I really like Nicole. She has so much more personality than the show showed! I hope she goes on to have a great career.

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I like the TMIA segments, but I’m finding they don’t seem to have enough material to validate them. Most of the featured girls this cycle had TMIAs last cycle. But since My Life as a CoverGirl is scrapped, they need something!

What new segment would you like to see them do?

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Below are some candids from the episode.

Cycle

Images: CW

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Full Q&A below the jump!

Tell me about how you got involved in Top Model?

I always wanted to be a model, ever since I was little. Then I got braces. I begged and begged to take them off and finally said ‘if you don’t take these things off me, I’m doing it myself!’ so they did. I went to New York and tried to model. I went on casting calls and auditions. Then my Grandma called me and told me that America’s Next Top Model was having try-outs for girls 5’7” and under. I thought she was confused. But I went online and looked it up and she was right! There was a casting call in Chicago. I drove up and tried out from 6am until 2am the next day. I made it round after round and finally made a video for Tyra. I was told they might call me, they might not, but they did and then I went to Los Angeles!

How did you feel when they said Nicole was the winner?

I was devastated! I cried and cried and cried. My eyes were red and my nose was full of snot. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore! I was like ‘Tyra, you broke my heart! You ruined my life!’ But the next day, I felt better. Reaching the final two is amazing. I’m so proud of myself. It was an amazing experience and I’m very proud.

Do you feel you were portrayed accurately?

I do! I think I got the best edit out of any of the girls. That was Laura, for sure.

Who are you close with on the show?

Jen is definitely my best friend. We talk every day. We’re going to Hawaii together soon, so that’s real exciting. Sundai is like my little sister, we talk all the time. We related to each other because our home lives are similar. Nicole is like my other little sister. She’d never been away from home before and she was really missing her big sister. I was missing my little sister like crazy so we bonded over that.

Tell me about your CoverGirl commercial.

I didn’t give up. I just let myself relax. I told myself I could stand here all day, it didn’t matter. There was no pressure and I can take as long as I want to get a good take. It when I freak out that I do bad. When I’m relaxed and enjoying myself, I do good. Being dyslexic is hard, it’s something I’ll always struggle with. But I know I can do it, I just need to be relaxed and confident.

Tell me about the runway show.

I love runway! It’s my absolute favorite! I want to go out right now and do it again! Over and over and over! I could do runway forever! The show was so much fun, it was my favorite thing.

Did you watch the show with your family?

I watched the show with my whole town! My dad is the proudest person in the whole world. My town would throw a party somewhere and everyone was invited to come out and watch it. Last night, over 600 people came out! It was so sad. They all cried like little babies when they found out I didn’t win. But it was the biggest party I think the town has ever seen! It was at my old high school and it was so much fun to watch the show with everyone I love.

What’s next for you?

Well, if I win fan favorite, I’m going to move to New York and see where that goes. If I don’t, I’ll just keep on trying modeling, go to New York or Chicago and just keep pursuing my dreams. People who know me know I’m never going to give up. I’m not a quitter, I’m a real hard worker.

Image: Pottle Productions

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Photos: Nigel Barker/The CW Network ©2009

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Full Q&A below the jump!

What was it like winning Top Model?

It was incredible! It happened months ago, but it didn’t feel real until it appeared on television. I won, I celebrated, then two days later I got on a plane and went back to my real life. I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my parents. It was so hard to keep it from them. But it I also got some secret pleasure from holding it over their heads! Now that it’s out in the open, it feels like I won all over again. It feels real now and it’s amazing.

Did you watch the show with your parents?

I did. I was not excited about seeing myself on television, but it’s something I became more comfortable with as the show went on.

Do you feel you were portrayed accurately?

I do. But it wasn’t all of me. People who know who me know I’m not like that. I can be funny and have a good time. I’m terribly camera shy and that affected how I interacted with the other girls and how I acted on the show. It’s something I got used to and it’s pretty obvious on the show that I became more comfortable with the camera and more confident as time went on. The Nicole on the show is sedated and shy. I am shy, that’s true, but I’m more than that!

Why did you struggle with the CoverGirl commercial?

I struggled so much with that! It was a very difficult thing for me. I was hoping Nigel was going to direct us again and it threw me off when it turned out he wasn’t. Then I got the criticism that I came off as unapproachable and snotty. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, so it upset me more than it should have.

Tell me about the runway show?

