Canada’s Next Top Model blog: Maryam shows she’s a solid frontrunner in Week 4
Canada’s Next Top Model, CTV, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Cycle 3
Maryam's 'Best Shot' from Episode 4 of Canada’s Next Top Model. The series airs Tuesday nights on CTV.
Photograph by: Photo: Chris Nicholls
“Without question Maryam is really a strong contender for me because she has an exotic kind of edge and she has a great kind of intellectual quality to her. I think she wears her heart on her sleeve. I think she seems to be a very honest kind of person, so she’s compelling. Besides the fact that she’s gorgeous and is a very dramatic performer who takes very strong shots — she communicates a lot in her shots.”
Judging by this quote on the CNTM website, Maryam just can’t seem to do wrong in the eyes of Jeanne Beker. Nor, apparently in the eyes of anyone else since Maryam of Nine Lives (read last week’s post if you need proof) cruised to her second win on this week’s episode. As the first of this season’s girls to claim best shot twice, Maryam is now a solid front-runner.
The quietly intense North Van beauty overcame ESL issues to hold her own in the reward challenge. Clad in burlap sacks, the girls attempted to show their personalities while reading designers’ names off a teleprompter. A general lack of fashion knowledge, coupled with some language barriers, one case of dyslexia and just plain appalling public speaking skills led to generally disastrous results. Smurf-voiced Heather came out on top here.
Next up was the photoshoot where our silent stunner pulled off a challenging mask of black and white makeup (threatening to make her look completely mad—and not in a good way) to deliver the shot of the week.
“She’s taking no prisoners,” exclaimed Mr. Jay when confronted with the shot.
It was a refreshing conclusion to a completely manic episode, and I mean that in the clinical sense. It turns out three of the remaining six contestants suffer from bona fide anxiety disorders—a statistic that makes me wonder what the heck is going on with that generation of young adults.
And while Heather and Nikita kept a lid on their nerves, Rebeccah got all worked up over the other girls’ giggling during her photoshoot, later spiraling into a full-scale panic attack. Maybe modelling isn’t such a good career for a girl who freaks out when too many people look at her, hmm?
Rebeccah’s shot, however, placed middle of the pack and kept her out of the bottom two. Plain Jane Tara went home.
With all the attention placed on mental-health-induced drama, Maryam’s winning shot seemed to come out of nowhere, a much-needed reminder that in this line of work, drama will serve you much better if confined to the set. I do wonder, though, how our girl will handle the more commercial shoots to come. Trading in her signature scowl for a marketable smile could prove her biggest challenge yet.
Next week the girls grapple with an interview challenge and test their social skills on the red carpet.
Canada’s Next Top Model blog: Maryam passes Week 3 drama in style
Alrighty now. So my assertion last week that aspiring model Maryam had used her last get-out-of-jail-free-card was soundly trampled in this week’s episode of Canada’s Next Top Model.
In a shocking departure from the Yankee version of the show, North Vancouver’s Maryam was allowed to stay despite lacking one of the most important items in a model’s portfolio: her passport. While the oversight would have immediately sent her packing had Tyra been running the show (all you ANTM diehards know exactly what I’m talking about), Mr. Jay gave her another chance to prove herself. And she did.
I guess it just goes to show that we really are the kinder, gentler neighbours to the north.
Still, with Maryam’s fate unknown as the other girls galavanted off to the Bahama’s (their hysteric squeals reaching frequencies only heard by dogs), it was hard not to feel sorry for the poor girl left sobbing in the abandoned Toronto loft.
Meanwhile, the giggling gaggle gossiped all the way to the airport about how it would be unfair if Maryam got to stay. Cattiness aside, they did have a point. The girls were told months in advance a passport was essential.
Landing in the tropics, the models raced to check out their Caribbean surroundings with impromptu tour guide Ebony who just happened to be the Bahamas. Keeping with Mr. Jay’s push to teach the girls what the real modelling world is like, they were kept in a sleep-deprived daze, getting up at the crack of dawn for what seemed like the umpteenth day in a row.
On tap for the exotic locale was a breezy beach shoot in which the models portrayed bereft brides left at the altar. The task of dealing with the elements while showing emotions proved too much for Calgary’s Nikita, whose whining got on everyone’s nerves. Also struggling were Quebecers Ebony and Tara, who would wind up in the bottom two.
