My preferred medium is prejudice

Ah, how I love these biannual opportunities to pass judgment on a bunch of insecure girls based on one picture, their names and loose associations from my childhood. Thank you, Internet, for being my never-ending outlet for catharsis.

My take on each girls in order from fuggest to...non-fuggest is after the jump.

Stacey-Ann

Ugh. Drag queens are still impersonating Patti LaBelle?

Anya

If Ani DiFranco and Enya had a baby, her name would be Anya, because they’re both queer enough to do something like combining their names for the sake of spawn. All of this is to say, whenever I hear Anya’s name from now till eternity, I’m going to imagine period stains on a chair in an office that has “Sail Away” piped in 24/7. It’s abrasively relaxing, which is exactly how I feel about Anya’s face. On one hand, she looks 40. On the other, she’s 19. I’m all confused: she looks like she could be pretty, but there’s something off about her. Maybe it’s the angle. Somehow, I have a feeling that there’s nothing that this show couldn’t give her that a Restalyne treatment wouldn’t take care of 10 times more effectively.

Whitney

Not falling for it this time. The Large Marges in this world are for tokenism only. We don’t get to see their eyes pop out or nothin’. It sucks, but hey, that’s life.

Katarzyna

The nose bugs. The opportunity to coin the phrase “Katarzyna arms” does not.

Aimee

You know what I see when I look at Aimee? Nothing! I have retinitis pigmentosa by proxy/recollection. Homegirl reminds me of Cycle 3’s Amanda with a mustache. Something tells me that this one’s hair down there is problematic. I can’t wait to see what shade of blonde Tyra will condemn her hair with: no-no snow or vitamin piss.

Atalya

She has the eerily dignified look of a child who a) is possessed by/actually is Satan or b) really wants a cookie but is totally over begging. Either way, I think Atalya is coming for me, waiting for a chance to peg me with her bean-bag breasts.

Marvita

She’s way too dudeish for me, which, to say the least, feels weird to type. On the up side, if they give her the makeover that I think they’re going to (i.e. shave it bald!), she’s going to have a Skunk Anansie thing going on, which will make her infinitely more endearing to me. Good old cuddly Skunk Anansie!

Lauren

I forgive that bullet Lauren’s wearing as a charm (to complete the douchiness, all she needs is a license plate that reads “SO COOL”), simply because there aren’t enough Geena Davises in the world. I’m happy that pop culture has given birth to another. I worry about being blinded when the flash reflects off of her pastiness, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Claire

Just because your name is Claire, it doesn’t mean you have to dress like you're the Claire of Claire’s Boutique. I now understand leg warmers’ practical use: they offset everything else so that even a possible harelip plays second fiddle to their atrociousness. This girl is, like, just getting into unicorns, for real. (In truth, cheesy as she obviously is, I actually think she may be ridiculously beautiful and/or ugly in person but beautiful in pictures, but god, she looks like Norelle’s afterbirth in this picture. Still, I'm interested.)

Kimberly

Obviously the Gemma Ward of the group. I like how her hypercuteness spills over into freakishness, but I do not like how her face becomes progressively elderly if you start with the fetal forehead and work your way down. By the time you get to her chin, it’s like, “Celine Dion, is that you?” That is to say: Kimberly has old-lady mouth. I also think that, like my constant point of reference Anna Nicole Smith’s cousin Shelly, she might be inbred. But I’m OK with that as long as she’s OK with that.

Dominique

This looks like a composite of Cycle 5’s Coryn, Stacey Dash and a heaping portion of estrogen. Simply put: stunning. But that look she’s giving me creeps me out: I feel like her eyes are boring into my sperm count. If I’m six years older than her, how is it that I feel that she’s a cougar? If I ever encountered, Dominique, I’d hit two sticks together to fend her off. I know that’s not real cougar repellent, but she’s a model: I have confidence that she’d fall for it.

Amis

How much you wanna bet her parents are English professors? That combined with her jawline gives me a massive boner. Or maybe it's just that if you made her hair short, she'd totally look like a Bel Ami twink. She has versatility written on her body...in more ways than one!

Allison

Finally we get to see what Jaslene would look like if she were a woman born as woman. Yay! My instinct is to jizz all over this one, as from plentiful-but-tamed eyebrow to blowjobby mouth, she is the picture of what I think of as beautiful in a woman. On closer inspection, her eyes might not be lined up properly and the ¾ view is throwing me off: her face looks like it ends at a reasonable place from this angle, but she could end up looking like Mayor McCheese when she faces us head-on. I’m staying tuned...and so is my appetite!

