America's Next Top Model (cycle 9)

America's Next Top Model (cycle 9)

Cycle 9 cast
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 13
Release
Original network The CW
Original release

September 19 (2007-09-19) – December 12, 2007 (2007-12-12)

Additional information
Judges
No. of contestants 13
Winner Saleisha Stowers
All-stars Bianca Golden

The ninth cycle of America's Next Top Model was the third season of the series to be aired on The CW network. This cycle's promotional tagline was "The Future Of Fashion." The promotional song was "Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna.

The prizes for this cycle were:

The international destinations for this cycle were St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda (for the semi-finals) and Shanghai and Beijing, China.

Among the thirteen finalists was 21-year-old Heather Kuzmich, who has Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. The season averaged 5.12 million viewers, making the cycle one of the most successful in the show's history.[1] This was also the last cycle to date in which Twiggy was featured as a judge. For cycle 10, she was replaced by Paulina Porizkova.

The winner was 21-year-old Saleisha Stowers from Los Angeles, California. Controversy surrounded Stowers' win regarding her eligibility to participate on the show, given that she had already worked as a model before competing on ANTM.

Contestants

(ages stated are at start of contest)

Contestant[2] Age Hometown Finish Place
Mila Bouzinova 20 Boston, Massachusetts Episode 2 13
Kimberly Leemans 20 Ocala, Florida Episode 3 12
Victoria Marshman 20 New Haven, Connecticut Episode 4 11
Janet Mills 22 Bainbridge, Georgia Episode 5 10
Ebony Morgan 20 Chicago, Illinois Episode 6 9 (quit)
Sarah Hartshorne 20 Heath, Massachusetts Episode 8 8
Ambreal Williams 19 Dallas, Texas Episode 9 7
Lisa Jackson 20 Jersey City, New Jersey Episode 10 6
Heather Kuzmich 21 Valparaiso, Indiana Episode 11 5
Bianca Golden 18 Queens, New York Episode 12 4
Jenah Doucette 18 Farmington, Connecticut Episode 13 3
Chantal Jones 19 Austin, Texas 2
Saleisha Stowers 21 Los Angeles, California 1

Episode summaries

The Girls Go Cruisin'

First aired September 19, 2007

The ninth cycle premiered with the thirty-three chosen semi-finalists each receiving a phone call from Tyra, telling them that they had made it onto the show. They convened at a port in San Juan, Puerto Rico and met J. Alexander, who gave them boarding passes for a luxurious Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas cruise ship, which would be their residence for the rest of the week until the final thirteen were selected. After a challenge in which they had to walk down a runway modeling life jackets, the girls met Tyra, before proceeding to their interviews with the judges. Memorable moments included Janet's mock waxing of Tyra, Heather revealing that she had Asperger's syndrome, and Lisa revealing that she was an exotic dancer.

The girls docked at St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda for a photo shoot on the beach, where they met the previous cycle's winner, Jaslene Gonzalez. After the shoot, thirteen girls were sent home and the final twenty were selected. Tyra visited the girls once more asking them why they should become "America's Next Top Model", giving them once last chance to prove themselves before the final deliberations with Mr. and Ms. J, after which the final thirteen were revealed.

One unsuccessful semi-finalist, Marvita Washington, auditioned for the next cycle of ANTM and was chosen as one of the final fourteen.

The Models Go Green

First aired September 26, 2007

The thirteen finalists were flown to Los Angeles, where they moved into their new home and were introduced to the green theme of the cycle. For their first official photo shoot the girls shot an anti-smoking campaign. In one set of frames, they were portrayed smoking while looking glamorous; in the next set, they showcased side effects of smoking. The girls portrayed the following:

Model(s) Smoking side effect
Ambreal Lung cancer
Bianca Severe gingivitis
Chantal Tracheotomy
Ebony Collapsed lung
Heather & Saleisha Secondhand smoke
Janet Burn victim
Jenah Hair loss from chemotherapy
Kimberly Sunken face
Lisa Face tumor
Mila Hair loss from chemotherapy
Sarah Premature aging
Victoria Stillborn child

During the photo shoot, Bianca and Lisa clashed in an argument concerning Lisa's morals. Back at the house, Bianca apologized to Lisa; however the apology was not genuine - she only apologized so that the argument would not be brought up at panel. Also, the girls asked Heather questions concerning her disorder. Some girls, such as Bianca, Ebony, Janet and Saleisha gossiped about her; Heather overheard these conversations, and upset, tearfully telephoned her mother.

