Cycle 1 Episode 1
The Girl Didn't Get the Theme
"Being a top model is a tough profession, what with the constant critique, the fierce competition, and the ever-coming stream of opposition, and that's why I, Bella Black, started this show. I started modeling at the age of thirteen, and I only recently retired, but I decided to pass the torch to one of fourteen lucky finalists. They are the future of modeling, and this is Fictional America's Next Top Model."
***
Claire Forster, a pale-skinned, ice-blonde haired beauty clambered into the long black limousine, clutching a small tan bag and all of her hopes and dreams. "This is something that I've always wanted, but I've never been able to pursue until now." She smiled, picking a seat at the back and staring out the window as the limo drove on, intent on picking up its thirteen other passengers. Claire shrugged, "I've just always wanted to model, but you know, getting into the industry without any help is tough."
Before she knew it, the limo stopped for the second time, letting in Jacqueline Collins and Jayla Ryman. Jacqueline, a black-haired African-American with stunning eyes, waved at Claire and took the seat next to her. Jayla, a short but beautiful Mexican-American, meekly smiled and sat down awkwardly to the side, staring at the ground. Jacqueline held out her hand to Claire, "Hey, I'm Jackie. It's nice to meet you."
Claire smiled and returned the handshake, "Are you nervous to meet the other girls?"
Jacqueline shook her head and chortled, "Nah, I figure I can deal with whatever they throw at me."
Jayla, always being the quiet one, just peered out the window. "I didn't really want to talk to all the girls at that point because, well… I figured there'd be no point making friends if we were all just going to be going home soon…"
Not too long after that, the limousine reached its largest destination. Whilst Jacqueline, Claire, and Jayla lived close enough to be driven or to ride the bus to the stops of the limo, much of the fourteen girls were arriving by plane. As the lavish car slowed to a stop at the arrivals station, seven excited girls chatted among themselves and awaited the start of their journey.
Angelina Hughes, a full-lipped brown-hair blue-eyed 18 year old with blonde side bangs, was the first of the seven to enter the limo, carrying two rolling suitcases, which she struggled to bring on board. She smiled at the three already inside and thanked a fellow passenger, Holly Wong, who aided her in getting all of her luggage successfully in. Holly had silky smooth curly black hair and a heart shaped head. She prided herself in her natural photogenia and always strived to be the best.
Behind them, Katie Cormac, with piercing green eyes and a bit too much make-up on, stepped on and surveyed the competition. Without a word, she sat down at the side her purse in her hands and her luggage in the trunk of the limo.
Savannah Chalker, with dark hair, brown eyes, and a certain mysterious air around her and her mixed European background, elegantly situated herself between Jayla and Katie and looked over at Angelina, "You can put your luggage in the trunk, you know, to save room."
To which Angelina shrugged and replied, "We probably have enough room anyhow." Katie snorted, but wasn't heard over the commotion of Rose Gunther, Sharon Haddon, and Vivian Austen entering the car. Rose, young and attractive with wavy brown locks, brown eyes, and a peachy complexion, cheerfully introduced herself, "Hi guys. I'm Rose. How are all of you?"
Vivian Austen, baby-faced and pale, with golden-brown hair gray eyes replied, "Good. Nice to meet you. I'm Vivian." Surveying the other girls, she worried that her weight would become a problem in the competition.
Sharon Haddon, very pale with pixie-short black hair, politely sat down and exchanged greetings with a couple of the other girls.
The remaining four girls had arrived by train, and were waiting for the others at a large silver building. As the ten girls from the limo piled out, Treasure Kundera, dark skinned with medium-length black hair, squealed in excitement and readied herself for the competition. Nearby, equally giddy Gwyneth Ballard, pale with light brown hair, quickly integrated herself with the other girls. Margaret Atkinson, the eldest and a half-Chinese half-French contestant smiled at the others and tried to introduce herself. Meanwhile, Janessa Steingarten, the last of the fourteen contestants, shyly tried to be overlooked by the others. She had never particularly like the spotlight, and with her pale skin, rosy cheeks, and very light brown hair, she had often failed at blending in.
