| New York City, Here We Come | |
|---|---|
| Cycle 10, Episode 2 | |
| |
| Air Date: | February 27, 2008 |
| Viewers: | 3.82 Million |
| Best Photo: | Anya Kop |
| Eliminated: | Atalya Slater |
| Quit: | Kimberly Rydzewski |
| CoverGirl of the Week: | Claire Unabia |
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"New York City, Here We Come" is the second episode of Cycle 10 of America's Next Top Model. It first aired on February 27, 2008 and garnered 3.82 million viewers.[1]
Episode[]
The girls arrive in New York City and take it all in. They’re all so excited to be here as the location change is making everything feel real. Marvita is feeling grateful and proud for coming this far as she used to be homeless but is now a model in the making. Fatima has been through so much too and being in New York makes her journey from Somalia to America come full circle. Everyone meets at a restaurant in the morning in anticipation for the competition to start. Amis explains that she changed her name to this new nickname because it sounds familiar as there cannot be two Amy/Aimees here. A man comes in and announces himself bearing a package tube from Tyra. Inside there’s a piece of Tyra Mail and a map: “Welcome to New York, Ladies / Follow these directions to your new loft and you’ll have cause to celebrate!”
They immediately set out on foot to find their new home, which is a spacious loft space on a street lined with townhomes. When they go in side, they immediately begin shrieking and running around to inspect. Anya is excited to see a runway because she really needs to work on her walk. Claire notices the peculiar sleeping arrangements set up; there’s only two bedrooms where one has a few small bunk beds and the other has one massive bed that looks like a sitting area. The theme of the decor is motivation from ANTM contestants past. There’s iconic photos and memorable quotes from girls on the show all over the walls, including a whole gallery of photos with Tyra and the winners. Marvita and Fatima take this moment to appreciate how far they’ve come again, and Atalya, never been away from home, finds that she misses her mom.
Despite the clear “No Smoking” signs on the front doors to the loft, Kimberly, Fatima and Amis go out to the street to have a cigarette. Atalya and Marvita are stunned to see them ignore something and Kimberly says that she’s gonna do it and it’s not hurting anyone. As they spend the evening getting to know each other, Fatima can’t believe how much Amis talks without saying anything. She warns that she won’t be taken seriously if she talks like that and Amis wonders why she would say something like that. Some of the other girls take note of Fatima’s aggressiveness.
The next morning, Mr. Jay and Miss J (or, as Anya says, “Mister and Missus Jay”) stop by the loft both dressed in all black. They’re there to take the girls out for some fun around the city. They get in a trolleybus while they see different areas of note in the fashion industry. They’re last stop is Times Square where, as the heart of New York City and in honor of ANTM’s return there, they will be hosting a fashion show in the middle of the square. They’re working with Mark Badgley and James Mischka of the Badgley Mischka designer label, who are there to greet them. Of course, the girls are going to walk the runway in the show that evening.
Challenge[]
Come nightfall, everyone is in hair and makeup and anticipating their first challenge of the cycle. The two Jays step out onto the runway to greet a cheering crowd and introduce the show. Backstage, the girls line up while they realize so many people are watching and the adrenaline starts pumping. Marvita goes first and she doesn’t realize how nervous she is until she’s up there. She walks with her head down and she just knows Miss J clocks that. Aimee, Anya and Atalya walk with poise and little stomp to their walks. Atalya makes a point to smile at the camera at the end of the catwalk. Dominique and Katarzyna bring a little attitude to their walks. Allison and Kimberly are more stiff than some others. Kimberly even admits that she doesn’t believe in clothes that cost so much. Fatima, Claire, Stacy-Ann and Amis all walk, feeling the nerves but keeping it cool. Lauren goes completely blank in the face and walks awkwardly. Whitney closes the show and she stomps up and down.
Coming backstage, the girls cheer for themselves as they settle down. Fatima walks and waves her arm, accidentally hitting Marvita in the face. She looks at Marvita when she makes contact but keeps walking without saying anything. This incenses Marvita and she asks her why she did not apologize. Fatima denies wrongdoing and thinks Marvita is being ridiculous. They return to the loft and read more Tyra Mail. This Tyra Mail is delivered electronically, flashing across an LED screen underneath a portrait of Tyra. It reads: “It’s critical for a new face to make a great first impression.”
