{alltv} 'America's Next Top Model' Cycle 16 premiere: Big ball of crazy

Tyra Banks wasted no time in schooling this Cycle's contestants for the harsh world of modeling in the "America's Next Top Model" Cycle 16 premiere.

The "smizing" queen decided to skip the casting special altogether. Why? Because she can. Of course, that was just a show of her power. The show of her crazy really comes in when she decides to not only impersonate Ashton Kutcher (achieved by simply putting a trucker hat on - we must remember that for Halloween) and punking the girls into thinking they didn't make it. We do have to give the TyTy credit for throwing the girls' bags in a pile on the floor. Nice touch.

If you feel that was mean, what about the girls who were initially told they made it only to have Mr. and Miss J. walk them out to the backyard and tell them not to let the gate hit their backsides on the way out? Did they get the Tyra goodbye? We'll never know...

It's challenge time and we wish the show could have come up with something original. The women had to walk on a 12-inch wide runway over water while inside a bubble. Add a live snake and then we have a challenge. Just kidding. This challenge is pretty epic. And since we spent so much time indulging Tyra's theatrical side with the earlier punking, the photo challenge went down backstage while the girls got ready for the runway. Multitasking - TyTy must have learned that at Harvard. Model, jewelry designer, sculptor, accountant and certified notary public Erin Wasson joined the girls to help them out with the challenge and hawk her jewelry line. Photographer Russell James shot the women for the photo challenge and pushed his coffee table book on them.

We have to admit once everything was said and done, the runway challenge was rather beautiful to watch. That is if we ignore the frightened models who wobbled down the runway hoping their biggest fears wouldn't be realized on national television. Surprisingly, there were only two falls. The first sent Ondrei rolling and she never really got our respect back. At least when Dominique fell next she kept a sense of humor about her. The winner of the runway challenge went to Brittani, who seemed to walk as if she wasn't surrounded in a plastic bubble. Uh-mazing.

Erin returns to join the panel for judging and we really liked how she was both critical and likeable at the same time. We'd suggest Tyra invite her to be on the panel officially, but we all know what happens to those judges... Andre Leon Talley appeared wearing a hat with a horse's tail attached to it, but he left the Harry Potter robe from last cycle at home. Don't you love how he forced Brittani to remove the feather from her hair while all of America wondered what was hanging from his hat?

Molly ended up winning Week 1 for having "a lot of character" and being dynamic. In the bottom two? One of our personal faves - freckled Dominique - and forgettable Angelia. So, who goes home? Later, Angelia. We've already thrown your suitcase down the stairs. Don't give up!

Our current top three: Dominique, Ondrei, and Mikaela.

Who are your favorites after the first week? Were the judges wrong to eliminate Angelia?