New Zealand's Next Top Model
[ 20 April 2009 ]
Are any of you watching New Zealand’s Next Top Model? It is totally fascinating, I am obsessed.
I made an American friend of mine watch an episode & when Teryl-Leigh started talking, we spoke at the same time. Him: “Can you translate that for me?” Me: “I have no idea what she just said.” New Zealand accent ahoy!
Where would you put your money? I think the final 2 will be Christobelle & Laura, but I also really like Rebecca Rose & Victoria’s looks.
It’s funny because so many of the girls look like people I know — they have really New Zealand faces. Ruby looks like a girl I used to catch the school bus with, Christobelle reminds me of a girl I used to work with, & I am convinced I’ve actually met Laura & Victoria before.
I’m really surprised by the fact that the contestants are all so white — with the exception of Ajoh. Where are the Maori girls at?! So many Maori girls are jaw-droppingly beautiful. There was some mention made of Ruby having some Maori heritage but, well, you wouldn’t know it to look at her. There are no Asian or Pacific Island girls either, which is really weird, because it’s not like they don’t exist!
So, what do you think? Embarrassing? Culturally insightful? A hideous train-wreck or good quality television? Oh… & Australia’s Next Top Model starts up again soon (April 28th)! The girls on there are hilarious — in personality & demeanour! It’s definitely the most dramatic regional variety of the Top Model franchise, though having said that, it did actually produce a real model: Alice Burdeu.
If you’re in New Zealand you can watch the show online here. If not, you can watch online: episode 1, episode 2, episode 3 & episode 4!
Extra For Experts:
New Zealand’s Next Top Model on Wikipedia
Behind the scenes at NZ’s Next Top Model
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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i haven’t been watching it but it sounds fun. anything is better than Britain’s next top model, that’s for absolute certain. speaking of which, are you planning on coming to london any time soon? we’d love to have you. xx
Maya — I started watching BNTM when it began but I had to stop, it was painful. Terrible, terrible! I quite like Canada’s NTM though. So I guess I watch the American, Australian, Canadian & NZ varieties. More than enough, haha. & I don’t have any plans to come to London in the near future — someone give me a reason or tell me about an event I’d like & I’ll make it happen!
I didn’t even KNOW there was a New Zealand top model at all! I live in Australia and I didn’t know this?! That’s odd, I figured it would pop up on pay tv somewhere…
I can’t wait for aus model to start, I have an addiction to that show, I swear, every April I see the promos and get excited! haha. It is extremely dramatic and out there sometimes, and I have some memories of some big dummy spits, but that makes it even more interesting to watch!
Love picking the winner on day one, my Mum and I do it often! haha.
Tea — My pleeeeeasure little one! Hope you enjoy it, when you’ve watched it let me know what you think!
Jacinta — They’ve been really keeping it on the low, hardly anyone even knows it exists, so I guess I wanted to do my bit. Hahah. & YES to dummy spits, I will never forget Paloma — I loved her so much — as well as the girls calling one another “moles”. Hahahahah. AMAZING.
I’m watching! As well as Cycle 12 of ANTM. There is a new cycle of Britain’s Next Top Model starting tonight. I think I need help for my addiction ;)
I had no idea there were so many NTMs! That looks amazing. I’l have to watch the episodes you posted when I have some time.
And I agree about the Maori girls. I hope they’re represented in the next season. When I was in NZ I was so struck by the beauty of their culture and language that I immediately began studying it. I only know a few Maori phrases yet, but I’m working on it!
I just watched some promos of NZNTM, and it looks interesting! The judges seem cool too, so I’m going to look out for it, I didn’t know there was an NZ one. I think the only ones shown here in the UK are America, Britain and sometimes Canada. Agreeing with what Maya said, Britain’s Next Top Model isn’t great…and seconding Maya again, we’d love to see you in London one day :D
Also, I’m not sure if you got the email I sent a little while ago (?) but thankyou again for having me as one of the Silhouette necklace winners a while back! I love the one I got and wear it lots. Cheers, Gala! :) x
thank you SOOO much for bringing New Zealand’s Next Top Model into my little NTM-obsessed world! I’ve watched all seasons of all the NTM shows in the languages I speak, French, German, and English, but somehow New Zealand’s Next Top Model had escaped my notice. Thank you so, so much! This will probably make my day.
