America's Next Top Model, Cycle 7

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America's Next Top Model, Cycle 7

Promotional photograph of the cast of Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model
Genre Reality television
Running time 60 minutes
Creator(s) Tyra Banks
Developer(s) Kenya Barris
Executive producer(s) Tyra Banks
Starring Tyra Banks
Country of origin United States
Original channel The CW
Original run September 20, 2006–December 6, 2006
No. of episodes 12
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

America's Next Top Model, Cycle 7 aka the transformation season started airing on September 20, 2006 as the first to be aired on The CW network.

The international destination during this season is Barcelona, Spain, and the winner will receive the following prizes management from Elite Model Management, the cover and spread of Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics. The winner was CariDee English.

Contents

Episode summaries

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Girl Who Marks Her Territory

Original Airdate: September 20, 2006

This season premiere was a special two-hour episode, which starts off with the auditions. One audition that stood out from the rest was the audition of a girl named Cyndel. Cyndel called herself an entertainer and told the judges that she works at a strip club. Cyndel considered that stripping is another part of modeling, but Tyra disagreed. Anchal also stood out, principally because of her blue contacts. When asked why she had them in, she said that in India, they find girls with lighter eyes more beautiful. When Anchal left the room, both Tyra and Miss J defined her "gorgeous". After all the auditions of the 33 semi-finalists were finished, the girls were told to go in a room and find a Tyra magazine with the faces of 21 girls who would go onto the next round. After the field is narrowed down to 21, the girls participate in a nude photoshoot, of which the more conservative girls struggled between their ambition and upbringing.

After the field was narrowed down to 13 girls by the judges, the girls were sent to a runway competition using the clothes from the designers of Elmer Ave. The contestants had to choose their clothes off the backs of 13 male models, then feminize and wear the outfit down the runway. Melrose was chosen as the winner, allowing her the chance to be "Diva for the Day" on the set of their next photo shoot. At the fashion magazine-inspired house, the contestants were surprised that only 11 beds were available, and manoeuvering took place. Monique, who did not get a bed, stole Eugena's and poured water on it, saying it was pee in order to ensure nobody tried to take it off her. The next day, Tyra's dramatic Diva appearance kicked off a controversial shoot as each model was given a different modeling stereotype to portray, including bulimia, anorexia, back-stabbing, narcissism, drug addiction and some inspired by real life models, for example, Melrose's portrayed Linda Evangelista's $10,000-a-day model and Monique's portrayed Naomi Campbell's cell phone throwing antics. Jay Manuel was not pleased by the attitude Melrose brought to the set, and became more upset by her poor performance. The judges decided that Christian had the least amount of potential and eliminated her from the competition, against Melrose's bad attitude. Christian broke down in tears and a relieved Melrose fell to her knees and wept in relief before getting up to receive her photo handed out by Tyra.

  • Bottom two: Christian Evans & Melrose Bickerstaff
  • Eliminated: Christian Evans
  • Featured photographers: Brian, Oliver Bronson, Dylan Don
  • Special guests: The Aswirl Twins, Elmer Ave designers

The Girl Who Hates Her Hair

Original Airdate: September 27, 2006

This week the contestants prepared for the infamous makeovers, which as usual comes with some controversy. As some of the girls are happy with their new look, like Megan going blonde and Brooke going brunette, a few girls are upset with the makeover of which they have been assigned, most notably Monique, who has a meltdown at the salon, and Jaeda, who had her hair cut to the inspiration of Halle Berry.

The challenge this week involved make-up application, speed and presentation. They each raced against the clock to put together their entire look, from make-up to wardrobe, during brief elevator stops on a trip to the top of a skyscraper, of which Megg and Monique could not make the elevator at various storeys and were eliminated even before the presentation. The winner was Eugena, who was chosen by CoverGirl, Queen Latifah and her make-up artist, Roxanna Floyd. Her prize was an exclusive photoshoot for the CoverGirl Website, of which she chose CariDee and Jaeda to share in her prize.

Back at the house, Monique took off her frustration of her earlier premature elimination by using the phone for more than three and a half hours, much to the disgust and irritation of the other girls.

