Tyra Banks Picks America’s Next Top Model

With a bevy of beauties including a pair of gorgeous 6ft twins, a girl who survived but lost her mother in a plane crash, the 1st African American Homecoming Queen and a girl who has survived cervical cancer, it’s tough pickings for presenter and judge Tyra Banks in the new series of America’s Next Top Model.

Its up to Tyra and her trustee co-judges; model icon Twiggy, Miss J Alexander, and noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker, to narrow the girls down to the final 13. Also, helping to hand select the girls is make-up artist and photo director Jay Manuel.

Episode 1, showing on Monday 29th January at 9pm, kicks off with the shortlist of 34 girls, whittled down from the thousands of entries who all travel to Los Angeles to try and impress Tyra, Miss J and Jay Emanuel by taking part in a photo shoot at the airport, where they have to display ten of their best poses as their first task. Then as 34 are cut down to 21, the competition gets fiercer with some girls shocked at not getting through the first cut.

Challenge two is to choose a hair extension, their own makes up and … to pose nude. This challenge separates the women from the girls as some feel that the challenge is disrespectful to themselves, and their families, but they eventually drop the towel and do it anyway! As Tyra, Miss Jay and Jay Manuel pick their favourites it’s an anxious wait for the girls, as they see who is seriously in the running and has a 1 in 13 chance of being crowned America’s Next Top Model…

The 13 gorgeous girls who make the cut:

Jaeda - sees herself as “the hot girl”.
Melrose - “I can be your best friend…or your worst enemy!”
Michelle - Tom-boy twin
Eugena - Brutally honest, but calls herself simply “straightforward”.
Brooke - Full of personality - Rapped to the panel to get into final 13
Anchal - Beautiful Indian model in need of a confidence boost
AJ - Edgy wannabe model who wants to show people what it’s like to be different. Survived cervical cancer.
Christian - Impersonates Tyra’s signature poses; ready to take Tyra’s place now that she’s retired.
Megg - Self styled rock chick
Megan - Mother died in a plane crash, that she was also in, when she was 9 years old.
Caridee - Wild one, ready for anything the competition throws at her
Amanda - Girly twin
Monique - Felt different from her sisters, as her skin was a lot darker than theirs.

Season 7 starts exclusively on LIVINGtv from Monday 29th January at 9pm.