Cycle 3 - Sun of Jamaica

Welcome back, my beloved readers :-)

It's time to dig into Cycle 3 of our favorite TV show ever, with even more awesome pictures, more drama, more catfights and infuriating (!!!) eliminations. Oh, what a journey this will be. To start it, let's take a look at the very first photoshoot for which the Final 14 girls flew to Jamaica to model bikinis.

1. Yaya

This is simply divine. She looks so tall (which she isn't) and her skin looks flawless (which it isn't). Again, a great start for this highly entertaining Cycle.

2. Julie

What I love about this photo is the creative pose, it looks almost bird-like. I think she brought something different which really works with the setting and styling. Great job.

3. Kristi

Another great photo this week, it's so sexy and the pose and facial expression really work well together. This Week is overall divided into great and terrible photos, as you will soon be able to see.

4. Tocarra

The first really great plus-size model to grace this show, and what a fabulous start for her! Her body looks insane, and the contorted pose really does wonders for her cleavage. This photo looks rather pin-up, which I adore.

5. Jennipher

Jenniphah's first and only great shot, but kudos to her for nailing the pose and delivering something really sexy without looking like a video-ho. Something another contestant did NOT manage to achieve this week, but more about that in a few minutes.

6. Nicole

Another great shot, my only complaint is the rather greasy looking skin. Otherwise, well done. And don't expect me to ever rank her this low again :-)

7. Leah

I think this photo is really sexy and a simple and effective swimwear photo. She was eliminated for this, which I don't understand at all, given the level of suckage about to come.

8. Kelle

The first victim of Tyra's evil editing machine for this Cycle. This photo is nowhere near as bad as the show made it out to be, her skin looks amazing and I actually like the crouching pose.

9. Cassie

This photo is good, but I think her pose really emphasizes her bigger hips. Other than that, it's a solid effort but nothing to write home about.

10. Ann

Her body looks SICK, but otherwise this photo is a complete snore. But she's the last one in my ranking that looks gorgeous, so well done.

11. Amanda

I don't like this photo too much, I think her pose makes her look shorter and wide. Not a good start for her, but wait until she turns into an ice queen later on this cycle and delivers some amazing photos. I, for one, can't wait :-)

12. Eva

This photo is awful. She looks short, like a 50 Cent video ho and cheap and tacky. It was actually really hard to put my bottom three in an order since all of them are on a very high level of major suckage.

13. Magdalena

She looks so so old and unfresh in this photo. She was sent home right after the photoshoot, and I wasn't mad at all since this photo is terrible. It does nothing for her body and we can't really see the swimsuit.

14. Norelle

TERRIBLE! Her body looks all sorts of stumpy and untoned, her facial expression reads as dumb and confused and we again can't see the swimsuit. What a bad start for the cutest girl of the Cycle.

Cycle 2 - My Way

To conclude this Cycle, I will post the elimination order of my dreams. :-)

Week 1 - Bodypaiting

- Anna -

Not participating in the very first photoshoot is the worst way possible to make a good first impression. No photo, no more time to compete.

Week 2 - Steve Madden Shoes

- Heather -

She's just SO plain, and her photo this week was hilariously bad. Her great first picture can't save her.

Week 3 - Laundry in the Air

- Bethany -

I can see her delivering something really pornish this week, and she doesn't really have any modeling potential anyway. The only thing that saved her last week was her good picture.

Week 4 - Celebrities

- Camille -

Ever since Week 1 her photos didn't impress me at all, and this week she looked all kinds of possessed. I will not miss her.

Week 5 - Quench Underwater

- Xiomara -

She was such a sweetheart, but I can not look past her horrible photo, which might just be the worst of the whole cycle.

Week 6 - Simple Beautyshots

- Catie -

For one thing, she was so annoying and a crybaby. Her photos were good most of the time, but good doesn't get you far. I was just never really invested in her at all.

Week 7 - Shake Ya Body (Tyra's music video)

- Yoanna -

She did the worst this week, by far. Her past performance has been up and down, and I have never been a huge fan of hers anyway. I do hate having to eliminate somebody for this stupid video though.

Week 8 - Solstice Sunglasses in the Coliseum

- Jenascia -

She was a really cool chick, but I just can't see her doing well in an edgy and editorial photoshoot at all, which is why I send her home here.

Week 9 - Girl on Girl Nude

- Sara -

It was between her and Shandi this week, and I can't send Shandi home after her fabuous Solstice photo. I love Sara, just for the record <3

Week 10 - Finale (Edgy Beautyshoot and Final Runway)

- Shandi -

Shandi's edgy photo was the weakest by a long shot, and I can see April dleivering something really interesting. Shandi came a long way, but overall she had too many flukes in her portfolio.

- Mercedes -

She did a terrific job during the final runway show, and her portfolio is really good, but April has always been my favorite. Mercedes is severely underrated by many people though, she did such a great job and she's such a sweetheart.

Winner

- April -

Her portfolio became slightly weaker overseas, but still her passion for modeling and her amazing photos won me over by Week 2. She was soooooo robbed on the show.


And that's it with this Cycle, I hope you'll stick around for Cycle 3. :-)

Cycle 2 - Edge

The final three had one last photoshoot where they could show the judges what they had in them. It was an edgy beautyshoot, with mostly amazing results. Here they are:

1. Mercedes

I love this photo so much, it's so raw and edgy and it has this ethnic vibe I completely adore. Who knew that sweet and cute Mercedes could pull this off? Amazing.

