'America's Next Top Model' Cycle 14 - Episode 1 recap

Miss J. and Mr. Jay meet the girls outside Sally Hershberger's
hair salon. © The CW

It's time once more for a new Cycle of America's Next Top Model, and it seems Tyra has gone high tech this year, as the 32 semi-finalists are all competing to be part of her network on her "MyFiercePage.com."

The models all enter the room with a screen displaying Tyra's MyFiercePage. All of a sudden, Tyra's photo comes to life, and she talks to the girls, saying that she knows they all want to be part of her network, but she doesn't have room for everyone, and she calls on Miss J and Mr. Jay for help. Their photos appear on the screen, and they start talking to her. Tyra says that she is busy and will let Mr. Jay and Miss J figure which girls will make it onto the page.

They will each build their own page with a photo, and a video which shows their runway walk (net walk).

We cut to Alasia, who claims that she would faint if Tyra just suddenly appeared, when all of a sudden, Tyra pops out from behind a curtain, and the girls go crazy, pushing forward, and knocking Alasia on the ground, where the stays in worship to Tyra. Soon, she gets up and yells her devotion to Tyra who now notices her, asking her if that was her hair, or was it a wig? Alasia admits it's a wig, and Tyra asks her to take it off. When she does, she reveals nice thick shoulder length hair, which looks 1000 percent better than the short black wig.

Time for the girls to start creating their MyFiercePage pages. The first step is to take photos of each of the 32 girls. Next, we see some of the girls do their photo shoots with Mr. Jay. Krista is first, and says she's tried out for America's Next Top Model five times. She is 24, and she knows that this could be her last shot at getting into the modeling industry. Angelea is back. She had made it to the semi-finals back in Cycle 12, and we see a short clip of her appearance there, including her run-in with Sandra, who made it to the house. Brittany says that she made it to the semi-finals through a competition on Tyra.com. Naduah is next, and she says she's been modeling for about 5 years so far, in Cancun, Mexico. Danielle is the "odd" girl. She has a multitude of piercings and tattoos.

Second step is to film their "net walk" with Miss J. He takes a look at the model's walks, and we meet a couple plus sized models, including Jeanna and Alexandra. Some of the girls do really well, and no one is horrible.

Some of the other girls we get to know include: Angelea, who walks in to talk to Tyra and the Jays, saying how grateful she is to have another chance. They notice a change in her, and Tyra asks her to tell them what was going on back in Cycle 12. Angelea says that she was having problems with her boyfriend back then, and when she got home after failing to make it into the house, she called up a counselor to get some help. Mr. Jay is glad to see that she lost the long acrylic nails. Angelea tells them that she has her fashion knowledge down, and she knows the styles. She aspires to be like Iris Strubegger, who has the Valentino campaign and Givenchey campaign. Tyra stops her after she says that to correct her pronounciatioin of Givenchey. Angelea admits to still being ghetto, but she's a high class ghetto, and she's just her.

Next, we meet trust fund baby, Hallie from Memphis, TN, who admits to being a spoiled brat, and tells how her mother would take her to Paris to shop. She says she's never worked a day in her life, and she says she doesn't care about the money, she just wants to get into modeling for a career.

Simone is next. She tells Tyra that she is really excited to be there. She's a college student with a passion for modeling. She has two goals in her life. Either she wants to be a Victoria Secret model or Hillary Clinton. She feels she could represent educated black women, but that most black women don't seem to want to befriend her. She says that people think she acts like a white girl, but it's just the way it was raised.

Jessica is next, and in her audition, she tells Tyra and the Jays that she got pregnant the first time she had sex. It was with a boy from her church. She was 16 and he was 22. They got married, and she says she's still trying to forgive her church, as they are outcasts in the church because of the fact that she got pregnant outside of marriage.

Raina is next to audition, and she introduces herself, and Mr. Jay is in love with the shape of her eyes. Raina admits that she was not a good looking kid, being super pasty white with a huge unibrow. She was shy until her senior year in high school.

Next we meet Brenda, who is adopted. She met her biological father who is a convicted felon. She went to his house and told him who she was, and he totally denied her, but she feels fine about it, because it gave her some closure. Like Jessica, she also got pregnant the first time she had sex. She has a little girl. She admits to having stretch marks, but feels that it doesn't matter. You just have to work hard, and you can make it.

Alasia is next. She is wearing black leather with chains on her jeans. She admits to being a bad girl, growing up in the hood. But, all that changed when she found Jesus. She quotes a Bible verse, but can't remember the exact quote, and admits to telling her school that she had to leave for family reasons, and knows that when they see the show, they will see that wasn't true.

Krista is next to audition. She talks about her age being 24, and in the modeling industry, they usually stop you at 25, because they think that is your peak. She is open to dating white guys, but she isn't sure, because she thinks that white men's penises remind her of raw meat. Miss J goes nuts at that statement.