Fatima

I hate to be predictable (really!), but this one is clearly the keeper. Chop of one side of that hair and you’ve got an ’87 special. I wanna see her in dookie chains and baggy leather, like, now. She's got flawless bone structure and she's weird-looking enough that she’s destined to provoke, if not proclamations from the panel of “Exotic!” then at least discussions on exoticizing. I try to stay as virginal as I can about these girls before I do these pre-cycle write-ups, but a reader named Nina sent me scans of a two-page Us Weekly spread that profiles some of the girls. She mentioned Fatima’s “horrific past” in the email, so I scanned the piece for her write-up and whoa: she’s been circumcised! Just when you think ANTM has run the gamut of female affliction, genital mutilation comes along. At the very least, this means that I should probably reread Possessing the Secret of Joy, which is my second favorite Alice Walker book and not at all because of the hot-button issue, as it were. Gotta get to referencing!

But really, knowing what we know: how can Fatima not win this thing?

Also, like, at least half of these girls are actually pretty. WTF? That's this cycle's twist, then?

Comments

[Leanne]

I live for this shit, I can't help it.

[Queenie]

So Fatima is going to be this cycle's "Girl With A Cause That Everyone Will Be Pulling For", and Marvita will be the cycle's Jaslene Second Time Arounder. Yay!

[BlackRaspberry]

I feel like Stacey-Ann could be Danielle's (from a few cycles ago) older sister. Or maybe brother.

maybe this cycle's twist is that it doesn't suck

[katy]

i can't freakin' wait for this cycle.

dominique is pretty--how very refreshing in a weird, unpredictable kind of way.

and of course the circumcision issue will be a focal point of the cycle; but we all know that ty ty is a ty-rant, and nobody is safe from her verbal bitch slaps.

[Solstice]

Too funny...great job, Rich
I've been waiting all week for this.
Fatima clearly looks most like a winner but ummmm....
Does the new season usually start this soon after the old one?
I mean it was just last month that Shaleshia won.

[Colleen]

Anya reminds me of Anne from Cycle 3. As for Fatima, I have a feelnig she's going to be the one the other girls accuse of having an eating disorder.

[doughgirl]

Banging sticks together to fight of cougars? Is that a Parent Trap reference? The Lohan version?!?

[Leanne]

Doughgirl, I believe it is. That is how magical Rich is :-)

I wonder if the vag arms have gotten more pronounced......

[Solstice]

And why do they ALL (and I mean ALL) look like girls from previous seasons???

[Stephanie]

Does Claire remind anyone else of Bebe Neuwirth? Now THAT's hot.

[bigpikchur.blogspot.com]

Something is "amiss" about Amis. Dude looks like a lady in those shots, and I predict a lot of talk on how she can keep her jawline from looking masculine.
Jules
House of Jules

[liking It!]

Fatima, Allison and Kimberly talk about some Hot Mama's!

Saliesha is still #1, love her!

[Eener]

I must say, your assessments are spot on! hahaha

Kimberly really scares me though. I think it's her 11-year-old face. F-R-E-A-K-Y. Can Tyra fix that?

[Paddy]

"Norelle's afterbirth" - Rich, marry me now.

[Mac]

Why is Slutty cycle 4 Brittany in one of the adverts on the right of the screen? She needs to accept that she's old news. Look at all our lovely new bitches. Amis looks like a French exchange student and that's okay by me.

[duane]

I love the "hitting two sticks together" remark. You are a genius Rich.

[Brandy]

Fatima has a very Iman look to her.

I'm pretty sure Stacey Ann won this a couple cycles back as Danielle.

Katarzyna and Anya just have weird noses, maybe it's the angle but Anya's nose looks like it's in the wrong place for the angle her head is at.

[Liz K]

I bet Fatima's hacked off ladybits makes CoverGirl of the week. You know Tyra would give it a weave if she could.

