America's Next Top Model 7 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 7 started airing on September 20, 2006 as the first to be aired on The CW network. The season's catch-phrase is "Sassier, Fiercer & Making History."
To date, this cycle is the most watched season, averaging 5.13 million viewers per episode.
The international destination during this cycle was Barcelona, Spain. The winner received management and representation by Elite Model Management, a photo shoot for the cover and a six-page spread within Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics.
The winner was 21 year old CariDee English from Fargo, North Dakota, making her the first natural blonde to win the show.
Episode summaries
The Girl Who Marks Her Territory
Original Airdate: September 20, 2006
This season premiere was a special two-hour episode, which starts off with the auditions. A girl named Cyndel, who referred to herself as an entertainer and told the judges that she works at a strip club said she considered that stripping "was another part of modeling." Anchal also stood out, principally because of her blue contacts. When asked why she had them in, she said that in India, they find girls with lighter eyes more beautiful. The 33 "semi-finalists" were reduced to 21 girls who would go onto the next round. The 21 girls participate in a nude photo shoot, of which the more conservative girls struggled between their ambition and upbringing. This episode also introduced Jaslene Gonzalez, the eventual winner of Cycle 8, who failed to make the final cut down to 13 but re-auditioned for the next season.
After the field was narrowed down to 13 girls by the judges, the girls were sent to a runway competition using the clothes from the designers of Elmer Avenue. The contestants had to choose their clothes off the backs of 13 male models, then feminize and wear the outfit down the runway. Melrose was chosen as the winner, allowing her the chance to be "Diva for the Day" on the set of their next photo shoot.
At the fashion magazine-inspired house, the contestants were surprised that only 11 beds were available, and maneuvering took place. Monique, who did not get a bed, stole Eugena's and poured water on it, saying it was pee in order to ensure nobody tried to take it off her.
The next day, Tyra's dramatic diva appearance kicked off a shoot where the girls were given different model stereotypes to portray, as follows:
Model
Stereotypes
AJ
Casting couch model
Amanda
Anorexic model
Anchal
Narcissistic model
Brooke
Back-stabbing model
CariDee
Dumb blonde
Christian
Model-turned-actress
Eugena
Black girl-turned-white girl
Jaeda
Plastic surgery model
Megan
Diva model
Megg
Drug-addicted model
Melrose
$10,000 a day model
Michelle
Bulimic model
Monique
Phone-throwing model
Melrose's bad attitude on set lands her in the bottom two, but it is Christian who the judges feel has the least amount of potential and she is sent home.
Bottom two: Melrose Bickerstaff & Christian Evans
Eliminated: Christian Evans
Featured photographers: Brian Bronson, Oliver Bronson, Dylan Don
Special guests: The Aswirl Twins, Collin Pulsipher, Jonny Day, Ward Robinson, Sean Murphy
The Girl Who Hates Her Hair
Original Airdate: September 27, 2006
While some of the girls, like Megan and Brooke, are happy with their assigned makeover, Monique and Jaeda are upset with theirs.
The challenge this week involved make-up application, speed and presentation. They each raced against the clock to put together their entire look, from make-up to wardrobe, during brief elevator stops on a trip to the top of a skyscraper. Megg and Monique could not make the elevator at various stories, and were eliminated even before the presentation. Eugena, who was chosen the winner by CoverGirl, Queen Latifah and her make-up artist, Roxanna Floyd. Her prize was an exclusive photo shoot for the CoverGirl Website, which she chose CariDee and Jaeda to share.
Back at the house, Monique took off her frustration of her earlier premature elimination by using the phone for more than three and a half hours, much to the disgust and irritation of the other girls.
This week's quirky-hair themed photo shoot, in which they had to work with large wigs and hairpieces involving moving parts, was a challenge to some of the girls. Megan and Jaeda both failed to give a good picture, and landed in the bottom two. Eventually Megan was chosen as the second girl eliminated.
Bottom two: Jaeda Young & Megan Morris
Eliminated: Megan Morris
Featured photographer: Tracy Bayne
Special guests: Frederic Fekkai, Queen Latifah, Roxanna Floyd, Mr. Little, Lisa B., Weavin' Steven
CoverGirl of the Week: Anchal Joseph
The Girl Who Goes To Texas
Original Airdate: October 4, 2006
J. Alexander prepares the girls with a unique runway exercise from atop a ½" wide tight rope. The next day, their runway skills are put to the test in their rockiest challenge yet, with Bre Scullark (Cycle 5) appearing as guest. The contestants were asked to strut across broken slabs of concrete in high heels while wearing masks which impaired their vision. The winner of the challenge, AJ, picks CariDee and Megg to jet off to work a star-studded Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend Fashion Show with some past seasons" contestants in Austin, Texas.