This week's quirky-hair themed photoshoot, in which they had to work with large wigs and hairpieces involving moving parts, was a challenge to some of the girls, but it was Megan and Jaeda, who both failed to give a good picture, who landed in the bottom two. Eventually Megan was chosen as the second girl to go home for her bad take.

  • Bottom two: Jaeda Young & Megan Morris
  • Eliminated: Megan Morris
  • Featured photographer: Tracy Bayne
  • Special guests: Frederic Fekkai, Queen Latifah, Roxanna Floyd
  • CoverGirl of the Week: Anchal Joseph

The Girl Who Goes To Texas

Original Airdate: October 4, 2006

J. Alexander prepares the girls with a unique runway exercise from atop a ½” wide tight rope. The next day, their runway skills are put to the test in their rockiest challenge yet, with Bre Scullark from Cycle 5 appearing as guest, where the contestants were asked to strut across broken slabs of concrete in high heels while wearing masks which impaired their vision. The winner of the challenge, AJ, picks CariDee and Megg to jet off to work a star-studded Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend Fashion Show with some past seasons’ contestants in Austin, Texas.

Later, the girls have to rock a catwalk suspended over water, but Monique's dehydration lands her in hospital. She makes it to the show, but then decides to go home. At judging, Monique is criticized for not pulling through like Danielle did in Cycle Six. In the end, it is Eugena and Monique who land in the bottom two. Despite Eugena's poor performance at the runway show, Monique is subsequently eliminated for her seemingly lack of drive.

  • Bottom two: Eugena Washington & Monique Calhoun
  • Eliminated: Monique Calhoun
  • Featured photographer: Charlie Altuna
  • Special guests: Dennis Quaid, Bre Scullark, Altuna Moreno
  • CoverGirl of the Week: Anchal Joseph

The Girl Who Joined the Circus

Original Airdate: October 11, 2006

The contestants learn to strike an extreme pose from a contortionist and are put to the test in a high fashion challenge with an extravagant prize. They must learn to show an extreme pose in designer Bao Tranchi's clothing, and a piece of jewelry. The winner, Eugena, wins all the jewelry that the contestants were wearing, totaling up to $32,000.

Back at the house, Melrose starts a conversation about Anchal and how she feels Anchal used to be one of the strongest competitors, but Anchal’s not getting prettier as the competition moves on, which leaves Anchal in tears.

The photo shoot this week is based on a circus freak show and the girls turn into the circus freaks, including Siamese twins, a cannibal, a bearded woman and a rubber girl. At judging, Jaeda and Megg were revealed as the bottom two, both for their bad photos, with Megg being sent home because of her inability to transfer her personality into a photo.

  • Bottom two: Jaeda Young & Megg Turano
  • Eliminated: Megg Turano
  • Featured photographer: Mike Rosenthal
  • Special guests: Bao Tranchi, Stacey McKenzie, Jonathan Nosan, Erica Courtney, Atoosa Rubenstein
  • CoverGirl of the Week: AJ Stewart

The Girl Who Punk'd Ashton

Original Airdate: October 18, 2006

A red carpet challenge with former judge Janice Dickinson leaves some of the girls speechless. Melrose wins the reward challenge, which gives her a night to interview stars on the red carpet as part of Entertainment Tonight's staff.

The stars come out at a photo shoot where the contestants are transformed into celebrity couples, which were CariDee as Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, Michelle as Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi, Brooke as Britney Spears & Kevin Federline, Amanda as Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher, Melrose as Donald & Melania Trump, AJ as Marc Anthony & J.Lo, Eugena as Beyoncé & Jay-Z, Jaeda as Bobby Brown & Whitney Houston and Anchal as Oprah Winfrey & Stedman Graham.

Back at the house, Michelle reveals her sexual ambiguity, to the surprise (and even shock) of her twin sister Amanda. During judging, the girls were asked to be impromptu correspondents and give their best commentary of red carpet footage featuring the ANTM judges, where most notably, AJ lets her self consciousness show through. The judging concludes in a big shock when AJ, one of the strongest contestants yet, becomes the fifth model eliminated. The judges felt that she had just lost her drive to remain in the competition and spared Jaeda for the third time.