Aimee comes in next. She looks a lot like Carol Kane, and has a high breathless sounding voice. Tyra says she sounds like she's on Broadway, and that she feels like she's in Alice in Wonderland, and Aimee is going to tell a story. Aimee says she sings when she talks. Tyra has her sing something about why she is there, and we watch Aimee walk, while she does a voiceover saying that she feels modeling is another way of expressing yourself.

Tatianna is next, and she says she is a volunteer mortician, and she does embalming and cremations. She explains how it is done, and says that she was first interested in medicine when her brother was diagnosed with HIV, and she wants to check out modeling. She has a great interest in glamour. She wants to be associated with something other than a lab coat. After she leaves, Tyra says that she isn't sure if modeling is a passion for Tatianna or if she just wants to get out of the lab.

Jeanna comes in next. She is a plus sized model who is interested in the drag queen look. She loves sparkly clothings and has really big hair. She invented a planet called Glamazonia, that is filled with tall, Amazonian women, and that once a year, they sacrifice a man to procreate. Tyra offers Mr. Jay as the man, and has him lay down on the floor, while Jeanna shows Tyra how they sacrifice him. Very weird!

Naduah is next to be interviewed. She is super excited to see Tyra when she walks in. She says she was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico, but lives in San Diego now. She has a paper in her hand, which she gives Tyra. It's a drawing of Tyra, and Tyra thanks her and says she is going to frame it. They bring up her childhood again. She feels that making a name for herself is why she is there.

Nida is next. She is from TX, but originally from Pakistan. Her parents don't support her choice of career. She wants to be a role model for other Pakistani girls.

Gabrielle is next, and she tells the story of being bi-racial, but she says that she didn't have a good black male role model in her life. She doesn't date. Tyra tells Gabrielle that she reminds her of Angelea, and asks her if she feels she is her competition. Gabrielle says that she does, but that she feels Angelea is cocky.

Alexandra comes in next, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause." She gets a hand from Tyra and the Jays, and introduces herself, saying she is plus-sized, and she feels she has a great fanny, which is large and in charge. She is a girly tomboy.

Anslee comes in. She is newly married, and she has a daughter. She loves being in front of a camera. Tyra has her do some poses for her.

Danielle who is pierced and tattooed wants to be a model, and says that they've never had anyone like her before. Tyra says she thinks Danielle is classicly beautiful. Mr. Jay is worried about how he would do a makeup shoot with all the piercings and stuff.

Time for an elimination. The girls change rooms, and enter a room with Mr. Jay. He says that there are photos with touch panels on them. Those girls with photos that are pending have a chance to become part of the Top Model house, but if you are declined, you are eliminated. The girls all rush to their photos to see if they are in or out. There are squeals of excitement, and tears of disappointment.

Well, we still need to have one more elimination, to get the 20 girls down to 14 or 13, so the girls will now have a photo shoot where they have to show "what supermodel are you?" and have it be apparent which model they are portraying. They get five minutes to put on some CoverGirl makeup and get ready for their photos.

Hallie is Vlada Roslyakova. Angelea is Agyness Dean. Mr. Jay is impressed. Tatianna is Megan Fox. Mr. Jay says, "Is Megan Fox a supermodel?" and all the girls say "no!" Mr. Jay says, this is not "America's Next Hot Chick." Alasia picks Naomi Campbell, but she doesn't know anything about her, so she can't portray her. Alexandra is hilarious with a huge mole drawn on her face, as she is going to be Cindy Crawford. Even though the mole is overdoing it, she does great with her actual poses. Gabrielle is Freja Beha Erichson. Jay is very impressed. Krista is Gisele Bundchen, and does a pretty good job. Naduah is Kate Moss, who she really looks up to. Raina is Adriana Lima, and she gives some classic Adriana poses. Jay calls it a wrap and says that he and Tyra and Miss J will be looking over the photos and choosing which girls will be moving on and which will be going home.

Tyra and the Jays go through the photos. They aren't too impressed with Alasia. They think Alexandra's profile pic looks like she paid $2,000 to get a head shot. Tyra likes Angelea's pic. Anslee's pic looks like something is stinky in the room. Brenda has a great body, but they think she looks kind of 80s. Gabrielle impressed Mr. Jay the most, with the most working models. Hallie is someone that Tyra says isn't fresh. Jeanna is someone that Mr. Jay likes. Jessica looks pageanty. Simone is one that Miss J doesn't see a model in. Krista is pleasant, says Mr. Jay. Tyra loves Naduah's profile pic. Raina's profile pic isn't modelly, but she is still someone Tyra loves. Tatianna is someone Mr. Jay isn't sure of.

Tyra goes back in the room with the girls and says that she and the Jays could only agree on 12 girls.

1. Naduah
2. Jessica
3. Simone
4. Raina
5. Tatianna
6. Alexandra
7. Krista
8. Brenda
9. Alasia
10. Anslee
11. Gabrielle
12. Angelea

I'm disappointed that Aimee and Nida didn't make it. I really liked them.

Tyra says they will be going to New York City, and they will meet the 13th girl there.