Finally, after much waiting, the tinted glass doors of the building opened, revealing a stunning, majestic figure in a slim black dress. The finalists immediately rejoiced at the sight of the former model and current host, Bella Black. Bella was tall and slim, with long straight black hair which past her shoulders, and elegant, elongated features. Her creamy white skin contrasted her dark hair, and she always walked with poise. Bella approached the excited girls and spoke, "I was so excited to be able to start this competition, because it meant so much to me. All fourteen of you have so much potential, and the only thing holding you back from getting a great career is obscurity. I am here to change that. Which one of you is America's Next Top Model?"
The girls cheered and Gwyn rejoiced, raising her arm up as high as she could to prove to Bella that she was the right choice. "I was just so excited. I mean, not only do we get to meet a past supermodel, but we get the chance to become a supermodel? I mean… this is crazy!"
"Well, I know you're all excited to see the house," Bella began dangling a small metallic key with the words "Top Model" written on it in fine silky letters, "But first… we're going to have our first challenge. In the real modeling business, there's no time to rest, so we're not going easy on you climb up the stairs in the building behind me, and on the ceiling… is your first challenge."
Vivian eyed Holly in awe. "I just, was not expecting it. I thought they'd give us, like, at least a few days to recuperate. We've been traveling for almost an entire day, and now we have to think?" She laughed and brushed the hair out of her eyes.
When Bella signaled, the fourteen girls rushed past her, leaving all of their luggage in the limousine as it drove off to the house. The stairs were wide and clear, and it didn't take the girls too long to climb the six stories to the roof, which was covered with fourteen desks.
A man with short black hair, spiked in the front, greeted the contestants with a wave and a smile. "Hey girls! Are you ready for your challenge?" Collective sounds of excited agreement were all he needed to continue. "I'm Scott Montgomery, a fashion photographer, and I'm going to be one of the judges on panel. So impress me, all right? Now being all the way up here might make you think that we're going to be doing something crazy, but we're actually keeping it simple this time around. Both Bella and I agreed that it's so important for you to be able to recognize fashion designers and famous fashion models. That being said, we're going to see how well-versed you are in the fashion industry."
Jayla sighed and covered her face with her hand. "I just don't really know much about the fashion industry, so needless to say, I'm freaking out."
"Now each of you are going to choose a desk and we're going to hand out a written test with thirty questions about the fashion industry. The girl that wins gets a very special prize, and will be able to choose two friends to get a lesser one. Ready or not, girls, here I come!" He promptly handed out fourteen tests and sat back as the girls hurried to fill it out.
"Oh my god, I… didn't know half of the answers to the questions." Sharon laughed shaking her head, "Actually, scratch that. I didn't know more than half of them."
"There was a whole section where we're supposed to write the first name of a famous model just from the last name." Rose started, shrugging, "I didn't know any of those names. Selezneva? Johannesson? Moss? Who the hell are they?"
"I'm pretty confident about this challenge." Janessa scratched part of her head, "I'm really interested in the industry, so I know a good share of models. These girls think I'm just the quiet little shy girl, but I like to think I'm the silent threat." She chuckled and looked awkwardly downwards.
Gwyn grinned, "This challenge is in the bag. I know what I'm doing, and what I'm doing is right, so… these girls better watch out." She laughs and pushes the hair out of her eyes.
"All right stop!" Scott clapped above his head and stated, "It's been ten minutes. Let's see how far you managed to get." He went around collecting all the papers, and hastily looked through them. "Some of you don't know who Kate Moss is?"
Rose tried to hide her face in her hands.
"All right. From your test scores, I'm pretty disappointed in your general lack of fashion knowledge. If we're going to take you seriously, you have to know this industry like the back of your hand." Scott held the test scores in his hand and looked at the one nearest to him. "I have the highest test score in my hands. The girl I call has the best fashion knowledge and will get 75 extra frames in this week's photoshoot. She will also be able to choose two friends to get 50 extra frames. So, without further ado, the challenge winner is… Janessa!"