  • Bottom two: AJ Stewart & Jaeda Young
  • Eliminated: AJ Stewart
  • Featured photographer: Matthew Jordan Smith
  • Special guests: Janice Dickinson, Mark Steines
  • CoverGirl of the Week: AJ Stewart

The Girl Who Graduates

Original Airdate: October 25, 2006

Tyra picked up her camera and surprised the contestants in their backyard with an impromptu black and white photo shoot where they were asked to express anger while maintaining their sex appeal, but a few girls struggled when burlesque icon Dita von Teese asked them to get in touch with their sexy side. The contestants were quickly put to the test by walking down the dinner table of Elite Models director Cathy Gould at her dinner party. Melrose won her third challenge and brought Amanda, Michelle, and Brooke for a Seventeen Magazine editorial spread photo shoot as her reward.

To test their new knowledge on the fine line between sexy and sleazy, Jay Manuel met the contestants for a second photo shoot depicting romance novels with model Fabio. Despite bad takes from Jaeda and Michelle, Eugena and Brooke were revealed as the bottom two. While the judges were irked at Eugena's mannerisms during judging, they doubted Brooke's potential as a model, and wondered whether she was just getting by on her vibrant personality.

In the end, Eugena was saved again as Brooke was eliminated on the night of her high school graduation, prompting Tyra to mention that many girls would rather be on the show than at graduation, of which a teary eyed Brooke agreed.

The Girls Who Made It This Far

Original Airdate: November 1, 2006

With the finale only five weeks away, this episode recaps the process that the seven remaining girls have survived in hopes of becoming America’s Next Top Model, including some never before seen footage.

One such scene was during the very first hour the girls entered the house, when they met their wardrobe stylist Charlie Altuna and makeup artist Sutan, who had with them a “Fashion Trash” bin, before the two proceeded to confiscate whatever of the girls’ clothing they deemed “unfashionable”, some amounting to a few hundred dollars worth. However, after this abrupt event, the girls were brought to Skylar where they had 5 minutes to shop for “fashionable top model” clothing.

Another never before scene footage included a catfight between Amanda and Monique. When the latter found out that her buritos were eaten, she went on a rampage and threw away almost every other foodstuff in the house into the bin, prompting a maddened Amanda to run around the house opening every other closet that contained any remains of food, all the while shouting, “there's food here!”.

Finally, the girls meet with yoga instructor Shirley Archer for a relaxing time of self meditation, and we are treated to Jaeda’s impersonation of Tyra during the judging panel.

The Girl Who Wrecks the Car

Original Airdate: November 8, 2006

The next day, the contestants head to the beach where they meet pro athlete and model Gabrielle Reece, where she teaches the girls the art of action modeling while they bump, set and spike to beach volleyball.

The girls get even more physical with Nascar driver Stanton Barrett for a competition where the winner has to take their own shots using a remote controlled camera. Although accidentally denting Stanton's car, Michelle wins the challenge and picks Amanda, CariDee & Melrose to share her reward. Unknown to them, there is a reward challenge within the challenge, where the 4 girls have to act fast and don as many pieces of clothing within 30 seconds. Melrose won the prize of $10,000 worth of clothes.

Back at the house, the tension between Anchal and Melrose reaches boiling point when Melrose accuses Anchal of being childish and disrespectful to others, causing a visibly affected Anchal to retreat to her room.

For the week's photoshoot, the girls receive their first CoverGirl assignment, shooting for TrueBlend whipped foundation, modeling as sexy space-sirens. They fly at a skydiving training facility, where many contestants had difficulty expressing grace inside the wind tunnel.

During judging, the girls had to act out a scene derived from a verb and adverb randomly drawn from a box, including "swim frigteningly" and "dance agressively", where Anchal's lack of self confidence showed through, where she eventually ran out of the evaluation challenge in complete self consciousness. In the end, Michelle and Anchal are in the bottom 2, both for their apparent lack of commitment, and Anchal is ultimately eliminated from the competition.

