| The Girls the Lionesses Are Hunting | |
|---|---|
| Cycle 4, Episode 9 | |
| |
| Air Date: | April 27, 2005 |
| Viewers: | 4.91 Million |
| CoverGirl of the Week: | Naima Mora |
| Previous The Girl Who Gets Bad News |
Next The Girl Who Flops in the Mud |
| Gallery | |
"The Girls the Lionesses Are Hunting" is the ninth episode of Cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model. It first aired on April 27 2005, and garnered 4.91 million viewers.[1]
Episode[]
The girls are at home in the loft reflecting on the competition. Michelle, who is just coming off of a bottom 2 placement in the previous elimination round, needs to step up every aspect of her performances. They all commend each other on how much they’ve grown too. That is when they are given their first piece of Tyra Mail for the week: “Are you born to be wild? Be ready at 8:30 AM.”
Challenge[]
The girls are driven to a more remote location in the hills without many buildings around. Miss J is waiting with them dressed in a safari outfit. They are at a wildlife sanctuary, where the girls will be looking at various kinds of animals and will then be asked to pose like them. Eric and Jett are there to help with the animals to ensure their safety. They are introduced to a leopard, lion, and bear, while Miss J narrates the way each kind of animal carries themselves in their walks. He then asks them to imitate some poses they can remember from each animal. Brittany is then determined as the girl with the best poses because she also delivers face like the animals do. She picks Keenyah and Christina to join her for collecting her prize, but is not told immediately what it is. Before they get to that they are introduced to the fiercest animal yet: Ms. Tyra Banks herself. She gives advice about how to be animal-like while still remaining model-like and then tells the girls to look behind them into the lion’s cage, because in their next shoot those lions will be posing with them. Before we get to that, though, Tyra says she’s not feeling the weather so instead they’ll have to do their shoot in South Africa!
The girls are flown to Cape Town the next day. They arrive at an open plain with some fencing, presumably where animals are kept. A local band of musicians plays the drums to greet them and Tyra also steps on the scene. Tyra explains that Cape Town is a major hub of both cultural and haute couture fashion. It is also notably where Tyra’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover was shot. Dancers join the musicians and the whole group has a moment of fun, but then it’s time to go on a safari with Shelton, a park ranger. They are warned in particular about the lions, who may respond dangerously to sudden movements and loud noises. One of the lionesses dramatically tries to approach the car they are riding in with a look of predation and all of the girls are frightened. Come the nightfall, Shelton asks who the winner of the previous challenge is so that she and her friends can return with him to spend the night in luxury accommodations. The other three girls must camp outside for the night and are responsible for pitching their own tent.
Photoshoot[]
At the locale of the next photoshoot, Mr. Jay greets them and explains the concept. They indeed will pose as animals: Kahlen will be a springbok, the deer-like national animal of South Africa; Christina will be an ostrich; Brittany is assigned a giraffe since she is tall; Michelle is going to be a zebra; Naima is the silent predator cheetah; finally Keenyah is given the elephant, much to her dismay given her sensitivity about her weight. Today’s shoot will be an ad for Lubriderm lotion by a serene looking pond with a crocodile. The photographer is Gerda Genis and the regular ANTM team is with them as well to get them ready. The looks feature austere hair with lots of body paint and makeup. Christina goes first and channels the elegance of an ostrich. Mr. Jay is very happy with the emotion that she brings out. Michelle steps up to the plate excited and ready, but Mr. Jay needs to give her a lot of direction. Naima as a cheetah is sexy and fierce and the photographer calls her beautiful. Keenyah is not happy with her look and has a hard time getting her head in the game as she is worried about her association with elephants. Brittany does not care for her look either and she uncharacteristically doesn't serve much face. Kahlen gets some fierce shots even though she is uncomfortable around the crocodile.
After they finish the photoshoot the models are taken out to a nice dinner. They are all chatting amiably until Naima notices Michelle being very quiet. She asks her directly if she feels “alienated.” Michelle admits she does, but that it’s more her than the girls. At dinner, a server stops by their table to hand them a piece of Tyra Mail: “You’ve been out where the lions roam… Now head out to your seaside home.”
Their more permanent residence in Cape Town is a lovely hotel suite by the ocean. As the girls get settled in they get even more Tyra Mail: “Tomorrow you will meet with the judges. Only five of you will continue on in hopes of becoming ‘America’s Next Top Model.’ One of you will be eliminated."
Judging[]
The models arrive at their first panel in South Africa. The judges are Janice Dickinson, Nigel Barker, Nolé Marin, and Gerda Genis, the girls’ most recent photographer. The panel challenge is a test of posing; they are given objects like feathers and fans and words like “anger” and “aloof” and “happiness” and must pose with the object to the tune of the word. Feedback follows:
- Michelle: looks scared while posing; takes a very strong photo, but doesn’t cut it for Janice
- Naima: her posing was pretty good; her cheetah photo is loved by Tyra and Nigel but Janice and Nolé are left wanting more
- Keenyah: has no variety of poses; her shot is elegant, but her photo needs retouching as she is not quite thin enough
- Christina: her faces in her pose were stoic; but her photo and posing is stunning
- Brittany: relapsed into old sexy habits while posing; photo reads as naturally sexy
- Kahlen: committed like a pro to posing; she “transforms” into the springbok in her photo
Call-Out Order[]
| Call-out | Model |
|---|---|
| Best Photo | Kahlen |
| 2nd | Christina |
| 3rd | Naima |
| 4th | Brittany |
| Bottom 2 | Keenyah |
| Eliminated | Michelle |