Another week, another physical challenge for the ladies vying for the title of Caribbean’s Next Model. Last week they felt the burn and ran through the paces like an American footballer, and this week they faced the true model challenge of having to acknowledge the movements of their own bodies. A model needs to understand her body as much as she needs to understand her environment and her position within it. Her proximity from the lighting, the best angles to evoke the right effect for the image, and position of the camera are all things these aspiring models need to learn.
The girls first met with Socrates who helped them with some of these basic techniques by having them practice posing on a wooden swing. They all looked uncomfortable during the exercise, but prevailed nevertheless. By nightfall, Wendy gave a surprise visit to the girls at the Villa where the Judge and mentor spent some time getting to know the girls as they showed off their Caribbean culinary skills. Wendy looked like she thoroughly enjoyed the curried chicken and white rice presented to her. During the lighthearted session however, she gave some sound advice : “When you’re a model, photographers can make or break your career,” she said sternly. “Always be nice to photographers.”Great advice, although in the back of my mind I’m hoping that conversation went deeper than what we saw on tv and she also informed the girls about how to deal with predatory photographers as well!
Then it was time to get to work. In a mix of emotions of having to enter a seemingly ice cold pool at the Villa, the girls met their fate with Top Model Judge and photographer, Pedro Virgil, who directed their underwater shoot. The results…
Elimination was an emotional process for some, particularly Nkechi who cried as she felt insecure about her final image. But she was quickly comforted as the judges compared her to a water baby, further stating that her image could be used as a travel ad. Not entirely an exaggeration as her image reminded me of a shot from Aaliyah’s Rock the Boat video, though not as crisp! They all loved her shot and she seem to need more confidence in her ability to produce good work. The overall underwater shoot however, could have been better produced as the final images for all the girls were not as monumental as they could be.
Ultimately, Lynah and Ieypha were the bottom two and Wendy had some choice words for them. Lynah has the ability to sell anything with her natural beauty and strong in-person presence, however this is not translated in her images. But she is now learning to become a model. She has potential. Ieypha’s inconsistency was her eventual downfall. Even though she’s a model by profession, according to Wendy her mental game needs to be tighter.
In the end, Lynah was safe.
Gabrielle Minors (Grenada)
Nyierah Placide (St. Lucia)
Karen Rampersad (T&T)
Nina Victor (St. Maarten)
Altena Wilson (JA)
Zahada Micarla (Grenada)
Sashawna Flake (JA)
Iyefah Biggot (T&T)
Images provided by Caribbean’s Next Top Model
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