[always answer b]

I love slutty Cycle 4 Brittany! Glad to see she's getting "work" [gigglesnort]

[Linda]

Ok fine. I accept that they brought Jaslene back after she didn't make the cut, and then she went on to win. Yay second chances or whatever. But this Marvita chick is really making me question the politics behind the casting. Is there really not a large enough pool of non-alien-looking girls in the United States that we need to recycle girls? And it's obvious they're not even adhering to the whole "non-alien-looking" thing. I see more interesting-looking, attractive women in New York every day (and that's just among the homeless ones). If she didn't make the cut the first time, the other girls were deemed better. Logically (or my version of logic), keeping her on this time implies that the girls aren't as good as the previous season. I've confused myself...

Sorry for the unimportant rant. I think I still may be annoyed about the use of Meghan on Rock of Love. I mean, she WON another reality show. It's not even like she was flying under the radar on her last show. At least let's pretend that all of these reality show contestants aren't just wannabe actors looking for a break, since that always seems to be the offense that gets them kicked off.

[Brook]

Mac, if she swiped Claire's outfit, she'd be straight out of 'Better Off Dead.'

[mariaaaaa]

"At the very least, this means that I should probably reread Possessing the Secret of Joy, which is my second favorite Alice Walker book and not at all because of the hot-button issue, as it were. Gotta get to referencing!"

Okay why did this sentence make me think of Sassafrass "Sassy" Cypress Indigo? FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEK? Sassy's magical tarantulaism is haunting me. Much like the rooster in Possessing the Secret of Joy??? Something synchronicycal is a-brewin'!

[Lucky]

I'm just waiting til the show debuts so I can figure out how some of these names are pronounced.

[swarley]

Stacey-Ann looks like a muppet. Specifically, this one: http://www.fxdeco.com/masque/muppet.jpg

[lukas ridgeston's #1 fan]

I love it when you bring up Bel Ami!
That said, go Amos!

[stephanie]

uh, did anyone else notice claire's left leg? it is terrifying. i really hope that is photoshopping. it looks like it is on backwards...where is her knee?!?!

[Gwen]

I can't wait for February & your amazing recaps to begin again. I am hoping Rock of Love 2 can somehow tide my craving for bitchiness until then.

[jtalia]

i swear i climaxed right after i read kimberley's assessment

hillarious

richard, you sexy momofoku you

[milkyaqua]

Well, one thing's consistent, Rich and other forums really like Fatima (although I see a prettier Grace Jones than Iman). Although, Rich's fuggest to least fug is the opposite on some forums. Marvita is back because she's an abuse survivor and Tyra eats that stuff up. Also, she seems like she might beat a person up so I'm hoping that when she inevitably gets cut, she will still have some of that sass and not let Tyra break her down. A lot of forum folks are cringing at the thought of what Tyra is going to do with Fatima's past (she's not only a survivor of FGM but two of her sisters were murdered apparently). I think Lauren was also abused. Two of the girls are mothers (Dominique who's also the oldest at 25). Allison and Claire are dead to me for being fashion victims. Whitney gets to be the "not plus size plus girl" who gets kicked off for losing her jolly. Stacey Ann is Danielle with a bigger face. If the pattern holds, it's time for a white girl to win. Too bad for Fatima that she wasn't on last cycle and then maybe we wouldn't have had to have been subjected to Tootie. This cycle probably seems pretty close to the last because of the strike and lack of new scripted shows.

[faith]

shes been FUCKING CIRCUMSIZED! yea, she has to win. plus shes hot. thats so fucking horrible. i cannot even fathom that shit.

anyway, lovie, did you by chance check out omaryah mota, to compare with marvita?

i totally see a resemblance. even if i didnt spell it right

[Becky]

RICH!- I've been following this shit-show since cycle 1, and reading your brilliant recaps since cycle 4. Now I'm moving to Germany just before the new season begins, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to see anything on-air. I have grown to loathe Tyra, but I keep watching the show to keep up with your blogs. Perhaps an addict can live on recap alone? Here's hoping. I'm counting on you! (I know you won't let me down.)

:o) Becky

[faith]

-.- did it never come to mind that models are supossed to look a bit like bug aliens?

[yggy]

"A lot of forum folks are cringing at the thought of what Tyra is going to do with Fatima's past (she's not only a survivor of FGM but two of her sisters were murdered apparently)."

Oh god, count me in as well! Jesus save us from that bitch Tyrant, who has no clue.

This is going to be the cycle of weird noses and odd chins. That's about all I see when looking at most of the girls.

[asl]

amis looks like moira/max from the l word. and not in a good way.

[JaneGoodallOfSkeaze]

Thank god you posted this! I've been checking every day, obsessed like a 16 year old with her BF's myspace password.

And you're right, some of these girls really are pretty. How...odd.

[R.Kitty]

I actually really like Claire's look, am desperate to find Lauren's belly button and think Fatima looks like a holocaust victim...

Poor little Michelle does have what'shername's FAS baby eyes - but is she FIERCE?

[aries enchantress]

Rich - just so you know, I only keep watching this show, cycle after cycle, so I can try to pick out what moments you'll highlight on your reacp.

I really thought you would peg Dominique as a no-talent version of Leona Lewis....but the mixture of Coryn, Stacey Dash and estrogen is right on point!

[gi_janearng]

Parent Trap reference FTW! Only you could come up with something like that, Rich!

[The Over-Thinker]

Blood in the Boardroom will never be the same...thanks, Rich.

And Marvita TOTALLY reminds me of the black Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson!

[The Over-Thinker]

Make that a hybrid of Ernie Hudson and a Kid 'n Play haircut...

[The Over-Thinker]

Make that a hybrid of Ernie Hudson and a Kid 'n Play haircut...

[Rachel]

Amis reminds me of Allison from the Breakfast Club.

[Vicodiva]

Re: Fatima - It's NOT "Circumcision" - don't ever call it the.... Because Mutilation in the name of mysogynistic patriarchy. It's taking a sharp piece of glass or a razor to a girls clit and cutting it off along with the labia minora and sewing the thing together so she just has a little hole to pee out of - leastwise that's the variation mostly practiced in Somalia.

Look up Waris Dirie - the original spokesmodel against FGM, author, UN ambassador, cnow a citizen of Austria, - and recipient of the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur by Sarkozy.

[Monica C.]

OK, I'm totally with your choices, excpet Amis looks like she might have a penis.

And I just think it is soooo funny that you (and, therefore, we) just sit and analyze these girls to shreds, talking about who has a blowjob mouth and who looks like Chris Rock's great aunt's middle child (who said Marvita?). It just totally cracks me up.

Dominique is my favorite - bet she'll be the first to go. Sigh.

[steele]

I've been looking forward to this all week! Remember Nnenna? Everyone was all, "she gonna win she gonna win." But they cut her off midway, hopefully Fatima is a little endearing, unlike Nnenna.

[Chris]

Claire = Bebe Neuwirth.
Nuff said.

[Suck It]

These chicks are completely BUSTED! This is the 2nd most ugliest cast they have ever had! I probably wont be watching because I need my retinas. Ugh! It is obvious they cant pose, cant dress stylishly and cant be transformed from the homely unfortunate looking wrecks they are. The ONLY one that stands a chance is Fatima.

[KiKi]

Why do almost all these girls look like someone else?

I totally though Claire was Ashlee Simpson.
In fact, I think she IS Ashlee Simpson.

[brittaney l]

Amis looks like the chick with dandruff from the breakfast club :) (if that hasen't already been said) :)

[YY]

Kimberly looks just like Johanna in Sweeney Todd, the Tim Burton one.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2479184/

[Vanessa]

I just turned 39 this week and I'm wondering why Claire is wearing the leg warmers I bought at Spencer's (That's where we shopped in the dark ages before Hot Topic kiddies!) about 10 years before she was born.

You're right-they are pretty. Marvita was totally too good for last cycle anyways.

[Jax]

Tyra will use the sad stories but when she's done, those girls will be eliminated. There can't be a Cover Girl who is looked at and the first thing you think of is her genitals - or lack thereof - and Tyra knows that. Just like the plus girl, the Aspergers girl, or even the lesbians had/have NO chance. The more generic the better for Cover Girl.

Besides, this year, a white girl has to win based on the pattern. A third woman of color in a row won't happen.

[Quel]

Hey, Rich! Long time.

Fatima is pretty awesome looking. I'm still only 10% sure I'll watch the next season. I've been getting by on your recaps for the past 2....or 3?

[akasha]

Another batch of girls already? Don't we usually have to wait a little longer? Anyway, here are my observations...

I have no idea what Claire and Lauren are doing in this competition. Aimee leaves me deeply uninspired. I like Marvita, but I don't think she'll be very versatile, so I don't see her following in Jaslene's footsteps. I am not as blown away by Fatima as everyone else seems to be. Something seems off about her face...her nose is too flat, maybe? There's a lot of wierd noses in this group - Fatima, Claire, Anya, Katarzyna...

