There are a few pick-me-ups I rely on to get me through a rough week of classes and work—beer, Red Bull, my weekly belly dancing class, and of course…Tyra Banks! In case you missed your hump-day dose of impossibly thin and tall women participating in totally unrealistic but nonetheless enthralling photo shoots, I’m here to catch you up.

This week on America’s Next Top Model, things get yummy when model Tyson Beckford comes to the house and has the girls act as spokeswomen for items in their kitchen. The word “moist” is thrown around a lot, thanks at least in part to Tyson Beckford’s presence, I’m sure.

I’m glad to see Tyra’s whole awareness and environment crusade goes further than the first episode, with both the challenge and the photo shoot spreading a good message. First, for their challenge, the girls film a public service announcement for Keep A Child Alive (they’re the ones behind the “I Am African” campaign) in teams of three. No one does particularly well, but Jenah, Ambreal, and Heather win.

Heather gets a photo shoot with Mary J. Blige, while the other two get gift baskets, which, uh, sucks.

Next up is my favorite photo shoot so far in this season (and certainly more enjoyable than the fashion gargoyle shoot last episode). This time around each girl portrays a recyclable material. Thumbs up for making recycling fashionable, Tyra! Heather, dressed up as aluminum cans, looks stunning in head-on poses and works off of last episode’s criticism of her fondness for side shots. Ambreal looks awkward, but who wouldn’t, dressed up as car parts? I can barely take a decent picture after practicing my MySpace angles in dim lighting, let alone dressed as an exhaust pipe.

It’s Ambreal and Ebony in the bottom two, and Tyra’s melodramatic and stoic process of handing out photos (seriously, the way she pulls out each photo, one by one, looks like it’s being played in slow-motion) is broken when Ebony announces she wants out. Tyra looks as disappointed as I was that she couldn’t stick it to her, but she makes up for the unceremonious cut by giving a speech about not liking quitters. Way to have the last word, Ty-Ty!

I can’t help but still love Ambreal, despite her trouble with the shoot this week. There’s something very delicate and feminine about her. I’m hoping she kicks it up a notch and joins Heather in the mental top three I’ve created (Ambreal, Heather, and Lisa, a fellow Jersey girl).

Stay tuned for more Tyra and more drama next week!