For the first challenge of the cycle, the girls were taken to an Old Navy store and were given a 10-minute time limit to create an outfit that was simple yet fashionable. Benny Ninja was there to help and supervise them. The girls' outfits were judged at panel, and Saleisha was determined to have the best outfit and therefore won the challenge. Her prize was a $1,000 shopping spree at Old Navy and the chance to shoot an ad campaign for Old Navy.

At elimination, Tyra informed the girls that as of the following day, they were banned from smoking, because it set a bad example to fans of the show. Heather received the first call-out as her photo was declared the best by the judges, while Ebony and Mila found themselves in the bottom two. The judges felt that Mila only relied on being pretty to be a model, and they were dissatisfied with Ebony's performance during the photo shoot. In the end, Ebony was chosen to stay over Mila because the judges saw more potential in her.

The Girls Go Rock Climbing

First aired October 3, 2007

Some girls helped Heather dress up to spruce up her image. The girls then proceeded to Fashion Madhouse, where J. Alexander shocked the girls with a scary lesson on perfecting their runway walk while wearing straitjackets. Miss J teased Heather because of her weak walk, and also teased Bianca because she showed her signature walk too much. Back at the house, Saleisha and Bianca got into a heated argument.

The girls participated in a couture runway challenge for Colleen Quen. After the challenge, Saleisha won a trip to Paris in the future for a Colleen Quen fashion show. For the photo shoot, the contestants were placed on a climbing wall while wearing couture gowns. Jenah was praised for her high fashion photo, while Lisa, Heather and Chantal shone in their shoots, but Ebony, Bianca and Kimberly struggled. Although Ebony struggled, her picture was deemed to be slightly better than last week.

Ultimately, it was Bianca and Kimberly who landed in the bottom two. Tyra stated that, besides herself, none of the judges liked Bianca's photo, but Kimberly's inability to transfer her high fashion appeal in person onto film sent her home.

The Girl Who Goes Bald

First aired October 10, 2007

The contestants got their makeovers at the Ken Pavés salon. Some girls, like Sarah and Chantal, embraced their new looks with positivity and excitement. Bianca was initially intended to get a long blonde weave, but her damaged hair wouldn't have been able to accept the weave, so she was shaved bald. She was given a blonde wig, but it went unused for the rest of the season, because the bald look suited her.

The challenge that week involved the girls putting together a look using CoverGirl cosmetics at a make-up table, and going through racks of clothes to find the outfit with their name on it. Janet was deemed by the judges as having the best make-up, and she would have won; however since she didn't put on the correct outfit, she was disqualified. Sarah won the challenge, and she got the opportunity to shoot a tutorial video for the CoverGirl website on makeup application.

This week's photo shoot had the girls portraying different plants, as follows:

Model Type of plant
Ambreal Rose
Bianca Sunflower
Chantal Baby's breath
Ebony Bird of paradise
Heather Weeds
Janet Hydrangea
Jenah Moss
Lisa Bamboo
Sarah Ivy
Saleisha Tulip
Victoria Cactus

At panel, Tyra told Ebony that she would have been called first for having the best picture in the bunch if it wasn't for her up-tight personality in front of the judges. Lisa, Jenah, Heather, and Sarah once again stunned the judges. Lionel Deluy went as far as telling Jenah he'll use her when she gets signed. Bianca and Ebony surprised the judges with their improvements compared to their past shoots, while Chantal was criticized about her inability to take in both the photographer's and the art director's instructions during the shoot. Saleisha's lack of emotion in her picture didn't sit well with the judges. When evaluating Victoria's cactus picture, Twiggy made a remark that it was a fitting representation since she felt Victoria had a "prickly disposition." Saleisha and Victoria ended up in the bottom two and Victoria was shockingly sent home for not handling criticism well.

