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

Kim, a student from New York City, became the ninth girl eliminated from the fifth cycle of UPN's hit series AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, reducing the pool from six girls to five.

J. Alexander greeted the girls at a London park where they learned the art of posing. The girls were then completely covered in body paint, transformed into statues and challenged to hold a pose while being swarmed by pigeons. Many of the girls, including Kim, had a hard time maintaining composure while the unwelcome pigeons landed on their bodies.

At the next day's photo shoot for Olay Quench Body Lotion, the models were directed to represent a modern version of a classic work of art. Caught in the middle of an escalating feud between her competitors, Kim, who portrayed the "Birth of Venus," seemed preoccupied by the building tension and struggled to depict the direction given by world-renowned photographer Barry Lategan. "You can't allow the competition to get into your head when you are modeling, and unfortunately she couldn't find grace within her stance," Jay Manuel noted after the shoot.

During this week's elimination ceremony, the girls were again challenged to hold a stoic pose while being distracted by the judging panel's silly antics. Once the laughter was subsided, evidence of stress and tension became obvious to the judges as the girls shared details of their recent quarrel. Tyra reminded them of the importance of professionalism, because they are always under a watchful eye as models. In the end, although the judges had grown fond of Kim's unique style and personality, her performance on camera didn't add up. "The judges love the energy when you walk in a room. But sometimes it's lackluster. We don't see consistency," Tyra said to Kim before eliminating her from the competition

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.