The sharks are circling closer this week, and everyone in the house seemed to feel it.  The longer each girl is in the competition, the more evidence there is that she does not have enough to be America's next top model.

Before the first commercial break, everyone had reason to think that they'd each be out.  Elina can't let go, no one thinks Analeigh is strong enough, Marjorie thinks that she's the worst thing since hair crimping, and Lauren Brie is worried that she's out of her depth.

The friendship between Analeigh and Marjorie is somehow surprising and awesome at the same time.  In Analeigh, Marjorie has found someone who actually has lower self confidence than she does.  It's a match made in psych ward heaven.  Lifetime could make a movie about their love.  One of them could get cancer and the other could start doing pills.

Tyra arrives at the photoshoot in her Tyra mail costume and it's even worse in reality than it is in touched up photos.  She tells the girls that she's going to help them with their signature poses, which is strangely instructional for her.

On the one hand, it's the first time all season that she's taken an active part in shaping their modeling abilities. On the other, she encourages them to come up with signature poses that are essentially the same pieces of the biographies that we've seen all season.  It comes off as encouraging them to be one-note while at the same time encouraging better quality photos.

So, it's actually just promoting good quality, one note photos.

They've kicked girls off the show for less than that.

Marjorie won the challenge for appearing awkward and "model-y" at the same time.  I feel like Tyra needs to patent a new phrase.  Be gone with the oxymoron "ugly-pretty", let's all adopt "awkward-pretty." At least those two adjectives aren't mutually exclusive.

She and Analeigh went off to pick out diamonds together and single most awesome part of that was the comments from other girls about how much of a couple they are.

The photoshoot of the week was different stereotypical awards show shenanigans at the "Fiercee" awards.  Some girls got it, some didn't, and others were just plain pretty.  I love that this is a show where being, "just pretty" is enough of a flaw to get you kicked off.  

Because most of the photos were either boringly bad, or boringly good, I'll summarize. Sam's photo of being unable to read cue cards was gorgeous, but not in line with the narrative.  Marjorie has managed to take awkward pretty to a whole new level.  Joslyn just keeps getting better each week.  Analeigh didn't have a signature but she was a good actress.

The only two interesting parts were Elina's total meltdown and the revelation that Lauren Brie has about as much intelligence as the average model.

Because Jay had long since figured out that the only thing Elina likes less than asking for help is someone telling her to be emotional, he pulled out his Freudian costume and literally began a psychiatric session on set.  Instead of pulling pretty-ugly out of her, he began asking the type of deep questions that make anyone cry, but especially girls on TV.  "In whose eyes are you not good enough?" he asked and on set Elina began sobbing.

It was... an interesting melt down, because I feel that it was just as staged as the one gay, one straight identical twins from a few cycles ago.  If someone is so controlling of their own lives, they don't go on reality tv shows.  In some ways her overly controlled exterior might have just been an extension of trying not to look like an idiot with cameras rolling.

Lauren Brie was less psychologically repressed and more psychologically vacant.

"The photo concepts are getting harder to grasp," she said to the camera.  Her face as she said this was a little bit like a confused puppy.  She didn't understand why being beautiful suddenly wasn't enough any more.

For judging, Tyra dressed up as Little Black Riding Hood because... well, because she's Tyra and if she doesn't get to cosplay at least once an episode, she fires a member of her staff.  

Marjorie won, and managed to look surprised.  I bet all the girls hate her at this point.  Not only have they had to reassure her that, yes, she's good, but she keeps winning.  Analeigh came in second this week, and it looks like her photos are getting better.  Hopefully she figures out a signature soon.

The bottom two were Sheena and Lauren Brie.  Despite all the hootchie comments Sheena gets, the girl is one of the few in the competition who's confident without being cocky.  Also, she's hands down gorgeous.  Whenever Tyra says she's doesn't look "model" enough, I keep thinking that by that Tyra means "white" enough.

Lauren Brie got sent home, and I felt kind of bad for her because Tyra literally told her it was because she didn't have enough of a personality.  "I have a lot of friends," Lauren Brie complained, confusing being nice with being interesting.

Next week: the girls get out of town.  And someone gets sent home.