The next day they arrive at the offices of Elite Model Management. They meet Neal Hamil, the director of Elite’s North American division. Since his agency will represent one of the girls standing there when they win the competition, he’d like a sneak peek into what they’re working with. He tells them that they’re going to get an honest opinion about their potential in this industry from someone who knows what they’re talking about: supermodel Paulina Porizkova. She comes out to greet them and explain that models will be “critiqued like crazy.” Sometimes it’s constructive and other times it can feel hurtful. She suggests that they get used to it right away, so that’s what they’re going to do.
Paulina goes down the line and gives each of the girls some brutal critiques. Amis has “bad skin”; Dominique looks like a “transvestite” version of the actress Robin Wright; there’s a little “High School Musical something” about Kimberly; Katarzyna has the same problem as her with a very square jaw. After she finishes, Neal wishes them all the best of luck in the competition and gives the girls a map with the location of their first photoshoot on it. They are to report there immediately. There’s a yellow stretch limo outside the office labeled “Fab Cab” to pick them up. En route, Fatima takes this opportunity to tell Marvita she has a squished face like Katarzyna. Marvita is flabbergasted that she’s being so mean out of nowhere; she thinks she’s more crazy than anything else.
Photoshoot[]
They arrive at the industrial-looking building and Jay Manuel meets them on the street. Today’s photoshoot will put a spotlight on a serious topic: homeless youth. They will be posing in pairs with partners who are homeless whose looks are a contrast of status. The contestants will be in street clothes while their partners will wear high fashion. They are working with the Reciprocity Foundation, an organization dedicated to assisting struggling youth obtain college degrees and jobs that they’re passionate about. Taz Tagore is the founder of the organization and greets the girls and explain their mission. Everyone then moves inside to get acquainted with their fellow models. They all get into hair and makeup with Christian and Sutan and have Anda and Masha styling their wardrobes.
Atalya comes out first to shoot. Mr. Jay introduces her to the photographer, Sarah McColgan. Atalya is feeling confident and she looks good. As the shoot goes on Mr. Jay has to warn her that all of her faces have been the same. Allison goes next and she pulls out a bunch of different poses. Fatima becomes emotional during her shoot as she thinks about her time living in a shelter. Before Marvita goes, she confronts Fatima about her hostility; she tells her about her history with abuse and that it goes a long way to be friendly. Fatima apologizes for having such a hard guard up. Dominique is still thinking about what Paulina said to her before she shoots. She has a clear idea of the feeling she wants to capture and gets nothing but praise from Jay. Stacy-Ann gives all the different angles of her face. Claire gets praise for selling her outfit. Whitney’s look is not something she would ever choose for herself, so she uses that as motivation to embrace a different point of view. Amis jerks around while she poses, which makes her come off as unprofessional. Katarzyna doesn’t really know what she’s doing so her strategy is to focus on the clothes and interact with the environment. Anya brings all the fierceness as she makes her clothes look high fashion. Kimberly looks pretty good but she only delivers a blank stare. Lauren is a “fish out of water.” Aimee really wants her shoot to go well since she doesn’t feel good about the last one. Marvita needs a moment but once she begins to focus on life experiences the intensity reads on the film.
It’s nighttime when they return to the loft and the Tyra Mail screen flashes before displaying a new message: “Tomorrow you will have your first meeting with the judges.”
Before they meet with the judges, everyone is on edge. Kimberly tells Fatima that she loves doing photoshoots and runways, but she doesn’t like high fashion. She thinks it’s ridiculous for someone to pay $2,000 for an outfit and doesn’t want to support that.
Judging[]
The models step into the judging room for the first time. The platform is lined with velvet and purple with a light up catwalk in front of the panel desk. There’s some sweet prizes for winning this competition: a contract with Elite Model Management, a cover and spread in Seventeen magazine and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl. They greet the judges who are both familiar and new. There’s Nigel Barker, noted fashion photographer; Miss J Alexander, runway-diva-coach extraordinaire, who has a vest with 14 straps on it, each contestant’s name is embroidered in one and is to be removed as they are eliminated; then at first the third chair behind the desk is empty until Tyra introduces Paulina Porizkova, legendary supermodel, who walks from behind them and down the runway. They then dive into evaluations.
