Kathy, a house painter from Brevard, N.C., was the first girl eliminated during the sixth-cycle premiere of UPN's hit series 'America's Next Top Model,' reducing the pool from 13 girls to 12.
The 13 finalists met with Jay Manuel and Janice Dickinson to complete their very first challenge, a press conference that would help develop each girl's personality and public speaking skills. During the conference, the girls were seated at two tables with only a few microphones, which forced them to compete amongst each other for the spotlight. As the challenge concluded, it was determined that Nnenna exhibited the best presence during the conference allowing her first choice of bedrooms in the beautiful Los Angeles mansion.
As the girls became acquainted with their glamorous new surroundings, insecurities and tension began to develop. Kathy seemed to become a bit insecure around the other girls as they relaxed in the pool, while Jade's strong personality became quite a match for Gina's fragile ego.
Tyra arrived at the mansion the next morning to welcome the girls to the competition and answer questions about the fashion industry. Later, the girls were taken to the Warren Tricomi salon where Jay Manuel and supermodel Eve Salvail announced that for their first photo shoot, each girl would be challenged to reveal their inner beauty and appear bald. After worried expressions and uncertainty began to build over the possibility of losing their hair, Jay revealed that the girls would actually be put through a grueling make-up process that would only make them appear bald. As part of the photo concept, the girls were decorated with beautiful Swarovski crystals and posed with mannequin heads. Kathy grew to like her bald look, but seemed a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera and had trouble looking natural. 'She went from a squinty look to a deer caught in headlights,' Jay noted after the shoot.
Although many of the girls had room for improvement, Tyra and the judges felt that Kathy didn't exhibit the potential it took to become 'America's Next Top Model.' 'Some of the judges say they see a pretty girl from the hometown that's cute, but in the world of modeling, it just doesn't measure up,' Tyra said to Kathy just before eliminating her from the competition.
This cycle, Tyra Banks once again leads the panel of judges that will narrow the field of girls each week, as they take them into a high-pressure, high-stakes series of competitions that will determine the series winner. Legendary supermodel Twiggy, renowned photographer Nigel Barker and J. Alexander, an acclaimed runway expert, also serve as judges.
The winner of UPN's 'America's Next Top Model' will have the opportunity to be managed by Ford Models. She also receives a $100,000 contract with cosmetics giant CoverGirl. Finally, the winner appears in a fashion spread in 'Elle' magazine.
