#421 New Zealand's Next Top Model Episode 6 Recap

Well well well. After a particularly entertaining episode of NZNTM – complete with tears, time pieces and toilet paper – Ajoh, the show's most experienced runway model (and one of my top four favourites), was kicked off due to what Sara described as "an inability to try new things". Before we get into the show though, it's time for this week's Modelism. I must confess I found it difficult this week to choose a Modelism, there simply weren't many jaw droppingly stupid things said. It wasn't until the final shoot that Rebecca Rose pulled this one out of the bag, just prior to hopping into the stationary car in the studio:

"Smiling is not my forte. My forte is edgier shoots, where smiling isn't required. Also, I'm not a very good driver."

Riiiiiight.



This week's show saw the girls take off to the beach to practice their poses-with-props under the watchful eyes of Chris and their model mentor (and hot babe) Ngahuia Williams. After scrambling through a bucketful of objects, the girls all pulled out a different prop. Teryl Leigh failed to create a thirst for major sponsor Vitamin Water's product (she obviously hadn't tasted its sweet sweet nectar), and Lucy put out any trace of fire with her extinguisher - but not in that good, house burning down, saving the pets kind of way. Ajoh plucked an apple and set to work seducing onlookers with a forbidden-fruit-must-be-tasted routine, Victoria pulled the short straw and had to make a roll of toilet paper look glamorous, but it was Laura who impressed all, turning her book into a girl next door extravaganza of cute.



Next stop was a circus school, where the girls had to take on the high ropes, pulling editorial shapes while hanging upside down two metres above the ground. This challenge posed (get it?) a major problem for Ajoh, who declared that "in Africa it's not a good thing for a girl to go up in the air and just open their legs, you know?" Despite claiming cultural objection, Colin took Ajoh's refusal to participate as defiance and symptomatic of a bad attitude. I don't know about anybody else, but this was one aspect of the show that I found pretty unusual. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors or how the editing works, but one would think that someone as worldly as Colin wouldn't be so brashly culturally insensitive as he appeared? All I can imagine is that the recording of Ajoh's voice over and the day at the gym were two very different events.



Besides a serious case of sweaty, sweaty armpits, a few of the girls cut some pretty sweet shapes on high, with Christobelle, Laura and Victoria all receiving praise. Laura won that challenge too, which made me take a good look at her as a serious contender in the show. I happened to walk past her on Nuffield St in Newmarket today, and she's a pretty impressive looking figure, she was wearing heels and seemed to tower above me. And I'm at least 6 foot 5. That's a whoooooooooole lotta woman.



The final challenge came in the form of a Michael Hill Jewellers watch shoot, set in a white Audi TT. If that's not the very definition of good taste and refinement, I don't know what is.



Victoria slayed everyone in this shoot with her WASPy Jackie O style hair do and glorious cheekbones, she looked every bit the picture perfect Upper East Side housewife. Needless to say Jackie Meiring loved her to bits.



After Karen Inderbitzen Waller's comment about Christobelle getting comfortable in her position as favourite last week, there seems to have been a bit of a crusade to cut down the youngest competitor this week. Photographer Jackie Meiring started the ball rolling in the photo shoot, telling Christobelle her face wasn't suited to beauty shots (translation: your face isn't beautiful). Ouch. Next thing, when judging came around, the photo chosen of Christobelle was like a Stepford wife on crack. I'd lay down a pretty big bet that her photo was the worst of the bunch and there was a better one in there, but you know what they say, you gotta break them down to make to build them back up again. And no doubt Christobelle will be working her darndest to make it up next week, which undoubtedly she will, and most likely be the first or second girl whose name is called out in the judging.



My mate Ajoh was kicked off in a decision that I would assume owes as much to the fact that she has prior modelling experience and the show's producers will want a fresh face to win, as it does to her poor performances in the challenges - not just this week, we can't forget that little tanty in the snow. Nevertheless, I was surprised and disappointed that Ajoh was eliminated, when there are still girls like Lucy, Teryl Leigh and Rebecca Rose standing.



So it's with wistful sadness that I sign off now, but before I go, I have to share with you the best quote of the week, capturing Colin at his very naughtiest. Speaking about Hosanna...

"She sat on an everyready battery and she's just going craaaaazy."

Next week the girls meet male models for the first time. It doesn't get much better than that. Maybe they'll pash! Oh the excitement. Don't forget to join me for the NZNTM live blog on Friday night, right here on Isaac Likes from 7:15pm...

And together we'll see who will stay in the running to becoming New Zealand's... Next... Top... Model!!!

All photos: TV3 screengrabs taken from The Fashion Spot.