We've become accustomed to thinking of Bravo as the new kings of reality, successful in both the relatively classy segment of the genre (Project Runway, Queer Eye, Top Chef) and the less uplifting segment (the Real Housewives shows). But Make Me a Supermodel, now in its final weeks, has not attracted the same sort of buzz, despite displaying the characteristic Bravo look and the novelty of viewer input on who to jettison every week (a feature which also mostly eliminates the threat of spoilers, since each new episode can't start filming until the previous week's vote has been recorded).

This is not necessarily fatal to the possibility of there being future editions of the series (both Project Runway and Top Chef gained momentum after their first seasons), but it's still worth examining why it has not yet become a hit.

First of all, the viewer input requires Make Me a Supermodel to move what is usually the climactic part of any competition reality show -- the elimination -- to the very beginning of the episode. I don't know that there's a good solution to this problem. American Idol and Dancing With the Stars handle the issue by shifting their eliminations to a second, heavily padded night of programming, but these are the two most popular shows on television. Two other recent series, Dance War and The Next Great American Band, dealt with the viewer input issue by simply making everyone go through a week of preparation and rehearsal equally, and then announcing the people kicked off near the end of the next episode.

Doing that would not work as well with Make Me a Supermodel, however, because only three people are up for the vote every week. Knowing you have a one-in-three chance of going certainly would not be conducive to a week of stress-free modeling, and it wouldn't look good for someone to be nominated, have an excellent week, and then be told at the end, "Sorry! America kicked you out after all."

Second, we have the continuing presence of America's Next Top Model. That show may not be a serious vehicle for finding an up-and-coming model, but it's entertaining and silly in a way Make Me a Supermodel isn't. And the mere fact that it's been around for five years can't help but give parts of the newer show a been there, done that, feel despite its very different tone. Bravo's upcoming Step It Up and Dance is going to have the same problem. Project Runway was a new idea when it premiered, but any newer show that purported to find a hot young designer would no doubt have to contend with unflattering comparisons.

America's Next Top Model may have an advantage in another area. The models on that show only have to impress Tyra Banks and the other judges and are otherwise free to play to the cameras, but the Make Me a Supermodel cast has to contend with public opinion. This hasn't eliminated drama -- these people all live together, and some friction is inevitable -- but it's reasonable to assume that we're seeing at least a little self-censorship based on the need to not anger viewers.

This doesn't mean the audience is totally dispassionate like a jury, however. The producers probably aren't too unhappy that the viewing public has seen fit to continue the closest thing the show has had to a season-long storyline, the unrequited crush that gay Ronnie has on the straight and married Ben. Both men have been up for the vote several times between them and been saved every time, even though Ben in particular has been considered one of the weaker models all along. We'll find out Thursday if this storyline will save Ronnie one more time at the expense of Shannon, who was the last model to finally face the voters but might not be as interesting to viewers. But while the Ronnie/Ben friendship theoretically makes for "better TV," the fact that the storyline is helping both men also undercuts the show's claim to being a more serious competition than America's Next Top Model.

We also have to look at the roles of hosts Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor, which have been limited to the sort of duties Heidi Klum has on Project Runway: introducing tasks, watching the final catwalk, guiding the judges' discussion, and saying goodbye to the dearly departed. Neither Beckford nor Taylor adds much to the judging or commentary compared with Klum, who isn't even using her native language.

And maybe it's just a function of the relative unfamiliarity of the other judges, but neither Cory Bautista nor Jennifer Starr are providing the entertainment value of Nina Garcia and Michael Kors, to say nothing of the various ANTM judges over the years. What's more, there's no Tim Gunn character on Make Me a Supermodel, no Yoda to guide the young models through the process. Of course, Project Runway lends itself to the input of a Tim, since those tasks take at least several hours to complete, while modeling is dynamic and in the moment. But the models aren't really being "made" either; the ones who don't come into the process already knowing pretty much what to do, like poor Katy from the early weeks, are cannon fodder.

It's possible that the winner of Make Me a Supermodel -- and it's pretty obviously going to be either Perry or Holly -- is going to have a nice little career; Perry in particular photographs awfully well. But will either ever gain more fame from a legit modeling career than the ANTM winners gain from their reality show antics? I wouldn't bet on it.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us