Australia’s Next Top Model

Isabelle Vesey, 21, Gold Coast, QLD

Hazel O’Connell, 16, Bathurst, NSW

Georgia Stensness, 19, QLD

Elizabeth Braithwaite, 17, QLD

Cassandra Phillips-Sainsbury, 17, NSW

Caroline Austin, 19, QLD

Annaliese McCann, 16, VIC

Amelia Coutts, 18, NSW

Alissandra Moone, 18, WA

Australia’s Next Top Model kicked off cycle 7 tonight with a boot camp style audition process.

We start with a flashback of the past winners – Gemma, Eboni, Alice, Demelza, Tahnee and Amanda. Who will follow in their footsteps? 100 girls were chosen for the first ever top model boot camp – over three days they will confront the toughest challenges the competition has ever seen.

Judges Alex Perry, Charlotte Dawson and model mentor Josh Flynn will help Sarah O’Hare find model material. Some will crumble; some will fall until 20 are left standing, to fight for the right to be Australia’s Next Top Model.
We see the 100 girls in the model warehouse, with a catwalk that Sarah struts down. She welcomes the girls, and proclaims it’s the biggest search in the history of Top Model worldwide.

By the end of the first day the 100 girls will be culled down by half, so as Sarah needs help doing this, photographer Jez Smith enters with Dawson and Perry.

For the first challenge the girls must model on the catwalk in their swimsuits. The girls go get ready and will come out in groups. The girls complain about the challenge as former model Charlotte Dawson gives them advice.
Group 1 – We have the usual struts and comments from girls, but then comes Jess with a black eye she got playing basketball – all Sarah can say is “bad timing”. But even with a black eye, the girl is gorgeous.

Then we have Elizabeth, 17 from Brisbane also who can’t remember, um, who, what’s her name? Not Charlotte, the other one? Sarah! The poor girl is obviously so nervous and makes for laughs for those of us not genetically blessed.
Then we have what was the highlight of the ad campaign.

We then meet Cassandra, an Indigenous Australian from Bonnyrigg in NSW. Cassandra wants to work, is she can’t do modelling in retail – “Doing something like Supre or Gucci or that”. Poor Charlotte, “Supre or Gucci right? One extreme to the other”, Cassandra explains to camera she’s a fashionista but also likes to be comfy! Haha – fashion isn’t comfy. Then Charlotte boots the boot in saying that she has the ears of Dumbo – ouch!

Next we have Amanda who was reading Vogue while her friends were reading Girlfriend. We then meet Caroline, who the other girls think is gorgeous – and so does she. Charlotte asks her “Do you think you’re beautiful?” To which she nods. Charlotte knew this and thinks madam may be a bit up herself, but she doesn’t mind it and either does Jez. Olympia has a sad story about her mum’s fight with breast cancer and lost 25 kilos to enter this competition.

Izzy likes pop culture and anything that is bright and quirky. She sports a shock of pink and blue hair, and a set of piercing eyes. We then have a girl beat box, one who was born under a tree, an accordion player and a tropical fish lover!

We then get the girls who have made the top 50 and are through to the second challenge. On day two, Jez wakes the girls up at 5am, as that is the life of a model, amid a lot of complaints from the wannabe models.
Now is time for their first photo shoot. 5 photographers, 5 sites and 5mins each. This is no normal Top Model photo shoot – forget hair, make up and fancy clothes. The girls must be a blank canvas.

This shoot will decide the top 20.
Alissandra has amazing cheek bones and is compared to Cate Blanchett, and gives a lot of movement. Montana is very comfortable in front of the camera and 90% of her shots are gorgeous and can’t be faulted. Lauren is a favourite too. Charlotte gets the girls natural, scraping off the makeup and removes the over teased hair of some contestants.

Madeline is the first attacked – whom Charlotte thinks looks like a drag queen (I actually think a drag queen would wear less makeup) and reveals a beautiful girl. Sarah thinks she’s amazing and it can’t be the same girl and is compared to Andie MacDowell. Some are hitting the mark, while others are failing dismally.

A girl called Rosie wanted to leave as the other girls all seemed prettier, but she’s stayed and is giving it a go.
Next Nyajame – Neo, is up who is wearing a wig that Dawson asks her to remove. She removes it, but is fearful of her small head!?! Charlotte and the other model wannabe’s declare her beauty.

Izzy rocks it and is going to be a strong contender. Annalise they like but are worried about her prominent teeth, Cassandra they find a little scary! 50 remain – who will be in the top 30?

The girls are called in groups of 5 and those lucky enough are named. All 30 girls from 100 come onto the runway. The final challenge will be to walk in high stilettos on the catwalk to find out who will be in the top 20 to claw it out for the Australia’s Next Top Model title.

Set to American Idol runner up, Adam Lamberts song “Strut” the girls practice. Who’s gonna be on top? Alex Perry is letting the girls walk in a runway show. He uses experienced models and tells the girls his reputation is on the line. Enter Josh Flynn to help the girls.  With little time the girls are prepped under Perry’s watchful eye. This is not a dress rehearsal, they only have 1 chance. Izzy will open the show.
A girl is called a camel for being timid and odd and he is comparing some girls to road kill – No Megan Gales here. The girls look great and Perry sees star quality in Elizabeth.

The runway show starts and it starts strong. The girls have their ponytails in place and the runway show starts. Some are awful while others kill it. Tension is dominant as the judges deliver their verdict.
The final girls are revealed.

The Top 20 girls are -
Alissandra Moone, 18, WA
Amelia Coutts, 18, NSW
Annaliese McCann, 16, VIC
Caroline Austin, 19, QLD
Cassandra Phillips-Sainsbury, 17, NSW
Elizabeth Braithwaite, 17, QLD
Georgia Stensness, 19, QLD
Hazel O’Connell, 16, Bathurst, NSW
Isabelle Vesey, 21, Gold Coast, QLD
Jessica Bush, 19, Brisbane, QLD
Lauren Middlin, 19, QLD
Madeline Huet, 22, TAS
Montana Cox, 17, VIC
Nyajame Yukuac, known as Neo, 18, QLD – originally South Sudan
Rachel Ridell, 18, VIC
Sarah Boulazeris, 20, NSW
Shannon Gaitz, 18, NSW
Simone Holtznagel, 17 Woolongong, NSW
Tayah Lee-Traub, 18, WA
Yolanda Hodgson, 22, Sydney, NSW

Out of the 20 left only 16 will remain and how will they test it? All the remaining contestants will go to Paris – Next week we will see at 7.30pm on Fox 8.