#16 – Chris Schellenger
There was no real option here; every other model has at least some reason to push them up the rankings, but with Chris only being around for one week it is hard to justify anyone else for last place. In his short stay he seemed like an incredibly positive and energetic guy, but for me he just didn’t scream model. His height was a massive issue. Even being 5’11’’ or 5’10’’ is problematic, and pushing the boundaries, but Chris didn’t even reach that. He is essentially being written off from working in most runways as it is just too noticeable a difference from the vast majority of the models. Realistically he could still work in print, but his height will still be a hurdle to overcome. I am not sure his face is strong enough for this, as while it is a lot stronger than a lot of the other guys, it just isn’t enough.
With only two shots in his portfolio, there does seem to be a recurring theme. Both involved some requirement of masculinity that just wasn’t present. There was a femininity in both which just seemed contrary to the styling, but was more problematic in his weddings shoot. That one just borders on laughable, and Renee completely outshines him with her mediocre performance. His promo shot is nothing incredible either; it feels like he tried to go butch, but sort of failed. I think the body language too weak, but the face does have some potential.
Coming out of this cycle I was expecting very little of Chris: there may be some small niche there for him, but nothing particularly big or mainstream. Of the two initial eliminations, this was definitely the one that made a lot more sense. It was probably better to cut him this early rather than force him to do all the photoshoots, as I doubt we would have seen much progression from him.
