In the last stretch of the competition Tyra spoke one-on-one with the three remaining girls, Kahlen, Naima and Keenyah, about where their minds were this late in the game. Kahlen assured Tyra she had confidence, having dealt with naysayers in the past, and she was driven no matter what anyone else said. Naima had learned to be comfortable with herself by letting go of self-hatred. Tyra wasn't easily convinced as the competition and constant critique often had the opposite effect. Keenyah was focused on keeping at the front of the competition, but Tyra wondered if her eating problem was due to stress. Tyra suggested that she stay focused on eating healthy.

Tyra mail arrived instructing the girls to be ready at 6:45am. The next morning they met Jay Manual at Sasani studios to shoot a commercial for CoverGirl Outlast make-up. The commercial had two elements: a runway show and fun backstage action. Keenyah strutted her stuff first; Jay became very frustrated with her constant winking and blowing kisses at the camera. Naima recognized a greater arrogance in Keenyah. The behind the scenes pieces were fun for the girls, but each had a difficult time delivering their lines in a close up shot for the camera. Kahlen had the toughest time of all, struggling over and over with her words.

Next was the CoverGirl print campaign beauty shot. Jay gave pointers to Keenyah as she posed. Jay commented, "her smile just got stuck there." Naima was next, and though she was nervous over the make or break nature of the shot, Jay helped her through it with tips and eventually said, "bellissima." Kahlen felt the beauty shot would be her chance to redeem herself after her miserable commercial shoot.

The next day at the elimination stage, Tyra greeted the panel, including judge Gretha Scholtz, creator of the Poison Ivy bathing suit designs. The criteria for judging were the commercial, runway walk, and the photo. Everyone watched as Tyra aired the CoverGirl commercial followed by the runway demo.

Each of the girls performed their strongest walk, stomping and strutting for the judges. Janice commented that Naima had "legs like Gumby," but her beauty shot could be seen on any magazine stand today. Nolé loved the spice she added to the commercial, and Tyra was impressed that she could pull it off. When the judges asked where this energy was coming from, Naima said that in suppressing her past, she was suppressing all over herself. Janice said, "It's the past, it's [over,]" and for the first time, Naima's composure broke in front of the judges. Keenyah walked next, and though Gretha didn't like her walk much, Nigel thought her photo worked really well. Janice didn't love her pose, nor could she recognize any of her inner beauty in the commercial. Nigel disagreed; he believed that the commercial was where her greatest strengths came out. Kahlen walked last, and Nigel wondered if she even breathed as she walked. When her photo came on screen, Nigel, Janice and Nolé all loved it; Nigel wondered where she had been hiding her smile, and Janice thought it was her strongest photo ever. However, Tyra didn't like it: "It doesn't look like a cosmetic ad." Nigel and Janice both agreed that her commercial shoot was terrific, while Nolé and Tyra thought she didn't pop so well.

Over deliberations, the judges had disagreements. Tyra felt she had changed her mind over Naima's performance, but Janice felt she needed more then a great smile. About Kahlen, Gretha thought "she's got the stuff to make it," and Tyra acknowledged that she could definitely stomp the runway, but could she make it as a spokes model? Nigel believed that Keenyah nailed the CoverGirl stuff, but Janice felt that she was not high fashion enough. Though she was striking, Janice repeated, "Keenyah needs to lose weight."

The elimination round began, and Tyra handed over the first photo to Naima, who "opened up a door to [her] heart and to [her] spirit" tonight. Keenyah and Kahlen stepped forward, and Tyra asked them to face each other. To Kahlen, Tyra explained that Keenyah had everything that Kahlen lacked: sparkle, spunk and the power to command attention. Keenyah needed what Kahlen had as well: the ability to "pose her ass off in a photo," and a strong presence on the runway. With that, Tyra revealed Kahlen's photo, and Keenyah was stunned to be going home. With tears in her eyes, Keenyah said, "I honestly am a little bit shocked… Right before [Tyra] called the names, she said, 'One of you has more potential than the other, one of you is stronger,' I thought she was talking about me. I really wanted to be one of the last two, I really thought that I had more potential than Kahlen."

