By Nicole Churco

It must be difficult to choose only 14 young, aspiring models from a pool of 35, but Tyra, Jay Manuel and Miss Jay Alexander made that job look easy.

The first episode of cycle 10, started off with 35 ladies packed into a small yellow school bus and ended with only 14 continuing on to have a chance at becoming America’s Next Top Model. Each prospect had to go through “Top Model Prep” which is a crash course school for modeling. The main focal points of ‘Top Prep’ are the model’s runway abilities and interview personalities. After “Runway 101” with Miss Jay Alexander, approximately a third of the models were inevitably sent packing.

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Interviews with the judges were next, and as interviews were taking place, drama was brewing. Backstage, some of the girls were talking about what they thought of the competition using words such as “Transvestite”, “Bitch” and “Ghetto”. However, after Fatima, an aspiring model from Somalia, revealed that she was circumcised as a 7 year old girl, the prospects went from back-stabbing and demeaning, to sympathetic and kind.

The last chance the ladies had to make an impression was in their “Senior Class Photos”. Jay Manuel gave the girls a simple black tube top and a fur shall along with 5 minutes to do their own hair and makeup. After a short deliberation, Tyra, Jay and Miss Jay had made up their minds. The diplomas were ready and the “Top Model Prep” graduates of of 2008 were: Allison; the self-proclaimed “silent predator”, Katarzyna; the Poland Born, Ivy League graduate, Kimberly; the slow blonde Barbie, Stacy-Ann; the Funky and energetic girl who got married at 17, Amy or Amis; the comedian who wants to make everyone laugh (and my personal favorite), Claire; the 24 year old mother and wife who has been drinking her own breast milk so that when she goes back home she can continue to breast feed her daughter (I know, I know, gross), Whitney; the plus-sized - who’s out to prove she can be a model, Marvita; the contestant from season 9 who was cut - attended therapy and is back with a vengeance, Lauren; the “Ugly-Beautiful”, edgy, artistic weirdo who will most likely make it far in the competition, Anya; the ‘better with her mouth shut’ optimist, Aimee; the ex-Mormon who converted to follow her dreams, Atalya; the super skinny, quiet one, Fatima; the Somalia born African, who doesn’t feel she fits in as a “typical” American, and lastly, there is Dominque; (I did not save the best for last in this case, she was absolutely the farthest from my favorite) the overconfident, strong-minded “Role-Model” to others. I’m not sure what she thinks a role model should be, but I know that I would not want my daughters looking up to her!

This season of America’s Next Top Model will prove to be entertaining, dramatic, and eye-opening to say the least. With this group of girls, anything is possible.

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