Back in Toronto, Maryam was handed a lifeline when a special Jay Mail arrived telling her she would get a chance to do the shoot in a local studio. Portraying a jilted bride was no problem for the already emotional model, widely recognized for her aptitude tapping into the darker side of things. Like a pro, Maryam produced tears on command for a final shot that prompted judge Jeanne Beker to declare: “She’s got to have another shot. She’s just got too much potential.”
In the end, Maryam’s effort put her back at the top of the pile, getting called third after winner Heather and runner-up Meghan. It was Ebony, who despite her Caribbean-induced confidence (which, frankly, bordered on cockiness), got the boot.
But questions remain. How will Maryam fare as the competition and the need to be mobile at a moment’s notice heat up? Will her competitors resent her for her apparent skirting of the rules? Check back here next week.
Canada’s Next Top Model blog: Maryam survives Week 2
North Vancouver’s Maryam may have used her last get-out-of-jail-free card on the second instalment of Canada’s Next Top Model. The Persian beauty captured the top spot in last week’s premier, wowing the judges with her dark intensity. This week though, it was a quick fall from grace as she narrowly avoided landing in the dreaded bottom two.
After being chastised last week for failing to show off her gown in the photoshoot - a major modelling no-no - Maryam repeated the misstep much to the judges’ chagrin. While striving for inventive poses atop rickety wooden ladders, Maryam took it too far, letting her hunky male-model co-start get between her Italian-designed garment and the camera. Gasp! “There’s some dude in the shot,” exclaimed exasperated Yasmin Warasame at the judges’ table, her colleagues shaking their heads in sombre unison.
But the feedback wasn’t all bad. Maryam’s propensity for risky poses won the adoration of creative director Nole Marin. “This is sooooo Vogue,” he squealed on location at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Inspecting her close-up, even Mr. Jay had to admit Maryam was “very kind of fabulous.” But not even a sleek new cut from the show’s makeover session could mask her concentration in the final shot - the kiss of death for many an aspiring model.
“We feel that you might be overanalyzing,” said Mr. Jay, handing a shaking Maryam her photo-and a chance to stay in the competition for another week. After much caterwauling over her new Bettie Page-inspired bangs, Calgary’s Nikita (and her alien-like cheekbones) reigned supreme. Vancouver’s Jill became the second casualty of the show, leaving Ottawa’s Rebeccah to fight for another week. And what a week it should be. With destination shots on the roster all season long, the girls are joining the jet set and heading for a steamy beach shoot in the Bahamas. Check back next week to see if Maryam lives to model another day.
Canada’s Next Top Model, CTV, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Cycle 3: Episode 1, May 26
It takes tenacity to be on top. And that goes double when it comes to modelling. Yes, the summer TV season went into full swing Tuesday night with the inaugural episode of Canada’s Next Top Model, cycle 3 on CTV. Leading the pack to the top of the fashion pile - in four-inch heels no less - was a raven-haired beauty from North Vancouver.
Initially criticized for her relentless intensity by “notedly” handsome photographer Nigel Barker of America’s Next Top Model fame, Maryam, whose last name hasn’t been released by the network, clinched the top spot of the week by holding her own in a photoshoot opposite a live vulture. Despite drawing criticism for failing to adequately show off her designer duds, Maryam’s quirky, off-kilter performance pleased the judge’s panel, comprised of enigmatic host Jay Manuel (simply Mr. Jay to devotees of the American version), Canadian icon and Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker, supermodel Yasmin Warsame, creative director Nole Marin and celebrity photographer Mike Ruiz.
Lauded for creating a “dynamic image” and for her intriguing dark side, Maryam edged out bubbly Halifax native Heather, 23, (whose shoot saw her cuddle up to a one-eyed bobcat) for the win. The surprising conclusion rounded up a jam-packed first episode wherein one competitor shocked her fellow models by bowing out early due to hip pain - the result of a car accident months earlier. Rather than risk re-injury by teetering around in precarious heels, Penticton’s Alexandra, 22, decided to pack it in early - a move that drew some biting words from Manuel at the judge’s table. “Thousands of girls would cut off their arm to be here,” he lectured the remaining 10.