Janessa jumped up and covered her mouth with both hands, screaming.
"Congratulations, Janessa! Choose your two friends." Scott smiled, motioning for Janessa to step forward. Gwyneth looks visibly annoyed in the crowd.
Janessa puts a finger to her lips, biting her nails, "I think I'm going to go with… Angelina and Margaret!" Angelina and Margaret stepped forward happily and went to embrace Janessa.
"At that point, I actually didn't know anyone," Janessa laughed in a confessional, "I just sort of chose the names I remembered."
"All right, thanks a lot girls!" Scott smiled as he waved. "The limo downstairs will lead back to your house. Good luck!" And soon enough, the fourteen finalists were gone, excited to see the house that some of them would live in for two months.
***
When the girls finally entered their house, they were bombarded with a balloons falling from a large bucket rigged to capsize as they opened the door. The house itself was two-storied, with four large bedrooms and three bathrooms. It had a swimming pool, a large family room downstairs with a fireplace and sofas around a circular 'marshmallow' footrest in the center. The bedrooms were each decorated to look like different fashion capitals- Japan, France, Italy, and Britain.
"Pretty much everyone was just rushing to get a room." Katie remembered, looking up, "It was really hectic, and it was kind of ugly. People pushing, and you know, just being kind of selfish."
"I was kind of preoccupied to think of getting a bed at that point." Gwyneth rubbed her face with her left hand, aggravated. "I was just really… really set on winning that challenge. And when I didn't it just sort of… sucked." She shook her head and turned, trying to hide her disappointment.
Before long, each of the girls found a bed in the house. Jacqueline, Savannah, Angelina, and Rose lodged in the Japan room. Katie, Margaret, Sharon, and Vivian were in the France room. Janessa, Holly, and Treasure lived in the Italy room and finally Gwyneth, Jayla, and Claire slept in the Britain room.
While some of the other girls went out to swim and frolic, Janessa sat on her bed talking with her roommate Holly, "I just feel like… now that I won a challenge there's a lot more pressure on me."
"Well," Holly thought for a minute, "We just started. So, we're basically all on equal footing. Your win should be a positive thing, not something that causes stress. You get what I'm saying?"
Janessa nodded and continued unpacking, "I'm just worried, is all. I'm afraid if I waste this, I'm never going to have another opportunity again."
Meanwhile, Gwyneth was brooding over her challenge loss. "I just don't see… why. I don't understand… why she won. I mean, I have more fashion knowledge than all these girls combined, I… just don't write fast. And it's completely unfair for her to have taken the prize. But, I guess I'm just going to have to pull off a better photo than her this week and prove that I deserved it."
"Model Mail!" Jacqueline called from the kitchen holding the postcard. "It says: Can you be the girl of everyone's fantasy? Be ready tomorrow at eight. Love, Bella."
"I bet it's going to be a really sexy photoshoot." Sharon quipped.
"Like something nude!" Vivian exclaimed, much to Margaret's chagrin.
"I just don't know how I feel about nudity." Margaret sighed in a confessional. "I don't think I'm comfortable in my own skin enough to do that."
***
The next morning, the fourteen finalists were off to their photoshoot destination. It wasn't long until they arrived at a tall, nondescript building. In order to make it on time, they hurried in to be greeted by Scott.
"Hey girls!" He waved, carrying a clipboard. "If you didn't figure it out by the model mail last night, your photoshoot today has to do with fantasies. To be more specific, fantasy creatures. Each of you has been pre-assigned a mythological creature, and we're going to dress you up in couture gowns representing them. Are you ready to hear what you got?"
Cries of excitement answered his question.
