Macau is fast-becoming a popular destination
The final six potential top models - including four British competitors - filmed at various key locations in Macau, including a fashion shoot on the outer rim of one of the tallest buildings in the world.
The 18th season of this popular series, entitled America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion due to the involvement of seven past contestants from Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model, is now airing on Sky Living.
The aspiring models travelled to Macau in late 2011. They learned of their fate from Nigel Barker after the noted fashion photographer opened a fortune cookie to reveal “Your fortune awaits you in Macau!” and immediately packed their bags to travel to this fascinating destination on the south-east coast of China.
Once there, the potential top models were greeted at the über-luxurious MGM Macau Hotel with a traditional Asian dance procession, complete with live music, colourful dancers and authentic dragon costumes.
Following the ceremony, Isabel Augusto from the Macau Government Tourism Office welcomed the girls to Macau before Jay Manuel, the show’s photo shoot creative director, presented them with their key to their new home at MGM Hotel, a five-star property located on a prime waterfront site, offering breathtaking views across the Peninsula.
The show filmed the models as they embarked on a series of challenges which included re-creating their auras through fashion and beauty, following a reading from an astrologer at a local monastery, while wearing exquisite silk gowns accessorized with silkworms on their bodies.
The winner was awarded a spa break at MGM Macau’s multi-award winning Six Senses Spa, which offers an ambience of tranquillity and the chance to unwind in Macau’s only floatation salt pool.
One of the most nerve-racking challenges in the history of America’s Next Top Model was filmed atop the Macau Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings at an eye-watering 330 metres high.
The girls experienced the tower’s spectacular “SkyWalk”, famous for attracting visitors from around the world, and modelled in a photo shoot on the 1.8 metre-wide perimeter that encircles the tower, 233 metres above the ground with no handrail to cling onto.
Their performance was judged by world-famous supermodel Tyra Banks and special panel guest Barney Cheng, renowned as the biggest designer in Hong Kong, which is located just a mere 60 minutes from Macau.
This latest film shoot further boosts Macau’s reputation as a great shopping mecca for the fashion-savvy traveller. In addition to a diverse selection of luxury hotels, chic spas and world-class entertainment, visitors can enjoy a one-of-a-kind luxury duty-free shopping experience at the 600 outlets distributed between Shoppes Cotai Central, The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Shoppes at Four Seasons.
There are legions of designer labels that help create an ambiance of true exclusivity but retail therapy is not just restricted to high-end brands in Macau. The destination gives excellent scope for picking up bargains at its many street stalls and markets, where stylish clothing, decorative arts and traditional antiques can be found in abundance.
The current series of America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion will feature a host of guest judges representing the UK, including Cat Deeley, Nadine Coyle and Kelly Osbourne. For a taste of what to expect, check out YouTube to see the models’ reactions to the MGM Macau Hotel.
Have you been to Macau? Tell us all about it in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam
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