TVSquad

I haven't been enjoying this season of America's Next Top Model as much as last, because the girls are so boring. But over the last few weeks I've been renewing my love, because I've realized why this show is so great: it's totally like 6th grade.

Last week the girls made collages on posterboard about themselves, and then pretended that they were star models with entourages. Then they went on "go sees" which are a lot like middle school career day. They're all shy and "like"-ing all over the place, full of too-big smiles and overly emotional body language. They pack their sentences with "ummm." They get silly awards for "the person with the most star potential." They gossip, they share makeup, they go googoo over teen stars - the whole show is one big girls-only summer camp.

They even get crushes on the only hot male counselor, Nigel, and (natch) explore their lesbian tendencies in thrills of late-night self-discovery. There is every stereotypical summer camp personality: the boy-crazy girl who acts stupid around the male sex and all the other girls hate (Lisa); the super-cute one that everyone adores, but can't get her act together (Nicole); the homegirl who teaches everyone what it's like to not grow up privileged (Bre); the lesbian with the appropriately unisex name.

When you think about it, America's Next Top Model is the modern equivalent of the summer camp coming-of-age story, with Tyra Banks as the universal big sister-mentor-heroine. When someone finally writes an ANTM novel, each of these characters will be written large and take their place with Jane Eyre, Jo Alcott, Anne Shirley, Saskia. It will be a tour-de-force with text messaging, a masterpiece with Maybelline. I can't wait.