"All right. Janessa, our challenge winner, is going to be a tree nymph. Rose, you're a fairy. Treasure is a Harpy Lady, Sharon a vampire, Katie a succubus, Angelina a Siryn, Gwyneth a phoenix, Holly a gorgon, Claire an Angel, and to counter that, Savannah will be a Fallen Angel. Jacqueline you're going to be a giant, Jayla a centaur, Margaret a werewolf, and Vivian a Mayura, which is actually a fighting peacock spirit. Remember, Janessa, Angelina, and Margaret get extra frames. Let's go into hair and make-up!"
"So while we're getting our make-up done," Angelina stated, "I'm looking around and there is all this crazy dresses and hair. Like Janessa is in this stunning brown dress and they're putting like twigs in her hair and stuff like that. It's crazy."
Jacqueline was the first on set, wearing a slim, brown mini-dress that ends above her knees. Her set included miniature trees and a small pool of water. Scott picked up his camera and began, "All right, so the idea of this shoot is that you're an absolute giant. So I want you to stand in the middle of this forest, and since the model trees only go up to your knees, you'll look huge. Feel free to play with the small ocean too."
Jacqueline nodded and struck a strong, wide-legged stance in the forest. Her arms were stiff and she looked to the side in the distance.
"Okay, that's too standard, Jackie. Um, try popping a hip so it looks less unnaturally… symmetrical."
Jackie did the same pose, but popped her hip to the right.
"Oh, that's pretty! I like the sense of power, especially from shooting below you."
Rose, dressed in a pink corset and skirt let the designers finish attaching transparent wings to her back. She sighed, "I've just always been afraid of heights, so I hope the harness isn't too high."
Scott welcomed her on set and explained, "So, basically we're going to have you hanging over the ground, but your set is just a couple of massive tree models and flowers. This is going to make you look really tiny. Be creative and just really get into it, okay Rose?"
"Okay, I got it." Rose promptly answered and braced herself for the harness. Once the harness was on, they lifted her a couple of feet from the ground so that she would be above a massive open flower model. Rose bent her left leg and allowed her right to hang downwards, pointing her toe so it just barely touched the flower. Her arms were in the air awkwardly.
"Okay, I love what you're doing with your legs, but your arms are really awkward. Try something else with them." Scott prompted. In a confessional, Scott sighed, "Rose had a really good final shot, but it was so hard to get it out of her. She's not easy to work with."
Sharon went on set wearing lots of black and red leather with a pair of large bat wings attached to her back. She smiled devilishly at Scott and went to shake his hand.
"Sharon, looking deviously amazing! I want you to go all dominatrix on set today, okay? We have this gorgeous bedroom scene at night for you with a moon in the background, so we really want a sort of dark, devilish, and sexy vibe coming from this."
Sharon nodded and immediately began posing with her hands on her hip. Her legs were spread apart and she snarled at the camera. After a couple of frames, Scott stopped her.
"Okay, right now this is looking very 'modeling 101', and it's just not something spectacular. Give us something more dynamic and work on the angles."
Janessa smiled at Scott as she struggled to walk on set with her lavish brown dress, which had a train that went on for several feet. Her hair was adorned with various leaves and twigs, and her pale skin contrasted the colors in her dress and make-up.
"I'm loving this get-up, Janessa." Scott joked, "I think you should wear this every day." In reply to her laugh, he responded, "So we have this giant tree trunk and forest background, and we want you to just blend in with the tree, almost like you're coming out of it, and we're going to tie the train around the tree, so it literally looks like the dress you're wearing is part of it."
Janessa let the helpers tie the train of the dress around the tree and began leaning on it, arching her back and putting her left hand, the one farthest from the camera, above her head, with her right hanging limply.
"Oh, that's gorgeous, Janessa! I love the arched back. Watch your mouth, though, you tend to get a little bit too much tension." Later, Scott remarked, "The girls did very well overall. It's definitely a great start. Some of them have some catching up to do, but I don't think we can rule anyone out yet."