The Girl Who Is Afraid Of Heights

First aired October 17, 2007

The week kicked off with a posing lesson with vogueing expert Benny Ninja, who taught the girls how to pose while in the air by jumping on a trampoline. Ambreal was praised for her natural ability to strike amazing poses, while Heather and Lisa struggled with their awkwardness.

Later, the remaining 10 girls used what they learned from Benny for this week's challenge, in which they had to pose in the air while being carried by figure skater Lloyd Eisler. The prize was an Akademiks photo shoot for Seventeen magazine with Cycle 6 winner Danielle Evans. Lisa won the challenge, picking Ebony and Janet to join her in the photo shoot, but she caused some tension when some other girls felt that her win was not deserved.

For the week's photo shoot, the girls were to take high fashion photographs posing as gargoyles on the roof of Omni hotel building. Bianca and Ebony shocked Mr. Jay with their astounding progress, while Jenah, Chantal, Heather and Lisa all delivered once again. Sarah struggled to fit the character, Janet was worried about showing her underwear, and Ambreal had to fight her fear of heights.

At panel, most of the girls received praise from the judges. Though Heather delivered another strong photograph, she was advised that she needed to model her face forwards as well, and not just profile. Sarah was criticized for not grasping the concept of the shoot, and Ebony was once again cautioned about her uptight in-person appearance, and was told that she would have been called first if she had smiled in panel.

The bottom two were revealed to be Janet and Ambreal. Tyra felt that both girls had striking features and great personalities, but felt that Janet was constantly coached from photo shoot to photo shoot, and Ambreal was worsening rather than improving. Ambreal was given another chance, and Janet was sent home.

The Girl Who Gets A Mango

First aired October 24, 2007

At the house, Ebony shocked some of the girls by saying she no longer wanted to be there. Later on, male model Tyson Beckford surprised the models at the house and gave them a lesson on being a spokesperson. Most pulled off an impromptu sales pitch for their teacher, but a few had a hard time concentrating on their task. Later, the girls were split into groups and had to create a public service announcement for the charity Keep a Child Alive. Though the group consisting of Heather, Jenah and Ambreal struggled to put together their announcements, they won the challenge and received gift baskets from Carol's Daughter. In addition, Heather won an extra prize; she got to participate in a photo shoot for Carol's Daughter, directed by singer Mary J. Blige. She used the photo shoot as an opportunity to practice shooting face-front pictures.

The week's photo shoot had the girls model with various recyclable materials, as follows:

Model Recyclable material
Ambreal Newspaper
Bianca Oil
Chantal Shredded paper
Ebony Bubble wrap
Heather Aluminum cans
Jenah Cardboard
Lisa Plastic bottles
Sarah Garbage bags
Saleisha Car parts

Ebony and Ambreal struggled with their shoots, while Heather received praise for not doing a single shot in profile. Saleisha and Jenah excelled, while Sarah and Chantal also did well. Bianca was complimented for her practice in the mirror and smiling with her eyes in most of her film. Lisa was told by Jay that she was doing well, but the judges criticized her for being too "Model 101."

At panel, due to their poor performances in the photo shoot, Ebony and Ambreal landed in the bottom two, both for the second time. Ebony for being uninspiring in both her film and her final photo, and Ambreal for giving a sleepy photo. Tyra called Ebony to receive her photo, but Ebony stated that she no longer wished to participate. After astonishment and permission from Tyra, Ebony left, and Ambreal was allowed to continue in the competition towards becoming the ninth winner of America's Next Top Model.

The Girl Who Runs Into The Glass Door

First aired October 31, 2007

This was the recap episode of the season, reviewing the first six episodes of the cycle. It included some never-before-seen footage, including Miss J's fashion checkpoint at castings, Bianca running into a glass door, Jenah visiting the dentist over a chipped tooth, Tyra discussing body image with the girls, Janet teaching Bianca how to unclog the toilet, Jenah dealing with nicotine withdrawal, Bianca's confrontations with Saleisha, Chantal, Lisa and Heather, and the girls playing a card game where one of the girls spoke about Bianca's maturity and loss of her attitude after having her head shaved bald.

The Girls Who Crawl

First aired November 7, 2007

After Ebony's departure, Sarah questioned her self-image. Things heated up when Bianca accused Heather of just "sitting pretty" and not doing anything extra to produce good photos.

Tyra taught the ladies how to model in front of a moving camera. Later, the contestants shot a music video with Enrique Iglesias. The girls met Enrique in their van, where he told them one of them won the reward of being featured more in the video. They gathered again later where both Lisa and Heather were announced as the winners, incorporating a "gothic" look in the video. During the filming, Heather fainted from exhaustion.

At panel, Lisa, Heather and Saleisha's clips received praise, while Sarah was criticized for feeling embarrassed about her own body. In the end, she landed in the bottom two together with Chantal, who had a lackluster performance in the music video. In the end, Sarah was sent home.

The Girl Who Starts to Lose Her Cool

First aired November 14, 2007

The remaining seven girls went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. There, they were paired up with student fashion designers, as their muses. On the runway, the girls showed off their outfits as well as explained their dresses. Heather and Lisa both stumbled on their performances, and Saleisha was chosen as the challenge winner. The reward for the challenge was a photo shoot for Seventeen magazine, and she chose Bianca and Lisa to join her in her reward.

For their photo shoot, the girls were dropped off in the desert, where they had to portray a model stranded in the middle of nowhere, posing with a burning car. During the photo shoot, Heather's frustration over her poor challenge performance took its toll, and she produced many mediocre takes.

At panel, the girls were told that they would be going to Shanghai, China for the remainder of the competition, but there were only six spots available. Most of the girls received praise for their pictures, especially Bianca, Jenah and Chantal, but Heather was informed that this was her weakest shoot to date. Ambreal was advised that she needed to work much harder, and Lisa was told that she was fading away from the judges.

In the end, Ambreal and Lisa landed in the bottom two, but it was Ambreal who was eliminated since the judges felt Lisa had more potential.

The Girls Go To Shanghai

First aired November 21, 2007

The six remaining girls flew to Shanghai and were brought to their suite. However, there were only five beds inside, and when Saleisha refused to share the only king-sized bed, Heather was left without one. Jenah and Bianca ended up sharing the large bed.

The girls learned basic martial arts poses. Their challenge was to showcase their poses in the air on high wires. At the challenge, Bianca refused to pose in the air and disqualified herself. Heather won the challenge, and was rewarded with a shopping spree. She chose Chantal to accompany her.

This week, the girls were told to wear clothes that showcased their personalities. They ended up shooting both a commercial and photo shoot for CoverGirl Queen collection.

At panel the judges felt all the girls struggled with either their commercials or their photo shoots. The judges decided that the commercials were more important than the photos were so Chantal and Saleisha received relative praise for their commercial performances, despite unsatisfactory photos. Jenah was praised for her photo, but her personality was questioned by the judges. Heather and Lisa's commercial takes were deemed the worst, and they landed in the bottom two, despite strong photos. Heather's challenge win and consistently strong photos saved her while, though Lisa's photo was deemed "warm and approachable," she was eliminated, with her ability to handle criticism in question.

The Girls Go On Go-See Adventures

First aired November 28, 2007

The remaining five girls were sent to PT Models in Shanghai for go-sees. Heather had difficulty finding her way around town, and ended up only visiting one designer, while Jenah received bad comments about her personality and walk. Bianca and Saleisha were the only two to make it back on time; Chantal (20 minutes), Jenah (15 minutes) and Heather (40 minutes) were all disqualified for their tardiness. Bianca won the challenge; as her reward, her picture was to be used in a campaign for the 2008 Olympics.

