ANTM Cycle 13 Episode 11

On ANTM Cycle 13 Episode 11, Erin debuts a more humble side, at least at first. Being in the bottom three has apparently finally gotten to her, but she gets a bit more cocky during the challenge, when the girls are tasked with performing a hula dance infused with hip hop. The dance, like all hula, must tell their own story, and they must get the moves down in order to win the challenge. Erin has a dance and cheerleading background, and attempts to dictate what to do to Nicole, who can't tell her right foot from her left. Nicole doesn't appreciate the tips, though, and delivers a hilariously bad hip hop performance. Erin gets all the moves right, but appears mechanical, while Jennifer and Laura actually put some feeling into their dance. The winner gets a five night trip to Maui after the competition, the most expensive prize yet. And Laura, shockingly, wins. She chooses Jennifer to share the vacation with her. Erin's pissed, of course.

For the shoot, the girls are styled as the Hawaiian goddess of volcanos--on top of volcanic rock with waves crashing behind them. But then Mr. J drops a bomb: two girls will be going home at the next judging, rather than the usual three who enter the final challenge. The girls must time the splashing of the rocks and all the elements in the shoot. Jennifer had issues balancing on the rocks and finding a decent facial expression. Nicole rocks it, naturally. "She nailed it for me, the energy, the facial expression, it was just beautiful," says Mr. J. Laura panics and delivers a lackluster performance. "Did you drink last night? It looked a little boozy," is Mr. J's comment. When Erin is told that her face looks hard and annoyed, she sings pop songs in her head in order to soften her face, and ultimately does well.

The editor-in-chief of Seventeen, Ann Shoket, guest judges. Erin gets props for her "glowing" goddess photo. I personally hate Jennifer's shot, which looks cheap and amateur--her mouth is opened rather unattractively. Tyra even uses the word "amateur." Laura's photo looks like a dead ringer for Rachel Hunter, and according to Nigel, looks very Sports Illustrated (which wasn't really what they were going for). I think her face, with all its intensity, looks rather freaky. When Nicole's photo comes out, my first thought is that she's been screwed--her photo, in the wideshot, looks boring, and I know that's impossible because Mr. J raved about her shoot. But in the close up, the genius of her vulnerable facial expression is revealed.

During deliberations, Nigel calls Erin out for being disengenous. Her behavior in front of the judges, in which she giggled, smiled, and nodded her head, was beyond artificial. On the other hand, they describe Jennifer as "endearing and likeable." Nicole is called as the first finalist, and then the rest of the girls are left in limbo in the bottom three. Despite Mr. J's criticism, the judges are impressed by Laura's picture and make her the second finalist. I actually think, despite her attitude, that it should have been Erin. Based on the photos this week, she definitely deserved it. As much as Laura transforms in front of the camera, she isn't a model. If Nicole doesn't win this thing, there's no justice on earth.