Sunday, May 23, 2010

Top Modeling World

Demelza the Bully wins Australia's Next Top Model

Demelza Reveley, the youngest contestant this season at 16, is Australia’s Next Top Model. Despite the bullying controversy and the dig at her unmodel-like hips, she beat Alexandra Girdwood to become the face of Napoleon Perdis cosmetics for the year, also getting her own spread in Australia’s Vogue and a chance to jetset around the world to take on more seasoned models on the international catwalk. 

next top model
Love the way these two embrace each other like they're the best of friends

Reveley won after the ultimate decision was left up to the viewers’ vote when the panel of six judges couldn’t reach a unanimous decision and was split into a tie. And here I thought the viewers’ decision didn’t matter and the whole voting system was all about the pretense of making viewers feel ‘involved’. But it seems that after the indignant outcry of many viewers crying out for Reveley’s blood after the Alamela bullying incident and vowing not to vote for her if she ever ended up in the final two, they had a change of heart. Many say this abrupt turn in Reveley’s popularity had to do with the endless criticism about her weight but I say, given that the other contender was Alex who could give Elvira a run for her money, the choice couldn’t have been that hard in the end.

But one person who was strongly campaigning for Alex to win was Alamela’s father, Peter, who is no doubt now disgusted that the ‘bully’ who taunted his daughter and even tipped a bucket of water over her head ‘to get a reaction’ is the ultimate winner of the competition. He fears that Reveley’s winning would justify the bullying Alamela had been subjected to, which also included, but not shown on TV, Reveley and a couple of others filling condoms with mayonnaise and putting them in Alamela’s bed and slipping chilli in her breakfast. Alamela and her dad had attempted to air their side on ‘A Current Affair’, concerned that the reality TV program was downplaying the whole bullying incident but the idea ‘was canned by the producers’. 
This morning, during an interview with Merrick & Rosso and Kate Ritchie on Nova 96.9fm, Reveley reiterated again that it was a mistake and unfortunately, it was a mistake shown on national TV. During the afterparty the night before, she had apologised to Alamela but no one knows for sure if Alamela has accepted the apology or will ever. Alex, on the other hand, admits that she was on 'a high horse' at the start of the show and that being a runner-up has made her 'humble'. Well, if I had a few months to reflect over the bitchy things I did and said on the show (and reading about people's opinion about your big mouth), I'd be eating humble pie as well. Apparently, she has now signed up with Priscila's and hopes to get castings soon.

Personally, I didn’t want either Demelza or Alex to win. Of all the Top Models I’ve seen – in Australia and overseas, I have never come across two such unlikable finalists that I am sorely tempted to email the judges of the show and rant at them for giving us two pinheads whom I do not want to see grace the covers of any magazine or pout their way down any catwalk – even at a school fete. Boo. As much as I thought she was a complete ditz and you want to run around to hold a lightbulb over her head, I still think Samantha should have won. She may have had a commercial look but how can anyone pick a googley-eyed baby talker (and that’s what Demelza is, I don’t mind admitting) or a squinty-eyed hag with lips you’re hypnotized by because they don’t move, over Samantha? Boo, I say. Boo!!!

And while we’re on the subject of booing, why was Jodhi Meares noticeably absent from the live broadcast? Could it be the flak she got from her nervous twitching, deer-in-the-headlights act she did in the previous year, prompting Charlotte Dawson to take the reins, not to mention the unprofessional way she didn’t even bother hiding her annoyance that her favourite, Stephanie, didn’t win? I say, get rid of her next year. She may be ‘nice’ and ‘maternal’ to the models but she doesn’t do it for me on TV. To the producers, bring on a host with more presence and a selection of girls with a few you can actually cheer for next year because this season has been absolutely dismal. Bah.
This morning, during an interview with Merrick & Rosso and Kate Ritchie on Nova 96.9fm, Reveley reiterated again that it was a mistake and unfortunately, it was a mistake shown on national TV. During the afterparty the night before, she had apologised to Alamela but no one knows for sure if Alamela has accepted the apology or will ever. Alex, on the other hand, admits that she was on 'a high horse' at the start of the show and that being a runner-up has made her 'humble'. Well, if I had a few months to reflect over the bitchy things I did and said on the show (and reading about people's opinion about your big mouth), I'd be eating humble pie as well. Apparently, she has now signed up with Priscila's and hopes to get castings soon.

Personally, I didn’t want either Demelza or Alex to win. Of all the Top Models I’ve seen – in Australia and overseas, I have never come across two such unlikable finalists that I am sorely tempted to email the judges of the show and rant at them for giving us two pinheads whom I do not want to see grace the covers of any magazine or pout their way down any catwalk – even at a school fete. Boo. As much as I thought she was a complete ditz and you want to run around to hold a lightbulb over her head, I still think Samantha should have won. She may have had a commercial look but how can anyone pick a googley-eyed baby talker (and that’s what Demelza is, I don’t mind admitting) or a squinty-eyed hag with lips you’re hypnotized by because they don’t move, over Samantha? Boo, I say. Boo!!!

And while we’re on the subject of booing, why was Jodhi Meares noticeably absent from the live broadcast? Could it be the flak she got from her nervous twitching, deer-in-the-headlights act she did in the previous year, prompting Charlotte Dawson to take the reins, not to mention the unprofessional way she didn’t even bother hiding her annoyance that her favourite, Stephanie, didn’t win? I say, get rid of her next year. She may be ‘nice’ and ‘maternal’ to the models but she doesn’t do it for me on TV. To the producers, bring on a host with more presence and a selection of girls with a few you can actually cheer for next year because this season has been absolutely dismal. Bah.

No comments:

Post a Comment