America's Next Top Model (cycle 8)

America's Next Top Model (Cycle 8)

Cycle 8 cast
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 13
Broadcast
Original channel The CW
Original run

February 28, 2007 – May 16, 2007

Additional information
Judges
No. of contestants 13
Winner Jaslene Gonzalez

The eighth cycle of America's Next Top Model aired from February 28, 2007 to May 16, 2007, and was the second season of the series to be aired on The CW network. The international destination during this cycle was Sydney, Australia. The winner, similar to all of the cycles aired on The CW network, received representation by Elite Model Management, a cover & six-page spread within Seventeen magazine,[1] and a US$100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shania.jpg The cycle's promotional tagline was "Welcome To The Jungle, Ladies" and the promotional theme songs were both Danity Kane's "One Shot" and Shiny Toy Guns' "Le Disko."

The prizes for this cycle were:

This cycle's international destination was Sydney, Australia, this series first visit to Oceania and second visit to Southern Hemisphere since Cycle 4.

The winner was 20-year-old Jaslene Gonzalez from Chicago, Illinois, who notably had made it to the semi-finals of Cycle 7, but was not cast. Jaslene became the first winner without any bottom two appearance.

The cycle's finale episode attracted more than 6.6 million viewers, a record for both the franchise and the CW.

Episode summaries

The Girl Who Won't Stop Talking

First aired February 28, 2007

The 33 contestants were sent to Los Angeles, and were immediately thrown into model boot camp. They met Jay Manuel and J. Alexander who tested them with a quick photo shoot and a quiz on fashion-related knowledge. Sarah won the posing challenge and impressed the Jays with her knowledge. Later that day, they met Tyra.

After the boot camp, the semi-finalists went into a room with Tyra, Jay and Miss J, to tell them about themselves. Returning applicant Jaslene (who did not make it on Cycle 7) gave comments about her past. Some memorable auditions included a girl named Micheline, who had at least 20 tattoos on her body, Natasha telling them how she was only 18 when she got married to a man in his forties, and Dionne calling her hair color "1B-30." After the interviews, the field was pared down to twenty contestants. At a party hosted by Marc Ecko, the contestants each had their pictures taken, and the final thirteen were chosen based on these photos.

The thirteen finalists had their first photo shoot dealing with the following controversial political issues:

Model(s) Controversial political issue
Brittany Pro-fur
Cassandra Carnivore
Diana Pro-gun
Dionne Vegan
Felicia Straight marriage
Jael Pro-life
Jaslene Death Penalty
Kathleen Anti-fur
Natasha Pro-choice
Renee Anti-gun
Samantha & Whitney Gay marriage
Sarah Life imprisonment

After the photo shoot, the girls moved to their new mansion.

For the week's reward challenge, the contestants were taken to a Goodwill thrift shop where they were given three minutes to put together an outfit which reflected their personal style. After a runway show featuring their outfits, each outfit was auctioned off to raise money for Goodwill, and Jael's received the highest bid. Her reward was to sign her name on the ceremonial check given to the charity for the vocationally challenged, and she got to get dressed up by Phillip Bloch before meeting the judges.

Only Jaslene, Felicia, Samantha, Cassandra and Brittany pulled off strong photos, while the rest failed to impress. The judges criticized Jael for her apparent fear of success, because she felt like she would be hated by the other girls for potentially winning future challenges. Despite several girls producing unsatisfactory pictures, Jael and Kathleen were the bottom two contestants for failing to commit to their characters during their photo shoots. It was Jael who got saved for displaying more potential, winning the challenge and having a stronger photo. Kathleen was the first girl eliminated on America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 who said that after she left would still try to pursue a modeling career.

The Girls Go To Prom

First aired March 7, 2007

The contestants were greeted by J. Alexander and a marching band at a high school, before they were divided into teams and taught a runway walking routine based on timing and precision. After the rehearsal, they met fashion show producer Roy Campbell, who introduced them to their challenge – a prom fashion show consisting of three looks each, modern contemporary, the 80s prom and ghetto fabulous. Sarah suffered a wardrobe malfunction, and while she was commended for not letting it affect her walk, she was criticized for not covering up in front of the students. Brittany won the runway challenge and received a trophy. Although Samantha did not win, she expressed her happiness for being there as she missed her own prom.