I’ll be off to watch it right now! Thank youuu!
I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds great. That’s a beautiful picture that you posted. Love it!
positivelypresent.typepad.com
I don’t like the new format of the new ANTM though, they don’t even get to win a shoot for Vogue anymore ! Its now for Cosmo, which is hardly a fashion magazine, its probably more renowned for sex tips and stuff.
So fair enough if they win they’re still technically a model, but not like the previous years were they model for Vogue and good high end brand and magazines. Now they’ll be considered more like print ad models for like catalogues :S
What magazine do they win a shoot in for the NZ version ??
i live in the US, so i haven’t seen NZNTM (? abbreviation??). however, i have been loosely following ANTM, and i have had a bunch of people tell me i look like allison harvard! i take it as a compliment, because i think she looks cute. on the internets, however, people seem to think she looks creepy…XD
I hate watching vids on my computer (I’m too into multi-tasking) so I wish they would show all of the international Top Model competitions on TV. Do they have a Top Model premium station? I would so pay to subscribe to that! I’d like to know your thoughts on the American competition if you’re following this cycle.
Alzy — It’s just so weird how they’re so under-represented, I mean, they’re an integral part of our country! It boggles the mind. It’d be interesting to know more about the audition process, it might have just been that not many Maori girls tried out… who knows?
Sugar K — I love Charlotte Dawson who is one of the judges in AusNTM, she’s hilarious. She’s a New Zealander who has been adopted by Australia (happens all the time, & vice versa, haha), & pretty much the only well-known NZer who actually interests me ;D Oh, & you’re welcome!
elle — Yay, let me know what you think!
Courtney — They win a shoot in Cleo. I don’t know if ANTM winners ever got a shoot in Vogue… That doesn’t sound right to me, though they did in Australia’s Next Top Model…
Gia G. — Allison is adorable! I like her a lot.
J — I would pay for that channel too. Top Model on demand would make me super-happy. I still love watching Elyse Sewell & Jade the “biracial butterfly” & “undiscovered supermodel” — tooooo good. I’ve been watching the latest season of ANTM but I missed it last week because I was out or something. I like Allison a lot, as well as Fo & Celia & London (though someone on Twitter said one of them had been booted out in the last ep., which made me really sad!). Who do you like?
YES!
Thanks you so much for writing about this, Gala! I’m a Canuck who has just returned from a 6-month museum internship in New Zealand. NZNTM began in my final month there, and it was like a cultural litmus test! I was thrilled to get all (or most) of the references! I usually write these rambling mass e-mails to my friends, and I wrote all about NZNTM in my most recent one…in an attempt to sum up my NZ experiences. I think my guy friends were hoping to hear more about bungee jumping and less about how unfair it was that Lucy and Olivia were constantly being compared to each other. haha!
I was also disappointed to see the lack of Maori, Asian and Pacific Island girls on the show. I hope Christobelle, Victoria, Ajoh and Rebecca Rose are among the top five girls. Teryl-Leigh, too, because she’s got spunk. And Christobelle- – WHOA. All I can say is that I certainly didn’t look like that at 16. Then again, I predict that my awkward stage will finally end when I’m 47.
I didn’t know there was one. The girl in that photo is beautiful!
Kylie Jean — Teryl-Leigh is my least favourite of the bunch. Everything about her drives me nuts!
YSLGuy — For real, she’s beautiful, & seems really mischievous & awesome too.
ohhhh i LOVE australias next top model! it’s so much better than america’s NTM.
plus it’s more about the actual modeling not just vague confusing things that trya says like “Smile with your eyes” and “tension”
Funny! And oh no! Not another reality show for me to become obsessed with!!! ;-)
Kisses from Paris!
xoxo
www.chicsetera.com
I had no idea that we could watch it online (or that it even existed) – but looking at the background of the photo…damn NZ is so beautiful! I hope I can go back for a visit soon!
amelia — “Tension” is the new “smile with your eyes”, for sure.
Tea — That makes me very sad. What could they have possibly said to make her change her mind?! Do you know?
Frankie’s hair! I’m a fan!
And I love the name Hosanna.
I think I am going to watch all of these this afternoon…
Tea — Buh, yuck, tall poppy syndrome rears its ugly head. Sigh.
