And then, in lopes Hunchback Heather. She says, "Hey pretty lady. And Tyra." The judges do a bit about this, and eventually, Heather says that they're all pretty. She seems like she's drunk. Tyra notes that Heather was diagnosed with something when she was thirteen, and asks what it was. Heather says she was diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's syndrome, which is described as a mild form of autism. A new affliction! How exciting. It also includes being very awkward in social situations, which explains the "hey pretty lady" thing. Heather says the real problem she had as a child was that she didn't have that many friends. Other kids had a problem understanding her, she says, because she was wired differently. She walks in her swimsuit, and Miss J. tells her to stand up straight. I thought the hunch was going to be a problem, but the Jays seem to think that it'll give her an edge in fashiony awkwardness. Jay Manuel, however, asks if you can be a top model and not do runway. Tyra thinks she's fine clunking down the runway just like she is, because every so often you get someone who can't walk but it works.
Next is Saleisha, who, Tyra notes, went to one of her T-Zone camps. Tyra says that because she knows Saleisha, she's going to be harder on her. Saleisha says that T-Zone is a self-esteem camp designed to bring girls out of their shells. Tyra asks what she got out of the camp, and Saleisha says that when she went to T-Zone at fourteen, her self-esteem was poor, but now she thinks she's the bomb. Jay asks if she wants to do high fashion, and Saleisha says she'd love to do Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated. She might be the biggest Tyra mini-me we've had yet!
We get a brief break from the interviews and see several girls mini-golfing. There's nothing wrong with a little putt-putt, even on a cruise ship. Janet, 22, from Bainbridge, Georgia, says that she's excited for the adventures ahead. She's going to get to know a bunch of amazing girls, she says, and probably dislike a lot of them. A realist in the bunch is always refreshing.
But back to the interviews. We now meet Victoria, 20, from New Haven. Tyra notes that she looks nervous, and Victoria says she never thought she'd be there because she's just "the nerd from Yale." Victoria says that it doesn't matter where you come from; at the end of the day, it's all about how hard you work. She gives a debate-team speech about the fact that she should win the competition because she's (one finger) smart and (two fingers) strong. She starts to say that the other girls are strong and smart, but Tyra interrupts and says, "You know you think some of these girls are dumb, come on." Awesome. I think that was the closest that Tyra's actually ever come to being Oprah. Victoria admits that it's true. Victoria says that this whole thing started as a joke, and she knows that for a lot of girls there, it's their dream. But, she says, she's into the competition and is competing. Victoria can't seem to look anyone directly in the eye. She makes me nervous. I can't wait for the other girls to start tormenting her.













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