Panel will take place on June 10, 6PM EST :)

Jon Kortajarena//
Welcome, models! I'm so excited to judge you :). Until the numbers get a little smaller, I'll only leave comments to the "HIGHS" (aka the models I rated highest) and the "LOWS" (aka the models I rated lowest). Hopefully through these comments, all of you can get a sense of what I'm looking for even if you weren't left a comment.

HIGHS
Victor – I’m a sucker for a good beauty photo. You hit the theme so well while also giving a stunning photo, even if it was neck up. I love your eyes. Job well done.
Ajak – FLAWLESS. I love your skin and how fashion forward this photo is.
Jacob – This embodies America, especially right now. I see myself in you in this photo now that I’m working in America. That’s what you want from your audience. You want people to resonate with your photos.
Ming Xi – This is a beautiful photo that’s just self explanatory. It didn’t need a description because you went all out on your wardrobe and your face carried the photo well.

LOWS
Robbie – I love your wardrobe, but your face is very obvious (“I’m standing on a cliff, let me close my eyes to embody free”). It doesn’t make for an interesting photo and in order to impress me, you gotta do more.
Cheyenne – I’m disappointed since you’re one of my favorite models. I don’t think this was the best outfit choice. I don’t think this was the week to go grayscale, as much as I usually love grayscale photos. This was about expressing diversity and your heritage, so I think we almost needed color. Overall, I know you can churn out a more interesting photo than this.
Lera – -silence-… this photo left me quite confused. I still don’t know how I feel about it.

Fourth low, sorry:

Francis - this isn't a terrible photo, but you have to do more to stand out.

*Augusta Critiques: Submissions 1 - 8*

Ariadna -- This is okay for me; the fit is nice but the background is a bit pedestrian. This is more so serving me "Sports Illustrated" when this is Top Model - but I think you can do well if you step up the high fashion going forward.

Lera -- So an issue for me is that I don't actually know which model is you... this is the first week, so you totally want to stand out, not be in a shot with another similar looking model. After figuring out which model you were, I actually like your outfit and I see some connection to Russia, but it's just okay for me.

Jacob -- I appreciate you thinking outside the box on this one. I love the jumpsuit on you; the fit and color is so nice. This makes me think of being quarantined in USA right now. If only he was holding a Bud Light / a true American beer, but I like this shot a lot.

Aline -- This is a really interesting shot! Definitely a lot to take in and the landscape is gorgeous. The only issue is that the landscape is so gorgeous that it kind of takes away from you, and you should be the focal point of every photo. But, I know that you have a lot of potential.

Cheyenne -- For me, the connection to England is really minimal and yes I read your description, it's just not enough. I love your hair in this! But your arms are kind of positioned oddly and I don't love your outfit either. :|

Ming -- I'd give you a similar critique as Aline in terms of being careful with the backdrop, but I think your submission is a bit stronger in that I can really tell the direct connections to your culture. I don't love your styling, but I think that your face and body make the photo worthwhile for me.

Caroline -- I love the brightness in your photo and I like that I can see the movement that you're trying to do, which is tough to capture in a photo. Your face looks a bit mad and I don't think that was the emotion you were going for, but I love the photo overall. Your style is great and definitely gives me some Brazil!

Bright -- First off, I think you're stunning and have a ton of potential. I think you know how to use your face (as odd as that sounds). My issue here is similar to Ariadna's critique - this is a more pedestrian shot. There's not much here that makes me think high fashion, in terms of the backdrop and styling. But I like you and I think you'll do well in this competition if you can bring up the couture going forward.

*Augusta Critiques: Submissions 9 - 16*

Victor -- Definitely a risk to do a headshot in Week One, but you look great! I can see you embracing your culture and doing it in a powerful way. I'd love to see more of a full body shot going forward, but good job on this photoshoot.

Fernanda -- I appreciate you posting your inspiration, but unlike in your inspiration photo, your styling in this photo completely eats you up and is like sensory overload for me from the sunflower to the leopard print. It's just A LOT but I do see the effort and I think you can do better.