Oh!!! I wish I had time for TV. Class needs to be over… like now!
Yes I watch it! I love it! I’ve never watched any other NTM shows, but I had to catch my local version. I used to be Ngahuia Williams’ Social Studies teacher when she was 13, and she was LOVELY – one of the nicest students I’ve ever taught. And back in the day one of my friends used to flat with a male model, who I THINK was Chris Sisarich. (Yes, this whole country is a small town!) Hey, Ruby and Hosanna are Maori, I thought that was obvious by their looks, but yes, I’m surprised there aren’t any Asian girls. Ruby and Hosanna are my favourites, and I also think Victoria and Laura are good. I will maintain a discreet silence about the ones I DON“T like! ;)
I love Christobelle, Ruby and Rebecca-Rose. It’s slightly embarrassing to watch, though. They all have such strong New Zealand accents, and my accent isn’t particularly strong…it’s sort of a mash up between kiwi, australian and british. I’m also disappointed by the critiquing of the photos…the judges don’t seem to know what they’re on about most of the time! I’ve heard many a “I love this photo” to a photo that’s average or even terrible. The main difference I notice between the Anerican version and the Kiwi version is that I like the kiwi girls a whole lot more in their video diary/confessional bit – they seem a lot more relatable than the American girls, who I always thought were odd. The Kiwi girls tell it like it is and are less conniving, I think.
Yeah, there’s definitely much less bitchiness in NZTM – there’s a distinct lack of divas! God, Teryl-Leigh’s accent though…
I really like it, I think although they have there fall outs it’s a lot less bitchy than the American one. They actually like each other and it’s less win at all costs, when they leave they seem to say the best thing about this experience has been meeting the other girls, which you don’t get so much on other regional variations. It’s sweet.
I saw a billboard of the girls and their facial features are all exactly the same (well almost). Pointy upturned nose, eye shape, facial shape, mouths… very pronounced New Zealand features. I could swear they all looked related. :P
Also Teryl-Leigh’s voice ARRRGH!
My money’s on Christobelle, although I’d really like to see Ruby in the top 3.
Quote of the series so far: When a makeover artist told Hosanna she had a Mediterranean look, and she asked if that was near South America. Classic.
I watched one episode, and felt so embarrassed to be a New Zealander, to be honest. Although, I dig the male judge, whoever he is, and the set was pretty cool (in the judging catwalk room) with all the colors. I think the girls just were not that.. different-looking.
You’re right, G, in the way that I think they could have picked more different ethnics. It would have made it more interesting. I think they just want to be on the safe side. Oh, I also went to school with rachel rose & she always aspired to be a model.
haha our flat’s friday routine is to watch NZNTM and laugh. My favourite overall is Christobelle she seems so down to earth and has a sense of humour about the whole thing which the rest of them sorely lack. Arrgh… This show would be 10000x more palatable if they toned down the obvious references to ANTM; “Sara Mail”, “Looooooove, Sara” etc. So ridiculous.
Oooh, I might check out NZNTM when I have a bit more time. At the moment, though, my vote for best-of-the-franchise goes to Germany’s Next Top Model! I can’t stomach the bitchiness of ANTM, but GNTM is so much nicer-spirited.
Even though it’s disappointing to see a definite absence of Maori/PI models on NZNTM (and this may just come down to many being too ‘shame’ to audition) it’s good to see in the ‘real world’ almost all of NZ’s top models are Maori/PI
e.g Grace from Nova, Ngahuia from 62, Tia from Clyne
Grace – www.mhi.co.nz/model_profile.cf…
Ngahuia – www.62models.co.nz/62_display….
Tia – www.clynemodels.com/portfolio….
(hehe, what a geek)
Christobelle is beautiful! i also like Lucy and Ruby.
Can’t stand RebeccaRose though but yeah you’re right its a real shame how mono cultural the show is. its not a good reflection of nz society.
Nadine — Who is Ngahuia Williams? Was she in the final 30? I would never have guessed that Hosanna was Maori, ditto on Ruby actually, the only reason I know is because they mentioned it! Well done on your discreet silence, very diplomatic ;D
Magdalena — The accents are really strong on some of the girls, especially Teryl-Leigh, holy whoah. I don’t think my accent is very strong either so when I hear a really thick one it kind of freaks me out. When I came back to NZ after having been in the States for a while I would get upset whenever John Key would come on television, purely based on how he spoke. It was maddening!
