I was trading emails with a friend who also watches America's Next Top Model, and she raised a good point - this may have been the most boring season (er, cycle) so far. For the record, CariDee English proved most fierce in taking the title, making her the second champion from the heretofore unknown model breeding ground of North Dakota. And while she's not the dullest of the winners - paging Naima Mora! - the overall run of shows was not particularly interesting.
Why? Well, I've got some theories.
Too much crazy - while Tyra stated in a previous cycle that she didn't want to have each year's group include a bitchy African-American, she's never managed not to cast someone for that role. This time it was Monique, who didn't do quite as well as past archetypes Robyn, Eva, or Camille as far as the modeling went, but she out-classed them all in the crazy. Part of it was hidden by the usual narcissim and immaturity that these contestants have by the truckload, but when she started rubbing things related to her private area on other contestants and their stuff, she vaulted way over the line and into crazy country. Seriously, I hope she's getting some help.
Anyway, she got the gate pretty early in the competition, and while she was clearly not the best contestant there, I have to think that the folks running things decided that she needed to go quickly.
Not enough crazy - that being said, without Monique the best the show could come up with was all of the contestants hating on Melrose, who combined Lisa's know-it-all tendencies with a frustating ability to take good pictures. This season was much less catty, and not a single skank ho poured beer on anyone's weave.
Speaking of beer...
Not enough substances - while I'm not generally in favor of using alcohol as a production tool, it certainly does liven things up a bit. This season was particularly devoid of drunken model wannabes, though it seems like more of the contestants this time around were under 21.
Given how little we saw of the contestants smoking, I wonder if the CW is tighter about showing this than UPN was (thinking it'd be a legacy of the WB and their focus on teen viewers). Then again, the one season where I really remember a lot of contestants smoking was season five, whcih is also the one that (to my mind) included the most drinking.
Not enough final episode - one hour isn't long enough for the finale. There's plenty of stuff between the Cover Girl shoot, the final runway show, the two judging and elimination sessions, and whatever other background stuff that's there to go to 90 minutes or two hours. I say this with a little trepidation, fearing that they'd go the American Idol finale route, where they try to put two pounds of content into a half-ton bag. Heck, make it two separate one-hour episodes, even.
Not enough follow-up - Brooke blew off graduation for the show. Anchal has crippling insecurity based on her past appearance. Michelle might be gay. CariDee tried to kill herself once. All interesting topics of varying seriousness, all fodder for some in-depth TV. Unless you're this show, in which case there's no examination, just labeling that's useful for categorizing - and perhaps eliminating - contestants. On the other hand, coming out or discussing your suicide attempt on national TV probably isn't something that Michelle or CariDee were looking for, so the show isn't necessarily at fault.
Not enough change - really, the show is getting a little formulaic, from the initial winnowing process to the makeover (and the contestant who cries over her hair) to the interview and acting portions to the trip abroad and the go-sees and such. I'd really like to see them mix it up in the future, even if it's just to re-order some of these common elements.
The real wrench in the works for the next season is the lack of writers, given that the producers fired them after they went on strike related to getting representation from the Writers Guild of America. So it may not be the best time for them to shake things up, content-wise. So we may be in for more snores.
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