Later, the girls took part in a photo shoot with Nigel, where they stood out in a crowd of Chinese lions and dragons. Some of Jenah's comments caused friction between her and Nigel, leaving Jenah to worry about her fate in the competition.

During panel, Tyra announced that the final four would go to Beijing for the remainder of the competition. Saleisha shone, while Bianca was critiqued for forgetting about her face in her photograph, and Jenah's communication skills were questioned. Chantal was complimented for a beautiful picture. Heather was criticized for not being able to handle pressure and doing the worst in the go-sees challenge, although her picture received praise.

Jenah and Heather ultimately landed in the bottom two, both for their communication improprieties. While both were commented on having the two best portfolios of the remaining models, the judges felt they lacked something in their communication. With that, Jenah's name was called and Heather was eliminated.

The Girls Go To The Great Wall

First aired December 5, 2007

The final four flew to Beijing, where they were introduced to the story of the Four Beauties. The next day they participated in a challenge in which they turned a traditional Chinese garment into their own style.

Contestant Beauty
Bianca Yang Guifei
Chantal Xi Shi
Jenah Diaochan
Saleisha Wang Zhaojun

During the task, Bianca purposefully gave Jenah bad advice, so when Jenah was declared the winner, she instead chose Chantal to share her prize of custom-made Chinese qípáos gowns. Jenah also won a personalized runway lesson with Miss J.

The girls then travelled to the Great Wall for a Mongolian warrior-themed photo shoot photographed by Tyra. Chantal excelled throughout the photo shoot by thinking outside of the box, while Jenah, Saleisha and Bianca struggled at first but pulled off good takes at the end. Tyra was generally positive about all the girls' performances, but she showed concern over Jenah's identity crisis and Bianca's stiff poses. The shoot concluded with a final group shot to see which girl stood out the most.

At panel, all the photos were greeted with positive reviews, and Tyra confessed that her opinions about the girls had changed after photographing them. Chantal's photo was deemed as one of the best shot ever from the show by Tyra, praising her for thinking outside the box, and using her whole body. Jenah explained that she was homesick, but cared greatly about the competition, and Bianca argued that she had consistently improved. In the end, Bianca was eliminated for not demonstrating the same innate talent as the other finalists.

The Girl Who Becomes America's Next Top Model

First aired December 12, 2007

The final three were put to the test when they had to shoot a CoverGirl commercial for CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers. The girls got to choose from 12 fruity flavors to portray in their commercial.

Model Fruity flavor
Chantal Lemon Splash
Jenah Strawberry Splash
Saleisha Tangerine Splash

All the girls struggled with their commercials at first, but Chantal managed to pull off good takes in the end, although Jenah's attitude came off as slightly abrasive to Jay, and Saleisha (who was the weakest) asked for a minute to compose herself due to frustration.

Before evaluation, the girls were asked to critique their competition. All the girls commented themselves as having the most potential, but Jenah's laid-back attitude caused her to be deemed as having the least. As she was being evaluated, Jenah broke down in tears, but was praised by Tyra for finally showing her real self to the panel. Chantal and Jenah's photos were heavily praised while Saleisha's was criticized. Saleisha and Jenah landed in the bottom two. It was pointed out that Saleisha may have had modeling experience in the past, but her portfolio was hit and miss though it was improving when they came to overseas, while Jenah, without any modeling experience in the past, had taken much stronger photos than Saleisha. In the end, despite having taken some of the most high-fashion pictures of the season, an emotional Jenah was eliminated in her third consecutive bottom two appearance.

The final two had a photo shoot for Seventeen magazine's February cover issue. The final runway took place near the Forbidden City, where Saleisha and Chantal modeled Qi Gang's line of couture dresses. Cycle 8 winner Jaslene Gonzalez started off the show. Chantal was a bit stiff, and had a slight accident when her dress tripped a stilt performer, while Saleisha owned the runway show. Behind the scenes Saleisha consoled Chantal, who was slightly distraught about tripping the stilt performer.