Gem Wilder — Oh dude. I missed that. Supreme :D
Lux — Embarrassed to be a New Zealander for what reason? The accents or just the fact that it’s obviously being done on a smaller budget than ANTM? To be fair, if it’s the latter, have you ever gone back & watched the first & second seasons of ANTM? It is insanely low budget, it takes time for that kind of stuff to build I guess!
Leilani — Haha, when I was writing that bit I was thinking, GEE LEILANI’S BEAUTIFUL, WHY DIDN’T SHE TRY OUT? Were you too “shame”? Hahaha! Truth though!
Ngahuia Williams shows up on later NZNTM episodes – she’s one of our biggest models, – I tried to link her, but it didn’t work (but just check the www.62models.co.nz site and you’ll see her) but you’ll see her if you keep watching anyway : )
LOL I didn’t consider it, but if I did…I think I would have decided I was too ‘shame’ for sure, and here’s some kiwi slang for ya – people woulda gone, ‘oi, did you try out for NTM? watta eatarse!’ lol.
Leilani — AHAHAHA omg, eatarse, you just made me laugh so hard. Hey P.S. next time you come back to NYC we are going shopping, & David can like it or lump it! ;D
alice was always a favourite of mine. i disliked the last season of antm due to all the bulling. it was awful. the new season of antm looks like it’s going to be amusing. they all look super young & bitchy. meow!
I’m friends with Ruby’s brother so have been getting the inside scoop. All info has to be kept silent for fear of a $1 mill fine (for reals).
Ruby is maori but is the whitest looking one in the family.
There are a couple on the show I can’t stand, the one I like least is Rebecca-Rose, her body is FAR too small for her head. But most of all Teryl Leigh’s voice is SO embarrassing!
I’m delurking just to point out that I get mental images of Teryl-Leigh eating “fush and chups” on the “torlit” whenever I hear her speak. If she wins, she’ll definitely have to take speech lessons, because no one will be able to understand her internationally.
My favourite is Ruby because she is the only one that looks like she might be Maori (and she’s cute!). I think the lack of Maori and PI girls might be because, in general, they’re on the shorter side.
emma emma! — Oh man, Alice crying when she got sunburnt really put me off her forever, unfortunately…
Ms Constantine — Exciting! They’ve finished filming etc. already, right?
Darnielle — I just laughed until I snorted. Yeah, I was thinking about that. Does anyone remember how Danielle (who won ANTM) had to take elocution lessons because of her strong Southern accent? P.S. “Torlit” = PET PEEVE!
haha! i actually wrote an article about NZNTM (and how it will never compare to my one true love, ANTM) – if you’re bored, you can check it out here: ausm.org.nz/debate/fashion/ilu
eeek, the rest of my comment got eaten! i’m sure you’re watching cycle 12 of ANTM, too, gala? who are your favourites?
The girl in the picture IS bangin’, but her toes are lookin’ real freakyyyy AHH!
Oh the NZNTM love! They filmed it at the house next door so we got to see quite a bit of the girls… heaps of them were really friendly at the start i.e. waving and saying hi but they got pretty strict with them. Ajoh was a total snob tho, like Teryl-Leigh… who has the WORST accent!
I like Christobelle and Lauren, and ah man can’t remember her name… the 21year old who’s a cook?
Wish there was more Maori and PI girls on there, with the exception of Ruby they are all pretty same same, but heard on the rumour mill that they didn’t get a lot trying out – hopefully next year!
Na, I just get the impression that they’re trying too hard to be like the American ntm and take it too seriously. I think it should be more like Flight of the Conchords where everything is random and cool, then it would be awesome.
Yeah, I remember the first few series of the antm, but I don’t think nzntm can turn into something big, or worldly, unless we really grab the attention of the international scene. It would be cool if Tyra Banks came over and judged.
& it was a bit too hasty to say that I’m not proud of being a New Zealander because of this… I think I’m just not proud of NZ television when it tries too hard – excluding FOTC, who have the coolest show on the planet, for now.