Earlier in the episode Halifax’s Heather won the show’s reward challenge, earning a prize for herself and two of her new pals. Without a moments’ reprieve Heather and co. (Calgary’s Nikita, 20, and Vancouver’s Jill, 19) were whisked by helicopter to a remote Prince Edward Island location for an oh-so-Canadian, oh-so-topical photoshoot with baby seals. Upon returning to the models’ posh Toronto pad, the gaggle discovered they had also won their very own suite in the girls’ boutique loft; a move no doubt due to draw out the claws in a future episode. In the end, Jill managed to hang on to her contest spot by scraping past Toronto mom Tiffany, 23, whose lack of energy made her the first model to be sent home. Seemingly immune to the unfolding drama, North Vancouver’s Maryam appeared philosophical about her opportunity on the show.
“I was in school and I was thinking about it, and I was thinking maybe one day I can be a model,” she said dreamily, speaking in the video confessional before going on to rock her shoot. The five-foot-nine-inch stunner, an SFU student with designs on dentistry, emigrated from Iran two years ago and credits the move for allowing her to pursue her passion. “Modelling is not something legal in Iran,” she told the camera, her sombre tone and soft-spoken nature a marked difference from the generally giddy girls packed into the glitzy loft. The 18-year-old’s bio on the CTV website says she hopes to be an ambassador for Middle Eastern women, whose beauty is largely hidden behind scarves and veils.
“I want to represent all the exotic beauty of women that (are) in the Middle Eastern countries that nobody sees,” she is quoted as saying. Maryam’s Persian looks and subdued nature are part of the reason she stood apart from the 5,000 other girls who tried out for the show, said judge Jeanne Beker in an interview before Tuesday’s broadcast.
“She has a beautiful kind of an ethnic, exotic look to her,” Beker told the North Shore News via cellphone while rushing between appointments in Toronto.
“She could be native, she could be eastern . . . she has a mystery to her beauty,” Beker continued. But the only way to know if those qualities will get Maryam to the end of the show, which started shooting in March and has already wrapped production, is to tune in. Beker did mention Maryam’s personal qualities could give her an edge over her competitors. “She’s also a very serious-minded girl. She shows a lot of tenacity.”
That can only be a good thing, as Beker was quick to point out that it takes a lot more than a pretty face, slammin’ bod and fierce walk to be Canada’s Next Top Model.
“It’s such a combination of things. We’re looking for someone who really has the potential to have a well-rounded career in the fashion industry.” That means the girls have to be able to rock the runway and captivate photographers, but also morph into spokeswomen, play designers’ muse and appeal to marketers.
“I’m looking to some degree for something I haven’t seen before, someone who makes you think, ‘huh, I’ve never thought about beauty in that way,’” Beker said. “It’s a really tricky kind of thing.” The girls will also have to handle the healthy dose of drama that will inevitably build as the show progresses. “Anytime you get a bunch of girls together that have egos and attitudes, you’re going to have great drama,” Beker said. While cramming 11 girls into one house ramps up the excitement for television, Beker said it’s not a complete departure of what the girls will find in the real fashion world. “We’re talking about real life here. There are a lot of big egos that are attached to the world of fashion.”
And before the winner can become the next Linda Evangelista, she has to prove she can take the harsh criticism that comes with the industry. Such criticism was demonstrated by the show’s judging panel this week, where even Maryam’s winning look drew its fair share of backhanded compliments. Photographer Barker referred to Maryam as “weird.” A good thing apparently, as he followed it up by adding, “Fashion loves a freak.”
Those kinds of comments are only the tip of the iceberg compared to what models are exposed to without the protective umbrella of the show, Beker said.
“We try to soften it for them,” she explained. The show’s judges are in the unique position of really getting to know the girls and forming personal attachments to them - not the case in 99 per cent of the real-life industry scenarios. For a girl to be a true top model, Beker said, the judges need to feel confident she can make it on her own after the camera stops rolling. “We just open the door for them,” she said. Nor are the judges immune to the drama of television.
“I think we’re all a little crazy ourselves,” Beker says of the brood of judges. “We’re television, we make for good television.
