. and some of his team from Prive Salon. Long, long, long seemed to be the trend with Tyra’s preference being hair extensions and full on weaves everywhere! Kasia, Hannah, and baby face Jaclyn got to keep their long locks, but even so they didn’t leave completely extension-less. Not much of an exciting transformation for these few unfortunately. Dalya, Mikaela, and Monique were given even longer tresses with some weave work which really suited the girls, especially Dalya. Monique was happy to keep her long hair since that was what she was hoping for and as she eloquently puts it, “I always get what I want”. Ok, then. For Dominique, Tyra chose a stunning red color (with eyebrows to match) and you guessed it, a big, curly weave! This I loved on Domey and was hoping would give a little more pizazz to her otherwise lackluster photos.

Now of course you can’t please all of the people all of the time and especially when it comes to hair. Let’s talk about the girls who had a hard time adjusting to the new them. Sara was hoping for a more feminine style, keeping her fingers crossed for some extensions of her own but shockingly (but not so shockingly either really) weave-crazy Tyra had them do the “short, spikey man-cut” on poor Sara. It’s important for Sara to embrace her androgynous look because that’s what makes her unique, but the last thing I would want to hear is “you have a man face, here’s a man cut!” Then there’s problem child Alexandria. Tyra chose to keep her blonde with some long extensions and as usual, Alex couldn’t resist bitching about something. In this case, she didn’t like how her fusion extensions felt on her head and she, “knows how they are supposed to be done!”  She is the professional here…wait. Nevermind. One of my favorites for the competition though, Molly, really got the short end of the stick. If anyone has the right to complain, it was this lady right here! The long, curly blonde weave they chose for her was the definition of a hot mess. It was just plain ridiculous and what was worse was that her natural hair didn’t even blend with it! A certain weave specialist may have lost their job that day.

So that was the good, the bad, and the ugly of the makeover day, but I haven’t mentioned the fabulous of the day: Brittani. She was everything a makeover should be. She went from long, brown hair to a black, short, blunt bob which Tyra lovingly named the “Dutch boy cut” (the name alone is enough to scare anyone out of cutting their hair). What could have turned into a Starburst candy “berries and cream” haircut wound up being the most stunning and beautiful of all the makeovers. Brittani is now really one of my top choices.

For the girls’ major photo shoot this week, they had the honor of being dressed and shot by two of the best in the fashion industry, Pamela Hansen and Lori Goldstein. Paired off and adorned in designer dresses, the challenge was for the girls to interact naturally with each other while at the same time reach through that camera and steal the shot. This was easy for some and just painfully awkward for others. Some of the ladies show their cut-throat attitudes while others let themselves get simply pushed to the side. We’re weeding out the weak here people!

When the models go before the judge’s panel, Alexandria is given the title of best photo for the day and also a little scolding for being an all-out, well, pain in the ass at both the salon and also at the next day’s photo shoot. I’d tell her to reel it in but it keeps the show full of drama. It also keeps the girls in the model house tip toeing around, which is pretty funny. Molly was runner up for best photo of the shoot but really she should have been first. Girlfriend nailed that shoot perfectly!  In the end, it was time for Dominique to go home. She has such potential and her new makeover was totally hot but she just can’t seem to work it through that lens. It was a shame to see her go. All in all, it was a mild episode but, still a good one.

Season 16, Episode 3: Lori Goldstein  (originally aired March 9, 2011)

Can’t get enough ANTM? Check out “Messes and Makeovers” by Savannah DuBois.

See the fashion and the drama unfold Wednesdays 8/7 central on The CW.

Images courtesy of Pamela Hanson/Pottle Productions Inc./Chris Frawley/The CW.