Your comment about Amis as a Bel Ami twink is too perfect for words.

Kimberly is an odd one. I hated her at first, but I like her a bit more every time I see her. Still, her solo shot might be good, but she's weak in the group. Same with Dominique, although there's something so sriking about her. Atalya is the opposite - weak solo shot, working it in the group. I'm reserving judgement on them for now.

I'm glad you agree with me about Stacy Ann. She's needs to go ASAP. Oh, and I'm so glad that you like Allison! I was starting to think that I was the only one. Although I disagree with you about Whitney and Katarzyna. Something really grabs me about Whitney's face, and if she can learn how to pose well, I think she could go far, and Katarzyna...yeah, the nose is wierd, but I think it will work well for her. She's striking, thin, and I can see her taking awesome pictures. She's my favourite right now.

Hopefully, cycle 10 will be a good one. The pattern since cycle 5 seems to be 'odd cycle (5,7,9) = bad, even cycle (6,8) = good'. Then again, the conditions are not the same, since Twiggy is gone and the show is moving back to NY...but NY is where it was set in the early days, when it had a bit more credibility...oh, I don't know. I should just stop trying to relate any sort of logic to ANTM and just let it take me over again. At least once a year, I swear never to watch again, and I always come back for more.

Roll on Cycle 10!

[Neka]

I was going to give this show up, but Rich you had me at Bel Ami twink. I'm only watching so that I have some context for your recaps.

[Homeslaughter]

When did you shave Winston and rename him Kimberly?

[Leanne]

About the outfits, have any of us stopped to think that someone PUT them in these and they didn't CHOOSE them?

[faith]

::fucking dies laughing at Homeslaughters comment::

[brutuspuff]

snort-I just blew mt dew all over my keyboard! This is the funniest board I've seen on this topic-I will be bookmarking this one! BTW-I think amis will win because she looks hott on the cwtv promo clip called new york, new faces She's lickin her lips at the thought of slaying the other bitches, and looking hot in a corner wearing a white shirt!

[kindafamous]

Oh Rich, when I saw these girls my first reaction was "OMG. They're pretty!"

It's not called Sail Away, it's called Orinoco Flow. But what kind of flow it is isn't really clear.

[se]

Still like Claire. I like unicorns too.

[samboo]

Yaay! Loving the Skunk Anansie reference! "Just because it feels good....doesnt make it right!" And Fatima has a special place in my heart right next to Barrack Obama!

[Scott Free]

Whatta buncha retreads!
Stacey-Ann = Broke-down Dani
Anya = What if Megg and Natasha had a baby?
Whitney = Xena
Katarzyna = Tatiana (Cycle 4)
Aimee = Mayim Bialik a.k.a. Blossom
Atalya = Camille
Marvita = Tiffany or Jaslene (also known as I wasn't picked last year, but I was this year!)
Lauren = Martha Plimpton
Claire = Bebe Neuwirth
Kimberly = a fetus
Dominique = Coryn
Amis = Tatiana Patitz
Allison = Sarah Silverman
Fatima = Nnenna

Yeah, and I'll probaby watch anyway along with the rest of you. Damn you, Tyra.

[NYCMami]

Just wanted to mention that the most gorgeous chickenhead ever to compete on ANTM was quickly shaved, striped of personality and sent on her way. Fatima doesn't stand a chance. Get used to it now. Considering who won last cycle I say the Reese Witherspoon-missing-link-look-a-alike will take it.

[Brenda]

When I look at Lauren, all I see is Sarah Polley.

[omar]

Kimberly looks like Dakota Fanny-ng

Ah Fatima looks great, I hope she has a good personality. Is she Somali or Sudani?

[Sharon]

Eeee Skunk Anansie yay!! Marvita would become a fast favorite for me if they make her look more like Skin. Have you ever heard the Sevendust song "Licking Cream" feat. Skin? Love it.

[Jen]

There's something about the name "Fatima" that sets my teeth on edge. I hate that name.

[Joan]

Seems like a lot of "Rock of Love" looking chicks in this batch. Hope you can keep em straight! :)

[Henry Evil]

Your write up of Anya is the greatest thing that's ever happened.

[matthew]

Something about Marvita gives me nausea

[matthew]

Yeah, I can see the Lauren/Sarah Polly thing. I also think Claire looks like Karina Lombard a bit, at least in that photo.