“We’re colourful characters. That’s why we’ve been successful in our own right. We’re doing a national TV show here about the fashion world. It’s going to be colourful.”
Check back next week for more coverage on Maryam’s attempt to become Canada’s Next Top Model. In Episode Two, airing June 2, the girls learn modelling can be a balancing act and not everyone can keep from falling.
jbarett@nsnews.com
Judging by this quote on the CNTM website, Maryam just can’t seem to do wrong in the eyes of Jeanne Beker. Nor, apparently in the eyes of anyone else since Maryam of Nine Lives (read last week’s post if you need proof) cruised to her second win on this week’s episode. As the first of this season’s girls to claim best shot twice, Maryam is now a solid front-runner.
The quietly intense North Van beauty overcame ESL issues to hold her own in the reward challenge. Clad in burlap sacks, the girls attempted to show their personalities while reading designers’ names off a teleprompter. A general lack of fashion knowledge, coupled with some language barriers, one case of dyslexia and just plain appalling public speaking skills led to generally disastrous results. Smurf-voiced Heather came out on top here.
Next up was the photoshoot where our silent stunner pulled off a challenging mask of black and white makeup (threatening to make her look completely mad—and not in a good way) to deliver the shot of the week.
“She’s taking no prisoners,” exclaimed Mr. Jay when confronted with the shot.
It was a refreshing conclusion to a completely manic episode, and I mean that in the clinical sense. It turns out three of the remaining six contestants suffer from bona fide anxiety disorders—a statistic that makes me wonder what the heck is going on with that generation of young adults.
And while Heather and Nikita kept a lid on their nerves, Rebeccah got all worked up over the other girls’ giggling during her photoshoot, later spiraling into a full-scale panic attack. Maybe modelling isn’t such a good career for a girl who freaks out when too many people look at her, hmm?
Rebeccah’s shot, however, placed middle of the pack and kept her out of the bottom two. Plain Jane Tara went home.
With all the attention placed on mental-health-induced drama, Maryam’s winning shot seemed to come out of nowhere, a much-needed reminder that in this line of work, drama will serve you much better if confined to the set. I do wonder, though, how our girl will handle the more commercial shoots to come. Trading in her signature scowl for a marketable smile could prove her biggest challenge yet.
Next week the girls grapple with an interview challenge and test their social skills on the red carpet.
Canada’s Next Top Model blog: Maryam passes Week 3 drama in style
Alrighty now. So my assertion last week that aspiring model Maryam had used her last get-out-of-jail-free-card was soundly trampled in this week’s episode of Canada’s Next Top Model.
In a shocking departure from the Yankee version of the show, North Vancouver’s Maryam was allowed to stay despite lacking one of the most important items in a model’s portfolio: her passport. While the oversight would have immediately sent her packing had Tyra been running the show (all you ANTM diehards know exactly what I’m talking about), Mr. Jay gave her another chance to prove herself. And she did.
I guess it just goes to show that we really are the kinder, gentler neighbours to the north.
Still, with Maryam’s fate unknown as the other girls galavanted off to the Bahama’s (their hysteric squeals reaching frequencies only heard by dogs), it was hard not to feel sorry for the poor girl left sobbing in the abandoned Toronto loft.
Meanwhile, the giggling gaggle gossiped all the way to the airport about how it would be unfair if Maryam got to stay. Cattiness aside, they did have a point. The girls were told months in advance a passport was essential.
Landing in the tropics, the models raced to check out their Caribbean surroundings with impromptu tour guide Ebony who just happened to be the Bahamas. Keeping with Mr. Jay’s push to teach the girls what the real modelling world is like, they were kept in a sleep-deprived daze, getting up at the crack of dawn for what seemed like the umpteenth day in a row.
On tap for the exotic locale was a breezy beach shoot in which the models portrayed bereft brides left at the altar. The task of dealing with the elements while showing emotions proved too much for Calgary’s Nikita, whose whining got on everyone’s nerves. Also struggling were Quebecers Ebony and Tara, who would wind up in the bottom two.
Back in Toronto, Maryam was handed a lifeline when a special Jay Mail arrived telling her she would get a chance to do the shoot in a local studio. Portraying a jilted bride was no problem for the already emotional model, widely recognized for her aptitude tapping into the darker side of things. Like a pro, Maryam produced tears on command for a final shot that prompted judge Jeanne Beker to declare: “She’s got to have another shot. She’s just got too much potential.”
