Reality Check: 'America's Next Top Model': Down to Five - A reality TV blog by The Baltimore Sun's Sarah Kelber

John-John Williams IV reports on this week's America's Next Top Model:

Erin started the episode lamenting about her disastrous Covergirl commercial from the week before. And for good reason, she was in the bottom two last week.

Tyra met the girls at their house to tell them that they needed to tidy up. She pointed out ants, dirty dishes, and scattered clothes. I was fully expecting Tyra to go on a huge tantrum about respecting the house. Instead she told the girls she was condemning the house, which would force them to take a trip to Hawaii. The girls quickly packed, boarded a plane, and were on their way.

After settling into their new ultra fabulous digs, and sharpening their claws – Erin and Brittany hate each other-- the girls met Sofia Beschen, a petite model and surfer, and Buzzy Kerbox, a surfer and model. The girls learned how to surf by the model-surfers. The girls were suppose to learn body control with their surfing lesson.

Mr. Jay Manuel met the girls and told them that they would be charged with posing on surfboards with male models for the day’s photo challenge, which Erin won. As a result, she was allowed to pick Brittany and Nicole to take a helicopter tour of Maui. Erin later complained that she didn’t win a tangible prize, and the other girls were so disgusted with her complaining. Meanwhile, Laura was tending to her sunburns that she suffered from the day’s photo shoot. She was worried that her reddish skin would negatively affect her in the next day’s photo shoot.

The next day, the girls learned that they were going to be photographed again by Tyra. Tyra informed the girls that they were going to pose as mix of two ethnicities. Laura was Mexican and Greek. She was a little shaky at first. But after asking for a quick pointer from Tyra, Laura turned her photographs into praise-worthy efforts. Erin was Tibetan and Egyptian. (Tyra didn’t appear too impressed with Erin’s performance. She called it very commercial. That’s not good at all.) Sundai was Morrocan and Russian. (Mr. Jay said that Sundai nailed her photo shoot.) Brittany was Native American and East Indian. (Tyra said that Brittany was a little stiff.) Jennifer was Batswana and Polynesian. (Tyra said that Jennifer was a mess. Ouch. But after a quick pointer from Tyra, she came alive.) Nicole, who was Malagasy and Japanese, could do no wrong. She looked phenomenal. (The judges later agreed calling her performance “stunning.”)

The next day at judging, the girls were introduced to guest judge supermodel Kirsty Hume. Nicole was judged to have the best photo of the bunch. The bottom two was comprised of Brittany and Erin. Tyra said that: Brittany had formulaic photos; and Erin had been self sabotaging herself.

Brittany said she was hurt. She thanked Tyra for the opportunity. She later said she was going to continue, and that the show was a jumping off point for her.