Another winner of an episode on Make Me A Super Model. The show that couldn't have looked less promising at the beginning has turned into a must-see series. Granted we love the male eye-candy, gay crushes, and behind-the-scenes drama, but the show also has some very fascinating and well-thought out competitions. It definitely sets the bar higher for other competition shows in this model/fashion genre (are you watching Tyra?)

 There are several reasons why this show works. First, the theme of an episode is woven very carefully into each of the competitions. Second, the competitions themselves are true tests of the talents (if any) of the models. Third, because this is an audience participation show, we have a strong feeling that the course of the series is much more spontaneous and guided by viewer reactions. We've already noted that Tyson Beckford must surely have gotten negative feedback because he and his attitude have been reined in considerably.  We should point out however that this audience participation has the potential to create an American Idol dilemma of undeserving contestants being kept on. This episode saw a hint of it.

The Elimination.
   Before the three models were sent on their way Ben and Ronnie tried to give Aryn an emotional boost. How cute were these guys together? So protective of little Aryn. Alas, she was sent home and we saw judge Jennifer Starr verbalize her concern that the person who they thought was the weakest, Jay should have gone in her place. We'll see if this gets to be a problem.

The Male Bonding.
  At one point the guys all discussed how close they had become in contrast to the more competitive nature oft he girls. We notice Frankie getting in a few digs just because he had been the subject of the girls' revulsion recently.
As for Ben and Ronnie, they discussed their "relationship". Ronnie confessed his feelings for supposedly straight(and married) Ben, but made sure to let it be known (at least on camera) that he wasn't going to jeopardize Ben's marriage. Hmm, sounds like they're setting something up here because there were definite signs of strain in Ben's marriage as the prison guard himself let out. No matter what happens, it looks like these two have each other as friends.

  
Competition One.
  The first task for the models was something that we saw previous on Janice Dickinson---nude modeling for an art class. We expected Holly to be the most freaked out, but she did surprisingly well. Katy, Jay and Casey were deemed the least effective. There were flashes of serious skin going on, just not enough for our horny eyes. Frankie was so excited about being naked he practically flew out of his robe.  Ronnie got some praise (but that was about it) and the judges were really smitten with Perry swinging a baseball bat (a prop, although we have a feeling he got bonus points for Perry, Jr) And when we mean smitten, we aren't kidding. Later at the judges' table even Tyson confessed he thinks Perry is hot---he'd date him if he was gay. Hmm, shouldn't he have said he'd date him if he was a woman? Interesting. As for the girls, Stephanie had a distinct edge--she's an art student.
         
                                                                                                    Is Tyson in love with Perry?

       
   
                                           What do you think Ronnie was thinking when he was posing nude??

Competition Two.
  Learning how to pose nude was a test of their concentration. The second phase of this was a photo shoot where the models were made up and dressed in retro style romantic clothing for two group shots--all the girls with one guy and all the guys with one girl. Perry shot with the girls, while Shannon was with the guys. The photographer could eliminate anyone from the shot if he thought they weren't working and Jay and Casey were indeed removed. The outcome? In spite of Katy losing her concentration, none of the girls were eliminated and Stephanie and Perry shined once again. Truly, it sounded as though EVERYONE has fallen for him.

 Oh yes, and if you needed another example of the comraderie between the guys, then you needed only look at their little game of dress up and role play. Perry, as the fey Frenchman (very convincing, by the way) introduced his fellow models in their roles. Another reason we think the guys have done better overall. They're trying to loosen up.

Competition Three.
 The models were then gathered for a living art exhibit. Stephanie was picked to be the main star of this one on the strength of being able to walk in a pair of ridiculously high heeled ballet shoes (at least that's what they looked like). She was the centerpiece of this living art where all the models were stripped naked, painted in black and outfitted in avant garde black organic attire. In a rerun of the rest of the comps, Jay, Katy, and Casey were noticeably out of sync. We didn't gt to see nearly enough of Ronnie--again. But we did like that the black paint accentuated ALL the males best features.

                                                                                    Katy Frankie and Jackie ALL wore dresses!

Competition Four.
  The runway show again featured sculptural avant-garde attire by name designers and the models needed to walk and put in a few living art poses. Not enough skin for our tastes, and the worst performers were again Katy, Jay and Casey. Ben was doing a LITTLE better this whole show but he still was in the bottom four--along with the three mentioned.

  
                                                                            Ronnie,  Ben an Jay in hideous bulky attire

                                       
                                                                                   Holly's stock goes up, Casey's go down

The Judges' Table.
  With all these competitions this part of the show was edited down to seven model evaluations. While Perry did get a lot of the lovey-dovey endorsements, it was art student Stephanie who won. The bottom three were--yes you guessed it--Katy, Jay and Casey. For once Ben survived to face the starry eyes of Ronnie. We don't know how the audience will vote, but Jay has not been effective at ANY competition. 

 
                                                                                  Perry,  Shannon  & Stephanie strut and pose

 As for the judging portion, we think that Tyson and Niki both need to work on their shtick. It's very robotic. They've mistaken gravitas for emotionless in their speaking style.  We don't want to see the return of bad ass Tyson but he and Niki need to be less school principal and more school counselor in their approach at the table. This isn't the Senate floor people!

  So, the fate of the models is again in the hands of the public. Next week--more Ronnie please.