After disembarking their Caribbean cruise, the thirteen finalists arrived in Los Angeles.  As a refresher, the wannabes included: Victoria, the geek who’d never been east of Chicago; Mila, the bug-eyed girl who always thought she’d be a model; Heather, the socially-awkward girl with the mild form of autism; Lisa, the exotic dancer who bounced around the foster-care system; and Ebony, the one everyone loved to hate.

They gathered in downtown LA’s fashion district where they met Jay Manuel.  He then directed them to their new mode of transportation—a 100% biodiesel tour bus.  Tyra, always one to be socially conscious, wanted to pay special attention to the environment in Cycle 9.  (I have a hard time believing those girls could care less about their recycled seats).  The ladies were then taken to their plush, yet not-so-green pad.  (So how exactly those huge monitors in the home being lit??)

Once settled in their new digs, the ladies got a chance to relax and start showing their true colors.  Ebony, now aware she doesn’t have a fan, made a pledge to become more reserved.  Heather, feeling out of place, kept to herself (and her Curious George).  Meanwhile, a group of girls thought they’d conserve water by sharing a bath. (It really wasn’t that exciting.)

The next day the girls arrived at their first (preachy) shoot of the season.  Hoping to prove that smoking is not a glamorous habit models should associate themselves with, the ladies were charged with exhibiting the nasty side-effects of smoking.  The ‘horror’ half of the shoot would be composited with a glamour still of them gazing into a mirror.

Ironically, most of the ladies struggled with the glam but mastered the ugly.  Jay felt Bianca (gingivitis) was holding back; a tentative Ebony (collapsed lung) looked like she was sitting on a toilet; Janet (burn victim) was too ‘posey’; the Saleisa/Heather duo (2nd hand smoke) had difficulty connecting with each other; and Mila (chemo hair loss) kept laughing when she looked at her ‘Bozo’ hairdo (tacky!).  Lisa (face tumor) was one of the few who walked away criticism-free; Jay loved her emotional connection.

Behind the scenes, things were brewing between Bianca and Lisa.  They had been trading catty barbs at each other all day and things eventually erupted.  Bianca, apparently still weirded out by the lap dance she received in the premiere episode, lashed out and informed Lisa that an ‘exotic dancer’ would never be the winner of ANTM.  (Jealous lately?)  Jay later told the girls to get their acts together and go home.  Once back in their pool, Lisa and Bianca kissed and made up.  Or so it seemed.  Bianca later admitted the apology was simply a PR move; she didn’t want the judges to think she was the bitchy roommate.  Does anyone else sense the foreshadowing here??

The next day, the girls took a trip to Old Navy for a mini-challenge.  In ten minutes, the ladies had to scour the store for an outfit they’d wear before the judges.  The goal was to find a few basic items that were simple and chic…yet also reflected their personal style.  The winner (chosen later in the episode) was Saleisha.  The judges loved her simple and flirty dress.  For her win, she was rewarded a $1000 shopping spree and a future ad for Old Navy. 

Later at home, the girls kept themselves busy by gossiping about awkward Heather.  Ya know, they only pick on her because she’s so pretty.  Unfortunately for Heather, she would end up giving them another reason to dislike her.  Surprisingly, her photo was chosen best of the week.  Although Heather may not have connected with Saleisha, the judges loved her face and quiet beauty.  They thought she photographed ‘like a dream’.  Meanwhile, Bianca not only found herself narrowly missing the Bottom Two—but she had to see Lisa come in 2nd behind Heather.  (Methinks Bianca won’t be staying nice for much longer.)

The two who did face elimination this week were Ebony and Mila.  The judges thought both girls had trouble translating their beauty onto film.  Were they just pretty girls, or were they models?  In the end, they decided it was politically correct to choose a girl who didn’t laugh at someone’s hair loss.  LOSER: Mila

(You can review last week’s episode here.)
(You can read next week’s episode here.)