CASSIE ELIMINATED FROM UPN'S "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL"

Cassie, a student from Norman, Okla., has been eliminated from the third cycle of UPN's dramality series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, reducing the pool of girls competing for the grand prize from eight to seven.

During last evening�s episode, Tyra Banks sent all eight ladies on �go-see� appointments to be evaluated by some of New York�s top fashion designers, including Nicole Miller, Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore and Marc Bouwer. Things began to go awry when Amanda forgot to pack her high-heels. Amanda, Cassie, Eva, Ann and Toccara decided to go on a shoe shopping spree causing them to arrive late to their second appointment. Later that day, when completing her evaluation with Marc Bouwer, Cassie was told that her thighs and hips were too big for the designer�s preference, which wounded her already fragile self image. After the designers� evaluation points had been tabulated, Yaya emerged as the winner of the challenge. As a prize, she received clothing from each designer, which she shared with Nicole.

Later that evening, while on the phone with her mother, Cassie learned that her uncle was very sick. This upsetting news caused her to further doubt her role in the competition and question whether she needed to be with her family. �I don�t want to be here anymore, but I don�t want to be the girl who quits,� an emotional Cassie commented.

The next day, Jay Manuel demonstrated the act of transformation and introduced the challenging photo shoot in which the girls would become two drastically different characters and pose opposite themselves in the same photo. During the shoot, Cassie had many things running through her mind and worried that her anxiety about her uncle�s illness would show in her photos.

During the next night's elimination ceremony, the girls were asked to recreate their experiences on their "go-see" appointments by trying to persuade a fictitious design company, created by the judges, to hire them as a campaign girl. As the transformation photos were evaluated, the judges all agreed that Cassie is a beautiful girl, but her lack of desire and commitment to the competition ultimately ended her run to become AMERICA�S NEXT TOP MODEL.

This season, Tyra Banks once again leads the panel that will narrow the field of girls each week as they take them into a high-pressure, high-stakes series of competitions that will determine the series winner. The world's first supermodel Janice Dickinson, renowned photographer Nigel Barker and Nol� Marin, an acclaimed fashion editor and stylist, also serve as judges. This week the judging panel welcomed famed fashion designer Marc Bouwer.

The third installment of UPN's hit dramality series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL follows 14 young women as they attempt to prove they have what it takes to make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of modeling. Banks, who created the show, also serves as executive producer along with Ken Mok ("Making the Band"). Anthony Dominici ("The Amazing Race") serves as co-executive producer.

The winner of UPN's AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL will have the opportunity to be managed by Ford Models. She will also receive a $100,000 contract with cosmetics giant Cover Girl. Finally, the winner will appear in a fashion spread in Elle magazine.

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL airs Wednesday, (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on UPN. For more information about AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, log on to www.upn.com.