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Look
at me - 11th January 2005
(Credit: The Age)
Tears, tantrums and nastiness line the catwalk in
this reality show. Kylie Miller reports.
'Australia's
Next Top Model is about making dreams come true,"
says host Erika Heynatz in the opening moments of
FOX8's star-making reality series. "It's about
hard work, talent, beauty and personality. It's about
finding a girl with unrealised potential and unleashing
it."
It's
also about eating disorders, hair extensions, bikini
waxing and the bitchiness that results when you put
a diverse group of women in a house and film them
as they claw towards their dream.
A
hybrid of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (for the
makeovers), Single Girls (for the living arrangements),
The Apprentice (for the naked ambition) and Survivor
(for the backstabbing and scheming), Australia's Next
Top Model is based on a successful American format
created by model Tyra Banks, which also screens on
FOX8.
During
eight weeks, 10 would-be Australian models have lessons
in walking, nutrition, grooming and exercise while
meeting the challenges of pre-dawn photo shoots, being
snapped in their undies and hearing - if not taking
- advice from industry experts.
The
modelling component is balanced with domestic scenes
as the women struggle to cohabit peacefully, separated
from loved ones, under the watchful eyes of cameras.
There
are tears, tantrums, fruity language and eye-opening
displays of egotistical nastiness. "They're just
shameless, absolutely shameless," jokes Foxtel's
head of production, Kim Vecera, an executive producer
on the show. "But it was just fantastic because
we were really trying to cast a different group of
girls."
After
a search involving hundreds of would-be models, contestants
were selected from each state. "In many ways
this is a Cinderella story," Vecera says. "But
we did also look at those who had innate personality.
There is a balance in terms of great, good-looking
girls ... but you also have to remember that you have
got to throw them together for eight weeks, so you
have got to have personality blends."
Contestants
were put through psychological testing to ensure they
could handle the pressure - there is little room for
fragility in the cutthroat worlds of modelling and
reality TV. Once in the house, they submit to a series
of assignments. Their eyebrows are shaped, their hair
coiffed, nails restyled and their bodies are waxed
bare. In giving advice on creating a look, industry
representatives including make-up manufacturer Napoleon
Perdis, photographer Nick Leary and celebrity hairdresser
Joh Bailey don't hold back.
"Allana
had hair extensions that were just a completely different
colour to her hair, which were just too long and,
quite frankly, ghastly," Bailey says to camera.
And to the tearful Allana: "The thing is, darling,
we need to make you look really beautiful and these
aren't beautiful. If you're serious about modelling,
you can't have them."
It
all happens under the supervision of the equally forthright
Heynatz, herself a model, fashion designer Alex Perry,
stylist Ken Thompson and former magazine editor Marguerite
Kramer. "Credibility is very important,"
Vecera says. "You do push these girls through
the real experience. They need to have real experiences.
They need to really face the challenges."
The
format allows for cultural nuances - different countries
accept different levels of nudity and language - but
the Australian version is the same as its American
parent.
A
production "bible" was supplied with strict
format guidelines, and an American production executive
visited Australia to assist with the casting and set-up.
Vecera
hopes the show will find an audience among FOX8's
under-30 demographic. "The girls will want to
watch it because it's really glamorous and there's
a makeover element and the guys, hopefully, will want
to watch it because there is a lot of sex appeal,"
she says.
And
for those still dreaming of becoming Australia's next
top model: "All going well, I'd like to think
we'd do another one."
Australia's
Next Top Model begins on FOX8 on Tuesday at 8.30pm.
Media
The
Age
Mediaman
Entertainment
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