During the final panel, the judges praised both finalists' personalities and their pictures throughout the season. The judges praised Chantal's high-fashion appeal and Saleisha's commercial ability and holistic modelling potential.

The girls were called back, and Saleisha was declared the ninth winner of America's Next Top Model, which has caused controversy among the public.

Summaries

Call-out order

Tyra's call-out order
OrderEpisodes
1234568910111213
1 MilaHeatherJenahJenahLisaSaleishaLisaBiancaChantalSaleishaChantalChantalSaleisha
2 BiancaLisaHeatherSarahBiancaJenahHeatherJenahSaleishaBiancaSaleishaSaleishaChantal
3 JenahChantalLisaHeatherEbonyHeatherSaleishaSaleishaBiancaChantalJenahJenah
4 ChantalSarahChantalLisaChantalBiancaBiancaChantalJenahJenahBianca
5 AmbrealJenahSarahJanetJenahSarahAmbrealHeatherHeatherHeather
6 VictoriaSaleishaAmbrealAmbrealSaleishaChantalJenahLisaLisa
7 SarahAmbrealVictoriaEbonyHeatherLisaChantalAmbreal
8 SaleishaVictoriaSaleishaBiancaSarahEbonySarah
9 KimberlyJanetJanetChantalAmbrealAmbreal
10 EbonyKimberlyEbonySaleishaJanet
11 JanetBiancaBiancaVictoria
12 HeatherEbonyKimberly
13 LisaMila
     The contestant was eliminated
     The contestant quit the competition
     The contestant was the original eliminee but was saved due to the withdrawal of another contestant
     The contestant won the competition

Photo shoot guide

Other cast members

Makeovers

Controversy

Following the finale and the announcement of Saleisha Stowers as the winner, many fans and critics began to raise questions regarding the legitimacy of her win, and whether or not she had even been eligible to have been entered in the competition in the first place. Evidence started to come to light that she had been featured in an advertisement for Wendy's in 2006, which seemingly went against the rules set in place that no competitor was to have any modeling experience in a national campaign prior to entering the competition. Though representatives from ANTM released a statement saying that Stowers disclosed her experience prior to entering and her commercial had been deemed "not modeling experience", more controversy arose when it was revealed that Stowers had also appeared as a model on The Tyra Banks Show and on an episode of Cycle 6 of Top Model. It had been publicly acknowledged on the show that she and Tyra Banks had a previous relationship due to Saleisha's participation in Tyra's T-Zone camp as a teenager, so speculation has since come about that Stowers' win was based on her and Banks' previous relationship, and not on the validity of her as a model.

Post-Top Model careers

References

  1. ↑ "TV Ratings: 2007–2008 Season Top-200".
  2. ↑ "The CW reveals the identities of 'America's Next Top Model 9' girls". Reality TV World. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  3. ↑ http://all-antm.net/thumbnails.php?album=33
  4. ↑ Reality TV Games – View Single Post – Bianca Golden
  5. ↑ Ward, Kate (May 12, 2011). "'Top Model All-Stars' cast reported: Lisa D'Amato, Isis King in; Jade out". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  6. ↑ http://www.musenyc.com/portfolio.aspx?nav=2&subid=8846&mainsubid=8846&modelid=594291&a=55
  7. ↑ Reality TV Games – View Single Post – Lisa Jackson
  8. ↑ http://all-antm.net/thumbnails.php?album=50
  9. ↑ http://www.musenyc.com/portfolio.aspx?nav=2&subid=8846&mainsubid=8846&modelid=537566&a=16
  10. ↑ Reality TV Games – View Single Post – Lisa Jackson
  11. ↑ http://all-antm.net/thumbnails.php?album=50
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4147188/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
  14. ↑ SOD (June 30, 2015). "SAL STOWERS TO DAYS". Soap Opera Digest. United States. American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.

External links

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