Previously on America's Next Top Model:
Stacy Ann wanted to launch herself from the middle of the pack to the top. Lauren accidentally cut her thumb while preparing food and legal troubles threatened to derail Fatima's run for the title. Paulina schooled the girls on how to work the red carpet and a fashion industry party and the challenge involved both of those lessons. Anya won the challenge, the prize being another private photo shoot, and received a bonus when she was paid $10,000 like a real model would.

The photo shoot saw the girls posing in a group shot as jetsetters boarding a private plane. Due to an appointment set up to get her affairs in order, Fatima had to leave the shoot and didn't make it back in time. An impromptu judging panel in an airplane hangar at the photo shoot site saw Tyra scolding Fatima for her absence at the shoot. In the end, Stacy Ann, in the bottom two with Fatima, was eliminated when the judges felt Fatima's body of worker was stronger than her's. It was not all bad news as the remaining six girls learned they would be traveling to Rome. Who hits the ground running on foreign soil and who suffers from more than just jet lag? Let's find out.

The girls arrive in Italy and they are thrilled, of course. Katarzyna says that with only six girls left, it's really getting down to the wire and they all need to work hard in Rome. They hop into a big tacky van with a driver and go on a little tour of the city. The girls "ooh" and "ahh" over the sights and Anya tells us she has never been abroad. Is it wrong that I thought that line was funny? It harkens me back to cycle one when Adrianne said something like, "I guess I've proved that I can be a broad," and now we have Anya saying she's never been abroad. Hey, I take my amusement where I can get it.

Lauren totally didn't expect to get this far. Neither did I because in my pre-season rankings, I had her in last place because I thought she was the least interesting girl there. That was just on the one photo and bare bones info that the CW put on their website, mind you. Lauren says she doesn't fit in with other girls, but she's going to try her best. Honestly? I don't believe her. Sure she takes a good photo, but a couple times that's been despite her awkwardness and not because of any amazing things she's been doing. Plus, there's that issue of her having made no progress from her weak personal presence. With last season's "weird girl" Heather, I got the sense that she was really trying, inhabiting her characters and making some effort to step outside of herself, whereas I think Lauren is just assuming her punk rock uniqueness is going to make things work for her.