The next day, the contestants returned to the high school for a photoshoot, where Jay Manuel assigned each of them a different high school cliché:

Model High School Cliché
Brittany Valedictorian
Cassandra Cheerleader
Diana Student Body President
Dionne Bad Girl
Felicia Jock
Jael Bookworm
Jaslene Weirdo
Natasha Teacher's Pet
Renee Class Clown
Samantha Girl with the Bad Reputation
Sarah Class Flirt
Whitney Mean Girl

While Jaslene stood out and was called first once again, and Felicia and Diana impressed the judges, Natasha and Samantha struggled to fit their characters, and they landed in the bottom two. Natasha was criticized for her inability to transfer her beauty into a photograph and she was told she was worse than Ann Markley from Cycle 3, while the judges saw Samantha as too inexperienced. Tyra handed the last photo to Natasha because of her positive attitude, thus sending Samantha home.

The Girl Who Cries All The Time

First aired March 14, 2007

The 11 remaining contestants traveled to a Beverly Hills salon for their makeovers. While most of them liked their new looks, a lot of pain came with Brittany's new hair weave, and the long weave originally planned for Jael was taken out after eight hours in the salon. Back at the house, Brittany complained that her new weave made her itch, irritating Whitney. Later, Jael received a devastating phone call, discovering that one of her close friends had died of a drug overdose.

The contestants participated in a challenge to test their ability to apply makeup, which Brittany won and shared her Seventeen photoshoot prize with Jael & Sarah, though it was announced Cassandra would have won, had she not been late.

For the photo shoot, the contestants posed nude, decorated as various types of candy:

Model Type Of Candy
Brittany Banana split
Cassandra Jelly bean
Diana Gummy bear
Dionne Candy cane
Felicia Lollipop
Jael Birthday cake
Jaslene Dulce de leche
Natasha Gum balls
Renee Candy necklace
Sarah Hard Candy
Whitney Chocolate Kiss

At judging, the judges were impressed by Brittany's "editorial" photograph, and learned of Jael's tragedy. While most girls also received praise for their improvements, the judges criticized Jaslene for losing her "spicy personality." However, the judges were left disappointed with Cassandra's picture, seeing that she hasn't stepped up to the plate at all. With that, she landed in the bottom two with Diana, who had a hard time posing her plus-sized body. In the end, the judges felt that Cassandra was not able to transfer her inner and outer beauty into a photo and she was sent home.

The Girl Who Changes Her Attitude

First aired March 21, 2007

The contestants met posing instructor Benny Ninja, who taught them the art of "voguing." They were put to the test when they had to maneuver their way through a laser maze within two minutes while being judged on their posing. Renee was the only one to fail the task. Whitney won her first challenge, and her reward was a $40,000 bracelet from Angara.

For the week's photo shoot, the girls posed as crime scene victims, bringing life to the photo while being 'dead':

Model Crime Scene
Brittany Electrocuted in the bath
Diana Disemboweled
Dionne Shot
Felicia Decapitated
Jael Strangled
Jaslene Pushed off a roof
Natasha Drowned
Renee Poisoned
Sarah Pushed down the stairs
Whitney Stabbed

At the end of the photo shoot, Jay Manuel commented that the judges would have a hard time deliberating during panel as all the girls exceeded his expectations in delivering strong photos for judging. As predicted, most of the girls received positive feedback from the judges, with the exception of Dionne and Felicia. Dionne was critiqued on not taking enough initiative to produce great shots and leaving it to the creative director and photographer to position her, while Felicia was not able to bring life into her film. While deliberating, Dionne was also chastised for not looking like a model in person and Felicia for producing the weakest photo in the bunch and resting on good critiques at previous panels. In the end, despite having a stronger portfolio, Felicia was sent home because she was getting weaker and weaker as the weeks went on, proving that one bad photo can send you home.