Yep, they finished filming about 2 weeks ago. All finished now.
It’s quite funny watching it with my friends saying, “Next Ruby does this”; “This is one of the challenges Ruby won”; “I wonder if they’ll show her cleaning the house, probably not right for her image” (apparently the house was a pig sty and she cleaned up a lot); and “Oooo I think this is the episode where ruby tells …. to ….”.
Gala – Ngahuia is credited on the series as ‘model mentor’, and she was on the beach for the posing-with-a-random-object challenge.
Accents – I hadn’t noticed the accents at all! Surely in that kind of context (ie surrounded by fellow NZers) it’s not something you need to worry about . . ? I don’t think bagging models for their local accents is especially fair. Also (and this is me over-thinking it), but imagine any of those girls cruising around iCiNG one day and soaking up the sparkly positivity left and right, and then finding a page full of comments ripping strips off them personally. Uncool.
Love NZNTM! One thing I’ve noticed is that it has a lot more female photographers than America’s Next Top Model, which is great!
Nadine — I don’t know if anyone is tearing strips… I think they’re all great models, just shocked by the strength of one girl’s accent! I think accents are so interesting, especially in NZ, because it’s so small, how could there possibly be so much variation, knowwhatImean?
LMFAO @ where are the Maori girls at
You know what? I thought the same thing – is Hosannah not in the comp’ anymore?
I’ve seen it a few times, but I find it too embarassing to watch – accents, attitudes, it all makes me cringe really
As for Teryl-Leigh, can’t understand her either. Took me a while to realis her name was TERYL-Leigh, the whole time I thought it was TARA.
ahh i was wondering when you would write about this!
i’m quite into it even though there are definite cringe-worthy bits but since it’s only the first season i reckon it will get better. i think to improve it would be to get rid of sara as being the host/judge. although i know she has credentials as running a modelling agency, i don’t think she’s the right fit for this show as it’s always the formula of having a successful model as the judge so that the contestants have that motivation & admiration for what they’re competing for. i don’t know, i just think if i was a contestant i wouldn’t really take sara seriously as she’s not a model and she has no relevance/relateability.
the posters and billboards for the show are really appalling. they all look like grandmas on bold and the beautiful or something.
also some of the makeup has been goddamn awful on the show. though in last weeks episode there was a definite improvement.
my favourite is ruby. i really don’t like rebecca roses look, it’s really one dimensional for this show.
also teryl-leigh is from my hood in south auckland. she is entertaining to say the least.
trixie — Sara used to be a model I’m pretty sure, & she owns 62 so she at least is someone they should be aspiring to impress, if not imitate… She knows what agencies are looking for, which is very useful info, though having an actual model at the helm would be good too obviously. It would have been amazing if Rachel Hunter was hosting!!! But I wish Charlotte Dawson had taken on the job, I adore her.
Hi Gala! Been a huge fan of your site for ages now! though this is the first time i have commented. Would just like to say that i find it really interesting that it seems to largely be the New Zealand contingent that cringe the most when hearing fellow New Zealander’s accents (me included)! And i think your totally right to wonder where the variation comes from in such a small country – I agree, Teryl-leigh’s accent is full on, and I fully share your irritation when john key speaks publicly (alhtough Helen Clark was the absolute worst), but do you think it is possibly a mild offshoot of the tall poppy syndrome that most of us New Zealanders are so chronically afflicted with? i know learnt a HUGE lesson on that front after all this susan boyle business! And have vowed to remember to be less New Zealandish in that respect.
I think Cristobelle will win.
buuuuut I want Hosanna to win because she tries so hard. Although I wish she would stop smiling. She’s also a bit wierd…
Whenever Teryl-Leigh opens her mouth I have to cringe – it’s not just the super SUPER strong New Zealand accent, I can deal with that, but she’s also a sloppy speaker…like she’s all slack jawed or something. Whatever it is it annoys me so much.
Aside from that the show is alright I guess, although I too was surprised by the lack of Maori girls. There was quite a few in the auditions I think but none of them made it through if I recall correctly.