Jason -- I don't love the angle and it looks like you're holding in a sneeze, but I do like the styling and see how you are showcasing your country. I like the styling a lot really. Overall, it's a middle of the road shot for me.

Francis -- Oh man, submitting a blurry shot is a big no from me. Besides that, it just looks like you're shirtless and wearing a scarf / bandana thing. I mean yes you're hot but what else are you going to bring to the competition?

Robbie -- I really like everything about this except your face. You could have done so much more with this, but wow I think red looks amazing on you, and it's a color of Canada. And I see the Niagara Falls comparison. Good job but be careful with your face going forward. Why would you look so sad when representing your country and you wrote a positive description about it, you know?

Naty -- Hmmm... this is very interesting. Your outfit is amazing and I like what you're doing with your body, but something's missing for me. I think the fact that your photo submission is blurry and a bit small is giving me a hard time. I think that's it, so watch that. But, good job. :)

Ajak -- Well, I definitely see you following the guidelines of the challenge and showing us about your heritage which is awesome. The photo itself is a bit boring... like you're sitting in front of an orange wall with cacti around you. You look great though, but be conscious of the whole photo you submit.

Joan -- Oh wow your styling is sooooo good but your backdrop looks like you're taking your school photo in elementary school. Unfortunate because you would have totally been Top 3 for me if that was different. You give great face. The cinched waist with the bright red sleeves is just amazing.

[Top 3 = Jacob, Caroline, Victor]
[Bottom 3 = Francis, Lera, Cheyenne]

Garrett Neff//

Welcome to your first Photoshoot of the season! I feel like this Photoshoot was relatively straightforward which asked for you to represent your country. Soo many of you chose to incorporate beaches in your photo in some way. Since this is the first photo shoot, I understand but for future weeks try to maybe put a little more thought into your themes it makes you stand out a little more when you do not go the obvious route. I won’t be providing individual critiques for each person for this week, I’ll name my Top and Bottom 3 with reasoning. If you aren’t in my Top or Bottom 3 then you were somewhere in the middle of the pack close to the top or bottom of the spectrum.

Top 3:
Ariadna Gutierrez, Despite being on a beach for you it worked. I liked your pose, your facial expression, and the outfit itself. 

Aline Weber, It seems like you put much thought into your photo and didn’t give us the obvious direction. I love the choice to do something rare by standing on the tree so this definitely screams RainForest to me. 

Ajak Deng, Where do I start? I like that you captured the essence of the Sudan Dessert with the cactuses, the backdrop complemented your theme along with the flag colors. 

Bottom 3:
Lebra Abramova, I understand the whole Russia winter concept however you relied strictly on clothing which I’m guessing was the fur coats. 

Cheyenne Maya-Carty, I don’t think you did enough to represent your country here, your photo left me with a lot of questions.

Robbie Beeser, I feel like you had a golden opportunity to stand out from everyone with “Canada" description wise you nailed it, photo-wise you dropped the ball a little. Canada is primarily associated with the color Red but there was so much you could’ve shown in your photo that you put in your explanation. 

Lenox Tillman: Hello models and welcome to your first judges critiques and panel of the season! I, like my other judges, will be pointing out my tops and bottoms of the week, however, you each will be getting critiqued from me.
Let's go in order.

(Part 1)
Ariadna Gutierrez- There is absolutely nothing wrong with this shot, but i feel it's missing something. It feels safe and for week 1 that is fine, but i would step it up. Think outside of the box. Do something that isn't the obvious. Good job nonetheless.

Lera Abramova- I am kind of very disappointed with this shot. I agree with my fellow judge Augusta when i say, i'm actually not quite sure which model you are. If Ariadna did not stand out, you went the next level and faded away. I did not enjoy the shot and if you move on to next week, you'll need to rethink your approach and try A LOT harder.