The Girl Who Takes Credit

First aired March 28, 2007

This week, the girls learned all about fashion appeal. They met up with Elite Model Management director Cathy Gould, who taught them what not to wear and what outfits were considered "top model" standard. After this, the girls were split into groups of three and put to the test. Their challenge, judged by two fashion mavens, was to assemble their own clothing line and be their own mannequins. At the end, when they were called to pose, Whitney, ignoring Natasha's reminder, sat on the floor, outside the designated posing platform, and disqualified herself and her group. They were then told that their group would have won, and Whitney individually, but due to the circumstances, they selected Sarah as the next best and she won her first reward – double the frames for the week's photo shoot. When Sarah claimed all the credit, this angered her group mates Dionne and Renee, who had picked her outfit for her. She talked about how she saw the top she wanted to wear and knew she had to wear it when in fact Sarah did not choose any part of her outfit at all, and even at one point before they were called to pose she had asked Dionne and Renee which outfit was hers.

For the week's photo shoot, the girls were excited when they saw male models on set, but were surprised when they heard that they were drag queens and would be posing as women, and the girls as men. One of the drag queens in the shoot was Raven from RuPauls Drag Race season 2. The couples each contestant had to portray were as follows:

Model Couples
Brittany Outdoorsy
Diana Red-Carpet
Dionne Power Couple
Jael Bohemian
Jaslene Nautical
Natasha Hip-Hop
Renee Glam Rock
Sarah Rocker
Whitney Collegiate

While Brittany and Jaslene once again impressed Jay with their shots, the real shock of the day came from Natasha, who wowed everyone on set. Not only did she turn out with a great photo, she also incorporated some ideas of her own into the shoot, including grills from a gum wrapper and a toothpick. Diana and Whitney struggled with their plus-size bodies, and landed in the bottom two. The judges felt that Diana had no fire and when she was asked why she wanted to be a top model, she answered "just 'cause," and Whitney just couldn't take a good picture. In the end, the judges decided that passion, was more important than the portfolio, so they gave Whitney a 2nd chance and Diana was eliminated.

The Girl Who Gets Thrown In The Pool

First aired April 4, 2007

The girls met Twiggy and Cycle 7's Melrose Bickerstaff, where they were told to assign themselves a nickname which they would be using to introduce themselves at a party attended by many influential people in the industry. Jael overly irritated rapper 50 Cent and he pushed her in the pool, with Natasha jumping in after her. Later, the two were embarrassed when they met Tyra's manager Benny Medina for an interview and they were soaking wet. Also Nicole Richie was gossiping and told Jael that Renee hated her, leading to a fight between Jael and Renee.

The week's photo shoot required the girls to direct their own hair and makeup, and to showcase four sides of their personalities as follows:

Model Personalities Portrayed Nicknames
Brittany Innocent, spacey, secret evil, goofy Brit
Dionne Friendly, Evil, Hood, sensitive Wholahay (changed to Brown)
Jael sexy beast, anarchist, revolutionary, dominator Jael
Jaslene Sentimental, Drag queen, Cha-cha diva, Modelesque Jaslene
Natasha Happy, surprised, sad, sexy Nata
Renee Sexual, dark side, motherly, sorrow Nayien (changed to NeNe)[Note 1]
Sarah Innocent, angry, sad, happy Moe (considered Sarah Von)
Whitney Secretive, peaceful, thinker, comedian Whitelle

After the shoot, Dionne, having impressed Benny the most at the party, won the reward of a spread for Keds in Seventeen magazine, and chose Jaslene and Whitney to go with her.

The next day, Tyra visited the girls for a chat, where Renee was criticized by all the girls, but Tyra managed to mediate the problem and allowed Renee to air her grievances. Renee confessed that due to a troublesome abusive childhood, she had a tendency to lash out at people.