***
At the house, Angelina sat at the counter eating a salad with Holly and Savannah. "How do you guys think you did today? I'm kind of nervous. I was trying to do all these screaming shots, but Scott kept saying I was losing my lower body."
Holly shrugged, "The wardrobe and make-up for my shoot was really crazy. It was a lot to try to handle at once."
"What was your wardrobe?" Savannah asked between bites of sliced apples.
"I had so much gel in my hair cause they tried to make it look like snakes, and the background was like this hellish place with rocks and lava and shit. It was pretty cool."
Savannah nodded, "Scott really liked my shots. I hope the judges do too."
Meanwhile, Rose passed the entrance and came across a postcard marked 'Model Mail'. "Hey guys! Model Mail!" Once everyone arrived at the front door, Rose continued, "Tomorrow you will meet with the judges. Only thirteen of you will continue on towards becoming America's Next Top Model. Love, Bella."
"Oh, I'm so excited. It's time to get some of you bitches out!" Jacqueline joked.
***
At the judging panel, the fourteen finalists entered and took their places on a large platform connected to the judging panel by a small runway. "Welcome ladies!" Bella greeted, wearing a grey mini-dress with her hair straight and long. "Welcome to your first judging! You all look gorgeous, but only one of you can be America's Next Top Model. Here are your judges, Mr. Scott Montgomery, fashion photographer, Ms. Ginny Frost, former fashion model and current fashion editor of 'Emblem', a haute couture magazine and part of your prize, and of course myself, former model Bella Black. We don't have a guest judge for this week, but there will be one every week. Are you ready to hear the prizes?"
The girls nodded in anticipation.
"The winner of cycle one of America's Next Top Model will get a $10,000 contract with Vega Model Management, a six page spread in 'Emblem' magazine, and a cover in both 'Portragirl' and 'Emblem' magazine. You guys are getting both a commercial and a high-fashion prize, so our winner has to be able to do both. Now, this week you guys each portrayed different mythological creatures. Sharon, you're up first."
Sharon walked up wearing a light blue top and neutral black pants. "Hi guys, I was a Vampire." Sharon growled adorably and turned to look at her photo. In her picture, Sharon is wearing full-body black leather with accents of red. She has leather wings and pearly white fangs. Her background is a lavish bedroom scene, with a large queen-sized bed with clear drapes and elegant cloth everywhere. Sharon leans on one of the poles supporting the bed and looks over her left shoulder at the camera. She has a devilish smile, revealing pointed teeth. Both of her arms hang limply, her right is amputee behind her body, and her left leg is bent, making a triangle shape with the pole and her leg.
"Well," started Scott, "I like he left leg. It's something you see a lot, the leg bent to make a triangle. That being said, I had to work so hard to get this out of you, and your arms are still looking a little bit lazy here."
"Sharon," Frost rested her head on her fist, "This shot bores me. I love your look, but this picture… it's just not enough. Go back to modeling 101 and come back when you know how to model."
Sharon, surprised and mildly offended by this put her right hand on her chest.
"See, even that's contrived. You have to learn how to be more natural. Next."
Sharon, confused, took her place with the other girls. Bella looked up, "And next up is Margaret."
Margaret approached the panel and smiles, "I was a werewolf." In Margaret's photo, Margaret is wearing all gray fur, including a fur coat, scarf, and gray long pants. She has on a pair of gray stilettos and her hair is colored gray as well. Her background is a dark forest, with various trees and rocks barely lit, creating a nighttime atmosphere. Margaret is on all fours, crawling diagonally towards the camera. Her right limbs are farther in front than her left, and her body is contorted to look at the camera. Her left leg is almost fully extended, with a pointed toe. She glares into the camera, pointed teeth showing.
"Wow." Bella began, "This is a great shot. I think you sort of lost the 'fashion' element in here a little bit, but I adore the pointed toe, and the face is almost there."
"You were a girl that I honestly wasn't looking forward to shooting." Scott grinned, "But you pulled it out. I just want to see more frames like this in the future, because your shots were a little inconsistent."