Yeah Fatima's winning. She's stunning. Plus that backstory!

A lot of these girls look like creepy versions of past contestants.

Anya/Aimee look like Heather's ugly sisters. The ones who inherited the family nose.

You're description of Claire was dead on. Norelle's afterbirth!! I LOLed so hard.

Dominique looks like a mix of Lisa and Coryn.

Allison = Jaslene

yeahyeah

[Tim]

Marvita = Charlie Big Potato. Skunk Anansie lives on!

[natek]

Vitamin piss--very funny. I think I saw you on the 4 or 5 train this morning.

[StickyKeys]

You leave Black Stacey alone! She's cute by name only.

I agree completely about Dominique, that chick is fierce (to use an apropos phrase). I missed last cycle because of work, but I can't wait for this one.

[AC]

Let's just see who is the first to "play the blame game" as Tyra would call it.

[Mira]

I agree with Jax on the sob stories never winning, they just serve as decorations for Tyra's ego. Anyway, in the immortal words of Elyse, "It isn't exactly a basic human right to get a modeling contract." I do like Fatima, though. But her legs make me a little nervous. They look sort of like the legs on a newborn horse. And I'm predisposed to Katarzyna because she's clearly Polish, what with the name and the cute little nose.

[Stephareeno]

Marvita looks like CHRIS ROCK!

[esther greenwood]

this cycle has definitely upped the ug ante. what's up with all the dude-ish ladies? and amis = rumor willis, trying to prove that she/he can be hot like mommy.

[Lea]

I thought someone would have said this by now...But obviously Amis is Rumer Willis! With that chin who else can she be?

[Lea]

Ah ester, you beat me!

[Lea]

Sorry Ester = Esther

[poptart89]

I am thinking that the "twist" this cycle will have something to do with the girls having overcome hardships and/or disabilities. Just a guess.

Hopefully the "twist" of this cycle will be that it restores my faith in the show. Seriously not excited after last cycle...but I'll probably watch anyway.

I'm liking Claire, Kimberly & Fatima (in that order) so far. And Dominique looks like Leona Lewis...for real.

[ellesee]

You know, that negative image at the very start of this post really highlights who amongst this chickadees has some "borderline plus sized" thighs. Which is to say, quite a few of them.

[Erika]

Stacy-Ann is cycle 6's Dani with a shot of Cycle 4's Tiffany.

Who decided that putting a tank top with belt buckles for straps would be flattering on Whitney? The angle her face is at is very unflattering, she's probably much prettier than that picture.

The two that show the most promise (so far) are Katarzyna (is she really from Poland?) and Dominique (she's really working it in the group shot).

finally...WHERE ARE THE JEWISH GIRLS???

[sean]

Circumsized, eh? Funny - Fatima doesn't look Jewish.

[Josh]

I went to high school with Kimberly. I think I heard her speak all of 10 words the entire 4 years. She was so damn quiet! But she was also really sweet. And she does have the Gemma Ward look. I just can't wait to see what Tyra does to her in the makeover episode if she makes it that far.

[SJ]

I thought the first one was Dani/Danielle. You are JADED, sir, and I love it.

[rod]

When Tyra was on the chub side so were the girls. Now Tyra's thin again, and, shocker, so are (most) of the girls.

[jade]

i hate the blowjobby mouth comment.

[sam]

Hi Rich, love your blog, i.e. Love you!. Blessings for you, your hot BF and Winnie… and what’s-its-name other cat you have. Good Luck in 2008!

[peelbuhg]

Allison = Kate Beckinsdale (yum!)
Fatima = Iman

[Rocksee]

Claire has mouse-nose tits.

[Robert]

Great analysis, as always.

One small issue though: C3 Amanda was actually pretty. This Aimee girl is so an uglier version of Rock 'n Roll, yeah, Megg. She's even had the ratty weave put in before coming on the show. That's dedication to being America's...Next...Top...Sent home before some of the ugliest and nastiest bitches in the contest are. Hopefully this one can keep the puppies under wrap in photo shoots once the show's over.

[jane]

Totally agree with above comment about Claire's left knee-- that canNOT possibly be what it really looks like... can it? Goodbye psoriasis, hello outright deformity?

Also-- the hand Katarzyna has on top of her head? Looks right of a Dexter promo shot. Tell me those aren't purple corpsicle manfingers attached to her hand.

