Although last night’s debut of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 10 didn’t stray very far from its usual routine (if it ain’t broke after nine seasons, don’t fix it) – there were times when I was thrown for a loop.  While I was certain my television was fixed on The CW, I could have sworn I saw occasional flashes of VH1’s Charm School and Oxygen’s The Bad Girls Club as well.

Wednesday’s premiere focused on the final selection process.  Of the 35 girls that made it to the semis, only 13 girls would be moving on to the finals. 

To kick things off, the model wannabes were herded onto a school bus and taken to a mansion-like building were Jay Manuel and Miss J were waiting for them.  After the screams subsided, the girls were told they were being enrolled into “Top Model Prepatory”.  (In other words – the gals were going to be dolled up in schoolgirl outfits much to the delight of any male who might be watching the show.)

Before instruction could begin, the ladies first had to change into their new uniforms then have their mandatory photo IDS taken.  One by one, the girls did their best to work their school badge shots.  While some were smart enough to change up their issued outfits (Allison), others made it completely clear they didn’t know what to do in front of a camera (“Oh, did you want me to pose?” Kim).

After the initial headshots, the ladies were gathered into a small classroom.  It was now time for Miss J’s introduction to ‘Runway 101’.  Armed with heavy backpacks, the girls had to demonstrate what little they knew – or thought they knew – about strutting.  As always, the candidates brought a variety of styles to the table.  There was the girl who had never put on a set of heels before (Lauren), the girl who thought she was fierce (Dominique) and the girl who looked absolutely petrified (Marguerite).

Once their first day of hard work was complete, the ladies were taken to a football field where a bonfire and pep rally was waiting for them.  (It seems Tyra was hoping to get the girls pumped up for the next season.)  Unfortunately seeing former contestants dressed up in cheerleader outfits really should have them sent them a clear warning.  If I had realized that this was what the previous competitors had been reduced to, I might have thought twice about my future post ANTM.  Embarrassingly cheering on the next crop of naïve beauties were Michelle and Amanda (the twins from Cycle 7), Jael (Cycle 8), Joanie (the girl who had her teeth pulled from Cycle 6) and Furonda (Cycle 6).

Really the whole point of the event was to give Tyra Banks another excuse to overact.  This time, she crashed through a paper banner while dressed up as a tortured Homecoming Queen.  After apologizing for sleeping with all of their boyfriends (seriously), she told the girls the lucky finalists would be taking the competition from Los Angeles back to New York City.

The next day, the girls did their one-on-one interviews before the judges panel.  Meanwhile, the ladies still in line waited impatiently for their turns in another room.  (This is where The Bad Girls Club reference comes into play.)

As usual, you can expect at least two things to happen in a room filled with bored women:  they’re gonna start dancing and they’re gonna start fighting.  Fatima – the Somalian who looks

like supermodel Iman – didn’t think twice about telling some of the girls what she thought about their antics.  (“You guys are way too ghetto.  You can be black and smart and beautiful.”)  This remark, of course, did not sit too well with a few. 

After Shaya (“I love to create beauty because I’m beautiful.”) shared a few choice words with Fatima, Shalynda (the girl who was auditioning for her 8th time) had her say.  But when the girls later found out that Fatima had been the victim of a cultural circumcision at the age of 7, everyone kissed and made up.  (There’s nothing like a tale of woe to make up for an otherwise bitchy move.)  Of course, you can always count on someone in a serious moment to say something really stupid.  Cue Marvita: “So does that make you feel like less of a woman?”  Nice.

Once the interviews were done and the votes tallied, the first cut of the competition was made.  Twenty girls were now moving on to the next phase of the auditions.  For the judges to whittle the crop down to the Final 13, they would need one more test shot from the ladies.

After doing their own makeup, the candidates had to snap their best Senior Class portrait.  While some tried to make the shoot a little fun, others made strange choices.  Believing blue makeup streaks were the hottest trend in Asia, Allison thought she’d incorporate the look into her pics.  Meanwhile, Fatima spent way too much time trying to orchestrate her poses and had difficulty staying within the frame’s limitations.

When the new set of stills were taken into account, Tyra, Jay and Miss J were able to make their final selections.  But instead of only bringing aboard 13 girls – Tyra decided to let a 14th go through.  (I have a feeling that was her plan all along.)

Here are the new group of gals we will start dissecting as of next week:

• Aimee - The one who no longer wants to be a Mormon like her mother
• Allison - The cocky one who refuses to go back to her hick town in Wisconsin
• Amis - The strange one who had to change her name because there were two Amys
• Anya - The one from Hawaii who is overly grateful to be there
• Atalya - The one who only had so-so photos up until the very end
• Claire - The one who has been drinking her own breast milk
• Dominique - The one who can’t let go of her serious face
• Fatima - The one who thinks people are intimidated by her exotic beauty
• Katarzyna - The one who thinks she has an advantage because she went to an Ivy League school
• Kimberly - The deer in headlights with the ‘mushy’ face
• Lauren - The punk who has no idea what it means to be girly
• Marvita - The one who was rejected last season and came back harder and stronger
• Stacy Ann - The one with the very annoying pip-squeak voice
• Whitney - The girl who wants to show us what plus-sized is all about

(You can read next week’s episode here.)