Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: A & E

Media Credit: CBS/MCT (From left to right) Twiggy, J. Alexander, Tyra Banks and Nigel Barker serve as the panel of judges in "America's Next Top Model" from season five.

After auditioning thousands of women, "America's Next Top Model" is back with cycle eight and gradually narrowing down their potential top models.

The two-hour premiere on Feb. 28 started out with 32 finalists going through "Model Boot Camp" before they could meet former model and "Top Model" creator Tyra Banks. Banks did make an appearance at boot camp, coming on the scene step-dancing and shouting orders at the models military style.

The 32 finalists were quickly downsized to 13, two of them being plus-sized models, a first in "Top Model" history.

"Hopefully this will give girls a boost in self-esteem and maybe the new trend will be that models don't have to be anorexic and bulimic," sophomore Spanish and secondary education major Rizwan Ishmail said.

Each week there is a different challenge, where the girls must prove that they have the talent and personality it takes to be a model, as well as a photo shoot to prove that they have the looks, poses and fierceness Banks is looking for.

Two of the challenges so far have been runway competitions. The first being a charity show where the girls picked their outfits from Goodwill and auctioned off their own clothes. The second runway challenge took the girls back to high school where they walked the runway in a high school gym for the entire student body in three different prom dresses; "modern contemporary," "80s" and "ghetto fabulous."

So far the photo shoots have included political issues such as pro- and anti-fur, pro- life and pro-choice, high school clichés like class clown, class flirt and teachers pet and a nude shoot in which each girl was covered with candy and glitter to become a different kind of dessert.

When 11 finalists remained, the models got their makeovers, which is a "Top Model" tradition. The majority of the girls handled their makeovers well, not something that can be said for previous cycles. Only a few tears were shed, and some for good reason. After sitting through eight hours of getting her real hair dyed and braided, as well as having a weave sewn to her head, one finalist was told that her new style was not working and all of it was going to be taken out and re-done.

The show is already living up to the standards that past cycles have set in terms of tears, fights, drama and the crazy antics of host Tyra Banks.

MariaElena Catrambone, a sophomore elementary and special education major, said, "I love 'America's Next Top Model' but I hate Tyra Banks. I guess I have to take the bad with the good."

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