Vanessa interviews that, for better or worse, she’s a leader. She also feels that Team Madison lacked structure in previous weeks. “I’m not there to be the boss; I’m there to add structure so that we can start winning some events,” she says. Oh, please. Vanessa, you’ve won every task so far. Don’t say “we can start winning” until you’ve actually lost, okay, dear? She’s getting on my nerves awfully quickly.
Over in the Team Park suite, the Park members are trying to come up with ideas for their theme. JW interviews that he feels a definite lull without Vanessa and Rashad. Jaret suggests doing lampshades, and is quickly shot down (and rightly so; that’s a really dumb idea). Jules suggests each member posing as another member of the group, but Niki vetoes that because it’s an overused tactic. Jules interviews that, for the first time, she’s afraid that her team will lose.
Early the next morning, Team Madison’s breakfast arrives as a bleary-eyed Jackaay is putting the finishing touches on her team’s outfits. She finds a note from Kathy and runs into the other room to share it with her teammates. Each team must pick one person to be the announcer for the catwalk. Team Madison unanimously picks Rashad, probably due to his great performance at the auction two weeks ago. Rashad interviews that he feels privileged to be chosen. Over on Team Park, everyone picks Brenden (who’s naturally evolved as the group’s leader now that Vanessa’s gone). Also, the contestants will be treated to makeovers at the Warren Tricomi salon. “Okay, that was worth getting up for,” Vanessa says.
We’re treated to a montage of the contestants getting groomed, buffed, and highlighted. The girls and the guys get pedicures, and the girls get the full makeup and manicure treatment. “I couldn’t ask for more,” Jules says. The girls all seem thrilled, while the guys seem bewildered at best. Some of the contestants need more work than others—Vanessa is told that she’s getting a more “ladylike” hair color, and the stylists are working on Niki to tone down her bleached-blonde hair. Jabe has a very cute moment as he explains that he has very sensitive feet (“I laugh when I take my socks off,” he says) and isn’t used to other people handling them. Then he giggles like a little kid as he receives a foot massage as part of his pedicure.
A team of runway coaches enters the salon, led by Willie Ninja. (“Think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and you’ve got me.”) He calls Latricia and Jabe over to teach them how to strut their stuff on the runway. We get a quick montage of Willie coaching several of the contestants. Some of them (surprisingly, the guys—Jabe and JW) seem to pick up the walk faster than others (like Jackaay). JW interviews that Team Park should easily win this one because they have female team members who really understand fashion. Jules interviews that she worries about her teammates getting too cocky. Latricia, over on her team, interviews that she feels very confident. “This is going to be the first win for Madison,” she says. The scene ends without showing us the finished makeovers—we’ll see those on the runway.
Later that night, the contestants are getting ready for the fashion show backstage. Brenden says that “JW looks tastier than a box of chocolates.” Niki says that the backstage area was complete chaos.
Out front, Kathy welcomes the audience and introduces the panel of judges: Frederique Van Der Wal, author Bettina Zilkha, Tracy Taylor, and style expert Lloyd Boston. She tells the audience that the teams will be judged on wardrobe, creativity, and overall presentation. The team that gets the average highest score wins.
The show starts, and Brenden walks out to introduce his team in their evening wear. (This is also our first chance to see all the contestants post-makeover.) Jules is introduced first, wearing an Oriental-inspired black dress. She struts down to the end of the catwalk and poses. She looks good, but not much different… her hair’s been lightened a little, and she’s wearing more dramatic makeup, and she looks more tanned than usual (although that could be due to the lighting). She interviews that she was very nervous walking down the runway.
Next comes Jaret, wearing a dark suit with a powder-blue turtleneck. And hoo boy, did he clean up nicely. I’m not crazy about his outfit, but his hair was cut and spiked, and he looks very nice. He interviews that looking better makes him feel better about himself. Next is Niki, in a white dress and sweater. Her hair’s been cut into nice layers and she has very cute bangs now, and her hair color is more of a golden blonde now (much, much better than the bleached-out look she was sporting before).
Then JW comes out in a suit, and wow, I almost didn’t recognize him. His blonde mop of hair has been cut and spiked up, and it totally changes his face. I think I may have actually preferred the old JW to the new one, though. Jules takes over the microphone as Brenden does his turn on the catwalk, wearing a Rick Hilton-inspired suit. His hair looks darker and he looks more tanned, but otherwise he hasn’t changed much. But he has the model pose down. Wow, these boys are sexy!
Backstage, Team Madison is praying together before they go onstage. Kathy introduces Team Madison and Rashad comes out on stage to announce his teammates. He’s wearing a striped shirt and an odd-looking hat, and acts very laid-back as he speaks into the microphone. “We’ve got styles coming at you from casual to classic to classy,” he says. “Give it up for Team Madison, ladies and gentlemen.” Latricia interviews that Rashad didn’t really have the right audience in mind, and that he sounded like he was at a rap concert.
Latricia comes out in a Ralph Lauren dress and sunglasses, with a scarf wrapped around her head. And she actually looks very classy. “When a person wears clothes, they also wear attitude,” she says. Next, Jabe comes out in designer jeans, a button-down shirt, and a long, tan coat. His short hair has been dyed blonde, and, like with JW, I liked him better before. Oh, well. Jackaay clumps down the runway in a layered dress. Her hair looks much better (it’s lighter, layered, and she’s got some long bangs going), but she still walks like she’s not really comfortable in her body. “I’m still always going to be a tomboy at heart,” she says. Vanessa comes out in a sparkly black cocktail dress, and wow. She looks fantastic. Her hair’s been dyed dark red, and she looks a little like Julianne Moore now. She still annoys me, but she’s easily the best-looking person on her team. Rashad walks the runway last, wearing a pinstriped suit. He doesn’t look any different than he did before the makeover.
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