The formula behind America's Next Top Model had gotten pretty stale by the end of the ninth cycle. Viewership had started to erode from one of the few shows on The CW that could be called a hit. To say the least, the formula behind the once-smash hit show needed a jolt. Think about the other reality shows that have made it into double digits like The Amazing Race or Survivor. Even the producers of those shows recognized the need for an All-Stars edition and Family version just to try and bring back a spark of unpredictability. ANTM would have been wise to completely shake up the system and do something new like an All-Stars edition or maybe even an "All Plus-Size Models" edition or something similar. But they did take a few turns with the tenth edition of America's Next Top Model, debuting this week. It doesn't give the series the complete overhaul it could use but it should keep it on life support for at least another cycle or two.

The tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model makes two major changes - moving the action to New York and replacing judge Twiggy with Paulina Porizkova. The judge replacement fits with the attitude of the new location - she's tough. Twiggy was notoriously easy to get along with during her run on the show, often not saying anything too judgmental (or all that interesting), and replacing her with someone with significantly more teeth was an excellent idea. Porizkova comes out swinging in her first episode and she could be the most interesting part of the tenth cycle.

The problem is that the girls are no longer all that interesting. The first few cycles of ANTM were great reality TV because they felt like actual amateurs trying to become the next supermodel. But ANTM feels like it might be a victim of its own success. The new girls are so young that they've practically grown up on the show and they know the tricks and the moves. They also know what's good for TV. When they begin to scream and yell (there's more infighting and crying in the first two episodes than actual modeling), it feels more staged than ever before. Of course, some of the issues are clearly personal and real, but ANTM is starting to feel like recent seasons of The Real World - not quite as "real" as the first few.

It might not be the success that it used to be, but ANTM still has its charms, most notably in the team of Jay Manuel and J. Alexander, two guys who really deserve their own show. Casting is everything with these shows and whomever decided that the two 'J's should be an essential part of every episode deserves most of the credit for making the series a success. As for the contestants, the girls don't stand apart quite enough this early in the season and it doesn't feel like the New York challenges will be that different than anywhere else. For hardcore fans of ANTM, the ones who feel like the show has never lost a step, it's hard to believe that this cycle will change their mind. But those of you that were hoping for a boost to a show that has gotten too predictable might want to wait for cycle eleven.