"I'm still bored." Frost sighed, "It's getting there, but it's not something I'd see in a fashion magazine."
"Oh lay off, Ginny," Bella laughed, "It's the first week."
"Hey, when it was the first week of my career, I turned it out like there was no tomorrow."
"All right." Bella rolled her eyes, "Next up is Katie."
In Katie's photo, Katie is wearing just black lingerie and very dark, seductive makeup. She is on a black, elegant, queen-sized bed. She lies, eyes piercing and lips pursed on the bed, with her left leg straight and her right bent and on top of the left. Both feet are pointed. Her right arm is bent in a triangle shape to her body, resting on the bed, while her left arm is on the space on the bed to her left, inviting the viewer to join. There is a slight swirl effect to the outside portion of the picture in order to emphasize the fact that the subject in the photo is not just an average girl.
"I like the seductive element you brought to this, Katie." Bella nodded, "But we're worried that you look to old for the fashion industry. This proves you can turn it out in a photo, but is it enough?"
"I love the legs," commented Frost, "But the arms are just awkwardly placed. The lips are too pursed too, it comes off looking contrived."
"All right, thank you." Bella smiled. "Next up is Angelina."
In Angelina's photo, Angelina is wearing an all-black catsuit with black stilettos and her hair down and curly. She is screaming at the camera, with circular ripples of sound coming from her mouth. The shot is very close to her face, with her arms stiff and backwards and most of her body out of frame, or covered by her head. Her eyes are squinted so that they are almost closed, and her hair blows violently behind her.
Frost yawned, "It's an interesting concept, but you're not working it here. I don't see what you're wearing, your head looks overly large, and your eyes are squinted way too much."
"I actually really like this." Bella refuted, "I think it's kind of artsy. I like the stiff arms, but I wish her head didn't look so out of proportion. Great job on screaming with that much intensity, though."
"I agree." Scott added, "You committed to the scream, and we can all tell."
Angelina smiled, "Thank you!"
"Next up is Jacqueline."
In Jacqueline's photo, Jacqueline is wearing a slim brown mini-dress, and she has twigs in her hair stuck in odd directions. The photo is taken from below her to make her appear gigantic. Around her legs are small trees that don't reach her knees. She stands, with her knees locked, and her arms straight and stiff. She stares out into the distance and the sun creates a ripple of light that is partially blocked by her head.
"Gorgeous! I love it!" Bella exclaimed, "This is my favorite shot so far."
"I love how it's just so simple, Jacqueline, but you manage to make just standing there artsy and fashionable. Great job."
"Next up is Holly!"
In Holly's photo, Holly is dressed in a stunning, silk white gown and she sits on a set made up of large rocks surrounded by a large body of water. She sits on one of the larger rocks, with her left leg bent at the knee, and her left stiletto on another rock. Her right foot rests on the ground, making her right knee bent as well, creating another triangle shape. Her left hand is on her left knee, which stiffens her left arm, and her right arm holds up her weight on the rock. Her hair is styled like green snakes, and the green make-up around her eyes accentuates her features. The face is calm, and the photo is a pan-out, and the rock formation is on the left side of the frame, with the right just being water.
"It's a nice artistic, photo, but you're not doing very much." Scott commented.
"I have to agree." Bella nodded, "The body is great, but the face is too calm, and not fierce scary Gorgon enough."
In Janessa's photo, Janessa is wearing a stunning brown dress with an extremely long train. Her pale skin contrasts the color of the dress and the various leaves and twigs stuck in her hair. The train is tied around the tree trunk so that it appears that the dress is one with the tree, and she rests against it, her back arched and her legs against the tree with the left slightly bent at the knee to create a shape with the dress. Her left arm, being the farthest from the camera, is over her head, conforming to the shape of her head, and her right arm is hanging limply. She squints a bit too much and her lips are slightly parted.
"This is a stunning photo." Frost admitted, "But if you look at the close-up, the face is a bit off. The body is gorgeous though. Watch out for her, girls, she's a contender."