At panel, Jael, Natasha, Dionne, Brittany and Renee all received praise, while Jaslene was criticized for making all four of her personalities look the same. The judges felt that Sarah had yet to step out of her comfort zone, while Whitney once again did not produce a stellar photo, landing both of them in the bottom two. Whitney was given one last chance as Sarah's overly posed photos sent her home.

The Girl Who Impresses Pedro

First aired April 11, 2007

The contestants got a crash course in character acting from actress Tia Mowry, and were immediately thrown into an acting challenge with Efren Ramirez, who portrayed Pedro in the film Napoleon Dynamite. Renee was chosen as the best actress. She chose Dionne to share in her prize of a custom-made t-shirt. However, the real prize was a surprise visit from their families. Natasha began to have an emotional breakdown from missing her daughter. Despite being down, Natasha was able to push the thought out of her head and model (as Mr. Jay puts it) "like a professional."

Excitement rose when girls from past seasons of ANTM showed up for their next photo shoot, where the Cycle 8 girls were to portray notorious, memorable moments from the contest's past.

Model Past Cycle Representation
Brittany ANTM having twin contestants (Amanda Babin and Michelle Babin, Cycle 7)
Dionne Lesbian limo kiss (Kim Stolz, Cycle 5)
Jael Balance disorder fainting during panel (Rebecca Epley, Cycle 4)
Jaslene Stolen granola bar (Bre Scullark, Cycle 5)
Natasha Impetigo (Michelle Deighton, Cycle 4)
Renee Snaggletooth removal (Joanie Dodds, Cycle 6)
Whitney Refusal to do a nude shoot (Shannon Stewart, Cycle 1)

At panel, Dionne, Natasha and Brittany impressed the judges with their outstanding photographs, while Jael landed in the bottom two for being too mechanical at the shoot and then failing to express herself eloquently at panel, and Whitney fell in the bottom 2 for still failing to deliver a good photo. However, the judges felt that Jael's portfolio was more impressive, therefore Whitney was eliminated in her third consecutive bottom two appearance when she was still unable to effectively translate her beauty into photographs.

The Girls Go Down Under

First aired April 18, 2007

The girls got a crash course in interviewing from Cycle 2 contestant April Wilkner and comedian Gary Riotto, before their international destination was revealed as Sydney, Australia. Upon landing, the girls were immediately tasked to interview the locals on American fashion faux pas, using as much Australian slang as possible. Natasha won the challenge, winning an opportunity to be a correspondent for The Tyra Banks Show.

This week, instead of a regular photo shoot, the girls did a CoverGirl commercial at Hyde Park with an Australian accent. Tyra was surprised that Natasha was able to cover her thick Russian accent with a commendable Australian accent, and Renee was able to pull off "Steve Irwin" in her take. Brittany struggled to remember her lines, because of her short-term memory. Nevertheless, she landed in the bottom two together with Jael, who also had a lackluster take. In the end, despite Jael's take still being better than Brittany's, she was eliminated when the judges valued Brittany's previous photographs.

The Girl Who Picks A Fight

First aired April 25, 2007

This was the season's recap episode. Never-before seen footage included the girls making a mock runway show called "Top Model High Fashion Show", Jael following Renee around with a pair of pom-poms, Dionne and Renee getting into a heated argument, Natasha and Renee bonding while cleaning the house, Cassandra going to the hospital for frostbite following the nude "candy-coated" shoot and Natasha getting a tooth removed.

The Girl Who Blames The Taxi Driver

First aired May 2, 2007

The remaining five contestants were sent on go-sees all around Sydney and were given a time limit of 4 hours. Jaslene, Renee and Dionne arrived back at the modeling agency on time, and were eligible to win the challenge. While, Natasha who was only one minute late accepted her disqualification from the challenge gracefully while Brittany who appeared even later had a tantrum, throwing her portfolio on the ground, shouting out loud, blaming the Sydney taxi driver for not meeting her at the designated area and then yelling at Natasha to "shut up". Everyone inside the agency, including challenge administrator Priscilla Leighton Clark, could hear Brittany expressing her displeasure with her disqualification right in front of Natasha. Jaslene impressed the clients the most and won the challenge. She chose Dionne to accompany her to share a photo shoot on top of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge shot by Nigel Barker.