Later, the girls have to rock a catwalk suspended over water, but Monique's dehydration lands her in hospital. She makes it to the show, but then decides to go home. At judging, Monique is criticized for not pulling through like Danielle did in Cycle 6. In the end, it is Eugena and Monique who land in the bottom two. Monique is subsequently eliminated for her seemingly lack of drive.
Bottom two: Eugena Washington & Monique Calhoun
Eliminated: Monique Calhoun
Featured photographer: Charlie Altuna
Special guests: Dennis Quaid, Bre Scullark, Altuna Moreno
CoverGirl of the Week: Anchal Joseph
The Girl Who Joined the Circus
Original Airdate: October 11, 2006
The contestants learn to strike an extreme pose from a contortionist, and model coach, Stacey McKenzie, and are put to the test in a high fashion challenge. They must learn to show an extreme pose in designer Bao Tranchi's clothing, and a piece of jewelry. The winner, Eugena, wins all the jewelry that the contestants were wearing, totaling up to $32,000.
The photo shoot this week is based on a circus freak show and the girls turn into the circus freaks as follows:
Model
Circus Freak
AJ
Cannibal
Amanda
Siamese twins (with Michelle)
Anchal
Giant lady
Brooke
Rubber girl
CariDee
Elephant girl
Eugena
Bird lady
Jaeda
Strong lady
Megg
Bearded lady
Melrose
Old face with a young body
Michelle
Siamese twins (with Amanda)
At judging, AJ and CariDee are hailed for their performances and Jaeda and Megg were declared as the bottom two, both for their bad photos, with Megg being sent home because of her inability to transfer her personality into a photo.
Bottom two: Jaeda Young & Megg Morales
Eliminated: Megg Morales
Featured photographer: Mike Rosenthal
Special guests: Bao Tranchi, Stacey McKenzie, Jonathan Nosan, Erica Courtney, Atoosa Rubenstein
CoverGirl of the Week: AJ Stewart
The Girl Who Punk'd Ashton
Original Airdate: October 18, 2006
A red carpet challenge with former judge Janice Dickinson leaves some of the girls speechless. Melrose wins the reward challenge, which gives her a night to interview stars on the red carpet as part of Entertainment Tonight's staff.
The stars come out at a photo shoot where the contestants are transformed into celebrity couples, which were:
Back at the house, Michelle reveals that she might be gay or bisexual, to the surprise (and even shock) of her twin sister Amanda. During judging, the girls were asked to be impromptu correspondents and give their best commentary of red carpet footage featuring the ANTM judges, during which AJ lets her self-consciousness show through.
In the end, AJ and Jaeda are revealed to be in the bottom two, both because the judges weren't sure how much they cared about the competition. The judging concludes in a big shock to the girls when AJ, who had done well consistently throughout the competition, was eliminated. The judges felt that she had just lost her drive to remain in the competition and spared Jaeda for the third time.
Tyra picked up her camera and surprised the contestants in their backyard with an impromptu black and white photo shoot where they were asked to express anger while maintaining their sex appeal, but a few girls struggled when burlesque dancer Dita von Teese asked them to get in touch with their sexy side. The contestants were put to the test by walking down the dinner table of Elite Models director Cathy Gould at her dinner party. Melrose won her third challenge and brought Amanda, Michelle, and Brooke for a Seventeen Magazine editorial spread photo shoot as her reward.
To test their new sense about the fine line between 'sexy' and 'sleazy,' Jay Manuel met the contestants for a second photo shoot depicting romance novels with model Fabio.
Each girl has their own romance novel title, as follows:
Model
Novel Title
Amanda
The Other Woman
Anchal
Pyramid
Brooke
Don't Leave Me!
CariDee
But... I Love Her
Eugena
Oh No You Didn't!
Jaeda
Nibble... In The Night
Melrose
Lady Of The Night
Michelle
Who's My Baby's Daddy?
Despite bad takes from Jaeda and Michelle, Eugena and Brooke were revealed as the bottom two. While the judges were irked at Eugena's mannerisms, they doubted Brooke's potential as a model, and wondered whether she was just getting by on her vibrant personality.
In the end, Eugena was saved for the second time as Brooke was eliminated on the night of her high school graduation, prompting Tyra to mention that many girls would rather be on the show than at graduation, of which a teary eyed Brooke agreed.
