After enough seasons on the air, any television series reality or scripted runs the risk of becoming repetitive, and Tyra Banks appears to know that her reality TV brainchild, The CW's "America's Next Top Model," is not immune. Perhaps that's why, for the show's 13th season, which premiered Sept. 9, Banks decided to switch up the familiar formula by allowing only prospective models 5 feet 7 inches and under to compete.
The twist is more than welcome on a show that has become comically predictable since its debut in 2003. Each cycle (as the show's seasons are called) has followed nearly the exact same trajectory as those that came before.
Regardless of how badly the show needed a change, the height limitation seems merely to confirm the show's irrelevance. Even without such a handicap, few if any of the previous cycles' winners have gone on to become true top models.
Apparently, the height limitation is another symptom of Banks' intense commitment to redefining beauty.
"With America's Next Top Model,' I always strive to push the boundaries of what people consider to be beautiful," Banks narrated over clips from past seasons just minutes into this season's premiere.
Other than their height, there is little about the 14 girls featured in cycle 13 that doesn't fit conventional conceptions of beauty. And unless they are standing next to either a measuring tape or a full-size model, it is easy to forget that there is anything different about them.
The height limitation moves the show even farther from the realm of high fashion. The notable absence of supermodel Paulina Porizkova from the judges' table only compounds this shift. In her place sits a different guest judge each week, most of whom, so far, are only peripherally involved in the fashion world.
Because the pint-sized models have even less of a chance of starting a modeling career after "Top Model" than did their predecessors, the producers of "Top Model" can push the show further towards camp than they ever have before. As a result, what cycle 13 lacks in legitimacy, it makes up for in insanity.
This season, Banks has upped the already quite prominent histrionics. The first two episodes were full of intentional overacting and cheesy skits. The most notable example so far has been the introduction of "Super Smize," a superhero that teaches the contestants to "smile with their eyes" and also bears a striking resemblance to Banks.
It seems that Banks has done as much as she can to add to the campy charm of the show that has attracted viewers in the past. Of course, the photo shoots are still interesting to watch and some of the photographs are stunning. But this season, more so than any other, is about Banks and not the contestants.
So, it really doesn't matter how tall these girls are. While the height limitation has compromised the tiny bit of credibility that "Top Model" had left, it also frees the show from the obligation to strive for legitimacy. The result is a campier version of an already campy show that ultimately makes for some pretty entertaining television.