- Lauren: looks like she’s about to “pee in her pants” standing in front of the judges; her photo comes out great despite her nerves
- Anya: Nigel feels her eyes are a bit lost; Tyra tells her that she is very good and takes a moment to address all the other girls, telling them that they "should be very nervous about her”
- Amis: she looks inexperienced in her photo; she has an atypical beauty that Nigel thinks expresses itself well in person but she needs to bring it to the camera
- Aimee: her photo looks good but it’s not giving homeless; all the judges agree she "transforms" into another person for this
- Fatima: her expression is quite beautiful meaningful; while her best photo is good, her film overall is not, and she’s going to need to step it up
- Dominique: she’s “drag-licious” to Miss J; her photo is beautiful, but her posing makes her look short
- Allison: Nigel thinks she’s outshined by the other models; Mr. Jay has some negative things to say that Tyra references
- Whitney: her face photographs very well; she’s got windswept hair with not fan
- Marvita: Miss J first calls out her walk at the fashion show; her photo is masculine and glamorous at the same time
- Katarzyna: she looks beautiful and Tyra compares her to Paulina
- Claire: she has a “remarkable” photo with power in her face; Miss J has a problem with how her hand is placed
- Atalya: she looks pretty but not capturing the story; the other models are more expressive than her
- Stacy-Ann: Paulina’s on the fence about her photo; she gets a decent shot but she only has a small number of poses to choose from
- Kimberly: her photo is one of the best of the night
Miss J calls Kimberly out by saying she looks like she doesn’t want to be here. She admits she doesn’t care for designer clothing and fashion doesn’t interest her. Tyra asks her if she wants to go home, and she says yes. Tyra tells her, “then go home,” and she turns around on the spot, leaving the judging room.
Even though Kimberly leaves, Tyra tells the rest of them that there’s still going to be an elimination. The judges like what they see in this cohort, seeing some beautiful faces both conventional and unconventional. Some are coming with natural talent and some need to learn how to be in front of the camera.
Call-Out Order[]
| Call-out | Model |
|---|---|
| 1st | Anya |
| 2nd | Claire |
| 3rd | Whitney |
| 4th | Lauren |
| 5th | Aimee |
| 6th | Fatima |
| 7th | Marvita |
| 8th | Katarzyna |
| 9th | Stacy-Ann |
| 10th | Dominique |
| 11th | Allison |
| Bottom 2 | Amis |
| Eliminated | Atalya |
| Quit | Kimberly |
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
- “People think I’m this dumb blonde, but I’m actually really down to earth.” (Kimberly)
- “A, because it sounds like Amy, and B, because it’s in the Bible, why are you named Marvita?” (Amis)
- “I saw the no smoking signs but I didn’t really feel like I was hurting anyone but myself.” (Kimberly)
- “Miss J is gonna be on me like white on rice.” (Marvita)
- “Walking down the runway, I ended up wearing 500 dollar shorts, a 700 dollar purse, I don’t really believe in paying, like, so much money on just an outfit.” (Kimberly)
- “I’m like I don’t remember hitting you, I don’t remember seeing you anywhere, and you are the last thing on my mind, sweetheart.” (Fatima)
- “Paulina told me I look like a drag queen. That was pretty harsh.” (Dominique)
- “She’s a beautiful supermodel like you just wanna go and hug her and you wanna get to know her and be like, ‘okay, what’s your opinion?’ You know?” (Anya)
- “I’ve never met a mean African except for you! What’s wrong with you?” (Marvita)
- “Isis is wearing me out down on the mattress!” (Mr. Jay)
- “She gives you jaw, chin, lift, one, two, three hut.” (Mr. Jay)
- “It’s really hard to like come in and have people telling you what to do all the time.” (Kimberly)
- “You’re so drag-licious, you just can’t help yourself.” (Miss J)
- “Looks like you’re about to fart or just did.” (Miss J)
Trivia[]
- Isis King models in this photoshoot. She took this opportunity to ask Mr. Jay about potentially auditioning for ANTM. Once this got back to Tyra, she had her team reach out to Isis to encourage her to audition.[2] She would become a contestant on the next cycle.
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