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

Ebony, a student from Sylmar, Calif., became the second girl eliminated from the fifth cycle of UPN's hit series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, reducing the pool from 12 girls to 11.

Tyra and Jay Manuel greeted the girls at the Louis Licari hair salon where each girl received a fabulous makeover to jumpstart their transformations into high-fashion models. Jay additionally provided tips on how each could either incorporate or depart from their own personal style to punctuate their new dramatic looks.

The next day, the girls found themselves on Rodeo Drive in the company of personal stylist James St. James, who further emphasized the importance of personal style development. Using the style tips they received from Jay Manuel, each girl was given $500 to complete a shopping mission in Beverly Hills to find an outfit that portrayed their new style. James St. James judged the girls' finished looks and seemed irritated with Ebony's selection. Lisa's confidence and excellent knowledge of style led her to become the victor and the only girl to keep her new outfit.

The following morning, photo shoot director Jay Manuel greeted the girls at a countryside ranch where each was paired with a partner for a very competitive photo shoot. Each pair was challenged to pose in the same outfit and setting so the judges could make side-by-side comparisons of the photos. Before the shoot, Ebony's partner, Lisa, attempted to intimidate her by leading her to believe that the photo shoot outfit wouldn't work with Ebony's body type. And while many of the girls seemed to improve on their work in front of the lens, Jay Manuel felt that Ebony still fell flat. "She's got all of this excitement and all this creativity. And then as soon as Ebony steps in front of the camera it all falls by the wayside," he said.

During the week's elimination ceremony, the judges evaluated the girls' countryside photo shoot along with their new makeovers and ability to evoke their own personal style. Although the judges noticed that Ebony's drastic new look was one of the most eye-catching and that she had a definite desire to become a model, they felt her effort continued to be lackluster as her photo proved to be the less superior. "You impressed me at the castings because you were so obsessed with modeling, but the judges are seeing maybe it's just a dream," Tyra said to Ebony just before eliminating her from the running to become AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL.

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 CoverGirl. The winner will additionally appear in a fashion spread in Elle magazine and on the cover of ELLEgirl Magazine.

The fifth installment of UPN's hit dramality series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL follows 13 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") and Anthony Dominici ("The Amazing Race").

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