Bella smiled, "The body positioning is absolute perfection. You're one of the girls that's just going to have to work with your face more."
Janessa nods and walks back to the other girls.
In Savannah's photo, Savannah is wearing a tattered gray dress and no shoes or gloves. In addition, she also wears a large pair of dark wings. Her hair is dirty and messy, and dark black make-up stains trail down her face. She stands awkwardly with her knees pointed inwards and her arms crossing to hold the opposite shoulder. Her dirty hair falls messily downwards, and her gray wings fold inwards slightly. The background is shades of dark gray which get darker the closer they get to Savannah, almost as if the darkness is slowly suffocating her.
"Stunning." Scott grinned, "You really captured the essence of a fallen angel. And you gave a lot of variety on set! I got pictures of you being an insecure fallen angel, I got vengeful fallen angel. I got everything. Great job!"
In Treasure's photo, Treasure's set is the same pile of white rocks surrounded by water as Holly's was. She wears a colorful form-fitting dress with a long train of multiple colors, and the sleeves droop down like harpy wings. Her arms are raised dramatically, bent downwards at the wrists, and her head is slightly lowered with her eyes glaring at the frame. She is standing in a neutral position, but the dress outlines her curves in a way that it makes her body positioning look interesting anyway. This time, the rocks are in the center of the frame, with water only barely in the frame. Since Treasure is standing on the highest rock, she is still not very close to the camera, but a ways back.
"Wow!" Bella's eyes widen, "I have to say that you really nailed to ominous atmosphere of this shoot. The bent wrists are haunting, the face is great, and you make the dress look wonderful"
In Claire's photo, Claire's set appears to be made of clouds, and she wears a blue and white short mini-dress, with white stilettos. She stands on one foot, her right one which is farther from the camera, and her left leg is bent at the knee, creating a triangle shape with her two legs as if she were a flamingo. Her left arm is making a triangle shape with her left hand on her hip, and her right hand is on her left knee, making her right arm stiff. Her face is calm and jubilant and her hair is tied up in a convoluted but beautiful bun with diamonds.
"You look so expensive here, Claire." Frost said, "Like, my head is exploding with this. Our angels really did well this week! Can we just call the competition quits and let this girl win?"
In Rose's photo, Rose wears a simple pink mini-dress with small wings, and her hair is tied into pigtails. She is above a massive flower, and two giant tree trunks are behind her, making her look very small. Her right leg is bent at the knee and she points her right toes on her left leg, which is straight. Her left leg barely touches the flower, with her toes pointed on it. Her left arm hangs downwards, and her right is bent at both the wrist and the elbow. It is parallel with her collarbone and the back of her hand is near her face. Her face is relaxed and beautiful, and her lips are parted and slightly pouted.
"The legs are great, but you could work your face more." Scott commented.
"Also," Frost rolled her eyes, "The arms are just an awkward mess. You need to work everything. You can't just be a leg model."
In Vivian's picture, Vivian is wearing what appears to be a black leather swimsuit, which looks like a sleeveless tank top at the front, but turns into a one-piece at the bottom. She wears black boots and gauntlets, and a giant colorful peacock tail is behind her. Her hair is tied into a long, slender ponytail, and dark make-up is around her eyes. She stands in fighting position, with her hands both in fists in front of her, and one of her legs bent, as if ready to pounce. The eyes are slightly squinted, but the mouth is too tense.
"I love that you took a risk and went into fighting mythological peacock, but the face isn't all the way there. You need to bring more next time." Bella stated.
"Yeah, you were very stiff on set. I need you to bring more." Scott agreed.
In Jayla's photo, Jayla is topless, and wearing tight brown fur pants, with shoes that look like hooves. A horse back set piece is attached to her, and her hair is messy and falls down naturally. Her right arm is covering her breasts, and her left is slightly bent and on her (the horse's) behind. One eyebrow is raised and her mouth is slightly pursed.
