America's Next Top Model

"ANTM" time on TV, my favorite time of the year — catty models, great photo shoots, and a Cover Girl prize package, who could ask for anything more?

The girls are in L.A. again this year with 33 to start. Immediately off the plane, the girls have a headshot photo shoot. Most of the pictures turn out great considering they did there own hair and makeup. I have a feeling these girls are going to rock the house on the photo shoots.

All the girls do the usual interview with Tyra, Jay and "Miss Jay" where they
talk about their lives and why they want to be a model. There is the usual laughing, crying and, of course, posing!

After that, Tyra cuts the 33 girls down to 21. These girls are having a nude photo shoot on the top of a building, and they get to use any of the hair extensions hanging on the wall. Immediately, a couple of the girls have reservations about getting nude which happens on each episode of the show when they do the nude photo shoot.

I have to ask why do these girls want to be models if they aren't willing to be nude? Do they look at fashion magazines? Practically every photo of Kate Moss in a magazine, she is nude, and the pictures are incredible.

Everyone ends up doing the shoot but Ginger, the conservative, who only takes two frames and gets the boot.

OK, then they make the final cut before we have our 13 girls who will battle it out this year to be Americas Next Top Model! Here are the 13 lovelies: Melrose, Jaeda, Michelle and Amanda (they are twins), Eugena, AJ, Christian, Megg, Anchal, Brooke, Megan, Caridee and Monique.

It's a very diverse group this year: there are twins, Anchal, who is an Indian beauty; Megg, who is a rocker chick; Megan, who has the androgynous look going; AJ is the punk chick with real short hair; and Brooke is our bad-girl Barbie. Every girl has a uniqueness to them, which is great! My favorites are Melrose, Michelle, Caridee and Brooke.

These girls move into the "ANTM" house, which this year is set up to look like a magazine. There are mock "Tyra" magazine covers all over the house and an "Editors" letter to the girls on the wall. Don't be surprised if Tyra comes out with a real magazine by this title after the show! Already, divas are emerging. There are only 11 beds in the house and 13 girls, when Monique doesn't get a bed she proceeds to steal Eugena's like it's no big deal. She is going to be FUN to watch.

The girls have their first challenge which is they need to take an outfit off one of the male models on the runway, make it their own and walk down the runway. Every girl did pretty well making the men's fashions looks chic and cool, but Melrose did the best and she won the first challenge of the season. Her reward was she gets to feel like a diva for the photo shoot, and is going to have an assistant and be able to get a message … LAME reward I must say. Whatever happened tot the diamonds, etc., that people used to get for winning challenges. I guess it's the first one, so I will let it slide ;-)

Photo shoot time, AGAIN! These girls are building their portfolios quick on this show. This shoot is a good one, each girl is going to depict a model stereotype for a photo shoot. Some of the standout pictures were twin Michelle doing the most controversial stereotype of an eating disorder. Her picture was AMAZING. It looked like it could be in any fashion magazine. Caridee was a standout for me, also, depicting the dumb blonde. Her picture was funny, but still beautiful.

The prizes this year for "ANTM" are a contract with Elite magazine, the cover of Seventeen magazine with a six-page editorial, and a $100,000 contract with Cover Girl cosmetics.

The judges are the same this year: Tyra, Miss J. Alexander, Nigel and Twiggy. The first two girls to hit the bottom two include one of my faves, Melrose. She has a lot of attitude on set (maybe her prize went to her head) and was late to set. Christian was in the bottom because her picture was just not up to snuff. But going home tonight was Christian. Both girls give it a good cry and we are off to a great new season.

I can't WAIT!