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Tonight on TV

A woman living out her stripper fantasy. A woman publicly working through her issues about her skin color/cultural identity/body image/self-worth. A woman driven by ego toward fame and fortune.

By SHARON FINK
Published March 8, 2006

Tyra Banks' self-centered talk show? Or Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model?

It's hard to tell the difference based on the premiere episode of Top Model's sixth season at 8 p.m. on WTOG-Ch. 44. Every woman is an issue waiting to be endlessly analyzed by the other women in their journey to become, if not the country's next supermodel, someone who gets to be on national TV and could end up on another reality show and engaged to a member of the Brady Bunch (following in the catwalk strides of former winner Adrianne Curry).

The two-hour premiere, made available in a preview DVD, starts with 32 contestant s arriving in Los Angeles. When the first hour is over, after two rounds of eliminations, 13 are left, all picked by Tyra after having to copy a runway walk by Tyra, be interviewed and seen in a swimsuit by Tyra (and makeup artist Jay Manuel and former model/current modeling coach J. Alexander, two of the show's other judges), and having closeup photos of themselves in makeup analyzed by Tyra (and Manuel and Alexander).

Two of the 13 are from the Tampa Bay area, identified only by their first names (UPN refuses to give last names until they are eliminated): Mollie Sue, 25, a waiter from Safety Harbor, and Gina, 21, a translator from Odessa.

Neither comes off an early favorite - Gina has no self-confidence, Mollie Sue is robotic, we're told - and Gina is set up as a candidate for the first ejection at the show's end. The preview DVD didn't reveal who is sent packing, but before someone is, we must endure the modeling challenge referred to by the episode's title: "The Girls Go Bald."

GRADE: D.

[Last modified March 8, 2006, 01:41:06]