In the end, Maryam’s effort put her back at the top of the pile, getting called third after winner Heather and runner-up Meghan. It was Ebony, who despite her Caribbean-induced confidence (which, frankly, bordered on cockiness), got the boot.
But questions remain. How will Maryam fare as the competition and the need to be mobile at a moment’s notice heat up? Will her competitors resent her for her apparent skirting of the rules? Check back here next week.
Canada’s Next Top Model blog: Maryam survives Week 2
North Vancouver’s Maryam may have used her last get-out-of-jail-free card on the second instalment of Canada’s Next Top Model. The Persian beauty captured the top spot in last week’s premier, wowing the judges with her dark intensity. This week though, it was a quick fall from grace as she narrowly avoided landing in the dreaded bottom two.
After being chastised last week for failing to show off her gown in the photoshoot - a major modelling no-no - Maryam repeated the misstep much to the judges’ chagrin. While striving for inventive poses atop rickety wooden ladders, Maryam took it too far, letting her hunky male-model co-start get between her Italian-designed garment and the camera. Gasp! “There’s some dude in the shot,” exclaimed exasperated Yasmin Warasame at the judges’ table, her colleagues shaking their heads in sombre unison.
But the feedback wasn’t all bad. Maryam’s propensity for risky poses won the adoration of creative director Nole Marin. “This is sooooo Vogue,” he squealed on location at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Inspecting her close-up, even Mr. Jay had to admit Maryam was “very kind of fabulous.” But not even a sleek new cut from the show’s makeover session could mask her concentration in the final shot - the kiss of death for many an aspiring model.
“We feel that you might be overanalyzing,” said Mr. Jay, handing a shaking Maryam her photo-and a chance to stay in the competition for another week. After much caterwauling over her new Bettie Page-inspired bangs, Calgary’s Nikita (and her alien-like cheekbones) reigned supreme. Vancouver’s Jill became the second casualty of the show, leaving Ottawa’s Rebeccah to fight for another week. And what a week it should be. With destination shots on the roster all season long, the girls are joining the jet set and heading for a steamy beach shoot in the Bahamas. Check back next week to see if Maryam lives to model another day.
Canada’s Next Top Model, CTV, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Cycle 3: Episode 1, May 26
It takes tenacity to be on top. And that goes double when it comes to modelling. Yes, the summer TV season went into full swing Tuesday night with the inaugural episode of Canada’s Next Top Model, cycle 3 on CTV. Leading the pack to the top of the fashion pile - in four-inch heels no less - was a raven-haired beauty from North Vancouver.
Initially criticized for her relentless intensity by “notedly” handsome photographer Nigel Barker of America’s Next Top Model fame, Maryam, whose last name hasn’t been released by the network, clinched the top spot of the week by holding her own in a photoshoot opposite a live vulture. Despite drawing criticism for failing to adequately show off her designer duds, Maryam’s quirky, off-kilter performance pleased the judge’s panel, comprised of enigmatic host Jay Manuel (simply Mr. Jay to devotees of the American version), Canadian icon and Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker, supermodel Yasmin Warsame, creative director Nole Marin and celebrity photographer Mike Ruiz.
Lauded for creating a “dynamic image” and for her intriguing dark side, Maryam edged out bubbly Halifax native Heather, 23, (whose shoot saw her cuddle up to a one-eyed bobcat) for the win. The surprising conclusion rounded up a jam-packed first episode wherein one competitor shocked her fellow models by bowing out early due to hip pain - the result of a car accident months earlier. Rather than risk re-injury by teetering around in precarious heels, Penticton’s Alexandra, 22, decided to pack it in early - a move that drew some biting words from Manuel at the judge’s table. “Thousands of girls would cut off their arm to be here,” he lectured the remaining 10.