Jacob Morton- I'm not going to lie and say that i expected the world from you, but now? I will be expecting this level every single time. THIS is how you make a statement. You didn't rely on the obvious, you took a risk, and you DELIVERED. This was one of my favorites, if not my favorite shot thus far. Great job!

Aline Weber- While i do think you took a bit of a risk, i'm not sure if it paid off as well as it did for Jacob. It's a beautiful shot, but i'm not sure if the forest itself overtakes the attention.

Cheyenne Maya-Carty- I'm actually a bit disappointed in this shot. It feels a bit basic. Nothing really stands out to me and it feels a bit bland. Not even safe, just a bit... i don't know... lazy, dare i say? Either way, not the biggest fan of this shot.

Ming Xi- While i thiknk you NAILED the theme, i would suggest you be careful with proportions. There is a lot of space around you and that can sometimes take the focus away. Otherwise, great job!

Caroline Trentini- This shot feels, like Ariadna's, very safe. Nothing necessarily wrong with it, just safe. Good job.

Bright Vachirawit- The only thing this shot has done, that doesn't make me immediately pick it apart, is the facial expression. Boy, can you model that face! And while it is captivating, there is nothing else going on with this shot. It feels, like Augusta said, a bit pedestrian. I think if you move on in this competition, you need to be more careful and submit more professional shots.

(Part 2)

Victor Ndigwe- This shot is great. The emotion is your face is palpable and i love it. The only issue i have here is that some of your competitors have done the same thing, except with a full body shot, which to me is slightly mroe impressive. Once again, nothing wrong with the shot, just wish you went above and beyond. Great job!

Fernanda Ly- While i love the posing and your facial expression here, this outfit is wearing you and it shows. Look out for these type of things because they are the difference between 1st and 5th call out. The win is in the details. Good job!

Jason Anthony- I like that you tried to encapsulate the landscape of where you are from with the mood and vibe of the photo. I think that is what separates you from the middle of the pack. There is nothing SUPER wow about the shot, but you can tell that you really thought about the theme and executed it fairly well! Great job!

Francis Mossman- I think Augusta is being a tad bit dramatic with the blurriness of the shot. As one who had MUCH trouble with finding the perfect high quality photos, if you ever need help finding a higher quality version of a photo, i'm just a message away! You can always mail me to help find you a better version! Now onto the photo. I think there isn't anything wrong with the shot, i just don't find that it connects all TOO well with the theme and feels just a tad too safe for my liking.

Robbie Beeser- This honestly just falls flat to me. Nothing is necessarily too bad about the photo. It just feels safe and unconnected to the theme. It looks like you chose the shot and tried to spin it in a way that would let it slide into this week's theme. If you continue in this competition, good enough is NEVER going to be enough.

Naty Chabanenko- I like the shot. I will say that before anything. The shot is fantastic. I just feel you're in the same position as Robbie where you chose the shot beforehand. Only in this case, i 1. like the shot and 2. think that you executed it brilliantly. Great Job!

Ajak Deng- This shot feels really interesting and fresh. The only issue i have is the backdrop. It's such a nice pose and i like the touch of plants surrounding you, but it feels a bit boring due to the backdrop. I love that i instantly connected it with what you said, but i feel that the backdrop gave it a certain disconnect. Good job!

Joan Smalls- Your backdrop makes the outfit itself pop and the contrast is one of my favorite parts of the shot. However, like Ajak, i wish the shot itself used a different background as the backdrop does give the shot a bit of a disconnect. I think you executed the theme fantastically and I loved the way you represented your country. Good job!

Lenox Tillman:
Top Models- (no particular order)
Ming Xi
Ajak Deng
Joan Smalls
Jacob Morton

Bottom Models- 
Lera Abramova
Cheyenne Maya-Carty
Fernanda Ly

Panel in a few minutes.

*stands in a lineup awaiting for the results*

*Caroline waits nervously*

*Stands in the lineup with my hands behind my back*

Good luck everyone! <3

Good luck all

*Twiddles his fingers and breathes heavily*

Garrett sits down at the panel-

Goodluck Models!