Bottom two: Brooke Miller & Eugena Washington
Eliminated: Brooke Miller
Featured photographers: Jeffrey Jones, Randee St. Nicholas, Tyra Banks
Special guests:Fabio, Dita von Teese, Kylie Bax, Atoosa Rubenstein, Beau Quillian, Cathy Gould, Elyssa Traub
CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English
The Girls Who Made It This Far
Original Airdate: November 1, 2006
This episode recaps the process that the seven remaining girls have survived, including some never before seen footage.
One such scene was during the very first hour the girls entered the house, when they met their wardrobe stylist Charlie Altuna and makeup artist Sutan, who had with them a "Fashion Trash" bin, and confiscated whatever of the girls" clothing they deemed "unfashionable." However, after this abrupt event, the girls were brought to Skylar where they had 5 minutes to shop for "fashionable top model" clothing.
Footage included a catfight between Amanda and Monique, who went on a rampage and threw away almost every other foodstuff in the house into the garbage when Monique found out that her Doritos were eaten. Amanda then ran provocatively around the house opening every other closet that contained any remains of food, all the while shouting, "there's food here!"
Finally, the girls meet with yoga instructor Shirley Archer for a relaxing time of meditation, and Jaeda impersonated Tyra at eliminations while all the contestants were in a dressing room. Right before announcing who was "going home," CariDee unexpectedly passed gas, which stopped all the girls and caused them to laugh.
Special guests: Charlie Altuna, Sutan, Shirley Archer, Frederic Fekkai
The Girl Who Wrecks the Car
Original Airdate: November 8, 2006
The next day, the contestants head to the beach where they meet pro athlete and model Gabrielle Reece where she teaches the girls the art of action modeling while they bump, set and spike to beach volleyball.
The girls get even more physical with NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett for a competition where the winner has to take their own shots using a remote controlled camera. Although accidentally denting Stanton's car, Michelle wins the challenge and picks Amanda, CariDee, and Melrose to share her reward. Unknown to them, there is a reward challenge within the challenge, where the 4 girls have to act fast and don as many pieces of clothing within 30 seconds. Melrose won the prize of $10,000 worth of clothes.
Back at the house, the tension between Anchal and Melrose reaches boiling point when Melrose accuses Anchal of being childish and disrespectful to others, causing a visibly affected Anchal to retreat to her room.
For the week's photo shoot, the girls receive their first Covergirl assignment, shooting for TruBlend whipped foundation, modeling as space-sirens. They fly at a skydiving training facility, where many contestants had difficulty expressing grace inside the wind tunnel.
During judging, the girls had to act out a scene derived from a verb and adverb randomly drawn from a box, including "swim frighteningly" and "dance aggressively," where Anchal's lack of self confidence showed through, where she eventually ran out in complete self consciousness. In the end, Michelle and Anchal are in the bottom 2, both for their apparent lack of commitment, and Anchal is ultimately eliminated.
Bottom two: Anchal Joseph & Michelle Babin
Eliminated: Anchal Joseph
Featured photographer: Patrick Giardino
Special guests: Gabrielle Reece, Stanton Barrett, James St. James
CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English
The Girl Who Breaks Down
Original Airdate: November 15, 2006
The girls meet with acting coach Tasha Smith at the Los Angeles Repertory Company for acting lessons, and all took turns performing exercises to learn how to break down their physical boundaries. Each girl then shot their own silent film, acting out the direction given to them. After an emotional day, CariDee was chosen as the winner, earning her a guest spot on The CW"s "One Tree Hill." The girls then viewed CariDee"s winning silent film, and Tyra surprised them with a trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Once the girls landed in Barcelona, they were happily surprised when their driver made several stops along the way to pick up male models who would be part of their next challenge. Together, they went to dinner at a traditional Spanish restaurant, where they learned they would shoot a commercial the next day in the Catalan language. Tensions rose between Jaeda and her male model Nacho after he told her he did not like black women.
The following day the girls shot a Secret deodorant commercial, where they had to kiss their male model at the end. Most of the girls struggled with their lines and the pressure to perform in another language.
Despite the judges' appreciation of Jaeda"s beauty, they could not overlook the fact that week after week she had been in the bottom two and had still yet to improve substantially, hence eliminating her.
Bottom two: CariDee English & Jaeda Young
Eliminated: Jaeda Young
Featured director of commercial: Denis Rovira
Special guests: Tasha Smith, Lee Norris, David Jackman
CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English
The Girl Who Sticks Her Foot In Her Mouth
Original Airdate: November 22, 2006
Shaken from her near elimination, CariDee struggles to rebound from an off week. In order to relieve some anxiety, the girls invite their Spanish models from their last commercial shoot over for dinner.
