America’s Next Top Model recap: heights = breakdowns

We are down to the top 5 on Top Model and the drama is only increasing. Laura thinks because she has gotten best photo twice (out of, what, 8 weeks?), that she is the best model in the competition. Sure, she is ahead right now, but anyone who has seen this show knows that it only takes one bad week for someone to get sent home.

And poor Alisha has no idea what she needs to do to improve. Even Tyra says she looks the most high fashion, but she has already been in the bottom 2 three times. She needs to pull it together and stop being so up and down.

When they arrive at the challenge this week the girls meet hottie Hong Chong actor/musician, Nicholas Tse, and learn how to act in a fight sequence.  The winning girl gets to be in Nicholas’s new music video and Laura wants in on that and in on Nicholas. And lucky for her, she got to work one-on-one with her crush because she is the current best photo crown holder. Did sparks fly? They did for Laura!

Sophie’s whole performance, from her practice fighting to the scene itself was comedic gold. I know girl was doing her best, but she clearly doesn’t have a future as an action star. But at least she knew it wasn’t her thing. I still love her.

Laura ended up winning the challenge, so perhaps her dreams of love could still come true! Alisha isn’t happy with the decision. In her own words, she is “pissed off big time.”  She really seems to be on the verge of a mental break down. One critical word from Tyra and she could easily go the way of Louise.

Back at the house, Laura talks about her flirtation with Nicholas, and when Eboni makes a comment about her ‘sleeping her way to the top,’ Laura flips out. All of the girls side with Eboni and thought that Laura brought it on herself and was overreacting.

At the photo shoot, the girls were going to be photographed by Nigel over 700 feet above the ground in the rain. Sophie and Alisha both have a bit of break down during their shoots because of their fear of heights and Sophie couldn’t even let go of her harness. But Laura does wonderfully, although her over-the-top flirting with Nigel after her love session with Nicholas earlier is a bit ridiculous. She is starting to get a little annoying with her over-confidence.

In judging Alisha still doesn’t get a great critique, Eboni still struggles with her face, and Laura still gets good feedback. Most surprisingly, Sophie doesn’t have an awful photo given her huge meltdown on set. I’m so glad! I’d hate for her to be sent home.

Laura gets best photo again, so we are stuck for another week with her power trip (and Sophie gets runner-up! What a pleasant surprise!).  Alisha is crying the whole time, so she is a mess when she is left in the bottom two with Eboni. Both girls are in the bottom because their photos don’t live up to their physical presence.  Eboni is sent home, but in a surprising twist, Alisha volunteers to go home because she needs to ‘work on herself’. Her break down isn’t overly surprising, it was foreshadowed throughout the episode, but what IS shocking is that Tyra says that Eboni still must go home too.

So two girls are sent home and now we are just down to the final three! Next week, finally, it is go-see time! And at the photo shoot it appears that Laura might be struggling! We can only hope this will but a dent in her cockiness.