SHE DOESN'T READ 'MODEL'-- NOELLE OUSTED
The week is a trying one for Michelle, the 19-year-old wrestler from Terra Haute, Indiana, who is diagnosed with impetigo after her skin breaks out badly. Despite Michelle's skin problems, the girls who are up for elimination are Lluvy, the 21-year-old janitor from Modesto, California, who survives being in the final two for the second time, and Noelle, the 20-year-old realtor's assistant from Reno, Nevada, who is sent home because "she just doesn't read model."

BAD LUCK
Another day begins as the girls get used to not having Brandy, the 20-year-old cosmetology student from Houston, Texas, in the house. Lluvy is relieved to have survived another elimination, but she's still reeling over the fact that she's had the worst photo in the history of ANTM. However, there's something else to distract the girls from thinking about Brandy's ouster: Michelle's face has been breaking out into sores, and the problem seems to be getting worse rather than better. No one knows what's going on, including Michelle, and she's worried.

IS HE FOR REAL?
Tyra Mail arrives, addressing the fact that the girls have assets as well as flaws. The girls pile into vans headed for the Make-Up Designory. The girls wait for their instructor, and are surprised to be greeted not by a hot, young make-up artist, but an old, bearded man named Paul Thompson, the Director of Education. They sit through a three-hour class in make-up, and as Paul begins to speak, the girls wonder if they'll survive such a boring afternoon. "Paul" drones on, but after a few minutes, he gives a familiar snap of his fingers and everyone realizes it's Jay Manuel. The real Paul Thompson has been acting as his assistant.

The girls are instructed to make up each other's faces in a natural way, as if they were going to a go-see. Everyone pairs up and gets started, and Noelle finds it difficult to make up someone else's face instead of her own. Tiffany, the 22-year-old mother from Miami, Florida, and Lluvy partner up as a trio with Michelle, and they do their best to cover her troublesome areas. Michelle is at a loss as to how to do make-up, and her stress level grows as she tries to help out her two partners. When the girls are finished, Lluvy gets great marks for her look, which Tiffany is happy to take credit for. However, Noelle looks pale and wan from the job Tatiana, the 18-year-old waitress from Maui, Hawai' i, did on her. When Christina, the 24-year-old fashion-marketing student from Tallahassee, Florida, says she used almost nothing on Naima, the 20-year-old coffee shop waitress from Detroit, Michigan, Jay indicates that they should aim for "make-up that doesn't look like make-up" instead.

WORSE LUCK
On the way back to the loft, the girls comment on Michelle's perfectionism and the fact that her skin is getting worse. She has always wanted to be beautiful, and since lovely competitors surround her, she is suffering because of her skin problems. "I'm looking at everyone else around me, and I look nothing like them," Michelle says with tears in her eyes.

Later, Tyra arrives at the loft to have one-on-one conversations with girls. When Tyra sees Michelle's face, she offers to send her to a dermatologist, and Michelle happily accepts. She also gives Lluvy some advice on how to hold her face in pictures, tells Tiffany to open her heart to the other girls who might be feeling the same loneliness she is, and sympathizes with Tatiana over her difficult home situation. Noelle is having a hard time missing her child, and Tyra assures her that she can have a baby and still have a career.

More Tyra Mail arrives telling the girls to be ready the next morning at 7AM. They make their way to the Salon at Beverly Hills to get a crash course in haute couture make-up. The girls are in charge of their own looks for this challenge and will be judged on creativity and originality. The winner and two friends will receive a one of a kind item from a designer. They each get 45 seconds at different make-up stations, including foundation, blush and eye shadow, mascara and eyeliner, accessories and lipstick. The girls scramble to get their looks done, and when it's all over, the results are almost uniformly terrible. However, Naima has come through yet again with a creative, individual look "inspired by Swan Lake or something," and she wins the challenge. This time, she chooses Lluvy and Christina to share the prize, which is to have designer Lauren Scherr custom-make a handbag for each of them.

SPREADING GOSSIP
After Noelle has a conversation with her mother, she assumes that Michelle has contracted a flesh-eating bacteria and begins to spread the rumor around the house with no confirmation or hard information about the subject. Lluvy becomes paranoid since she may have shared make-up with Michelle, and the other girls get nervous as well. As Michelle sleeps, the other girls work themselves into a frenzy, convinced that they are infected and are going to die from Michelle's condition. Tiffany's grandmother is the voice of reason. "Y'all need to get a life… Read a book or something," she suggests.

