Amiciness is live blogging again for the 3rd episode of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3. Tonight is makeover time for the girls! And that means one of my faves Lourd Ramos is back to give our girls new looks. Watch with me starting 8:45 P.M. (PH time) on STAR World and find out. You could also follow me on Twitter @amiciness for more updates.
Last time, I asked you which of the AsNTM K-pop group photos you liked best… and the results are in. The Wolf Pack, composed of Melissa, Gani, and Celine, has gobbled up the competition and emerged as the poll winners this week.
Wolf Pack’s unofficial 1st mini-album art (I made this LOL)
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. LIVE BLOG IN PROGRESS. Photos added at the end of this post.
On Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 this week, the photo shoot theme is K-pop. Plus, the girls are in group photos. This week is all about coordination and working with your other models, much like a real K-pop group. Some groups successfully displayed their teamwork while others foundered because they didn’t work as a unit. If I were to rank the groups, this is how they would fare:
1. Loup (Wolf, 루) — Melissa, Gani, Celine
I commend the girls on their total transformation. They all really looked androgynous here. Gani is easily the strongest. Strong face, strong stance. Both Melissa and Celine improved a lot from last week. I do however feel that Melissa overdid the masculine thing with her legs-spread-far-apart pose. Celine’s face looks a bit angry. You can be androgynous but still keeping the pretty, which is what Gani successfully did.
They named their group referring to their favorite move, the hair flip. Did they really have to be in all pink, and in office attire even? The styling could have been less coordinated. Franchesca is really the star of this group. To borrow what Nadya said from last cycle, there’s a spring in her step, and air in her hair if there ever is such a thing. My OCD is kicking in a bit because Monika’s hair flip is going the opposite direction. (Nope, I won’t do it. I won’t put in a Zayn/One Direction joke here.) Amanda’s face looks awkward in the photo, aside from that blinking issue.
The other two groups are tied for last:
3. 4s (Force, 포스) — KB, Rani, Tahlia, Kiana
They were given the sexy-sporty theme, but not everybody embodied that in this picture. Tahlia is the saving grace of this photo. Her face is everything. I can’t believe the judges didn’t point out that KB is a no-neck monster here. Mother Tyra will be enraged. Rani is better this week than the last, but I’m still not seeing it yet. I agree with the judges that Kiana wasn’t even present in this photo.
3. 자매 (Sisters) — Loretta, Barbara, Aimee
Sisters they are definitely not. They look like they weren’t even at the same shoot. The clothes and the hair are all over the place. Barbara is giving me BoA realness here. If this was Barbara’s solo photo, this would’ve been really great. Loretta looked lost. I was waiting for more from Aimee in this photo, based on her excellent dancing skills from earlier in the challenge. Plus she seems to be the biggest K-pop fan among the girls.
If I were to rank the girls individually, this would be my ranking:
Gani
Tahlia
Franchesca
Barbara
Melissa
Celine
Monika
Loretta
Aimee
KB
Rani
Amanda
Kiana
The photo shoot could have been better if each group were given a specific K-pop group as an inspiration. They could’ve let the groups watch K-pop music videos beforehand. Instead of the “street” brief, they could’ve assigned the group to emulate 2NE1 or f(x). Or the “girly girl” group with Girls Generation circa “Gee” or “Genie” as inspiration. Or they could have used a different set of “concepts” that K-pop groups actually use: retro (e.g. Wondergirls), quirky (e.g. Orange Caramel), military/strong, and of course cutesy.
Also, this would’ve been better post-makeover. K-pop artists are known for having hairstyles that are ahead of their time, in terms of color and cut. Right now, all of them have almost the same hair — long and straight — which makes for photos that are not so interesting when viewed side by side. Or they could’ve probably given them wigs?
On the execution of this shoot: disappointing. The photos looked overly saturated. The framing (or is it cropping?) is wonky. We can’t even see the shoes in full in two of the photos. Those LED screen backgrounds didn’t help either. What were they even supposed to display? Again, disappointing overall.
Which #AsNTM3 K-pop group had the best photo this week? Vote for your favorite in the poll. Poll closes an hour before the next episode premieres.
Don’t forget to catch Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 on STAR World Asia, with new episodes every Wednesday at 8:45 P.M. (PH time).
I’m live-blogging again for the second episode of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3.UPDATE: Live blog done. Photos added.
Watch the show along with us, on STAR World Asia right now as we update you with the latest, of course with my own (sometimes snark-filled) comments. 😉
Amanda Chan from the Philippines won best photo for the first photo shoot of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3. I agree that Amanda’s is one of the better photos of the bunch. The photo would certainly fit into a Bench Body campaign. However, I think Barbara’s, Monika’s, and Aimee’s (top from left to right) photos are better, and should have been called first.
Barbara‘s photo is the definition of “finding your light.” She is glowing in her photo. She absolutely looks like a jungle goddess here, like she’s announcing to the world “I own this land.” Not to mention, her body is to die for. “Face of an angel, body of a devil” indeed.
You can really see the movement in Monika‘s photo. Like it’s a candid shot of her midway to an exhale. During the episode she was giving a variety of great poses, even flicking her hair around. Her face is absolutely stunning.
Although the judges panned Aimee for having gone through a long time and a lot of prodding to get a good photo, the end result is great.
Those are our favorite photos from Episode 1. Check out the other photos in our episode recap.
Overall, I felt the theme is a bit been-there-done-that. Being shot in the studio didn’t help shake off that feeling. However, it had two things going for it. First, the execution is great. Mike Rosenthal really is a skilled photographer. The photos might have looked even better if the girls were actually in a jungle setting (somewhere in Pulau Ubin, probably?), but then again, it would have been harder to shoot. Second, having the girls pose in swimwear this early tests the girls’ confidence and commitment out of the gate: a great learning experience for all of them.
What do you think about the swimwear theme? Sound off in our comments below.
Who do you think deserved first call-out for her swimwear photo? Vote in our poll below. Poll closes right before the next #AsNTM3 episode.
Amiciness is live-blogging the pilot episode of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3.UPDATE: Live blog done. Photos added! Full episode now available online.
Watch the show along with us, on STAR World Asia at 8:45 PM, as we update you with the latest, of course with our own (sometimes snark-filled) comments. 😉