At the photo shoot, the girls worked a swimsuit in two ways. First, Tyra shot them in sensual poses for a women's magazine, and then they struck sexy poses for a men's magazine. Tyra was impressed with Jaslene's variety of poses, but was disappointed with Dionne after Dionne had to be coached through the entire photo shoot.

At panel, all but Dionne were hailed for their photos, however Tyra revealed that she was shocked because none of the go-see designers wanted to hire Brittany, despite a stellar portfolio. Ultimately, Dionne's lackluster photos landed her in the bottom two with Brittany who was eliminated for her poor go-see performance.

The Girl Who Does Not Want To Dance

First aired May 9, 2007

The final four contestants visited aboriginal teachers for a lesson on self-expression and storytelling through dance. They decorated themselves and their costumes with traditional body paint, before relating their life story to a crowd. While the cold irritated Dionne, Renee embraced the dance and subsequently won the challenge. She picked Jaslene to share in her prize of pearl jewelry. That night, Renee, Dionne and Jaslene hit the town, while Natasha stayed home, sick. They took the opportunity to talk behind her back, questioning her husband and child.

At the photo shoot, each girl has to express herself through aboriginal dance as follows:

Model Aboriginal Dance
Dionne Dance of the Food Gatherers
Jaslene Dance of the Red Breasted Robin
Natasha Dance of the Willie Wagtail
Renee Dance of the Butterfly

At judging, only Renee received unanimous praise. Jaslene's photo received lukewarm remarks because her latest photo was reminiscent of her first photo shoot, questioning her versatility. While Dionne and Natasha were criticized for weak photos, Natasha was scolded more for having the weakest photo.

Things got heated when Natasha was ganged up by the rest of the girls when Tyra asked them who they felt had the most and least amount of potential. Despite being singled out, Natasha held her cool and handled the situation well. Dionne and Natasha landed in the bottom two, where Tyra lambasted Dionne for not improving enough, as well as not picking herself when Tyra asked who had the most potential (she picked Jaslene); while Natasha was scolded because she didn't manage to hide her weak state while doing the photo shoot, thus producing her worst photo ever. In the end, the judges felt that Natasha had improved more, dismissing the other girls' criticism against her as jealousy, and Dionne was sent packing.

The Girl Who Becomes America's Next Top Model

First aired May 16, 2007

The final three were put to the test when they had to shoot a CoverGirl commercial and print ad.

For the commercial, the girls were told to ad lib. Natasha initially wrote a script, but later dropped it to sound more natural, while Jaslene impressed by using Spanish in her commercial. All the girls were praised, but the judges noted differing weaknesses in them – Natasha gave a natural smile only when she was laughing, Jaslene's picture looked like a yearbook photo, and Renee's photographs looked old. Despite having a strong commercial and previous strong performances, Renee was eliminated in her first appearance in the bottom two, as she continued to look too old in her photographs.

The next day, the final two shot their covers for Seventeen magazine. Tyra visited both contestants for one-on-one sessions before they prepared for the final runway challenge. Cycle 7 winner CariDee English joined Jaslene and Natasha in the runway show, themed "evolution" for Australian fashion label Sass and Bide. Jaslene started off with a weak walk but ended off strong and natural. While Natasha had a wardrobe malfunction backstage, the production went on smoothly. The judges were also impressed by her professional handling of the situation when her skirt fell while on the runway.

At the final judging, the panel saw both finalists as winners and were divided over their preference of the girls' walks. Natasha's striking look got the thumbs up, but her ability to learn was both lauded and questioned. Jaslene's photographs received universal praise, though there was concern for her commercial ability. The judges were torn between Natasha's astounding progress and Jaslene's overall consistency.

After a long deliberation, the girls were called in and Jaslene was revealed to be the eighth winner of America's Next Top Model.