It was crazy! I had so much fun and loved the creative direction of it, but so much more drama happened than what you see. They didn’t have shoes for me, which caused problems. Even though I’m one of the tallest girls in the competition, I have the smallest feet. All the shoes were too big. Eventually, they just slammed my feet into a pair of shoes and taped them so they wouldn’t fall off. Also, for the third outfit change, they gave me two bikini tops and no bottoms! They found some bottoms for me to wear, but, obviously, I couldn’t go out on the runway bottomless.

What would surprise some people about you?

I love mountain biking. I’m docile and passive on the show, but there’s a wild aside of me that loves mountain biking, snow boarding and extreme sports.

Who do you keep in touch with on the show?

I keep in touch with so many of the girls. I call Laura all the time. I talk to Ashley, Jen and Brittany a lot too.

This cycle everyone seemed to get along so well.

We had our rough moments, of course! But by the time it got to the top six, we really bonded. We had this attitude that we were all in this together and we need to support each other.

Now that you’ve won, what’s next?

I have a meeting with Wilhelmina this afternoon. They’re the experts. I’m going to listen to them and take their advice. Whatever market they tell me I’m best for, I’ll do it. Whatever modeling they think I will excel in, I’ll do it. If they want me to move to Asia, I’m going. I didn’t enroll in school this semester and I’m throwing myself into modeling. It’s an amazing opportunity so I’m going to take advantage of all the resources Wilhelmina and the show can give me and go from there.

Image: Pottle Productions

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I’m glad Teyona’s doing well. She wasn’t my favorite winner, but it’s always nice to see the girls get work!

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Their best takes are below. Who did the best?

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Below are the girls’ ads! Which do you like better?

Nicole

Laura

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(Video will be added when available.)

Original Air Date: November 18, 2009
Winner: Nicole
Runner-Up: Laura

The episode opens with Nicole and Laura sharing what they’ve overcome – Laura being from a small town and not having a lot of options and Nicole overcoming extreme shyness. Laura and Nicole appear to be true friends, which should make this episode interesting. The girls are given scripts for a commercial the next day. Laura freaks out because of her dyslexia.

Even though it’s only a final two, the procedure is the same – Nicole and Laura will film a CoverGirl commercial and shoot a print ad. Teyona shows up to give the girls advice and her reading is really flat. Hopefully Nicole and Laura learn what not to do from Teyona. Nicole impresses Nigel with her beauty and professionalism on set. Unsurprisingly, Laura struggles with her commercial, but brings it in the end. Nicole is the surprise and has a hard time not sounding “snotty.” She wins line of the night when she says “I’d rather have boogers in my nose on national television than sound snotty.” Nigel is less impressed with Laura’s photograph as he can’t really get her to convey emotion.

After some reflection, Ann Shoket shows up and completely pulls a Tyra by squealing and hugging the girls and putting on a fake French accent when introducing Gilles Bensimon. She even gets a confessional about the girls performances! If the rumors about Miss J prove true, I’d put money on Ann taking his seat permanently on the judging panel.

Tyra stops by for one-on-one interviews with Laura and Nicole. We get the spiels about Nicole’s shyness and Laura’s dyslexia. Laura completely breaks down when talking about her grandma, it’s adorable. After the bonding, it’s time for the runway show! The big surprise is that Jen, Erin, Brittany and Sundai were all brought back to walk in the show. They’ve done this every cycle, but this is the first time they actually showed them. They also did Project Runway style interviews with the eliminated contestants and asked who they wanted to win. Sundai is rooting for Laura and Brittany is rooting for Nicole. I have no idea who is going to win!

Eddie Murphy did show up! I love how the show makes it look like he’s here for Top Model and not his model daughter. Nicole’s walk is rather clunky, but is filled with confidence. Laura’s walk is smooth, but lacks any oomph. When they go out for wind, both girls are fierce. For their third trip down the runway, both are better than their first trip.

During panel, only Tyra and Nigel speak. Where’s Mr. Jay? Isn’t he usually a final panel judge? And why isn’t Miss J saying hardly anything? Regardless, the judge give both girls positive and negative feedback and it’s hard to tell who is going to take home the prize.

After a thorough and logical deliberation, Nicole is declared the winner! Laura is so sad and my heart breaks for her. Either girl would have been a solid choice.

Question
Did you like jumping right into a final two?
Whose CG commercial was better?
Whose CG ad was better?
Do you like Ann Shoket?
What did you think of the runway show concept?
Who walked the runway better?
Are you surprised Nicole won?

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