"It looks cheap." Frost scowled, "It looks like a bad porno."
"The mouth doesn't work here, and the arms are just way too stiff." Bella nods.
Finally, Gwyneth steps up to the judges. In her photo, Gwyneth is in a large nest, and she is dressed in a crimson dress with large sleeves designed to look like wings. Her hair is temporarily dyed a fierce red, and red eye make-up accentuates the style. Her legs are both bent, as she is crouched in the nest, but they are crouched to the side, with one knee higher than the other. Her arms hang limply to her sides, bent at awkward angles, but her face is intense.
"I really do like your legs. It's very fashionable, but the arms don't work, and it makes the whole photo a mess." Scott shrugged.
"Now the judges will deliberate, and when we call you back, we will announce who will be eliminated. Thank you." Bella waved the models away as they walked out of the room. She turned to the judges when the models were gone, "So what do you think?"
"These girls…" Frost covered her face with her palm, "Only a few of these girls can actually model. Can we just take a handful of them overseas already?"
***
The fourteen finalists filed into the judging panel, and Bella stood at the end of the short runway with photos in hand. "I only have thirteen photos in my hands, and those thirteen girls will still be in the running towards becoming Fictional America's Next Top Model. The first name I'm going to call is… Savannah."
Savannah grinned and walked forward, "Thank you so much."
"Your picture was divine today, Savannah. We want to see this every week." Bella watched as Savannah walked to the side. "The next four names I will call are… Claire, Jacqueline, Katie, and Rose."
The four girls sighed in relief and walked forward in the order they were called.
"I have eight photos left. The next three names I will call are… Margaret, Treasure, and Janessa."
Janessa cupped her mouth in her hands as she cried slightly, "I thought I was going home."
"Janessa, the reason you were called so low wasn't because of a bad photo. This is quite possibly the best photo this week. We fail to see confidence though, and a top model needs to be confident. Congratulations, you're still in the running."
Janessa nodded and accepted her picture.
"The next three names I will call are… Angelina, Jayla, and Sharon. Congratulations."
The girls smiled and accepted their photos.
"I only have two photos left, and three gorgeous girls standing before me. The girl that will escape the bottom two this week is… Gwyneth."
Gwyneth's mouth dropped and she looked up to suppress tears.
"Gwyn, the only reason you're still here is because of those legs. Those legs saved you. But they won't save you again."
Gwyneth nodded and took her picture.
"Will Holly and Vivian please step forwards?" Bella nodded.
The two models approached Bella and braced themselves for elimination.
"Both of you stand here for the same reason. Both of your photos had stunning bodies, but the face was off. You two got the best styling of the bunch, but you failed to work it. You both have such strong potential, but you guys haven't brought it out. So who goes home? The girl who didn't get the theme, or the girl who was stiff in the face?"
After a brief pause, Bella continued, "Vivian. Congratulations, you're still in the running towards becoming Fictional America's Next Top Model."
Vivian hugged Holly and walked up slowly to get her picture, a few tears falling down her porcelain skin, "Thank you so much."
"You need to push, Vivian. You're a strong, sexy girl, but some of your competitors are showing so much more than you. You need to try harder."
To which Vivian replied chokingly, "I will."
Holly walked up and smiled a smug grin before hugging Bella, "Thanks for the opportunity."
Bella surprised her by taking another photo and handing it to Holly, "We decided it was unfair to deprive one girl from a photo just because she was eliminated. So you're still going home today, but here's your picture."
Holly took the picture and replied, "Thank you again." Before hugging the other girls and waving as she left.
***
"I'm definitely disappointed, but I broke some ground. I was the first ever girl to be eliminated from FANTM." She chucked, "That's a first, isn't it?"
Packing up her stuff, she began to exit the house, "If it's the only first that I accomplish, well then that would suck, but it's still a first."
As she closed the door and walked off into the distance, she waved back at the house one more time, "Bye house!"
***
Holly's casting photo fades from the group photo, and the credits begin to roll.