America's Next Top Model Cycle 15: Season Premiere Recap "High Fashion"

This cycle is taking the competition to a new level and the key words are "high fashion."

The winner this time won't get the cover of Seventeen Magazine, instead they'll get the cover of Beauty in Vogue, a fashion spread in Italian Vogue, a contract with IMG modeling agency, and the usual $100,000 Cover Girl contract.

The opening of the new cycle began with Tyra recounting her awkward, skinny days as a teen catholic-school girl but then she was discovered and she took the bus to go-sees.

So to tie this into the show, we see some of the competition hopefuls at LAX getting onto a bus (getting excited because their names on the seats) and being whisked to Palm Springs. Since we already know who the lucky 14 are who make the actual show, this episode isn't suspenseful but rather enjoyable because we can feel schadenfreude towards some of the girls that didn't go further.

First off the girls are partying around a pool when Tyra shows up looking fierce in gorgeous cat-eye makeup and a side-parted, long, silky bob. She tells them how this cycle is all about high fashion. Unfortunately she herself is still wearing the same type of weird, geometric outfit that she wore last cycle.

Then the Jays show up and tell the girls that they were all put on buses with other girls with the same look because that's how they'll get lumped together by designers. They have to then have a stomp-off with their respective group of look-a-likes. Jordan, a white, bowl-cut, rebel chick with a facial piercing that looks like a mole, stands out here because her walk is terrible even though she's full of herself.

Then the girls meet with the judges (Miss J, Tyra, Mr. Jay) individually. Some can't find the room, others scream on sight of the fabulous trio, and another girl raps. One girl, Esther has a really big chest, size G, and Mr. Jay says that could be a problem. Another girl, Ann is 6'2" and has already been rejected by modeling agencies because she's too tall! Vanessa, a pageant winner from Minnesota, thinks she's got the cover of Vogue already but Tyra takes her off her high horse by telling her she's got the pageant walk.

Afterwards only 20 girls will be "invited" to a party with Cynthia Rowley, the non-invited girls are disappointed but we don't know who they are for the most part since they never were interviewed for this episode. The only non-invited girl we know about is Emily. She wrote in her diary that she didn't want to room with a black girl "eew," was confronted by some black girls as well as Tyra, had a lame, tearful response, but we know that Tyra wouldn't put up with that so buh-bye.

Cynthia tells the 20 hopefuls that designers always design a collection around a "type" so owning your look and standing out is very important. Then Mr. Jay tells the girls he'll take them by twos with the same look for a photo shoot.

Afterwards Tyra and the Jays sit around a screen evaluating the girls and decide who they think will be high fashion enough for the competition.

The girls all gather at night around a beautifully-lit outside set. Tyra calls the names and the girls scream and squeal. The 14 that made it to the actual show are: Anamaria, Ann, Chelsey, Chris, Esther, Jane, Kacey, Kayla, Kendal, Lexie, Liz, Rhianna, Sara, and Terra. Jordan the punk, who didn't get picked, cries and Tyra tells her she didn't think she was serious about the competition, Jordan says she was... but too late for her.

Coming up on the next episode: The girls move to a glass house in Venice, CA and have to walk a very high runway.

Episode notes:
- Anamaria is actually much prettier in real life and seems to have more range than we previously thought.
- Liz also has a baby, works two minimum wage jobs and is on welfare.
- Chris and Terra are sisters and seemed to be joined at the hip.
- Ann is really insecure and someone predicted she'll crack up during the competition because she won't be able to handle it.
- Kacey already tried out for Cycle 11 and she was criticized this time for looking "old."
- Kendal has never been outside of Alabama before.
- Chelsey has already modeled "in L.A." and likes her quirky gap-toothed look, we do too.
- Esther managed to tone down her large assets during the photo shoot and Mr. Jay was impressed.
- Jane looks like a deer caught in the headlights and doesn't seem tough enough to make it far.
- Kayla came in with crazy platinum curls and Tyra made her come back with straight hair and said she looked like a model going to a go-see.
- Lexie was likened to Uma Thurman but she's also vocal about other girls so she needs to learn to be more diplomatic
- Sara's baby is "one quarter African-American," so Tyra deduced that's why she rapped.
- Rhianna is inspired by nature and was made to pose like a cactus, willow and tumbleweed; which she actually did very well.