And @stacey, what does tall poppy syndrome have to do with disliking accents? Or am I misunderstanding and you mean the dislike for John Key and Helen Clark? (Not arguing with you, just curious as to what you meant). :)
oh how I adore the NZ accent :)
rebecca rose is my cousin. i hope she wins, but i dont think she does :(
@ A Girl Named Steve
Not at all, i’m actually a strong national supporter and fan of John (although my politcal leanings aren’t important) but do cringe when i hear him speak, and was just running with gala’s example and wondering out loud whether we tend to cringe at our own accents in the public sphere due to our tendancy to always want to “level the playing field” so to speak (typical of Tall Poppy Syndrome) and also by extension bring ourselves down before other people do it for us. Was just wondering whether it was another off shoot of TPS but not necessarily TPS in its full form.
p.s. i do really love my New Zealand accent and all others! It’s just our tendancy to cringe when hearing them in the public sphere that had me musing out loud
Im a kiwi and i love watching nzntm its so entertaining. I love it that theyv had to start recycling the photographers already cos theres less talent in nz than america.
I think most of their accents are normal but teryl-leigh has an extreme (and painful) accent i dont know anyone that speaks like that here! i do love the kiwi accent tho, everyone secretly does.
Me and my flatmates were just talking the other day about how it was weird there were no Maori girls or anything… but thats so true that maybe they were mostly too short? you had to be like 170cm or something! and maybe they just didnt want to blow their own trumpet… tall poppy syndrome and all that.
I love Victoria’s face and her new haircut it is so cool! But i love that Christobelle is doing so well when shes only 16. And Ruby’s pretty cool too.
I love that ur even talking about nz’s ntm its awesome! thanks gala :D
I found the whole show hideously unprofessional… from a production perspective at least. The lighting, the sets… ugh. Just looked so unrefined… and it wouldn’t take that much to make the show look nice.
I still love to watch it of course. The editor at the magazine I work for (Real Groove) tweets about it all the time: twitter.com/real_groove
Also, I think NzNTM has the best theme tune!
I am a self confessed top model addict.
I liv ein Australia, and here we only get the Australian and American cycles, but man, they’re great.
The American one definately trumps the Aussie one.
I love watching it mostly for the actual photo shoots, (doing photography at uni) but it’s great tv :D
xx
I loove Rebecca Rose.
I’ve spent quite a bit of cash in Lucy’s shop (Filter) in Dunedin. Olivia works there too.
Plus I go to school with their cousin.
Seriously, their entire family is hot. They have the most amazing gene pool.
I love the model’s dress! I’ve been downloading the latest season of America’s Next Top Model, but I can’t wait for the Australia one. I’ll have to check out the NZ series! :)
“anything is better than Britain’s next top model, that’s for absolute certain”
Why would someone say that? Is that bigotry, blanket dismissal, ya usual female bitchiness? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that this TV crap encourages mindless myopic views of national beauty, the sort of judgmental diminishing nonsense that only women seem capable of creating and encouraging in each other, the kind of shite a bunch of women as far back as Mary Wollstonecraft tried to move us on from. But I still am.
Thanks America’s Next Top Model for an array of rubbish the last few years that puts women back firmly where they belong eh. Being judged on beauty, primped by hoofters with measuring tapes and encouraging thinking women to fixate on all of it.
Discounting the porn culture that has bloomed the last decade alongside all that, the idea of intelligence or true talent being a skill without the need for “beauty” has fallen off the scale.
It stopped being a bit of fun TV when Susan Boyle was ruthlessly discounted for her talent before she even opened her mouth to show it because of a public largely expectant that women, talented ones especialy, have to be beautiful.
It stopped being fun when in a recent survey conducted by T Mobile most 14-16 year olds would rather be a model or a glamour model than a Marie Curie or similar. It’s their choice, all those who disagree will venture. Except choice comes about when you are informed. And since we STILL only celebrate women by their beauty and porn worthiness it is hardly surprising the “choices” are now limited.
Brava!
“the contestants are all so white”
There is also a noticeable lack of body dysmorphic women, anorexic, obese, handicapped, physically disabled, mentality disabled women and hey, Susan Boyle types (the kind of women who were marginalised at school and are self deprecating enough to admit on TV they have never been kissed). There is no reason to stop at skin colour if you want to make it to be fully socially inclusive. After all they’re just glorified coat hangers at the end of the day and it would be great to see clothes reflected on a wider realistic assortment of women and body types. It’s also cruel to in any way exclude.
