Only six girls are left at the beginning of episode nine. Everyone starts to feel the pressure of the competition until fashion editor André Leon Talley stops by the house to announce that the ladies will be heading to Greece.

Although exciting, the trip to Greece is barely a vacation. As soon as the ladies arrive in Greece, they are given another challenge. While flying to the Island of Crete, each of the contestants must prepare a one minute speech that they have to deliver in front of a press conference.

Angelea chooses not to write anything down for the sake of being sincere and she actually pulls off her speech quite well, but not well enough to be crowned challenge winner. Jay Alexander announces that Allison won the challenge and, as a result, famous Greece designer Lina Fanouraki awards her a piece of jewelry.

After settling down in their temporary home at Blue Palace Resort & Spa, the ladies collaborate with designer Michael Cinco to create their final runway gown given the theme “Immortal Goddess.” Of course, only two girls will be given the opportunity to wear their dresses, which adds to the pressure of the competition.

Later on, the ladies are sent off to do yet another photo shoot, but this time they are expected to pose in underwear in an enlarged Greek salad bowl. Shannon automatically refuses to participate in the photo shoot since it is neither in line with who she is nor with what her brand stands for. “It’s always important to stand up for you and what you believe in because at the end of the day you will eventually earn the respect of others,” she said.

Aside from Shannon, Laura struggles to get the right shot during her shoot. “Laura got sick and I felt her pain. It kind of sucked but this is the ‘All Stars’ cycle. Anything can send you home at this point,” Dominique said.

Allison also fights to keep her eyes open during her shoot, but her eyes keep tearing up when in contact with the sun.

At deliberation, Dominique ends up winning best photo, but both Laura and Shannon find themselves in the bottom two. Although the judges feel that Laura has not been living up to her brand lately, they decide to send Shannon home.

“Shannon, you’re not just going home because you didn’t do the photo shoot. The judges actually looked at all of your photos, but what they realized is not only did you not do the photo shoot, but you’re the only girl in this bunch that never had best photo or won a challenge. You’re a great model but when you came to ‘All Stars,’ you just became a good model. Go back to being the great model that you were because it’s in you,” Tyra said.

In spite of elimination Shannon said, “I think I handled myself with class and dignity and I kept true to who I am.”

Although it was clear that Shannon would be sent home after being in the bottom two on more than one occasion, it was interesting to see her hold firm to her beliefs. With only five girls left though, there’s no telling where the competition may go from here.

Rating: 7/10