Any models from antm/ausntm that you felt lacked potential but ended up impressing you throughout their run?

Hm, good question. I feel like early ANTM had a lot of front runners who surprised me, Mercedes from Cycle 2 was someone I thought looked sweet, but didn’t see a model, but she turned it out. Joanie from Cycle 6 is another one, like Tyra said in casting she doesn’t give much in person, but she knows how to model, and serves an incredible photo. I think Jennifer from Cycle 13 is another, and Anslee from Cycle 14 is someone I always forget, never thought looked like a model, but had some shining moments that showed something I never saw. From some of the newer seasons Shanice from Cycle 24 had a series of shots that shut me up, even though I was doubting her hard pre-season and up to that point. ANTM has a lot to be honest of these, so I’m sure there are more I am just missing.

As for from AusNTM, I think one that jumps out is Adele from Cycle 5. Never really saw model initially, and in the first few weeks she gave mediocre, but at a certain point she just went into high gear, and gave some sensational shots. Really found her niche that just worked. Another obvious one is Kathryn from Cycle 6 too, absolutely nothing special in person, but one of the most photographic models in NTM history. A real contender for my favourite portfolio ever.

Some of my favorite photos from America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 2) x black contestants & contestants with ethnic backgrounds

Mercedes Scelba-Shorte 

~ America (2) ~

2. Mercedes

I’d almost forgotten how beautiful Mercedes’ bone structure is. It’s really highlighted here, and she has a very nice focus to the side. She looks tenacious and ready to get down for the win. Her styling I will never get, but she’s working it damn well so I’m not going to complain about it. I applaud how she keeps my eyes on her beautiful expression when there’s a head of crazy hair in the frame too. By all means, it’s a fantastic beauty shot, but really, there was no comparing it to Yoanna.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle Three - Fourth Photo Shoot - Legendary Celebrities

Mercedes as Billie Holiday Photographer: Andrew Eccles

3. Mercedes’s High Fashion Beauty Shot

Mercedes absolutely nailed this shot. She proved that she had the ability to be edgy and high fashion and not just a cute commercial girl. Her eyes are full of power, she extended her neck to the extreme, and her jawline is just magnificent. She’s a complete warrior queen and definitely earned herself a place in Cycle 2′s Final 2 with this picture.

Close-ups from the top 5 shoot of Cycle 2.

#3 – Mercedes Scelba-Shorte

I often feel Mercedes is the most forgotten member of the top 4. Yoanna is the face, April is the constant professional, Shandi is high fashion. Mercedes deserves to leave as much of a legacy as the others did, and for me it should be her commercial modelling abilities. This is not to say those are her only skills, but it is definitely what she deserves to be remembered for. She had everything a top commercial model needs: a gorgeous conventionally beautiful face, curvaceous body, vibrant personality and an effervescent smile. She could light up a room, and I definitely think she had the chops to stand out in the more competitive commercial modelling market. Her runway walk was also not to be underestimated. She killed that last runway, and proved she was more of a chameleon than even I’d given her credit for. More editorial modelling is where her flaws showed. Her face wasn’t the issue, as she proved in that last beauty shoot, but I don’t think she got the conceptual poses down. Mercedes’ body never really connected to her face, and that style just never came naturally to her.

As I said, Mercedes suffered the most when she was pushed outside her comfort zone. The Solstice sunglasses shoot was easily her weakest point, and if it wasn’t for Camille still hanging on I’d easily have chosen to cut her. The pose just feels so cliché, and Mercedes just didn’t embody the brand like everyone else seemed to do naturally. She redeemed herself with the following two shoots, but that one still definitely stick out as a poor showing for me. On the more positive side, she killed multiple shoots. The ones worth mentioning are the celebrity and garden of Eden shoots, both of which she got first call-out from me. She killed both of them, though her Billie Holiday takes the spot as her strongest photo. Nailing the character is one thing, but to manage to make one of the notoriously tacky shoots look so gorgeous is incredible. Mercedes truly capture the sadness and stoic nature of Billie Holiday, yet also end up with a shot that looks like it could be an ad for make-up or skin care. Absolutely beautiful.

Commercial models never seem to get the credit they deserve, especially on modern ANTM where it has essentially become instantly associated with early outs. Girls like Mercedes need to be remembered as they proved a great commercial model can really give any high fashion girl a run for their money. With a stunning face and sweet personality in her tool kit, she certainly was a deserving finalist, even if I have her third on this list. If her killer runway walk had ended up earning her the win, I wouldn’t have minded as those last two weeks she really showed that she could rival the best models of the cycle.

9. Mercedes’ high fashion beauty shot

This was the moment when Mercedes proved that she was a very competent all arround model and that she was able to pull off high fashion despite her more commercial look. To me it solidified her spot in the finale over Shandi.

5. Mercedes At first glance, I don’t even recognize Mercedes in this photo. And while that’s not necessarily a good thing, she is SELLING those clothes. As much as I hate them, I want to buy those shoes and top for myself. She’s doing her job and she’s doing it well!

Which models are you disappointed on how they are now?

Unsurprisingly I think the first one that jumps to mind is Natasha from Cycle 8, what a disappointment seeing what she is posting on social media nowadays. Similarly, seeing Sara from Cycle 2 post what she did after the Supreme Court decision, or Keith posting homophobic/transphobic posts...breaks my heart. Another one is Brittney from AusNTM Cycle 6, was disappointed to see her become an anti-vaxxer, one of my random faves.

I am sure there are more out there who would disappoint me if I looked into it, but I'd rather focus on those who are thriving out there like Dani, or those who are still friends from their seasons like April and Mercedes. There are so many great people on this show, and the few bad ones just don't deserve our time anymore.

hi!! i was wondering if you could please help me find an italian (possibly sicilian) fc for a woman in her mid 30s with dark brown hair? thank you so so much in advance and for all the work you do!!

Nicole Tubiola (1979) Italian [including Sicilian] / Korean, possibly other.

Bianca Lawson (1979) African-American, Creole [French, African], one quarter Italian/Sicilian, smaller amounts of English, Blackfoot, and Portuguese.

Aleksa Palladino (1980) Italian [including Sicilian] / Unspecfieid.

LP (1981) Italian, including Sicilian / Irish - lesbian.

Mercedes Scelba-Shorte (1981) Italian/Sicilian, Irish / African-American.

Eve Mauro (1981) Italian/Sicilian, English, possibly other.

Teri Reeves (1981) Italian, including Sicilian, Arbëreshë, as well as German, English, possibly other

Valeria Bilello (1982) Sicilian/Italian.

Danica Patrick (1982) Italian/Sicilian, Irish, Swiss-German, English / Norwegian.

Melanie Scrofano (1982) Italian/Sicilian, French-Canadian.

Diane Fleri (1983) Italian/Sicilian, Maltese / Italian/Corsican, Breton.

Michelle Lombardo (1983) 75% Italian, including Sicilian 25% Irish.

Caroline D’Amore (1984) Italian, including Sicilian / Dutch, English, Irish, distant French Huguenot, remote Scottish and Polish.

Cristin Milioti (1985) Italian [Sicilian and Calabrian] and Belgian / Czech, Irish, Scottish, and English.

Shelley Hennig (1987) Italian/Sicilian / German, Swiss-German, Scottish, English.

Here ya go!

Mercedes Scelba-Shorte 

~ America (2) ~

by Charles Davis

2. Mercedes

Mercedes looks like a modern interpretation of an Ancient Egyptian queen , and I, for one, am living for that. Her face is just piercing the camera lens unabashedly and her body and the way she’s showing off the outfit draped over her arm is superb. Unfortunately for Mercedes, she has lost her entire right arm, and it’s not a case where I feel like I can ignore it, since missing limbs tend to be distracting to me. Still a magnificent picture.