Tyra Banks seems to be in do-gooder mode. Perhaps, she really wants the world to be a better place. She certainly seems to be working hard to pretty things up. However, last night’s episode was MORE than a little preachy. The girls are traveling around in an eco-friendly van for the duration of the series. Seems Tyra’s using ANTM as a vehicle to spread certain messages.

It’s not necessarily bad, but the explanation that this what she’s actually doing irked us in a fierce manner. Do folks think the average ANTM viewer is that stupid? We couldn’t figger it out or something? Tyra’s doing this because….

Hmmm? Can anyone say “jumping on the celebrity bandwagon?” We know you can.

Back at the model house, the girls have to adhere to certain environmentally-friendly rules such as showering for ten minutes (or less) at a time. A bunch of gals resolve this issue by hopping in the tub together…bikini-clad, of course.

The photo shoot was all about the dangers of smoking. The girls did two pictures, the first was a glamour shot with cigarette in hand. The second was a nasty showcase of the negative side-effects of smoking such as chemotherapy, burns, wrinkles and worse.

Heather, who is socially awkward due to her Asperberger’s Syndrome, is having a very difficult time in the house. Most of the girls talk badly about her behind her back. Instead of applauding her courage, they’re knocking her down. Kimberly, for one, mentioned how she won’t help Heather out at all because “people like that are too clingy.” This proves that Kimberly is one of those pretty on the outside but not on the inside kind of girls. She’s not one of our favorites.

Heather calls her mom at one point, crying into the phone about how difficult this competition is for her. We can understand and want to give her a big hug. We’re ecstatic that Heather’s name is called first by Tyra and the judges. This should give her the confidence boost she desperately needs. Heather needs to remember that she’s not there to make friends. Now, she’ll incur the jealousy of these girls who discounted her talent and made mention that she didn’t belong.

Heather is here to stay, y’all. We are thrilled about it.

Lisa, the ‘exotic’ dancer, was second. We love this girl’s look and her attitude. We kinda hoped for her to pop Bianca one. Bianca was way out of line telling her that ‘a stripper won’t win ANTM.’ Lisa wouldn’t be there if she didn’t have the capability to do well. Bianca, for her part, didn’t fare so well in the photo shoot. Tyra was actually disappointed in her pictures, saying there was a clear lack of modeling knowledge from the magenta-haired diva.

Ebony and Mila were called last. Ebony, who is physically stunning, was wooden and awkward during her photo shoot. She seemed to take what Tyra said about the other girls not liking her too much to heart. She can’t pull back to please others. Nigel told her to be herself and not worry about what other people think. Great advice, Nigel. (We love Nigel by the way. He is one handsome, sexy man with a killer accent to boot.)

In the end, Mila was sent home. The vacant beauty laughed during her nasty photo shoot, seemingly not understanding the seriousness of the issue.

Tyra also told the remaining ladies that they could not smoke in the house starting the next morning. This would be for the duration of the competition. Although we aren’t advocates of smoking, we don’t think this is fair to the girls who do. Give them a designated spot, but making them go “cold turkey” is unfair especially during a pressure-situation. Unless Tyra is offering nicotine patches and psychological help, this idea is ill-conceived and – dare we say it – ruthless.

We don’t agree! Shame on you, Tyra, for springing your world view on the models and forcing them to comply. Hopefully, the rest of this season won’t be quite so preachy.