Many depressing things have emerged from the world’s fascination with reality TV – the career of Jade Goody and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sense of humour rank high among them – but one of the more unexpectedly sad side effects is belief.

Thanks to shows like X Factor, everyone and their dog (honestly, watch Britain’s Got Talent) believe they have what it takes to become the next pop icon/ business tycoon/ celebrity farmer that the world has been waiting for, but the fact is that many of us just aren’t all that good at stuff.

Britain’s Next Top Model is, as it says on the tin, searching high and low in this fair land to unearth the next supermodel, and if there’s one thing that you absolutely have to have here, it’s belief.

Shortly after meeting the 14 finalists who will literally fight for the modelling contract on offer, we watch as mentor and former model Lisa Snowdon leads them into a room of people described as ‘industry professionals’ who will question their belief that they can win.

While lovable Lisa may look half pissed thanks to a crazy grin a la Private Benjamin era Goldie Hawn, she’s no fool, and her opening challenge soon shows why she aroused the passions of Hollywood intellectual George Clooney.

The first to take the stand is 18-year-old Aaron, who earlier revealed that she had ‘the full package’. Unfortunately, the package appears to have been lost in the mail, because Aaron makes the cardinal sin of admitting that she actually might not win the whole competition.

Although the ‘industry professional’ asking most of the questions is actually an overweight man dressed as a clown in a one-eyed Mexican wrestler’s mask, he seems to have some gravitas with this crowd, and as the words leave her mouth there is an audible intake of breath from the po-faced fashionistas.

Her fellow wannabes take note and try various ways of convincing the throng that they truly believe. Lisa goes for a stand up routine, posh girl Martha explains the exact geographical position of her family home, and Alex just brands poor old Aaron least likely to win (“I thought ‘you bitch’” Aaron later reveals).

By the end, not even an improved showing in the following day’s topless shoot can save Aaron from a place in the dreaded bottom two, and while Rachel and Lauren are deemed model material, she’s left standing with fellow dud Sophie.

Their tragic eyes glisten as Lisa lists their faults and prepares to dismiss one girl, but amazingly, Aaron avoids the axe. Lisa and the judges have decided she’s got the necessary belief after all, while Sophie lacks ‘versatility’.

A devastated Sophie later reveals that she thought she deserved to stay in the competition ‘because I don’t think Aaron wants it that much’, but she isn’t going to ever give up because she wants it so bad.

It’s that belief you see – it gets them (and us) every time. We’ll have to watch the second one now. Damn.

[story by Sam Landers]