For Those of Us Who Can’t Get Enough ANTM

For Those of Us Who Can’t Get Enough ANTM, There’s Australia’s Next Top Model by Roxanne McDonald

It’s ANTM down under, too, but that stands for “Australia’s Next Top Model.” And it is just as engaging a reality show as its sister program is.

It’s ANTM down under, too, but that stands for “Australia’s Next Top Model.” And it is just as engaging a reality show as its sister program is.

Maybe it’s no surprise, considering there are twelve other international versions of “America’s Next Top Model,” but I find “Australia’s Next Top Model” fascinating enough that it is now on my personal reality TV line-up. (Now that there’s bragging rights!)

Of course I adore all things (or shows) Aussie, so it is really no surprise to me, who has seen Muriel’s Wedding, Once Were Warriors and Mad Max a combined total of, oh, fifty or sixty times.
Anyway, is this article about my viewing habits or about A2NTM?

“Australia’s Next Top Model” has some interesting differences, a curiously different shape or style:

Erika Heynatz is the professional model and presenter who hosts “Australia’s Next Top Model. She’s a bit more severe than Tyra: “You may be in a dance studio, but you can forget about dancing. You’ve got to learn how to walk first.” In training sessions, too, the girls are seemingly thicker-skinned than ANTM hopefuls, nonplussed, usually by the blunt “Change this” or the brusque “Quit doing that.”

They don’t seem to freak out when Erika tells them their “posture is shocking” or they need to knock off the holding of the mouth that way, or that they are “expect[ed] to be as quick and professional as [they] can backstage…and when [they] come out on the runway, there’s no room for messing up.”

Erika’s more serious when judging and announcing who’s still in the running. And while there are fewer warm fuzzies in the judges chambers where the process is also done one-girl-at-a-time, rather than in front of all contestants, the candidates on the floor are given a different leeway: they laugh and joke, they discuss how proud or pleased they are with their final pictures, and they crosstalk. “talking back” as we would call it when a judge gives an opinion or advice.

And Erika, as well as the professional makeup and camera crew, aalso have their relaxed moments. Erika has her moments where she is just funny, playful, teasing with the girls who in those moments see her as more of a sister than a judge. And the photographers and others will often be heard laughing and joking with the girls—who are also self-effacing and cracking wise.

In the mansion—which is more like a townhouse, which the girls respect and appreciate more—they seem to get or make more phone calls (or the camera time covers more of their phoning home sessions); they receive packages from home (which I’ve not seen on ANTM); but they engage in just as much cattiness and caterwauling.
There’s also the equivalent of TyraMail—known as, cute, E-mail.
There are equally clear and succinct guidelines.
There are yikes moments when the photographer is as cold and short as to say, “I’m just gonna wait for you to show me [bigger]. Otherwise, if you can’t, we’ll just get someone else.”
And there are wow moments, where the beautiful candidate is climbing on a horse and snaps at Erika, who is helping her, “Don’t push me! I might fall off!” [Would we ever hear a contestant snap at Tyra like that, whoo doggie, she would be gone as soon as Tyra could say, “Oh no you di-n’t.”]

There doesn’t seem to be a set make-up artist expert, or if there is one, he doesn’t seem to be as high profile as Jay Manuel is. Then again, in makeover events and in challenge rewards, the Australian model hopefuls who are winners (or just all the models in need of re-do) get some pretty specific treatment(s). For example, instead of having a day of haircuts and styling and makeup and the like, the Australian models have an eyebrow specialist do their eyebrows only. And as odd as that may be for us, evidently this eyebrow person is world renowned for doing just that and is booked months in advance, etc., etc., so maybe she is their Jay…though they have, from what I have seen thus far, no Miss J Alexander!

SirLinksAlot Australia’s Next Top Model links

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