Our next judge had his ANTM Cherry Popped this cycle, as it was his very first time judging! He's been a long time mod, and has been a wonder to this panel, please welcome Supaspaz!
So how was your first time judging top member? Is it something you would like to do again?
I was so shocked when Matty asked me to judge this cycle, since I've never been involved with the show before, but I had to say yes. After all, this tournament combines two of my favorite pastimes: watching America's Next Top Model and judging ATRL members.
I absolutely loved the experience! I had a great time getting to know new members, seeing their creativity shine and watching their personalities blossom. The pace of the tournament was relentless, and I had trouble keeping up sometimes. (I can only imagine what it was like for the contestants!) But I would gladly do it again in a second.
Is there any contestant that surprised you or disappointed you?
The biggest surprise of the tournament was definitely Bey_Rihstan. I gave him a bit of a hard time in the first challenge and I didn't expect much of out him. But he steadily improved week after week, delivering a couple of great entries and winning me over along the way. By the end of his run, I was sad to see him go. He had a true desire to win and it came through in his effort. With a little bit of polish, I could see him excelling in a future cycle.
The biggest disappointment was probably Hermēs. He was so strong in the first few weeks and I fully expected him to be contending for the crown. He left way before his time. That said, the entry that got him eliminated was incredibly tasteless and fully deserving of scorn. He could have and should have done better—which made his shocking early exit all the more frustrating.
Actually, scratch that. The biggest disappoint was MiMiLamb. He had all that potential to win this entire shebang and he blew it by not even bothering to send in an entry, thereby also screwing up what could have been the coolest week of the tournament? Yeah, I'm mad at him for that.
I don't know if you were familiar with the game at all prior to your judging, but was there anything that stood out to you, any entries or any moments in the game?
Following Hugamari's progress throughout the tournament was a total pleasure. He was always such a creative, funny presence; it definitely kept things interesting. He had two entries that are the absolute standout moments of the cycle for me: his utterly unique and witty take on the name challenge, which was, in my eyes, the single best entry in this year's competition, and his deeply honest effort in the musicality challenge, which took us on a beautiful journey through a whole other part of his life that couldn't have been easy to share.
Is there anything that you feel you brought to the judging panel, that was different then anything we haven't seen?
Well, there was probably a bit of naivete from my unfamiliarity with the tournament. But maybe I was able to provide a fresh outsider perspective. As someone who has never participated in the show before, I could only bring to the judging my experience on ATRL, so I remained focus on what it takes to succeed as a top member across the whole forum, and not just in this competition.
Mostly, though, I wanted to provide honest, constructive and useful critiques that allowed contestants to understand my thinking and grow from it. I hope that they found my feedback valuable.
Is there any one else in the top 14, besides the winner that you see becoming a well known ATRLer?
First of all, I'm excited to see what's next for MMMinaj. He is a fantastic winner for this cycle—truly a star on this rise, forging his own path and then bringing others along with him. I know there are big things to come for him.
But I think there are a number of other contestants who also have that "it factor" and could become huge on the forum. Hermēs has got the class and intelligence to stand out from the crowd. He's just waiting for that breakout moment. MiMi is a firebrand who's already making a name for himself. Latch seems like he could be the future of ATRL's BeyHive.
And, of course, Dancehall Queen has already made his mark on the site. He didn't need this tournament to cement his ATRL legacy.
I'm rooting for them all, though! This cycle has a wonderful batch of contestants and I wish them the best.
I didn't get a shout out from Dancehall. ANTM breaking friendships
Mess, I was going to say I didn't do any shout outs, but you actually got a mention as MiMi pointed out.
Quote:
Originally posted by Sam Jay
I kind of see what Dancehall is saying though. There was a kind of stigma surrounding him as if he was already a shoe in (to use his shoe) for the finals, when that was never really the case.
You did great!
Quote:
Originally posted by Kitt
Dancehallll I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
*does that loud whistle with the two fingers*
Thanks, guys.
Quote:
Originally posted by Matty
*Matty is found crying backstage after hearing Dancehall's interview*
Three cycles judging, quick witted, sharp, and a snappy dresser. Some of the many things people say about our next guest, please welcome the Navy Elite, and Cycle 8 Winner and ATRL Legend, EdgeOfAddiction!
So three seasons judging, do you ever get bored of judging?
-Not going to lie. My excitement for judging Top Member diminished middle of the 9th season. Judging Cycle 10 almost seemed like a chore. The spark in judging came back for Cycle 11. I say this because of all the repetitive entries I kept seeing. Seeing the rare gems in each cycle keeps me invested in the tournament and Cycle 11 definitely reeled me back in a good amount.
Would you say there is an increase in quality of applications, or a decrease?
-There are always standouts from each season but overall, I felt that the quality of applications decreased.
In my opinion, you're probably the hardest judge to read (not in the shady way), do you have advice you'd want to give to any future contestants or anyone that wants to try again?
-I do keep my distance after having been a little hurt while judging a previous season, but that doesn't mean I'm not constantly keeping an eye out on the activity in the Top Member thread, across the forum and on the entries itself. I always remain unbiased and feel that I only need to share the basics, but for those who are hyper observant and can read in between the lines, there are always little tidbits that you can take away from my comments. As for advice to future contestants/anyone who wants to try again: don't try to emulate any contestants from the past or from whatever season you are or will be cast on. Just be yourself. No need to suddenly up the quantity of content or go overboard on formatting. Just be different. Just be you.
Is there anyone from this season you would like to see on another cycle?
-From members outside the Top 5, I would like to see Bey_Rihstan participating again. I see great potential in her even though I haven't seen her post as much as she used to. I would also like to see Jax (think he could have gotten further had he not gotten banned) and MiMi (had a great chance at hitting top 2).
I know in your season, the formatting wasn't even there and d=10 was so foreign. Do you think that the heavily formatted trend that is going now is something good or bad? Do you think its something that needs to be toned down in later cycles?
-Formatting is always fun to look at, and if it compliments the content, kudos to you. You'll get first place rank from me. However, everything must be done in moderation. The amount of focus that all of the contestants put into formatting over actual content just made me lose interest as the season went on. Became more and more predictable. Hence why I really appreciated MMMinaj when he still submitted with minimal formatting. He believed in himself and his entry to stand out without all the jazz. Again, everything in moderation. Formatting doesn't necessarily have to be toned down but I wouldn't mind some surprises, changes and focus on things that is not formatting.
As someone who has won, and probably consistently shown what is a top member, do you have anything you'd like to say to Mmminaj?
-Slay, mama. Dancehall Queen was a formidable opponent for you to have gone up against. You may not have necessarily been a dark horse with the handful of top call outs you've had, but your peak wasn't necessarily memorable. However, there was always a strong innocence to you that I believed in and you proved me correct. Remain flourishing at the top of your game. You may have joined the ranks of other Top Members but there is always room to grow and evolve.
We all wouldn't be here if it was for one person's hard work and amazing hosting skills, I really want to thank you Matty for being such a great host to this game. Oh, yeah lets welcome Matty! put me in all stars
So lets get right to the point, overall how do you feel like this season went? Any complaints?
I think it went really well. I feel like collectively it was slightly better than last cycle. We had a lot of strong contestants and contestants that only got stronger. My only complaint was the deadlines, but everyone played a part in that including yours truly.
Besides Mimi, because I wanna get to that later, was there any other contestant that you were disappointed in or were surprised at how they ended up?
He wasn't a contestant, but Vespertine. That damn application that caused him not to enter the competition. He had A LOT of potential and it was damn shame he didn't put more effort into the application. I was also disappointed in Jax; got himself banned. I feel like he could have gone further. As for surprised, I think it is no surprise since I said it in his elimination speech, but Hugamari. I honestly thought he would last a couple rounds like he did in his previous cycle, but he only got stronger and found himself more. It was impressive and I'm really proud of him. I only know he will get stronger beyond this competition.
Do you feel like Mimi could have made it all the way if she had submitted her entry on time?
I feel like he could've gone further. I predicted him in the top 3, but I could also see why he wouldn't have. Do people know him? Yes. Does he have a distinctive style of posting? Yes. But those things will only get you so far and so far in the wrong direction. The brand he gave himself is very fitting, but it could also be his demise. I just suggest toning it down a little and then he'd be everything.
Regarding the heavy amount of formatting this season, do you feel like at some points the contestants relied heavily on making their entries more sizzle and less flavor?
Absolutely! I don't require all this formatting and only state for it to be some on some challenges. In my eyes its written quality over aesthetic quality. I'd be lying if I didn't say I appreciated it because from someone how has dealt with formatting and graphics, it takes a lot. They are really pleasing to the eye, but you can only hide behind it so much.
