America's Next Top Model recap
This week's episode of America's Next Top Model went off with nary a bitchfight or a crying tantrum--a first for the show, I think. The episode started with the girls meeting up with Ms. Jay for a lesson on how to pose like an animal (Cue Austin Powers: "You're a tiger! Grr, baby, grr!") with...live animals! Kahlen got completely grossed out by the drooling bear, so it was quite amusing to see her feed it a marshmallow out of her teeth. The girls were then tested on what they learned; Brittany, who I thought was going a bit over the top, won. Enter Tyra, who told the girls they'd put their skills to the test at a photo shoot...in South Africa! I thought taking the girls to Tokyo last season was a bit of a stretch, but South Africa? Come on! Why not London or--gasp!--New York? Before you know it, Tyra will be taking the girls to Honduras. Hey, it's where most of your clothes are made! Honduras is the Next Fashion Capital of the World! Anyway, the girls were greeted with a safari, then a tribal dance from natives and an appearance by Tyra, touting the importance of the South African fashion scene. (Hmm, isn't this where they sent Adrianne Curry, ANTM's first-seaon winner who couldn't get work in the U.S.--or Europe for that matter?) Brittany's prize for winning the competition was sleeping indoors in (bug-infested) luxury, while the other three girls pitched a tent--literally--outside. The following day brought a photo shoot in which the girls had to pose like an animal for Lubriderm. Cue more crazy makeup. Most of the girls did a kickass job, although Keenyah was pissed that she had to be the elephant. (Throughout the episode, the girls, and Keenyah herself, alluded to her 12-pound weight gain. Yikes.) At judging, there was an impromptu "emotion" posing test, which Kahlen (now officially my favorite) nailed. Kahlen was called first; Keenyah and Michelle were the last two. And while Tyra gave Keenyah a lecture about the exorbitant amount of retouching her photo required (um, hello, Tyra, your gut is bigger than mine--I saw the jiggle action when you were jumping around with those African dudes), Michelle's lack of confidence was the final nail in her proverbial coffin, and she went home. I thought Michelle, in general, made a pretty kickass model (she photographed incredibly well), but, yes, she was a bit of a mess.

Next week, the girls get competitive during go-sees!