The Girl Who Breaks Down

Original Airdate: November 15, 2006

The girls meet with acting coach Tasha Smith at the Los Angeles Repertory Company for acting lessons, and all took turns performing exercises to learn how to break down their physical boundaries. Each girl then shot their own silent film, acting out the direction given to them. After an emotional day, CariDee was chosen as the winner, earning her a guest spot on The CW’s hit show "One Tree Hill". The girls then viewed CariDee’s winning silent film, and were shocked at the end when Tyra surprised them with a trip to Barcelona, Spain.

Once the girls landed in Barcelona, they were happily surprised when their driver made several stops along the way to pick up male models who would be part of their next challenge. Together, they went to dinner at a traditional Spanish restaurant, where they learned they would shoot a commercial the next day in the Catalan language. Tensions rose between Jaeda and her male model Nacho after he told her he did not like black women.

The following day the girls shot a Secret deodorant commercial, where they had to kiss their male model at the end. Most of the girls struggled with their lines and the pressure to perform in another language.

Jaeda forewarned the judges of her poor performance before they watched her commercial. Despite the judges' appreciation of Jaeda’s beauty, they could not overlook the fact that week after week she had been in the bottom two and had still yet to improve substantially, hence eliminating her.

  • Bottom two: CariDee English & Jaeda Young
  • Eliminated: Jaeda Young
  • Featured director of commercial: Denis Rovira
  • Special guests: Tasha Smith, Lee Norris, David Jackman
  • CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English

The Girl Who Sticks Her Foot In Her Mouth

Original Airdate: November 22, 2006

Shaken from her near elimination, CariDee struggles to rebound from an off week. In order to relieve some anxiety, the girls invite their Spanish models from their last commercial shoot over for dinner.

The next day, Tyra visits the girls and has a sit down talk about the dark side of modeling, before the girls meet up with Pancho Saula, the director of Elite Barcelona, who has set up ten go-sees for them to attend all around the city. Eugena and CariDee team up, as do the twins, while Melrose decides to hit the streets alone, a strategy that seems to pay off as she manages to attend the most number of auditions. While the twins get lost and arrive late, hence disqualifying themselves, Melrose easily wins her fourth reward challenge, and she chooses CariDee to share in her reward – a catered dinner at their apartment.

For this week’s photoshoot, the girls arrive at the bull-fighting arena and meet their photographer, Nigel Barker. CariDee jokingly makes a crude remark to Nigel, who obviously doesn’t find it funny and storms off, albeit she later apologizes for this.

At panel, the girls are asked to tell the judges who they feel has the most and least amount of potential. While Amanda is singled out as the girl with the least potential, Michelle’s insecurities finally overwhelm her as she breaks down in front of panel, conflicted by her doubts of whether she really wants to be a model.

During deliberation, the judges are torn between the lackluster photos of Amanda and CariDee, but Michelle’s confidence crisis makes them question whether Michelle may be even sacrificing her place for her sister. Consequentially, the twins land in the bottom two, where Amanda’s drive ultimately won the judges over and Michelle is eliminated from the competition.

  • Bottom two: Amanda Babin & Michelle Babin
  • Eliminated: Michelle Babin
  • Featured photographer: Nigel Barker
  • Special guests: Pancho Saula, Julie Cher, Susana Castano, Jorge Paulo de Oliveira Terra, Victoriano Simon, Julie Sohn
  • CoverGirl of the Week: CariDee English

The Girl Who Grates

Original Airdate: November 29, 2006

The girls travel to a dance studio where they meet flamenco dancer Nacho Blancho, who teaches them the steps of the traditional Spanish dance. While Eugena breezes through the practice, Amanda’s awkwardness becomes apparent.

Later that night, the girls share a dinner with runway coach and judge Miss J. Alexander, before returning to their apartment to rehearse their dance steps. Amanda works into the wee hours of the night. The next morning, the girls arrive at a majestic Spanish villa for their flamenco dance test, decked out in full flamenco attire as they perform one by one. Nacho is impressed by Amanda’s improvement but crowns Eugena the winner, who picks Amanda to share in her prize, which turns out to be 3 presents bearing clothes worn at the Custo Barcelona Fall 2006 collection.

For the week’s photoshoot, the girls meet with Jay Manuel who brings out Tyra to assist with the shoot. The girls are paired up – Eugena and Melrose, Amanda and CariDee – to pose as nymphs floating underwater. While Melrose shines in the freezing water, Eugena delivers many blank shots. Next up is Amanda and CariDee. CariDee has to be pulled out from the icy water prematurely when she starts shivering uncontrollably. Amanda had to finish the shoot by herself.

At panel, the judges warn Eugena about her bland expressions, and still have much reservations about Amanda’s stiffness and awkward posing. Amanda and CariDee later find themselves in the bottom two. Calling Amanda’s look “edgy” & “high-fashion”, the judges worry if she is overly awkward and meek, while CariDee, with the “classic” look, may not be able to take the physical demands of being a model. Tyra ultimately hands the last photo to CariDee, eliminating Amanda.

  • Bottom two: Amanda Babin & CariDee English
  • Eliminated: Amanda Babin
  • Featured photographer: David Ruiz
  • Special guests: Tyra Banks, J. Alexander, Nacho Blanco, Naama Hernandez Ruiz

The Girl Who Becomes America's Next Top Model

Original Airdate: December 6, 2006

The final three meet Jay Manual to shoot their commercial for CoverGirl Double Lip Shine, where they meet last cycle's winner Danielle Evans. First up is CariDee, whose natural enthuse shines through. While Eugena once again starts off with bland takes, she finally turns on the charm for a great delivery, while Melrose struggles with her over-preparedness. Next up is their CoverGirl print ad shoot, and CariDee once again shines with her blissful look while Eugena delivers some passionate shots. Melrose, affected by her earlier performance, stumbles.

At judging, Melrose and Eugena land in the bottom two, both for separate reasons, the former failing to live up to her past performances, and the latter whose passion is questioned by the judges. Ultimately, Melrose joins CariDee as the final two as Eugena is eliminated.

In preparation for the final runway challenge, Tyra sets up a sit-down talk with life coach Dr. Michelle. Next, the final two meet Jay Manuel at their final runway, where they have to play ghostly brides in wedding gowns designed by Victorio & Lucchino.

As night falls on Barcelona, Danielle starts the show as Melrose and CariDee stomp down behind her. The second walk would require the girls to stop and stare down each other halfway down the runway. A potential disaster occurs when CariDee accidentally steps on and rips Melrose’s gown in the middle of the runway. Although Melrose continues her walk confidently, a catfight ensues at the changing room. The show ends off with each girl running out theatrically, screaming, before disappearing at the end.

Back in the judging room, the girls face the panel for the final time. Melrose is praised for her superior runway walk, while CariDee triumphs in their overall picture portfolios. The judges discuss the differences between the girls. While they appreciate Melrose’s knowledge and preparation, she comes off as too clinical, while CariDee is lambasted for her spitfire personality, although she has the much sought after “x-factor”.

The girls return and make one last plea to Tyra, before CariDee is crowned America’s Next Top Model, making her the first ever “all-American blonde” to win.

  • Bottom two (during first judging panel): Eugena Washington & Melrose Bickerstaff
  • Eliminated (during first judging panel): Eugena Washington
  • Final two: CariDee English & Melrose Bickerstaff
  • America's Next Top Model: CariDee English
  • Featured photographers: Jim De Yonker, George Holz
  • Special guests: Danielle Evans, Victorio & Lucchino, Atoosa Rubenstein, Beau Quillian, Dr. Michelle

Contestants

In order of elimination

Makeovers

  • AJ- Linda Evangelista inspired cut, light brown
  • Amanda- Straightened, dyed fire engine red
  • Anchal- Edgier, angled cut
  • Brooke- Dyed chocolate brown
  • CariDee- Weaved, lengthened
  • Eugena- Hair extensions
  • Jaeda- Halle Berry inspired cut
  • Megan- Plantinum blonde
  • Megg- Extra long, curly hair
  • Melrose- Nadja Auermann cut, sunkissed blonde
  • Michelle- Dyed flame orange
  • Monique- Unweaved, lengthened, added curls and new weave