The next day, Tyra visits the girls and has a sit down talk about the dark side of modeling, before the girls meet up with Pancho Saula, the director of Elite Barcelona, who has set up ten go-sees for them to attend all around the city. Eugena and CariDee team up, as do the twins, while Melrose decides to hit the streets alone, a strategy that seems to pay off as she manages to attend the most number of auditions. While the twins get lost and arrive late, hence disqualifying themselves, Melrose easily wins her fourth reward challenge, and she chooses CariDee to share in her reward " a catered dinner at their apartment.
For this week"s photo shoot, the girls arrive at the bull-fighting arena and meet their photographer, Nigel Barker. CariDee jokingly makes a crude remark to Nigel, who was edited to appear offended, however according to CariDee in an Entertainment Weekly online interview, he actually recognized her humor and joked along with her. Nevertheless, she later apologized for this.
At panel, the girls are asked to tell the judges who they feel has the most and least amount of potential. While Amanda is singled out as the girl with the least potential, Michelle"s insecurities finally overwhelm her as she breaks down in front of panel, conflicted by her doubts of whether she really wants to be a model.
During deliberation, the judges are torn between the lackluster photos of Amanda and CariDee, but Michelle"s confidence crisis makes them question whether Michelle may be even sacrificing her place for her sister. Consequentially, the twins land in the bottom two, where Amanda"s drive ultimately won the judges over and Michelle is eliminated from the competition.
Special guests: Pancho Saula, Julie Cher, Susana Castano, Jorge Paulo de Oliveira Terra, Victoriano Simon, Julie Sohn
CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English
The Girl Who Grates
Original Airdate: November 29, 2006
The girls travel to a dance studio where they meet flamenco dancer Nacho Blancho, who teaches them the steps of the traditional Spanish dance. While Eugena breezes through the practice, Amanda"s awkwardness becomes apparent.
Later that night, the girls share a dinner with runway coach and judge Miss J. Alexander, before returning to their apartment to rehearse their dance steps. The next morning, the girls arrive at a majestic Spanish villa for their flamenco dance test, decked out in full flamenco attire. Nacho is impressed by Amanda"s improvement but crowns Eugena the winner, who picks Amanda to share in her prize, which turns out to be 3 presents bearing clothes worn at the Custo Barcelona Fall 2006 collection. Melrose cried because she can't dance well with her partner.
For the photo shoot, the girls meet with Jay Manuel who brings out Tyra to assist. The girls are paired up " Eugena and Melrose, Amanda and CariDee " to pose as nymphs floating underwater. While Melrose shines in the freezing water, Eugena delivers many blank shots. CariDee has to be pulled out from the icy water prematurely when she starts shivering uncontrollably. Amanda had to finish the rest of the 50+ frames left in the shoot by herself.
At panel, the judges warn Eugena about her bland expressions, and still have reservations about Amanda"s stiffness and awkward posing. Amanda and CariDee later find themselves in the bottom two: Amanda"s look was "edgy" and "high-fashion," the judges worry if she is overly awkward and meek; CariDee's look was "classic," but may not be able to take the physical demands of being a model. Tyra ultimately hands the last photo to CariDee, eliminating Amanda.
Bottom two: Amanda Babin & CariDee English
Eliminated: Amanda Babin
Featured photographer: David Ruiz
Special guests: Nacho Blanco, Naama Hernandez Ruiz
CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English
The Girl Who Becomes America's Next Top Model
Original Airdate: December 6, 2006
The final three meet Jay Manual to shoot their commercial for CoverGirl Outlast Double Lip Shine, where they meet last cycle's winner Danielle Evans. First up is CariDee, whose natural enthusiasm shines through. While Eugena once again starts off with bland takes, she finally turns on the charm for a great delivery, while Melrose struggles with her over-preparedness. During their CoverGirl print ad shoot, CariDee once again shines with her blissful look while Eugena delivers some passionate shots. Melrose, affected by her earlier performance, stumbles.
Judges believe that Melrose has failed to live up to her past performances, and Eugena's passion is questioned. Ultimately, Melrose joins CariDee as the final two as Eugena is eliminated.
In preparation for the final runway challenge, Tyra sets up a sit-down talk with life coach Dr. Michelle. Next, the final two meet Jay Manuel at their final runway, where they have to play ghostly brides in wedding gowns designed by Victorio & Lucchino. The final show will be set in Antoni Gaudí's world famous Park Güell.
As night falls on Barcelona, Dani starts off the show while Melrose and CariDee begin their catwalk face-off. The second walk requires the girls to stop and stare down each other halfway down the runway. A minor disaster occurs when CariDee accidentally steps on Melrose's train and rips a hole in the middle of the runway. After a brief moment of shock, Melrose recovers quickly and continues her walk confidently. However, drama begins to stir at the changing room as Melrose blames CariDee for the torn gown. The final segment begins with Jay Alexander dressed in a black wedding gown running out on the catwalk, screaming theatrically, and the girls follow suit. The show ends off with CariDee and Melrose's final walk at the runway, together with their last face-off pose before 'disappearing' from the runway.