Contestants

(ages stated are at time of contest)

Contestant Age Height Hometown Outcome
Kathleen DuJour 20 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Brooklyn, New York Eliminated in Episode 2
Samantha Francis 19 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Pinson, Alabama Eliminated in Episode 3
Cassandra Watson 24 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Seattle, Washington Eliminated in Episode 4
Felicia Provost 19 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) Houston, Texas Eliminated in Episode 5
Diana Zalewski 21 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Garfield, New Jersey Eliminated in Episode 6
Sarah VonderHaar 20 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Evanston, Illinois Eliminated in Episode 7
Whitney Cunningham 21 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Palm Beach, Florida Eliminated in Episode 8
Jael Strauss 22 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Detroit, Michigan Eliminated in Episode 9
Brittany Hatch 21 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Savannah, Georgia Eliminated in Episode 11
Dionne Walters 20 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Montgomery, Alabama Eliminated in Episode 12
Renee Alway 20 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) Maui, Hawaii Eliminated in Episode 13
Natalya "Natasha" Galkina 21 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Dallas, Texas (originally from Russia) Runner-up
Jaslene Gonzalez 20 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Chicago, Illinois (originally from Puerto Rico) Winner

Summaries

Call-out order

Tyra's call-out order
OrderEpisodes
123456789111213
1 NatashaJasleneJasleneBrittanyReneeNatashaJaelDionneNatashaJasleneReneeJasleneJaslene
2 KathleenBrittanyFeliciaJaelNatashaDionneNatashaNatashaReneeNatashaJasleneNatashaNatasha
3 SarahFeliciaDianaSarahBrittanyBrittanyDionneBrittanyJasleneReneeNatashaRenee
4 CassandraDianaReneeDionneWhitneyJasleneBrittanyReneeDionneDionneDionne
5 ReneeSamanthaBrittanyFeliciaJasleneSarahReneeJasleneBrittanyBrittany
6 SamanthaCassandraCassandraReneeJaelReneeJasleneJaelJael
7 DionneReneeDionneWhitneyDianaJaelWhitneyWhitney
8 WhitneySarahJaelNatashaSarahWhitneySarah
9 BrittanyDionneWhitneyJasleneDionneDiana
10 FeliciaWhitneySarahDianaFelicia
11 JaelNatashaNatashaCassandra
12 JasleneJaelSamantha
13 DianaKathleen
     The contestant was eliminated
     The contestant won the competition

Photo Shoot Guide

Other cast members

Makeovers

Post Top Model careers

Notes

  1. ↑ Due to name confusion about Nayien within Cycle 4 winner Naima Mora, Renee decided to change her new nickname NeNe at the judging panel.

Jaslene is the first winner to never land in the bottom two

References

  1. ↑ "America's Next Top Model – Cast – Tyra Banks".
  2. ↑ "America's Next Top Model finalist Renee Alway sentenced to 12 years in prison". Daily Mail. 22 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Natalie Gal - Fenton Moon NY
  4. ↑ Jaslene Gonzales - Exodus Models
  5. ↑ "InTouch Weekly". All-ANTM.net.
  6. ↑ "Hombre". All-ANTM.net.
  7. ↑ "Seventeen Magazine". All-ANTM.net.
  8. ↑ "Vanidades Cover Confirmed". 6 Degrees. February 7, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Splendor Magazine". horacionieto.com.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Can She Stay On Top?". Time Out Magazine.
  11. ↑ "Metrostyle Teams up with Winners from the Television Show America's Next Top Model". businesswire.com.
  12. ↑ "Lot29 Billboard". Adrants.com.
  13. ↑ "Second Time Square Billboards".
  14. ↑ "Clothing". Marianne Stores.
  15. ↑ "Cesar Galindo". Isabella Gucci.
  16. ↑ "Heart On My Sleeve".
  17. ↑ "title". YRB Magazine.
  18. ↑ "Jaslene". COACD.BlogSpot.com.
  19. ↑ The former America's Next Top Model contestant battling a meth addiction
  20. ↑ Cassandra Watson - SMG Models

External links