Deemed as having the desire to be a model but not the willingness to make the effort that would be required to fulfill her dreams, Ebony, a 18-year-old student from Sylmar, CA, became the second girl eliminated from the fifth edition of America's Next Top Model during last night's UPN broadcast.
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Top Model 5's third episode (given that last week's two-hour premiere was technically Episodes 1 and 2) began with Tyra and Jay Manuel greeting the girls at the Louis Licari hair salon where each girl received a fabulous makeover intended to jumpstart their high-fashion model transformations. Jay additionally provided tips on how each could either incorporate or depart from their own personal style to punctuate their new dramatic looks.
The next day, the girls found themselves on Rodeo Drive in the company of personal stylist James St. James, who further emphasized the importance of personal style development. Using the style tips they received from Jay, each girl was given $500 to complete a shopping mission in Beverly Hills to find an outfit that portrayed their new style. James St. James judged the girls' finished looks and seemed irritated with Ebony's selection. Lisa's confidence and excellent knowledge of style led her to become the victor and girl who was allowed to keep her new outfit.
The following morning, photo shoot director Jay greeted the girls at a countryside ranch where each was paired with a partner for a very competitive photo shoot. Each pair was challenged to pose in the same outfit and setting so the judges could make side-by-side comparisons of the photos. Before the shoot, Ebony's partner, Lisa, attempted to intimidate her by leading her to believe that the photo shoot outfit wouldn't work with Ebony's body type. And while many of the girls seemed to improve on their work in front of the lens, Jay felt that Ebony still fell flat. "She's got all of this excitement and all this creativity. And then as soon as Ebony steps in front of the camera it all falls by the wayside," he commented.
During the week's elimination ceremony, the judges evaluated the girls' countryside photo shoot along with their new makeovers and ability to evoke their own personal style. Although the judges noticed that Ebony's drastic new look was one of the most eye-catching and that she had a definite desire to become a model, they felt her effort continued to be lackluster as her photo proved to be the less superior. "You impressed me at the castings because you were so obsessed with modeling, but the judges are seeing maybe it's just a dream," Tyra told Ebony just before eliminating her from America's Next Top Model's competition.