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'Make Me a Supermodel' Walking, walking, walking
On our last episode of Make Me a Supermodel, Casey, Jay and Katy were put up for the vote and I figured Jay would be the one to go. Largely due to the fact that he lacked anything resembling a personality and that was the facet about him that was the most clear on film. The threesome wake for the morning elimination and I hope it's an attempt at humor when Casey rolls out of a bed scattered with handfuls of potato chips and stands up to reveal a half shirt, covered in crumbs. I hope it's an even broader attempt at humor when he dresses like an extra from the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Alas, I just don't know anymore.
However, I do know that I was right and Jay is soundly eliminated. And back at the house, the other models have all picked up and adopted the judges dislike of Katy as if it were their own. They all gossip about how she's over weight and not trying hard enough and should be sent home for not "embracing the opportunity" they've all been given. It makes me want to slap them when they all act sweetly excited to see her return. Perry and the boys gossip about the girls, with him commenting that their personalities are all "on milk cartons" - an attempt at wit that is further diminished when he has to spell out what he means to Frankie, who then cackles like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard. I feel a headache coming on.
It seems the show this week will be all about Fashion Week. I hope in vain that Bravo will spare us all and show last year's Project Runway contestants instead, but no dice. Instead we are told there will be no photo shoot and it will all be catwalk. and believe me, that is all it is. We watch the models watch other models on the catwalk. We watch the models watch each other practice the catwalk. We watch the models get a rough "coaching" on the catwalk - which seems more like unfiltered criticism then anything actually helpful. We watch the girls on the catwalk at a show. Then we watch the boys on the catwalk at a show. Then we watch them all on the catwalk for the finale. To say it's mind numbing would be an understatement.
The only respite from the endless parade of walking, talking about walking and watching walking it when the gang goes out to dinner to Ronnie and Ben's birthday and it is revealed the Jacki can fart at will. Which she does. Standing up, her back to the table, in the restaurant. Her parents must be so proud. Additionally, we see Katy isolate by going to bed early every night, and the other hopefuls continue to make asses of themselves by playing games where they attempt to demean each others confidence. The closest we get to anything resembling normality, is when everyone is gathered gossiping (again) about how Katy eats too much and needs to lose weight and Perry speaks up, pointing out how it's kind of ridiculous to say a girl who is maybe 125lbs is fat and that in the real world, just about anyone would do anything for her body. But the other hopefuls quickly squash that idea by saying it's the modeling world they are concerned with, and in that world she's a cow. Perry falls right back in line by lazily saying he doesn't care if she eats her way off the show and eats her way back on, he's in it to win.
Of course, the hopefuls are not the only ones bashing Katy for her weight. They judges are all still clanging that bell, despite the fact that they did away with the utterly distasteful weekly weigh-ins and measurement recordings. Additionally, the scoff at the fact that she smokes, despite the fact that it could be argued that most models live on Marlboro Lights, diet pills and the occasional apple slice. Not saying I agree with it, but don;t call her fat in the same breath that you criticize her for smoking - a habit she likely picked up to ease the oral fixation from not being allowed to actually eat.
In the end, the decide to put declare Ben the winner - and I have to say his walk did improve with the coaching he got from Ronnie. Not the coaching that helped did not come from Nikki, Tyson, the Agency Execs or anyone else who is supposed to helping to make them into supermodels. Casey also improved from last week and Holly was a stand out again. Amazing since the Execs had immediately singled her out as one of the individuals they most disliked. On the other side of the spectrum, Katy is again put up for voting, along with Jacki - who's walk was deemed too sexy and not high fashion enough, and Frankie - who's walk was considered too stiff and uninteresting.
But is any of this really interesting? I have to say, I like Holly more and more, who has risen to the occasion time and time again and seems to spend most of her time in the background rolling her eyes at her house mates. But other than her, there is no one else I find really likable in the cast. Katy I feel sorry for, Frankie is irritating, Perry and Jacki are too full of themselves to be tolerable, Ronnie has become too sappy since he's fallen in love with Ben, and Ben and Stephanie are each dull. And there's Casey, who tries to be funny or come off as eccentric, and instead just seems foolish.
