Dalya Morrow gets eliminated from 'America's Next Top Model'

Dalya Morrow became the sixth girl eliminated from America's Next Top Model's sixteenth season during Wednesday night's broadcast on The CW.


"I can't believe this particular shoot was the reason why I went home. This time I was thinking way too much and doubting myself as well. It's the worst feeling to know that you won't be able to continue on and show that you have so much more to give, but you know what? I let myself get in my way. I'm almost embarrassed, but I'm still proud of myself. I still made it to the top nine," Dalya said following her ouster.

Dalya was eliminated from the fifth episode of America's Next Top Model's sixteenth season after Top Model's judges reviewed the photos the season's nine remaining finalists had taken at their fourth photo shoot challenge, which required them to release their inner wild side as they were transformed into fashion versions of animals while wearing pieces from fashion stylist and reality TV star Rachel Zoe's faux fur collection.

Dalya, an unemployed 21-year-old from Clear Lake, TX who currently resides in Corona, CA, ended up in the bottom two alongside Molly, a 22-year-old student from Charleston, SC.

Both girls had failed to impress Top Model photo shoot director Jay Manuel and fashion photographer Baldomero Fernandez during the shoot, which featured the girls posing with Muarto, a baby jaguar.


"Today, everything Dalya did was remedial modeling. 'Let me put my hand on my head. Let me put my hand on my hip. Let me cross my legs.' I didn't know who this person was," Jay said of Dalya.

After Dalya's photo shoot ended, Jay told her his concerns and expressed disappointment in her performance.

"It's like you went right back to the most common kind of like model 101 and you're just trying to please. It was just a struggle. I'm not going to lie. It was a struggle today," Jay told Dalya.

Dalya then broke down in tear because she wanted to win America's Next Top Model so badly and felt she was more than deserving to remain in the competition.

"I don't know. I think I just got lost out there and I wasn't trying to get lost, but it kind of hurts because I want this more than anybody here... I know how to model. I proved that," Dalya said following her photo shoot.


Jay felt Dalya was modeling like a true beginner, purely thinking and posing to get a good shot but not putting any real feeling into it. Afterward, he was also less than satisfied with Molly as he felt she was modeling in a "motherly" manner with the jaguar rather than giving off a more fierce look.

"Instead of it being like an intimate moment, I really need to feel a little bit more of that animalistic passion," Jay told Molly.

"I'm not sure if the cat's making you nervous?" Baldomero suggested. 

"Molly was very jarring to look at because it wasn't at all what we were looking for. If you look at yourself in the mirror and you're made to look like this lioness, why would you try to be like June Cleaver? Doesn't work," Jay said after Molly's photo shoot ended.

The next day the girls arrived for the sixteenth season's fourth elimination panel -- where they were met by Top Model judges Tyra Banks, Nigel Barker and Andre Leon Talley as well as guest judge Rachel.


The judges criticized both girls' photos during their panel critiques.

"Your face is interesting. There's definitely a look there. There's a passion, but you missed the fashion altogether. I don't really get it," Nigel told Molly.

"And your hand here is actually bigger than your face. That's not pretty in any photo," Rachel added.

"Molly, I felt you were asleep in your film -- just like, not present -- and if it's because of a bad weave, hunny, I'm a queen of the bad weaves. But I also made sure I had control over [my face]. Okay?" Tyra said.

Dalya's photo was then reviewed.


"When I look at this shot, I almost see tears in your eyes. It looks like you've been taken to a point where you're slightly desperate like, 'Is this going to work?'" Nigel told Dalya.

"I think you could have been the one lady who could have just done extraordinary if you just opened your mouth and roared or something," Andre said.

"I did not know what to do with that animal. I really wanted to give you guys a powerful picture," Dalya pleaded.

"But it's not giving it to us and that's the problem. You have to give it to yourself. The advice I give to you when you model, because of your bone structure, you can't just stand there because your bone structure wears you," Tyra added.

Earlier in the episode, the girls also had to work in three teams of three people and were assigned one look per team that they were required to recreate and emphasize using Covergirl products. They had to work with each other to create a one-minute presentation where one girl would serve as the talent, one would act as the director, and the third girl must write the script. They would then have 10 minutes to get their best take and the team with the best presentation overall would win their skit posted on Covergirl.com. 


The team with Brittani, Mikaela and Kasia won as they tried to recreate a red carpet look, Brittani served as the director, while Mikaela was the talent and Kasia wrote the script.

After the panel deliberated following the models' photo critiques, Tyra revealed the girls in order of the best photo to the worst of the week. Hannah, a 20-year-old student from Houston, TX who currently resides in Austin, TX, received the first call-out.

Following Hannah, Tyra then revealed Brittani, Jaclyn, Monique, Alexandria, Kasia, and Mikaela had also advanced to the competition's next round -- leaving Dalya and Molly in the bottom two.

Tyra then recapped both girls' issues before revealing which one would get to remain in the competition.

"Molly, you've had hair trouble in this competition. Now, I would usually say, 'You know what? The hair was so bad this week, let's give her a chance.' But you had a bad hair weave a couple of weeks ago and you had one of the best pictures in the bunch. Your film this week was disengaged. You were vacant. The Molly that I chose weeks and weeks and weeks ago, she wasn't there," Tyra told her.

"Dalya, this gorgeous bone structure, stunning girl with a little bit more experience than a couple of girls here. But, it seems like you want this so much and there's such a desperation to be America's Next Top Model that maybe you stand in your own way," Tyra said.


"Both of you leave the judges perplexed."

Tyra then revealed Molly's photo, resulting in Dalya's elimination.

"You have so much experience already. You've walked in Fashion Week in LA and stuff. These girls haven't done that, but the strength has to come from inside, because you know the real world of modeling is even crazier than Top Model. Right?" Tyra asked Dalya.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski