The remaining models arrived in Barbados for their final challenges, but how did the girls cope with surfing, smiling and a photoshoot on a boat? Will Gore reveals all...
In reality TV shows there is this moment that often happens when a judge or a guest star makes a grand entrance and the assembled wannabes go mad.
In this tradition, Dannii Minogue ("model, fashion designer, and superstar," lest we forget) has been on the receiving end of many an ecstatic welcome from the hopefuls on the current series of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model. But last night something changed.
Excitement was at fever pitch as the remaining six girls arrived in Barbados. They were shrieking at anything that moved, so Dannii popping up on a beach would surely cause them all to go absolutely barmy? Strangely, not. It seems that even the enthusiasm of BINTM models has its limits.
Dannii appeared with an overenthusiastic spin and a look on her face that seemed to anticipate adulation. But where once the girls might of whooped, after ten weeks the Minogue magic has faded. Her arrival was greeted with all the joy of a group of X Factor contestants watching Sinitta stroll down the steps of Simon Cowell's mansion towards them.
Even though Dannii couldn't trigger much excitement, the hopefuls were called on to up the energy levels for this week's challenges. First up, they filmed an advert in which they had to surf to the shore and run towards a camera bellowing, "It doesn't get better than Barbados!
After some on beach paddling practice, in which the models resembled a succession of seizure victims, they hit the water for the advert. Surfing is a tricky sport to master and so it was no surprise that the girls all wiped out before running up the beach to deliver their lines. Sophie won the day for her Oscar-worthy performance, but for me Emma was once again the star. She made a holiday in the Caribbean sound as appealing as a weekend break in Syria.
A photoshoot on a boat followed. Borrowing Mick Hucknall's mantra, the brief for the shoot was to "create a party atmosphere while showcasing your hair". Angel, was therefore looking forward to having "long, wavy hair and a really sexy look." Unfortunately for her, the kind of party vibe the stylists wanted her to recreate was that of a 70s disco night, and so stuck a huge afro wig on her head.
Angel sat in the corner and sulked like an exhausted toddler, while the other girls got on with things. After a little trouble with her braces, Emma got a decent shot, Lauren did another sterling job, and Sophie received the easiest bit of direction yet heard on the show – "look over your shoulder and laugh at Dannii."
Once all the pictures had been snapped, the judging session took place on the beach in the dead of night. Tyson wore some extraordinary, multi-coloured trousers and Naomi found herself in the firing line. "I think it was very toothy," she said of her boat pic. "You are very toothy," came Elle's curt response. Tyson later described Naomi as "only being good for hair and lips," which sounds weird no matter which way you spin it.
In the end though Naomi survived and, even though Angel had finally learned to "embrace the hair" as Lauren had advised her, she found herself in the bottom two with Emma.
The tension was painful. Emma clutched her face with both hands, possibly to stop it falling off, while Angel muttered away to herself in the style of a park bench wino. The latter seemed to know the bad news was on its way, and so it proved. Angel was heading home, with the portfolio of certain doom and an oversized wig poking out of her hand luggage.
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