Photoshoot guide

  • Episode 1 Photoshoot: Nude Shot (Casting)
  • Episode 2 Photoshoot: Model Stereotypes
  • Episode 3 Photoshoot: Hair Wars
  • Episode 4 Photoshoot: Wobbly Runway
  • Episode 5 Photoshoot: Freakshow Circus
  • Episode 6 Photoshoot: Celebrity Couples
  • Episode 7 Photoshoot: Romance Novels (with Fabio); Black & White Scary/Sexy Beauty Shot
  • Episode 9 Photoshoot: CoverGirl Whipped Foundation Shoot
  • Episode 10 Commercial: Secret Deodorant Commercial
  • Episode 11 Photoshoot: Bullfighting
  • Episode 12 Photoshoot: Underwater Nymphs; Flamenco Shoot
  • Episode 13 Photoshoot: CoverGirl Beauty Shot & Commercial; Seventeen Magazine Shoot

Statistics

Call-out order

Tyra's call-out order
Order Ep 1 Ep 2 Ep 3 Ep 4 Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Ep 9 Ep 10 Ep 11 Ep 12 Ep 13 Ep 13
1 Melrose Michelle Melrose AJ CariDee Brooke Amanda CariDee Melrose Eugena Melrose CariDee CariDee
2 Jaeda CariDee Anchal Jaeda Eugena Melrose CariDee Melrose Eugena Melrose Eugena Melrose Melrose
3 Michelle AJ Amanda Brooke AJ Amanda Anchal Jaeda Amanda CariDee CariDee Eugena
4 Eugena Megan Michelle Anchal Melrose CariDee Melrose Amanda Michelle Amanda Amanda
5 Brooke Anchal AJ Michelle Michelle Michelle Jaeda Eugena CariDee Michelle
6 Anchal Megg CariDee Melrose Anchal Eugena Michelle Michelle Jaeda
7 AJ Monique Brooke Megg Amanda Anchal Eugena Anchal
8 Christian Amanda Eugena Amanda Brooke Jaeda Brooke
9 Megg Jaeda Megg CariDee Jaeda AJ
10 Megan Eugena Monique Eugena Megg
11 CariDee Brooke Jaeda Monique
12 Amanda Melrose Megan
13 Monique Christian
     The model won the week's reward challenge
     The model was eliminated
     The model did not participate in the photoshoot and was eliminated
     The model won the competition
  • In episode 1, the pool of twenty girls was reduced to thirteen who moved on to the main competition. However, this first call-out does not reflect their performance that first week.
  • Episode 8 was a recap episode.

Show statistics

  • Total number of contestants: 13
  • Oldest contestant: Melrose Bickerstaff, 23 years old
  • Tallest contestant: Amanda Babin & Michelle Babin, both 6'0"
  • Shortest contestant: Brooke Miller, 5'7"
  • Lightest contestant: Melrose Bickerstaff, 107 pounds
  • Contestant with most consecutive challenge wins: Melrose Bickerstaff, 2 wins
  • Contestant with most collective challenge wins: Melrose Bickerstaff, 4 wins
  • Call-out averages of top 3 (excluding semifinals and the last judging panel): CariDee English - 3.36; Melrose Bickerstaff - 3.36; Eugena Washington - 5.09
  • Contestant with the most first call-outs (excluding semifinals): CariDee English & Melrose Bickerstaff, both three times
  • Contestants with the most consecutive appearances in the bottom two: Jaeda Young & Amanda Babin, both twice
  • Contestant with the most collective appearances in bottom two: Jaeda Young, four times before eliminated


America's Next Top Model
Judges and personnel
Janice Dickinson | Twiggy | Tyra Banks | Nigel Barker | J. Alexander | Jay Manuel | Beau Quillian
Cycles and winners

Please see individual cycle articles for additional contestants
1: Adrianne Curry | 2: Yoanna House | 3: Eva Pigford | 4: Naima Mora
5: Nicole Linkletter | 6: Danielle Evans | 7: CariDee English
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