"plentiful-but-tamed eyebrow to blowjobby mouth, she is the picture of what I think of as beautiful in a woman"

Really Rich? Disturbing.

Amis looks just like Talula Bell Willis, or whatever the hell she changed her name to when she realized her parents might have been on the hash and two bottles Capitan Morgans when they came up with it.

In my opinion this is the least "what the hell?" cycle(I hate to even write that)in many, many, cycles(Arg!)

Would anyone agree that the uber fug started with Michelle of cycle four. Wait it was still a season back then, right?

[elle b.]

This show hasn't even started yet. You all really need to re-evaluate some aspects of your life if you're talking about this show already. Never has the phrase "Get a Life" been more meaningful...

[Maxam]

Fatima is not winning. She's too obvious.

Katarzyna is winning, because her name is the craziest. I mean, that's all this show is about, right?

Naima, CariDee, Jaslene, and Saleisha? Katarzyna!

Plus, the third/second placers of those cycles had crazy names as well -- Kahlen, Keenyah, Melrose, Jenah, Chantal. However, all those names weren't as crazy as the WINNERS' NAMES, hence why they won. They had the craziest names of their cycles.

[kyklopos]

allison looks like hilda from ugly betty

[koogs]

Took me way too long to realise "Katarzyna arms" is supposed to read like "vagina arms", yeah?

The "yn" is pronounced like "in", not "ein"...so unless you're saying "vagina" like "vadge-in-ah" and not "vadge-ein-ah", then the catchphrase Katarzyna Arms is a bust.

I'm in love with Claire's face - why is no one else? :(

[lattegirl]

Fatima = Grace Jones in Angola, circa 1976.

[Mardi]

Okay, Rich, I'll suspend judgement until the cycle actually begins, but I have no idea how you could claim 1/2 of these women are actually pretty. If by half, you mean 1, then yeah - I'm on board.

[Robin]

Atalya looks like Cycle 9's Ebony in her Meet Atalya preview video.

And Fatima looks like Cycle 4's Brandy in hers.

[Emma]

Love the "Adventures in Babysitting" reference. Best. Movie. Ever.

[winston for president]

A publication of The Washington Post gave you a shout-out, in case you hadn't seen it: It's the pre-debut assessment of the contestants by fourfour, which is by far the most astute and respected of all ANTM blogs.

Agreed! The link is here.

[Fatima FTW]

Am I the only one who thinks Katarzyna looks like Chantal's fraternal-but-almost-identical-looking twin (think the Olsen twins)?

[MJ]

'Next Top Model' Saleisha Stowers bucks trend

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-etsecw5556548jan31,0,2598564.story

[Elaine]

bel ami twink hahahaha!!....good lord as a woman, how in the hell did i get this reference???

i seriously need to quit ordering those dvds and just stick to the freebie pics on sean cody.

[M]

I love Kimberly's hoodie...mostly because I bought the same one at Target for $9.95. If it doesn't scream exotic and high fashion, I don't know what does.

And, I don't think Stacey-Anne is hideous. Maybe because she looks almost identical to a former roommate of mine. Does that mean she might be a man? I always thought she had a secret...

Oh. And minus the weird, I-struck-this-pose-with the help of a protractor photos, I do think the girls are not half bad. Some are even pretty. And way better than the last couple cycles.

Thanks Rich!

[J]

Lauren, Amis, and Fatima

My early faves.

[Suta]

Hm.. Classically weird names this time around, eh. While we have a lot of modelesque girls here, many of these look a lot like characters from previous seasons.

Stacey-Ann is Dani. Anya? Noelle. Fatima, is now apparently slang for Nnenna, Allison really is alterna-Jaslene, and Dominique is a sure sign that Lisa and Corinne finally made up.

But Claire's totally totally hot, and I had to throw a fist in the air when I saw Marvita, whom I really wanted to see last time. Of course they'll be gone before top ten.

[M]

Katarzyna and Atalya have the EXAXT SAME NOSE!

Just thought I'd point that out...

Fatima looks like an Iman wannabe not a true top model. She is freakishly small and has nothing interesting going on for her except her skin tone.

[alison]

I am absolutely positive that if you take Anya's face and chop off everything below her top lip and above her eyes...she's really Justin Timberlake whose popularity has faltered over the past 8 months and may just do something as dramatic as getting himself onto ANTM.