What do you think? Have you seen enough of the cast to get a feel for who they are? Who do you like? Who do you hate?
Jessica, I think the 3 up for votes are Katy, Frankie and Ronnie, not Jacki as you stated above.
I'd like to see more coaching from these bonehead judges. They just complain and critique them. But no real "coaching".
I too like Holly more now than at the beginning. And Ronnie is still my favorite guy. Katy is the one going home. Although I think they should send Tyson home. What does he do? We usually see him at the start of the show and then at the end. Hello?
Good re-cap.
JVice | Feb 8, 2008 8:01:27 AM | #I happen to like Perry, but wish this week could be a double elimination so we could get rid of Frankie AND Katy.
Ginger | Feb 8, 2008 8:21:49 AM | #for the most part the cast (especially the girls) lack personality---which makes the show boring. it's really just a love story between ronnie and ben.
tim | Feb 8, 2008 8:22:55 AM | #Jessica Paff,
Do you even really watch the show? Your posts are full of spelling errors. Are you typing this in the 10 minutes you spend in the bathroom, typing while balancing the laptop on the toilet? Because that would make so much more sense.
Also, do you bother reading what you're writing? Your posts are not factual. Do you feel like making things rather than reporting what actually happened, like say the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair method of reporting?
Tell me you don't get PAID to do this ad all will at least be better in the world.
Maggie | Feb 8, 2008 12:42:05 PM | #Hey Maggie,
If you want Jessica to proofread her posts, perhaps you could set the example and do the same for your own.
Looks like unnecessary bitchiness has jumped from the show to the comments on this page. I believe some might call that "paying it forward."
I have to say that I am not at all impressed with this model show. I know Bravo wants me to feel differently since it airs the show in blocks almost nonstop every week, but I can't find it in my heart to be impressed. The show is just too badly executed.
As others have already pointed out, there is no real attempt to actually prepare any of these hopefuls for the world of modeling. The most that the judges do provide in the way of preparation is the barrage of subjective and largely inane commentary they make when offering criticism. VERY high fashion!
In the end, though, constant criticism isn't preparation or teaching. It's a passive-aggressive way of putting others down. I have to wonder why any of the judges on this show (who certainly must be getting paid and so shouldn't need additional compensation) have such low self-esteem that they need this kind of vindication. It's sad. I feel bad for everyone involved.
Not, might I add, that what passes for preparation on Tyra Banks' show is much better. That all seems to be done to show how wonderful the judges are, which has the same effect -- putting down young people who are trying to achieve a dream.
Without a doubt, Katy is fat by some modeling standards. She actually has curves that give her a womanly body which is not ideal when what you're expected to do on some runways and at some photo shoots is fit into tiny sample-sized clothes with no room for hips or breasts.
Supposedly, though, the modeling world is now claiming that they will mainly hire "healthy" models for the runway, i.e., those with curves. There's a call for so-called "plus-sized" models in the industry. The industry also has different size needs depending upon country. In addition, curvy models are in demand for lingerie and swimsuit work. These are all lucrative jobs with good exposure and the possibility of creating a new "name" model.
So, if the judges on this show were actually as in tune with the business as they claim to be, they would just let Katy compete instead of looking for any and all excuses to get her kicked out. It's almost like they have a personal vendetta against her.
Did someone get picked on for being a tubby teen? Aw. How sad others have to suffer for your stunted emotional growth.
Tyson claimed that Katy couldn’t be a model because she’s girlfriend material and then on another episode praised Perry for being a great model because he's boyfriend material.
One photographer said that Katy got distracted at a shoot, but he added that he moved her and she got back into focus. The art teacher praised her by saying she had a fluid and beautiful body. The judges agreed that she looked great in her group shot and that she "really surprised" them. Yet, they chose to focus on one criticism and put her up for the vote again. And then again.
Not to put too refined a point on it, (after all, I am a lady), but what a giant load of horse hockey.
And it's not just with Katy, either. The judges are useless and mean-spirited to all of the models even, on a few occasions, to the ones they like. All-in-all, they act less like professional mentors and more like jealous toadies.
