Now this episode of ANTM started off a bit creepy.  We had the unfortunately opportunity to listen in on a sexually-tinged phone conversation between Natasha and her husband.  While we can all speculate as to whether she was an actual mail-order bride, knowing that she was only 18 when she married the 40-year-old is quite unsettling…especially since she didn’t speak any English at the time.  But who am I to judge?  Natasha told her husband that she was having a hard time at the house because she hadn’t bonded with any of the other girls yet.  I’m so confused…I thought Jaslene was the friend-less model?  Or was that Renee?  Meanwhile, Diana and Whitney continued to bond over their plus-sized figures.  As a woman who definitely yearns to see more ‘normal’ sized models out there—I really do appreciate those two contestants.  But I do sometimes have to wonder if they have anything else to talk about aside from their weight.

The next day the girls met up with the director of Elite Model Management and model Claudia Mason.  The experts were brought into teach the ladies the importance of presentation.  Specifically, they needed to learn how to dress themselves.  Dionne, who was nearly eliminated last week for her lack of presence, made sure to take note.  By the end of the lesson, the girls figured out that less is more.

Back at home, Renee made it clear that her niceties were a thing of the past.  She told Whitney that she couldn’t see a plus-sized girl ever landing the cover of Vogue.  Disgusted by her mind tricks, Whitney told Renee to shut the heck up and get out of her face.  Diana, of course, was incensed that Renee didn’t consider them to be real models.

The next day, the girls arrived at a Sears warehouse.  There they met twin male models posed as mannequins on an indoor clothing display.  For the challenge of the week, the girls - in teams - had to create a winning display of their own.  Within a time limit, the girls selected from clothing racks, accessories and art supplies to decorate their display.  Although there would be a team win—only one girl from the selected team would get the ultimate prize.

In only 20 minutes, the girls scrambled to get everything done.  While some focused on set production others, like Dionne, helped get the models’ outfits picked.  In the end, it was Sarah/Renee/Dionne team that prevailed…though the Whitney/Natasha/Jael team would have won had they managed to follow all the rules.  As for the individual winner, that honor went to Sarah.  The judges praised her outfit and style.  The style that was actually created by Dionne and Renee because Sarah was so busy creating the set.  But did she acknowledge their help?  Of course not.  For her reward, Sarah was granted twice the number of stills as the other girls for their next photo shoot.  Whitney was kicking herself when she heard this.  Had her team not lost due to a technicality, that prize would have been hers.

Later at the house, Natasha overheard Renee and Whitney talking about her seemingly shady marriage.  Natasha then called her husband again and told him all about the mean models.  Afterwards, she went back to her room to study model poses in magazines.

For their photo shoot of the week, the girls were excited to learn they’d be coupled with male models.  But these fellas were actually drag queens and it was the ladies who would be dressed up like men.  Every pair, as usual, was assigned a different theme.  And while most of the girls rocked their pics last week, this time around the results were not as even.  Jaslene (Nautical couple) took control of her shoot and came off looking effortless while Sarah (Rock star couple) needed all the extra shots that she could get.  Whitney (Collegiate couple) struggled to exude masculinity while Diana (Power couple) lacked passion and looked extremely bored.  The highlight of the day?  The once-struggling Natasha.  As half of a ‘hip-hop couple’, Natasha did her homework.  She not only asked for tips before her turn but she took the initiative to improvise a ‘grill’ for her teeth.  She looked extremely relaxed and provided the entertainment for the rest of the models.

Shocked by her dramatic turnaround, the judges picked the blossomed Natasha as the best model of the week.  Unfortunately, the ax still had to fall on someone…and as much as it pained Tyra to admit it, the two most wilted of the bunch were Whitney and Diana.  Tyra had long wanted two plus-sized girls in the competition—they just weren’t going as far as she had hoped.  The judges felt that Diana was strong and beautiful, they just couldn’t sense her fire or passion.  As for Whitney—they knew she had a strong self-image, but she was struggling to get that into a photo.  In the end, they needed someone who could as least look in the mirror and embrace her beauty.  LOSER:  Diana.