2. Yoanna

We all know Yoanna has the perfect face for beauty, and this photo is truly awesome as well, but a little more boring compared to Mercedes' photo in my opinion. I don't get why it is called the best in ANTM history all the time, but it is a great shot nonetheless.

3. Shandi

Sadly, this is the weakest photo by a long shot this week. It lacks a true depth or any POW! factor, it looks rather bland and uninspiring. If she had more power in her eyes it could've been great, but as it is, I wouldn't look at it twice.


In the end, Shandi placed 3rd, Mercedes 2nd and Yoanna won. Out of the final two, I would have picked Mercedes as the winner, without any question. Yoanna is a great face for beauty, but it starts and ends there in my opinion. She didn't do that well during the whole competition and is among my less liked winners, just because I think there were 3-4 girls who deserved it more (Sara, Shandi, Mercedes and April, namely).

To conclude this cycle, I will of course be posting my ideal elimination order soon. Stay tuned! :-)

Cycle 2 - Ah Lurve Nudiddy

The final four travelled to an old Italian mansion where they had to pose in pairs, and completely nude. Did I call Shandi's Solstice my favourite photo of the cycle? Well, in fact the following shot trumps even that....

1. Mercedes and 2.April

Perfection. This photo looks so genuine and real, there's a depth and intimacy about it that really draws me in. It's just beautiful. April was eliminated this week, which was highly undeserved. Boo hiss!

3. Yoanna and 4. Shandi

This is not necessarily a bad photo, but where Mercedes and April looked like real lovers, this one looks rather awkward, especially Shandi. Yoanna looks really hot, but they don't share a real connection and thus I don't buy this shot as a whole.

Cycle 2 - Say "Hi" to Fashion

Poor Sara was eliminated for not looking like the perfect video vixen in Tyra's music video (yeah, I'm still furious about this cut, after all those years. She was SO robbed) and the remaining five girls travelled to Milan, Italy for the rest of the competition where they had a very high-fashion oriented photoshoot in a Coliseum for Solstice Sunglasses. Among those photos is also my favorite shot of the cycle, so let's check them out!

1. Shandi

This photo is just complete and utter perfection, she looks like she belongs in any current fashion magazine. The pose, the expression, the colours, the mood....awesome.

2. Mercedes

I like her contorted pose, it creates some nice angles, and I like that she managed to deliver something this edgy despite being a rather commcercial girl.

3. Yoanna

She looks very statuesque, which creates a nice effect, but also makes her body look thicker. Still a great photo though.

4. Camille

I like the pose in this photo, but I feel like she took it a little too far. The face looks distracted as well, all in all this isn't such a great shot of Camille. And finally, she went home!

5. April

This is her worst photo, by far. The face looks just completely blank and that ruins the whole shot for me. Janice Dickinson commented on this photo with the following statement: "It looks like all the batteries in your vibrator just died." I concur.

Cycle 2 - Plain Janes

What is something any upcoming model has to master? A simple, clean Beautyshot, exactly! So, let's see if our aspiring topmodels managed to work the simplicity of this theme, or if they failed terribly.

1. Yoanna

Her face is her best asset, and therefore she nailed the beautyshoot. Her bones are so interesting to look at, and I like her confident expression in this shot. Yoanna and Beautyshoots are such a kickass combination.

2. April

I love how exotic she looks in this photo, it's really hard to tell her ethnicity, which makes it so much more interesting to look at. Lovely photo.

3. Mercedes

A very beautiful shot of a very beautiful girl. There's so much fire in her eyes here, it's a strong, impressive photo of the otherwise rather cutesy and bubbly Mercedes.

4. Sara

The way she used her hands make this photo a standout, I just wish she would've given more with her expression, it reads as a little blank.

5. Shandi

Pretty photo, but it's a snore. She's not giving much at all, and therefore I don't have anything more to say about this.

6. Catie

I don't even know why, but this photo reminds me of a little boy. I don't like it, but I can't put my finger on why exactly that is.

7. Camille

After a good week, Miss Camille is back at the bottom of my rankings. This photo is again just wrong, from the O.O expression to the way she's holding her head and is making her neck disappear.

Cycle 2 - Blubb

Cycle 2 really turned it up a notch concering photoshoot themes, this week the girls had to pose in a tank full of water. Who managed to strike a fierce pose and who just drowned? Let's see!

1. April

This is the best photo this week, by miles. The pose looks very natural, it showcases her legs perfectly and the face is relaxed and calm. Beautiful.

2. Sara

Another great shot this week, I like that she managed to bring some movement to the photo. It looks like she's really swimming.

3. Yoanna

This is among my favorite photos from Yoanna, it looks so peaceful and serene, almost like she's still inside the womb. It's a more artistic approach, which I appreciate.

4. Camille

So Camille can actually take a good photo, who would've thought? I really like the way she posed here, the only thing I can criticize is that her eyes look a little scared.

5. Catie

The pose is the best of the week, by far. But when I get to the face....yeah, it looks so weird, I don't even know what happened to her here. If the face looked better this would've been my FCO for sure.

6. Mercedes

This is probably her weakest photo from the show, I think it's just really boring and the pose looks stiff and too forced.

7. Shandi

What happened to our high fashion Shandi this week? I don't think this photo is completely hopeless, but it just looks really really awkward, as if she's drowning. Her weakest photo from the show by a long shot.

8. Xiomara

After her amazing photo last week, Xiomara is back to square one with this atrocity. Among ANTM fans this is widely known as the "Drowning Walrus", and I agree with that comparison. It's really terrible. Xiomara was eliminated for this shot, and I think that was long overdue.