Earlier in the episode Halifax’s Heather won the show’s reward challenge, earning a prize for herself and two of her new pals. Without a moments’ reprieve Heather and co. (Calgary’s Nikita, 20, and Vancouver’s Jill, 19) were whisked by helicopter to a remote Prince Edward Island location for an oh-so-Canadian, oh-so-topical photoshoot with baby seals. Upon returning to the models’ posh Toronto pad, the gaggle discovered they had also won their very own suite in the girls’ boutique loft; a move no doubt due to draw out the claws in a future episode. In the end, Jill managed to hang on to her contest spot by scraping past Toronto mom Tiffany, 23, whose lack of energy made her the first model to be sent home. Seemingly immune to the unfolding drama, North Vancouver’s Maryam appeared philosophical about her opportunity on the show.
“I was in school and I was thinking about it, and I was thinking maybe one day I can be a model,” she said dreamily, speaking in the video confessional before going on to rock her shoot. The five-foot-nine-inch stunner, an SFU student with designs on dentistry, emigrated from Iran two years ago and credits the move for allowing her to pursue her passion. “Modelling is not something legal in Iran,” she told the camera, her sombre tone and soft-spoken nature a marked difference from the generally giddy girls packed into the glitzy loft. The 18-year-old’s bio on the CTV website says she hopes to be an ambassador for Middle Eastern women, whose beauty is largely hidden behind scarves and veils.
“I want to represent all the exotic beauty of women that (are) in the Middle Eastern countries that nobody sees,” she is quoted as saying. Maryam’s Persian looks and subdued nature are part of the reason she stood apart from the 5,000 other girls who tried out for the show, said judge Jeanne Beker in an interview before Tuesday’s broadcast.
“She has a beautiful kind of an ethnic, exotic look to her,” Beker told the North Shore News via cellphone while rushing between appointments in Toronto.
“She could be native, she could be eastern . . . she has a mystery to her beauty,” Beker continued. But the only way to know if those qualities will get Maryam to the end of the show, which started shooting in March and has already wrapped production, is to tune in. Beker did mention Maryam’s personal qualities could give her an edge over her competitors. “She’s also a very serious-minded girl. She shows a lot of tenacity.”
That can only be a good thing, as Beker was quick to point out that it takes a lot more than a pretty face, slammin’ bod and fierce walk to be Canada’s Next Top Model.
“It’s such a combination of things. We’re looking for someone who really has the potential to have a well-rounded career in the fashion industry.” That means the girls have to be able to rock the runway and captivate photographers, but also morph into spokeswomen, play designers’ muse and appeal to marketers.
“I’m looking to some degree for something I haven’t seen before, someone who makes you think, ‘huh, I’ve never thought about beauty in that way,’” Beker said. “It’s a really tricky kind of thing.” The girls will also have to handle the healthy dose of drama that will inevitably build as the show progresses. “Anytime you get a bunch of girls together that have egos and attitudes, you’re going to have great drama,” Beker said. While cramming 11 girls into one house ramps up the excitement for television, Beker said it’s not a complete departure of what the girls will find in the real fashion world. “We’re talking about real life here. There are a lot of big egos that are attached to the world of fashion.”
And before the winner can become the next Linda Evangelista, she has to prove she can take the harsh criticism that comes with the industry. Such criticism was demonstrated by the show’s judging panel this week, where even Maryam’s winning look drew its fair share of backhanded compliments. Photographer Barker referred to Maryam as “weird.” A good thing apparently, as he followed it up by adding, “Fashion loves a freak.”
Those kinds of comments are only the tip of the iceberg compared to what models are exposed to without the protective umbrella of the show, Beker said.
“We try to soften it for them,” she explained. The show’s judges are in the unique position of really getting to know the girls and forming personal attachments to them - not the case in 99 per cent of the real-life industry scenarios. For a girl to be a true top model, Beker said, the judges need to feel confident she can make it on her own after the camera stops rolling. “We just open the door for them,” she said. Nor are the judges immune to the drama of television.
“I think we’re all a little crazy ourselves,” Beker says of the brood of judges. “We’re television, we make for good television.
“We’re colourful characters. That’s why we’ve been successful in our own right. We’re doing a national TV show here about the fashion world. It’s going to be colourful.”
Check back next week for more coverage on Maryam’s attempt to become Canada’s Next Top Model. In Episode Two, airing June 2, the girls learn modelling can be a balancing act and not everyone can keep from falling.
jbarett@nsnews.com
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