When you told Boyonce, he was already a top member, and you again said the same thing to Dancehall, and Retro becoming a mod mid-way last cycle. Do you think this is going to cause a sort of restriction for already established members to compete in future cycles?
I certainty hope not. Like I kind of said with Dancehall's elimination post, sure you had the top member status already, but had we decided to take that into consideration from the start he would've not made it or been eliminated. Either way that wouldn't have been fair. He is a GREAT member in which people love, take a look at the poll. It would have been a loss to ANTM quality rejecting him like that. It's also something you don't really see in the very beginning of the competition. You have 20+ sign ups to knock down to 14 and then an elimination each challenge, you're not going to sit there and think about it right away. It's only those qualities that arise when the numbers dwindle down because you are thinking about everything. Now for someone like Retro, that should be the motivation to join ANTM. If you enter, become a moderator right through it, then that means you are already there.
What does the future look like for ATRL's Next Top Member?
I think the future of ANTM looks bright. Yes, there will be an All-Stars cycle in the near future, but you can't rush these things. A lot of those participants will already know how the game works, so there are a lot of other aspects that you must think about. It's a lot harder than one would think.
Lastly, any overall advice you would like to give to MMMinaj?
Continue to grow and get out into the ATRL community like you have been doing. Don't take this as "I won, now I can go back to being the way I was before" *makes a side eye to some comments I remember from contestants about reverting back after winning/being eliminated*. Being a Top Member is about progressing and not regressing, so if you keep doing what you all said in your speech you will reach greatness!
Aww it's sweet reading everyone's commentary. I enjoyed watching this game for the first time!
Quote:
Originally posted by Matty
Let me just make ANTM Cycle 12 the cycle of uglee... meaning no one will format their entries. They will have to have their entries solely do the talking, no hiding being the glitz and the glam.
Wait, do this please. I really wanna apply again next cycle, but all that formatting looks daunting
EDIT: Wait, not me getting a shoutout Sorry to disappoint you, Matty dd.
I'm sorry to disappoint the judges. I really hoped to go farther than I did. I'll definitely send in an application for next cycle and slowly I'm learning that being abrasive towards other members isn't the way to deal with things
Now finally, the guest of honor who everyone has been waiting for! Please all clap your hands for the winner of ATRL's Next Top Member, Mmminaj!!!
So, miss Minaj, first of all a big congratulations to you! How does it feel to hold this crown?
It feels great Emilia. I feel eternally elusive and triumphant.
When Matty announced you as the winner, what was your initial reaction?
I was SHOCKED. I thought Dancehall would win because i thought his speech slayed and he had such a high average. I was even kinda mad that he posted the winner reveal out of NOWHERE, i wasn't prepared :toofunny2:
I actually hadn't noticed how hard you actually slayed, in my opinion your personality out shined your top call outs, and you were a joy to watch challenge after challenge, did you expect to do so well?
HELL NO. My goal was to make it halfway then maybe come back and slay another cycle. There were certain members who i never expected to last longer than such as DQ, Sam Jay, MiMi and Latch. I didn't think i could hold a candle to them tbh.
How do you feel being labeled as the DARK HORSE of the competition? DO you think that title holds true for you?
I love it. Everybody loves an underdog and i love being one.
Last season, Domino was labeled as being another copy of Kitt, what do you feel is the difference with you and the past winner? What do you feel you have in common with them?
NO SHADE but i think i'm more fun that the past winner. DOM was slassy which is great for him but i think i took things less seriously and was much more entertaining to watch (imo). What we have in common is that were both winners. That basically all we have in common tbh
What do you feel like is next for you, are you going to go for that Big Brother win and slay ANOTHER of the big games on ATRL ?
After Big Brother i will be taking a break from the games section. I get super into them and they take up all my time here . However you might see me as a judge in a certain game that involves photoshop, coming soon. Emphasis on might.
Have you spent your prize money yet?
Yup i'll be gifting thousands of copies of Pills N Potions so it can go #1 on itunes.
What judge do you want to replace on the judging panel?
The only judge who was always hard on me was DOMINO, but he ended up getting replaced anyways. Also Katie was a bit unpredictable but she ended up getting replaced too. So i guess none. I was lucky in that sense.
You're a bit of a trendsetter to be honest, do you have anything new that you want to plug (promote) ?
Sorry to disappoint you, Matty dd.
. However you might see me as a judge in a certain game that involves photoshop, coming soon. Emphasis on might. 
