#cycle22week7

There were quite a few great shots this week, but Nyle just annihilated everyone. He looks like a legitimate male supermodel and his photo could be straight out of literally any major fashion magazine. His face is simply magnetic and his eyes are just mesmerizing and piercing right through the camera. I love how he’s leaning in to connect with the husky, and the subtle way he’s mirroring its position is genius. He’s selling the clothes like a pro, and his pose is very relaxed but still commanding. The only change I could suggest is that he should’ve bent his leg a little less, but the sheer brilliance of everything else happening in the photo make that minute issue irrelevant. This photo is Nyle’s breakout star moment and it’s without a shadow of doubt my favorite shot of cycle and one of my favorites in the entire series.

There isn’t anything technically wrong with this shot. Nyle got all the doll-like elements down: the harsh-joints, the hot but vacant stare and the clasped hands. He also managed to look smoking hot, with both his body and face looks incredible, and literally like a real-life Ken. Nyle definitely did everything expected of him, but the fact is Mikey and Lacey gave the shots a little bit of life. They make Nyle’s just seem almost too literal in comparison.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I really love Dustin’s photo! The interaction he has with the dog is one of the best of the week and their connection really sells the shot. Profile is definitely his money angle; his jawline is amazing and there’s a lot of intensity in the one eye we can see. The clothes look great on him and the pose is solid as well, although the dangling arm isn’t my favorite. This is a pretty strong shot of Dustin overall! Dustin wasn’t my first choice for the comeback, but I don’t think it was undeserved based on how the episode played out: he did well at go-sees and had one of the strongest pictures out of the comebacks. I would’ve given the edge to Ava or maybe Stefano, but Dustin wasn’t a bad option.

While it was close, Mikey’s shot just feels the most complete for me. In spite of that, I am frustrated it is the same thing we have been getting the entire time. I did consider giving Lacey the top spot as she probably pushed herself the most, but in the end I realised Mikey did the best; the concept somewhat boxed him it, so he did what he knows best, and nailed it. This is the best his face has photographed for me, and despite reading still, the way he is leaning in makes him seem like he is about to break into motion. It is that spark that makes the shot a little bit more interesting than the other hot guys. The body is strong too, and the clothes look good. Every element of the shot just comes together; resulting in this jungle fighter vibe, while being effortlessly cool. How much of this is really down to Mikey is up for debate, but that doesn’t stop it being the best photograph.

Courtney’s time in the competition was up. This is another slightly awkward photo, but is her weakest to date. Normally her face makes up for her poor posing, but here there isn’t any redemption. The face just doesn’t pierce through the facial piece and make-up. Courtney clearly struggled to bring the fierceness, and just comes off looking out of place. The body is probably the weakest too; her limbs just feel overly robotic, but then the hands don’t match. The others managed to get the illusion of joints without seeming too stiff, but Courtney again failed. There isn’t anything she managed to do well in this shot, and I’m glad the judges didn’t try to string her along any further.

The third great profile shot of the week! Hadassah’s progress continues to amaze me. Her profile is insanely beautiful, and I love how prim and proper she looks here. The haughty expression on her face fits the shot perfectly and the way she’s about to delicately lift the dog’s chin fully embodies the rich, obsessive poodle owner character she brought to the table. The clothes look awesome on her and she managed to use her angles to make herself appear much taller despite being in a sitting position. This shot is super glamorous and definitely Hadassah’s peak in the competition!

The only thing I would change about Ava’s shot is her damn mullet; besides that her photo is stellar! She looks so high class and bitchy, and I kind of want her to throw her tea in somebody’s face. There’s so much personality in her expression even with her eyes closed. Her profile is so gorgeous and I love the uppity way she’s checking her nails as well. Ava’s photo is fantastic and my favorite of the returning models. That alone makes her my number one choice for the comeback spot, but since she faltered at go-sees I can see why she wasn’t given another shot at competing. (Although no matter who the comeback was I don’t think they could’ve made it more than a week or two against the remaining cast).

This isn’t really much different from any of Mikey’s past shots, but it’s a strong one nonetheless. His face is evoking a lot of power, and I actually don’t mind the open mouth for once. The clothes are being shown well and I love how dog’s profile plays against Mikey directing all of his energy straight forward. I was surprised that he landed in the bottom 3 for this, it’s one of the stronger shots from the remaining models.