The next day the girls are ready bright and early for their photo challenge: an ad for "Got Milk" in which they will all acquire a new ethnic persona through the power of makeup. Christina will be transformed into an East Indian, Tiffany as a Native American, Michelle as an Eskimo, Naima as Icelandic, Tatiana as biracial and Lluvy as Swedish. Brittany, the 22-year-old elementary school instructional aide from Tallahassee, Florida, will be African-American, Keenyah, the 19-year-old student from Compton, California, will be Korean, Kahlen, the 21-year-old restaurant hostess from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, will be Hawai'ian, Rebecca, the 22-year-old former flight attendant from Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be Italian and Noelle will be African. Noelle is half black, so she is proud to be transformed. There's something even more challenging to this shoot: the girls will be posing with a three-year-old child in their arms.

KIDS ARE HEAVY
There is concern about Michelle holding a child with her skin condition, so she heads to the dermatologist for an exam while the other girls get started on their shoots. Keenyah has a tough time with her child, who kept slipping, but Naima was more concerned with her change of skin color, which is "a little mind-blowing, but it goes to show you're ultimately defined by who you are, [and] not the outside." Lluvy gets distracted by the child in her arms, and Noelle has the same trouble, for different reasons. She's thinking more of her own child and has a hard time maintaining composure while posing for her portrait.

NOT SO FLESH-EATING AFTER ALL
Meanwhile, at the dermatologist, Michelle discovers she has impetigo, which is easily curable, but still contagious. When she returns to the shoot, everyone is relieved to hear her news, and the shoots continue. While Brittany excels in her shoot (Jay says "Best shoot yet"), Tatiana has a harder time, since working with children is not her strong suit. Because of her illness, Michelle gets to hold a doll instead of a real child, and Rebecca feels jealous since she and the other girls had to hold a forty-pound child for their pictures. On the other hand, Jay mentions that Michelle isn't able to personally interact with a child, so it's just as tough.

Back home, Tyra Mail arrives announcing that elimination will be the following morning, and Lluvy and Michelle are both feeling the pressure. When the group arrives in front of the panel, Tyra introduces the judges, including guest judge Jim de Yonker, the photo shoot producer. For the evaluation challenge, the girls must apply make-up for a night face without brushes, applicators or a mirror. The dash begins, and everyone scurries for supplies and does their best before time is called.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD
Brittany is up first, and Nigel christens her "Cruella de Vil," since she piled on the color way too much. However, her best photo reminds Tyra of a photo of herself and her mother, and she loves it. Naima's make up is also not great, and her photo doesn't make much of a splash either. Rebecca's make-up is a bit disco, but most of the judges love her edgy Italian photo shoot. Keenyah's make-up seems non-existent, but her photo causes Tyra to shout, "Gorgeous!" when she sees it. Noelle is up next, and Janice says, "I just don't see a 'model' in front of me," and her poses for her photo were limited in eye movement. Nolé doesn't love Tatiana's photo, but they all think Kahlen's photo is smoking hot. Christina's make-up doesn't do much for her look, and her photo doesn't garner much attention either, beyond her looking like "a deer in headlights." Tiffany didn't bring much energy to her photo, while Janice and Nigel disagree on Lluvy's Swedish picture. Michelle confesses to the judges about her illness, and none of them had any idea what was going on. When Michelle breaks down in disappointment over the quality of her photo, Janice relates a story of a shoot she once did with a sty and one hand over her eye and says, You've just got to project happiness."

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED
When deliberations begin, Christina's photo is too "Village of the Damned" for Janice's taste, while Nolé thinks it's intense. Tiffany's photo is lacking something, while "Brittany's larger than life personality will work in her favor," according to Janice. They like Rebecca and Keenyah, but feel that Naima stepped back this week to make herself invisible. Nolé thinks Kahlen is "flawless," while Noelle just doesn't read "model." Tatiana and Michelle both get low marks, while Jim loves Lluvy and Nolé doesn't.

The time comes for elimination, and Tyra passes out photos to the girls who will move on: Rebecca, Christina, Tatiana, Tiffany, Kahlen, Naima, Brittany and Michelle are all handed pictures. Lluvy is again called forward, and for the first time Noelle is up for elimination. Tyra explains that the two are opposites, with Lluvy not living up to the potential the judges see, whereas Noelle photographs beautifully, but isn't very "model-esque." The one chosen to move on is Lluvy, and Noelle is sent to pack her bags. "You can either dwell on it, or you can love it for what the experience was," Noelle says. "What I think is next for me is definitely getting home to see my baby…I want to be able to provide a better life for my son."