Next, we see the models arriving at Times Square. They stop at Madame Tussauds' wax museum where they see a wax statue of Johnny Depp. Next, a guy comes by snapping pics of them. When he lowers the camera, we see that it's celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton. He welcomes the girls and offers to give them a tour of the wax museum. He shows them Paris Hilton's wax figure, but says that he is more famous, so they'll just move on.

Next, is a statue of Tyra, and Perez says, "Don't get me started on this one." Then, Tyra comes out on the balcony above, and says, "Oh no you don't!" She tells the girls that she made a deal with Perez on her show that if he would stop talking about children of celebrities for 6 months, she would let him appear on America's Next Top Model. So, that is why he's there. Tyra brings out Ren, the 13th girl. She comes out on the balcony with Tyra. Tyra has her go down with the girls, and Perez tells her that she's got her work cut out for her cuz the girls need a lot of work. Tyra says that she's got it all set up and they're all going to have makeovers right away.

Ren and Brenda get their hair washed
© The CW

The girls leave the wax museum and see a silver stretch limo waiting for them. They drive off to Sally Hershberger''s salon, where they will all have their makeovers. Sally was in Cycle 13 in Los Angeles also.

The makeovers go as follows:

• Ren gets an edged out look. They also show that Ren doesn't shave her armpits. Gross!!! So, they shave them for her, and Miss J says that this is the first underarm makeover in Top Model history!
• Gabrielle - They bleach her hair and give her a great curly look.
• Krista kind of gets ripped off. Tyra just slicks her hair back and gives her a long pony tail that she can remove and put back on. Although Krista doesn't complain about it, in her interview, she says she hates it, but she doesn't want to let it affect her in the competition.
• Alexandra - They give her some highlights and waves.
• Simone - They shave her hair on one side and give her longish bangs. Very edgy. She loves it.
• Brenda - She says that her fiance loves long hair and she cries when they chop her hair off.
• Naduah - I don't see anything done to her.
• Angelea - They give her a blonde straight weave with a heavy bang. She says "I feel like Tyra." I think the bang is too much, myself.

  Jessica is shocked at her long, dark hair. © The CW
• Raina - They give her long chocolate brown hair, and leave her thick eyebrows like they were.
• Alasia - They curl her hair and give it some volume. Looks good.
• Anslee - She cries when they cut her hair all off. She feels high fashion with her hair cut, though.
• Tatianna - Tyra says that Tatianna looks like Angelia Jolie with her dark hair, so they wanted to go different with her look, and she makes her a golden blonde, keeping the full wavy length.
• Jessica - They give her chocolate brown long straight hair.

When they're done, Mr. Jay says it's time for them to move into their loft. The girls pile into the limo, which takes them to their new home. As soon as they get inside, girls are running to and fro, exploring all the rooms. Gabrielle remarks on how "shiny and blingy and sparkly" it is, and that she feels like a princess. The bedrooms have bunk beds, and there is a great runway, where the girls can practice their walks. Alasia is impressed with the size of the refrigerator and the bathrub. Angelea admires the various pictures of Tyra, doing versions of Tyra's poses herself. She remarks, "That's why she's Tyra Banks. She gets the job done." Everyone goes out on the rooftop terrace, and enjoys the scenic view of the city skyline.

Of course, you know it wouldn't be America's Next Top Model without drama, and Angelea seems like she is going to be providing it in spades. Anslee finds Angelea in the closet, unpacking her clothes, and asks her, "who is getting what section." Angelea seems to think that she has the entire closet, saying, "this is my section," and when Anslee questions, if she's going to be taking half, or what, Angelea gets all defensive, saying, "don't tell me about what I can get." Alexandra admits that the clasing between Angelea and Anslee is just a clashing of identical personalities, and she predicts that they will be butting heads as long as they're both there.

The next morning, everyone is eating some breakfast, and everyone seems to be staring at Angelea, who Brenda admits brings so much negativity, just walking into the room. Brenda notices Angelea giving her a rude stare, and she remarks about it to her, saying, "chill out." Angelea says in her interview, it's not a stare, it's the "bitch please" look, which she gives to people she can't feel. Ohh, boy, it's gonna be a long, interesting cycle.

Time for the first Tyra mail. No actual card mail. This cycle is high tech, with a LED screen that gives you a video message.

"Top models get maximum exposure. u must learn how to cover urself. Luv, Tyra."

Not sure if this is going to be an ongoing thing with the spelling and all. It's almost like Tyra is writing a tweet on Twitter, and has to limit the characters, so she uses the shortened versions of words.

The girls get into the limo, and are taken to a building where they meet Mr. Jay. He tells them that this will be their first photo shoot, and is standing next to a manniquin and another lady, who he introduces as Joanna Konjevod,who will be their stylist today. The models will be modeling designs from Busto Barcelona. Jay tells the girls that they will each be able to pick one item of clothing, but the rest of them is going to be nude. Jessica covers her face in horror at the thought of a nude photo shoot. After the shocked reactions, the credits roll, and you'll have to tune in next week to see what happens.

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