Wish I knew where to watch NZ’s NTM. Hope you don’t mind if I add you to my blogroll.
I find NZNTM a bit of a laugh to be honest, I find that the judges haven’t got the personality of ANTM or even the Australian version – and Sara Tetro’s Kiwi accent is so thick, even I cringe when I hear it (and I’ve lived in NZ 10+ years from Aussie!)The girls all have thick Kiwi accents too (or maybe they sound worse on TV?! I’m not too sure.. haha)
I have watched a few episodes and the girls are gorgeous, though I haven’t got a definite favourite. Colin (the OTT judge) was dressed by my work (his suits and some shirts/ties come from my work) and the stylist told me at one point that the producers were trying to make the girls get bitchy about one another because they were all too nice about one another and the judging etc… which I found hilarious, in any other NTM version it’s a warfield of bitching.
Gala, just wanted to say how incredibly inspiring you are! so refreshing to hear POSITIVE thoughts. _
I agree with what others have been saying about the lack of professionalism on NZNTM: the set, credits, general ambiance of the show is awful, really. The blatant plugging of products also gets me down – I mean, I know ANTM wasn’t entirely free of it but, come on, using mineral water as a prop in a challenge? And having a vending machine of the same brand of mineral water shown conspicuously in the model’s house? The judges and host seem to me to be underqualified/inappropriate choices – Charlotte Dawson would’ve been much better or obviously Rachael Hunter (hey, we can dream) – but I guess hey, this is New Zealand and we can only do our best :P And is it just me or do NZ accents translate TERRIBLY to television
The most annoying thing that I have felt with the show has had to have been how bloody scripted it feels. Especially in the eliminations. On the other hand, cannot stand Hosanna and wish she would go home.
true they are under-represented, but as the producers said, they can only represent the girls that actually came to the casting.
Since you’re from Wellington, I thought you might enjoy this :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRRB0…
haha
I’m so glad you’ve enlightened me! haha..i know it’s sad. Am i the only person who finds NZ accents fascinating? an australian brought up back in england so i hear twangs of different odd things. in an awesome way, though.
i was wondering gala darling darling darling gala darling, if I’ve missed out on the april love & sequins? I know i paid but i haven’t gotten the link yet?? not relevant to the post, sorry :S. panic panic panic.
xoxo
I love Rebecca-Rose’s look!!
I think it’s terribly funny that they have a smaller budget than the American show but the photoshoots look far better — maybe it’s because they choose contestants who could actually model and not just bring the drama? ;P
Teryl-Leigh is annoying the hell out of me, though. Is it just me or is she completely lacking a personality?
I do like Rebecca Rose (she’s sort of, I don’t know, otherworldly-looking) and Victoria, who is just unbelievably gorgeous. I also like Olivia’s voice but I have no idea why!
I’m loving NZTM. Rebecca Rose was in all the public day shows at NZ fashion week last year. I think that’s the experience she’s been yarning on about. Also Colin used to do the PR/events stuff at Cut Above hair academy for the last couple of years. How did you find those megavideos online Gala? I’m in Melbourne so can’t watch them on the TV3 site, any idea where I can find the 5th episode?
The first episode was cringe worthy but of course I have to watch all of them now and support my fellow kiwi gals. Can you keep adding the link each week Gala? :)
They seriously need to learn how to walk in high heels too – its embarrassing seeing them walk at elimination.
I am kiwi girl recently moved to New York and people love my accent but do I really sound that bad?! I am hoping the accent just translates badly to tv as mlle-elle mentioned above.
I think Christobelle will win also :)
Ruby definatly looks maori!!
Oh sorry I meant Australia when I said ANTM hahah my bad ! I’ve also been told I resemble that Allison girl from the US series when I get suprised and my eyes go O.O hahaha. We have the same eyes and the same bit of skin that covers the inner eye, somewhat like asiatic eyes. Its weird. I much prefer Cleo over Cosmo though !
You should keep this updated, for some reason, the search never works for me! Just you know, links to new episodes. I have fallen in love with it. :X _
Another addiction to another Top Model series, oh Gala! What have you done to me?!
Do you have any idea where to find episodes 5 and beyond? I am at a loss :(
Much love and many thanks, as always, E x