Back in the judging room, Melrose is praised for her superior runway walk, CariDee triumphs in their overall picture portfolios. The judges appreciate Melrose"s fashion knowledge and persistence to win the competition, but she comes off as too clinical. Meanwhile CariDee is lambasted for her loud personality, although she has the much sought after "X-factor."
The girls return and make one last plea before Tyra, who announced CariDee as America"s Next Top Model, making her the first ever natural blonde to win.
Bottom two: Eugena Washington & Melrose Bickerstaff
Eliminated: Eugena Washington
Final two: CariDee English & Melrose Bickerstaff
America's Next Top Model: CariDee English
Featured photographers: Jim De Yonker, George Holz
Megan Morris signed a modeling contract with NEXT Model Management.
Monique Calhoun has modeled in Tokyo, signed with L.A Models
Anchal Joseph has modeled in Moscow and Mumbai
AJ Stewart has modeled in Hong Kong, Tokyo and South Korea
Amanda and Michelle Babin, who had been represented by L.A Models prior to the show, have continued modeling. They appeared in Cycle Eight of Top Model, posing for photographs with contestant Brittany Hatch. Amanda and Michelle are featured models for photographer Adam Bouska, and were featured in an editorial in the December 2006 issue of Seventeen. They have also recently modeled in Milan. They later appeared in episode one of cycle 10.
Eugena Washington has walked the runway in shows for L.A. Fashion Week, including Anthony Franco, and Kevan Hall. She also modeled for Southpole. She had her own billboard in Times Square.
Melrose Bickerstaff signed modeling contracts with Bleu Model Management and L.A. Models, and has walked the runway for Malan Breton, Fall 2007, as well as Dressed to Kilt. Her editorial appearances include the December 2006 issue of Seventeen. Melrose was featured as a special guest on the eighth season of America's Next Top Model, as well as a special correspondent for E! Television.
CariDee English appeared in the weekly "My Life as a CoverGirl" campaign on the CW television network, and appeared on the front page of Cover Magazine.
Summaries
Call-out order
Tyra's call-out order
Order
Ep 1
Ep 2
Ep 3
Ep 4
Ep 5
Ep 6
Ep 7
Ep 9
Ep 10
Ep 11
Ep 12
Ep 13
01
Melrose
Michelle
Melrose
AJ
CariDee
Brooke
Amanda
CariDee
Melrose
Eugena
Melrose
CariDee
CariDee
02
Jaeda
CariDee
Anchal
Jaeda
Eugena
Melrose
CariDee
Melrose
Eugena
Melrose
Eugena
Melrose
Melrose
03
Michelle
AJ
Amanda
Brooke
AJ
Amanda
Anchal
Jaeda
Amanda
CariDee
CariDee
Eugena
04
Eugena
Megan
Michelle
Anchal
Melrose
CariDee
Melrose
Amanda
Michelle
Amanda
Amanda
05
Brooke
Anchal
AJ
Michelle
Michelle
Michelle
Jaeda
Eugena
CariDee
Michelle
06
Anchal
Megg
CariDee
Melrose
Anchal
Eugena
Michelle
Michelle
Jaeda
07
AJ
Monique
Brooke
Megg
Amanda
Anchal
Eugena
Anchal
08
Christian
Amanda
Eugena
Amanda
Brooke
Jaeda
Brooke
09
Megg
Jaeda
Megg
CariDee
Jaeda
AJ
10
Megan
Eugena
Monique
Eugena
Megg
11
CariDee
Brooke
Jaeda
Monique
12
Amanda
Melrose
Megan
13
Monique
Christian
The contestant won the week's reward challenge
The contestant was eliminated
The contestant was CoverGirl of the Week
The contestant was CoverGirl of the Week and reward winner
The contestant was CoverGirl of the Week and was eliminated
The contestant did not participate in the photo shoot and was eliminated
The contestant won the competition
In episode 1, the pool of 21 girls was reduced to 13 who moved on to the main competition. However, this first call-out does not reflect their performance that first week.
Episode 8 was a recap episode.
Makeovers
Megan: Plantinum blonde pixie-like cut
Monique: Unweaved, lengthened, added curls and new weave
Megg: Extra long, curly hair
AJ: Lighter, Linda Evangelista inspired cut
Brooke: Dyed chocolate brown
Anchal: Edgier, shorter, angled cut, hairline moved back