Another week and another "America's Next Top Model" Cycle 22 episode. Tyra Banks' reality modelling competition is still getting a lot of attention from loyal fans, but if this week's episode is to be put under the microscope, numerous eccentric scenes may have struck a chord in a not-so-good way among viewers.
This week, the model hopefuls were made to tap their potential actor side with an audition in front of The CW bosses and a commercial shoot that was certainly not for the faint of hearts. From start to finish however, episode 7 "The Man Who Acts A Fool" stayed true to its title and then some.
The episode started with hottie Nyle DiMarco getting some praises from Tyra Banks and top contender Lacy speaking her mind on how Nyle is feeling a lot of pressure and getting lost in the messy sea that is the in-house drama among the other contestants with her even saying, "People forget about him and his inability to hear." Girl preach!
The scene then jumps off to Bello gushing about mean clique Devin, Mikey and Ashley and singling out that he is disappointed in Ashley for being part of the cocky trio. Ashley then gets screen time with an emotional confessional about her past and how she wants to be proud of who she is. In "ANTM" true fashion however, this could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of a possible exit.
Real action takes over when the models head to The CW for paired audition in front of the big bosses of the network that has been the home of the modelling competition for a long time now. The models were then made to choose their partners with Ashley landing on Devin, Nyle choosing Lacey, Hadassah going with Bello, Mame picking Justin and Mikey getting left with no choice than to partner with Courtney, as per CelebDirtyLaundry.
The models rehearsed for a couple of minutes, and amid the rehearsal Mame was worried that she might be liking Justin more than the other way around. As for Ashley, she may be pretty confident at the start, but she realized that partnering with Devin may be a bad idea as the latter was not at all serious in doing the challenge. And it showed during their performance in front of The CW executives and judge Kelly Cutrone.
Aside from the laughable acting of some models and Bello creating his own script at the live audition, what really stood out were the awkward lines the models threw at each other. Despite the questionable script however, Lacey and Nyle managed to get the attention of the judges, with Lacey announced as the challenge winner. Devin and Ashley got the lowest scores which were very expected since the judges called their performance "a freak show." Cutrone even reprimanded Devin for disrespecting the clients.
Back in the house, Ashley felt disappointed in herself and got a little preaching from Mikey who was actually happy that he and Courtney got better scores from his "ANTM" pals. Meanwhile, Nyle, who was apparently hoping to win the challenge given his acting experience, expressed that he was disappointed about the result. His confessional then flows smoothly into his struggle with communicating with the other models. Lucky for him, his high school best friend paid a visit to the models' lair. But Lacey who admitted to have a crush on Nyle ended up getting jealous of Nyle's girl best friend. Devin even rubbed it in when he said that Nyle and his friend make a cute couple.
As it turned out, it wasn't just a simple visit, but a time for the models to learn Nyle's language and perhaps for the show to give them a dose of what they have been doing to Nyle all this time. They learned the American Sign Language and they were tasked only to talk using it for an hour which they admitted to be very difficult. The models then gained a new appreciation for the deaf model contestant of "ANTM" Cycle 22, BuddyTV noted.
Then came the commercial shoot, and this time the models were not allowed to choose their own partners. Yu Tsai got to pair them up and he may be part of the team who are fuelling the in-house drama even more as Hadassah was partnered up with Justin while Mame had to work with Mikey. Lacey was with Devin who seemed to be very pleased with the pairing and has forgotten what he did to Ashley during the acting challenge. On the other hand, Ashley was also pleased upon learning that she'd be working with Nyle. Finally, Courtney was partnered up with Bello.
The models had to shoot at a beach and they have to sell a product called "Boom Boom Boom," which in Tyra's world refers to the men's abs. Some pairs did better than the other. Bello and Courtney who struggled initially wowed Yu Tsai and this also got translated to the judges at panel.
Mame and Mikey got praises from the judges. During the shoot Justin confessed to feeling jealous while seeing Mame making out with Mikey. But he hit back at Mame by doing a great job making out with Hadassah for the commercial. The two also got kudos from the judges, but Tyra had to really ask Mame how she felt when Hadassah kissed Justin. Mame just let out a strong "hmmmm" which could mean that she is indeed never ever befriending her in-house enemy Hadassah.
Lacey and Devin got good remarks too, but the judges pointed out that the latter did a terrible job delivering his first line: "smell my fierce, feel my boom." The models laughed about it as Tyra imitated Devin saying "smell my fierce... b—h, feel my boom...b—h!" Kelly also attempted to make fun of the situation by saying, "Smell my armpit," but it wasn't clear if the models laughed at that.
As for Nyle and Ashley, Kelly didn't like it. Tyra even gave Ashley some tips on how to make-out with a partner in front of the camera. Ashley was looking gloomy already as if she already knew what's coming for her.
When it came to the verdict, Lacey, Mame and Nyle got the top three spots, while Bello, Mikey, Justin and Hadssah landed on the middle four. Courtney was spared from the bottom two, leaving challenge partners Devin and Ashley behind. In the end Ashley was sent packing.
In the hours and days after "ANTM" Cycle 22 episode 7 aired, many viewers took to the show's official Facebook page to give their two cents on the latest episode, and it seems that not everyone is pleased with how the show is turning into a joke.
Beth Swan pointed out in her comment list that, "'Smell my fierce. Feel my boom' is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It was so ridiculous that it was painful to watch."
Ben Douglas commented: "You're trolling us at this point...right, Tyra? You can't actually vouch for this being a good cycle...? Are you doing everything you can to be yanked off the air? Tyra. Girl. I've watched every cycle more than once, and I swear you are actually determined to make the worst television with the worst contestants ever to be broadcast. That Boom Boom Boom 'commercial?' You can't be serious. I know you're smarter than that. BE BETTER."
Rebecca Bjorklund noted: "The commercial was really kinda stupid with the script that made me not take it seriously. 'smell my fierce, feel my boom' just made me half laugh, half cringe."
What do you think of "ANTM" Cycle 22 episode 7? Do you agree with what show fans are saying? Sound off below.
In case you missed the episode, watch it below:
