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The first episode started with 20 girls all arriving in New York City to the incomparable Plaza Hotel for a chance at becoming The American Princess. Now what the heck does that mean, you’re asking? I wondered the same thing. Apparently from this 20, 10 girls will be selected to travel to London, where they will learn to become bona fide ladies, and in the end, one will be crowned the American Princess and receive the actual title from Great Britain. Jeez…they’ve stooped this low? Marketing for that country must be desperate.
The 20 girls begin arriving at the hotel (which is gorgeous inside!) and are greeted and told to wait in a ballroom. Some arrive alone, and some in sets. I started to keep up with all of their names and ages, but since 10 were about to be booted within the next hour, I decided to let it go. The girls are nice enough to each other (now, anyway), and some go out of their way to include all of the girls. One girl that stood out was Crystal, a tall girl of mixed ethnicities with super smokey eye makeup (a bit much for a princess, but whatever), who suggested the girls move some of the tables together so everyone could be included. I thought this was a really sweet gesture, so instantly Crystal becomes a fave for me. I also liked Molly, a tiny girl with very long hair from Texas, who appears to never have been outside her farm in her life. Her meekness is endearing, and I’m excited to see her transformation if she’s chosen to travel abroad.
After everyone arrives, Mark Durden-Smith, who is the host of the show enters the ballroom and promptly tells the girls the room needs to be put back in the order they found it. Yikes. The girls are told that at the end of the week 10 will be eliminated so it’s important for them to take this time at The Plaza seriously. They’re escorted to their amazing hotel suites that overlook Central Park and do the reality-tv routine of screaming and shouting how it’s the best place they’ve ever laid eyes on.
Later the girls meet Jean Broke-Smith. This is the woman that will groom them into ladies. I guess there’s some sort of relation between Michael Durden-Smith and Jean Broke-Smith, no? If there is, I don’t know what it is, but maybe a reader can throw me a bone regarding this. Jean seems like a stickler (this is pointed out by several of the contestants as well), and it’s definitely going to be a fight to the finish. She tells the girls that there are three things that will shape them into the American Princess and those things are:
- Knowledge
- Style
- Grace
Sounds about right. I would say these things are definitely qualities a princess should have, but just how many of these girls are up to the challenge is the question. They are sent on a shopping spree and told to purchase an outfit for the cocktail party that will take place at the end of the week. Mayhem ensues…
Find out what happens during part 2 of episode 1 of The American Princess.