Not that most of the model hopefuls are much better. But at least they have an excuse for their immaturity -- many of them are actually immature!
It's just too bad that there's the additional step of audience voting on his show because I really think it would all be a whole lot less painful without it. Obviously the audience is, like the judges are, voting based on who they like and dislike as opposed to who they consider to be a better supermodel. But since there's been no clear attempt to define the parameters of what does or does not constitute "supermodel" for the purposes of this show (supermodels, in the plural, have varied careers and various body shapes), I'm not surprised that personal feelings are involved in the votes. It's just that it's clear that the audience and the judges do not like the same people. It's turned into a battle of farcical proportions.
I wish the producers/judges of this show would stop pretending they care about what the audience thinks, stop pretending they're "making" supermodels, and stop pretending that this is an actual competition and just pick Shannon already. I understand she could walk the catwalk in Gay Paree tomorrow and since this is the closest thing to an explanation of what the show narrowly considers "supermodel" material why wait any longer?
Cut the crap and quit wasting time. This show isn't doing anybody any great favors. Least of all those who have been involved in it.
Berlin | Feb 9, 2008 12:24:54 AM | #How come Perry wasn't on the catwalk at the end of this week's show? He was also the only comment we didn't hear. I thought that was weird. Maybe his foot was bothering him.
Sondrabj | Feb 9, 2008 7:14:48 AM | #Make Me A Supermodel has to be one of the worst shows Bravo has come out with! The insults they throw at these young people are uncalled for! Not one person is helping them! They don't tell us or the models what/why they are doing a shoot. The models are just thrown somewhere, told to be art (or whatever the challenge is for the day), and slammed for not doing it right! Yet no one is training them ... no one is helping them. Tyson was at first. Now, he's just as scripted as the rest of the lost judges (if that's what they're called) and I can tell in his face that he isn't happy about it. They don't talk to all of the models at the end of the show. And when they come back from commercial, three or four of the models are gone! Just gone! No one talked to them and we don't find out what they thought (not that it matters). Come on ... Frankie in a dress required talking to!! But not a word was spoken to him! The show is fake, all of it is fake. Katy should not be at the bottom for the vote time and time again! And if the judges think she is doing so bad, why aren't they helping her? Ben and Frankie should be gone ... yet they are still there! This show is cruel ... the photos are no better than snap-shots. They take ideas from other shows, etc. The show is a joke! Can someone tell me how the judges agree every time? Not one is for Katy? How can they all constantly agree ... this one is bad, this one is good. This show is scripted all the way. Thank God for Janice Dickinson! She is real and treats the models with respect. She is a person who cares. The show's not scripted and it is one of the best reality shows I've ever seen! Make Me a Super Model should be renamed "Guess What You Do And We'll Make An Ass Out Of You"!!
RRN | Feb 9, 2008 7:25:49 AM | #Other than the name, I haven't seen any indication that the judges are there to help or preparing the models. The description on the Bravo website makes it pretty clear that they're going to be giving them challenges and seeing how they stack up, end of story. Just like the other Bravo shows, in fact - they aren't "making" good chefs or designers, just seeing who has the talent and skill to deserve the prize.
And as for poor Katy - I've been a supporter for a while, but now I just want America to send her home already. Girl's clearly depressed, and she really needs to get out of that house!
LL | Feb 9, 2008 3:59:12 PM | #All I can say is, I feel horrible for Katy. I *wish* I could have a figure like that and it is sad to see that she is being picked at so much for not fitting the cookie-cutter mold of model-perfect. I'd rather watch a show with someone who has curves and looks human, rather than someone who is skin and bones creepy (that's just me, of course). It's just really sad to see that the show isn't willing to accept the fact that normality CAN BE and IS beautiful. You would think they'd want to preach the fact that PEOPLE are beautiful and yet we see time and time again "people are beautiful... if they're skinny, walk this way, have this shape face, have no sign of hips of a chest, they have such and such eys..." etc.
It's just sort of sad. (In my opinion)
Oh, and I find it fitting that Katy was the one to say this a few episodes ago "The whole point of this show is to MAKE me a supermodel, not pick one off the streets ready to go". How true.
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