After Naima and Kahlen took some time to reflect on their positions in the final two, Jay met with them to explain what the final challenge would entail: a runway show incorporating the designers Poison Ivy, Gavin Rajah and Ruby. It would be a huge event, during which Kahlen and Naima would have to strike their poses on a runway submerged a few inches under water. J. Alexander emerged to demonstrate and explained, "You model tramps need to stomp this water and make this water do the water dance if it's the last thing you do… Can either of you swim?"

Tyra arrived backstage to give moral support and advice on what to do when out on the ramp, punctuating her pep talk with a "Work it!" As they got dressed and made up, neither girl wanted to be around the other, each preferring to focus on her own game. Naima was up first for the lingerie walk, and when she got out in front of the audience, she felt "superhuman." Kahlen "can feel [her] heart getting ready to explode" after that first pose. The second walk went well for both of them (despite Kahlen's difficulties in getting dressed), and they could hear the judges screaming for them behind the lights. The third walk was tough: the judges would compare them to one another. Dressed in their swimsuits, Naima and Kahlen stomped in step with each other, posing on opposite ends of the runway. Following that was the finale, when all the models emerged on the ramp from under a waterfall, and at the end, Naima and Kahlen posed and danced under the falling water.

The big day arrived, and Naima and Kahlen arrived at panel wearing the evening dresses they modeled for the fashion show. Tyra explained that this was the time when everything they've learned would come into play, and they would "graduate into the real world of modeling as America's Next Top Model." There would be no guest judge this time, and they started the evaluation of the runway show with Naima. Tyra told her, "You scared me when you came out, but in a good way. I was in shock; I was in awe. "Kahlen's first appearance was equally as thrilling for Tyra: "When you started walking, I thought you were fierce. I felt the stomp." But Tyra also mentioned that Kahlen's mouth and neck got really tense on the runway, and that she needed to remember that.

The past photo shoots came into play, starting with the first week. The judges compared all of them, pointing out positives and negatives, ending with the CoverGirl shoot. Janice thought that Kahlen's photo was "stunning," and while Nigel liked Naima's shot, he preferred Kahlen's. Tyra asked the two finalists why they should be America's Next Top Model. Kahlen's answered: "I think I've overcome so much of who I am. I've overcome sitting in the corner, and not being 'that pretty girl,' and being overlooked time and time again and never being good enough." When Naima began, she broke down in tears. "I hated myself. I hated this girl. That was my lowest point, Tyra. I walked in here today and I felt beautiful." With that, deliberations began.

When it came to Kahlen, her body of work was superior to that of Naima, but upon consideration of "the final exam" of the CoverGirl shoot, commercial and runway show, "Naima won hands down." Nolé loved Kahlen's photos, but in person, "she's just dry," while Janice saw Kahlen as having exactly the right body proportions for designers. On the other hand, Nigel thought Naima ruled the runway show with her strength and presence, and Tyra "still has chills thinking about it." But Tyra was inspired by Kahlen's photos, and Nolé believed that she was able to produce one of ANTM's best overall portfolios. Tyra finally summed it up: "What do we choose--the girl who did well all semester and kind of failed the final exams, or the girl who did fair during the semester and killed during the final exams?"

It's the longest decision making process the judges had ever been through for the final choice. Naima's journey was a solid one, but her final was amazing; she had "an aura that speaks to a lot of young girls in America, and in the final fashion show, you rocked." On the other hand, Kahlen's photos "rival the top models that are in Elle, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar right now." But Kahlen's final performance wasn't as strong; she didn't "own" the fashion show. As the tension built, Tyra pointed to a display where the winner's photo would appear and, finally, Naima's photo flashed on screen. "I'm speechless," she exclaimed joyfully, and Tyra embraced her. Kahlen's tears fell freely; she was devastated to have lost. "When I set foot on that runway, it made me realize why I wanted to do this… I feel like modeling is kind of my way of expressing my emotions, and it took this competition to really open my eyes."