'Top Model': When Winning is Really Losing (Friends)

With 10 contestants left, things are starting to feel belligerent, um, competitive around the "America's Next Top Model" house.

It all started with Benny Ninja who, as if administering some kind of freak shock therapy, got the girls prepped for their challenge by shrieking "Pose!" at random intervals while the terrified-looking beauties bounced precariously on a trampoline.

Later, he led them through a challenge that had the girls summoning emotional poses and straining to keep their bodies elegant as they were being lifted by an ice skater. Graceful Lisa emerged as the winner. What did she win? A photo shoot with Season 6's Danielle Evans, the hands-down nicest contestant to ever win "ANTM." (Can we just say that we were so happy to see 'old Danielle? Who couldn't love her, Season 6's dark horse, who rose above bad teeth and beyond-twangy Southern accent to grab the title?)

Of course in winning the challenge, Lisa also earned the All-Your-Housemates-Despise-You Prize, with all the model wannabes saying pretty much in the open that Lisa was, in fact, not all that.

Start spreading the news: It's Janet's turn to go. (Michael Yarish/The CW)

But Lisa held her head high and managed to avoid that bitter and ready-for-retirement reality TV refrain: "I'm not here to make friends." In her mature way, Lisa accepts that not everyone is going to like her in this world. Props to Lisa. That is one of the best girl-power moments "ANTM" has offered all season.

Is it all just a case of the other ladies in the house sensing a real threat from the tallest, arguably most attractive model in the house? Lisa sure doesn't seem as deserving of all the bad energy as, say, Diva Eva. And Lisa thinks it's jealousy too, and she explains as much to Tyra and Co. when prodded before the panel.

"Never dull your shine for someone else," Tyra tells her.

On the subject of dull, when, oh, when will Ebony go? She finally managed to bring out some personality during the second challenge, which required the girls to ape gargoyles on the roof of a skyscraper. Meanwhile, it was Ambreal and Liza Minnelli doppelganger Janet who spent entire show wringing their hands over their modeling abilities; the judges didn't spend nearly as long singling them out as the bottom two.

In the end, it was Liza/Janet who goes, bringing the count down to 9.

Lessons this episode: Shockingly, none. Perhaps it's because we didn't see Tyra till nearly 45 minutes in. We learned something, though: if you missed the drama, or you want to get an actual tally of all the nasty little glances in last night's episode, you can actually see the full episodes on the CW Web site.

By Lavanya Ramanathan |  October 18, 2007; 8:00 AM ET America's Next Top Model
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