Something Of My Own! - Week 11

Down to three and Bre, Nik and Nicole can’t believe they’ve made it to the top three. Bre was amazed to have made Top Model history, and can’t believe she made it to the top three after being in the bottom two four times. Nik turned her focus on her personality and how she could show her best side to the judges. While Nicole was confident she’d be the next winner.

Tyra Mail arrived instructing the girls to be ready at 6am – and they headed out to the coveted CoverGirl photo and commercial shoot. The winning participant’s photo would be a national ad, and even more so, they’d be the first to try a new version of CoverGirl TruBlend foundation powder. To help out and inspire, Naima, the winner from cycle 4, appeared and stayed with the girls during the prep for the shoot. Nik was petrified when she was handed the commercial script because she didn’t handle the language too well in the last commercial shoot. Nicole, on the other hand, was totally confident and comfortable in the CoverGirl arena, and looked forward to getting in front of the camera.

The girls pulled together group poses and later Bre was up first for the commercial. She had a tough time getting through her lines, but looked fantastic on camera. Nik was nervous with anxiety, but breezed through every line, with one take and the crew applauded. "I don't know where it came from," Nik says later. "It just worked." Jay cringed as Nicole flubbed her lines and began blaming the lights. Jay ended up feeding her the information and knew he would have to tell the judges about the outcome.

On to the print ad, Nik was excited and she tried to change up her expression because of the judges’ past critiques. Bre was nervous when the photographer told her she had to smile during the whole shoot, and she got a “well done” at the end. Nicole was freaked after her bad commercial performance, but she took direction and got through it with a smile. Jay was surprised at the outcome, having expected more from Nicole and less from Nik during the commercial shoot. "You may think you know who's going to be America's Next Top Model, but you really don't."

The tension tightened up a notch when Tyra Mail arrived announcing there would be elimination the next day. Everyone was nervous, especially Bre and Nicole from the CoveGirl shoots. The next day the girls met with the judges including guest judge Vanya Strok and Nargess Gharani, and they showed the runway the two finalists would walk on. Tyra showed the complete CoverGirl commercial commenting, "You guys look like a rainbow: chocolate, vanilla and caramel," Tyra quipped. Nik did the best by far on the shoot, and the director said she really stood out.

Bre’s photo was up first and Miss J. looked tense around the mouth. Tyra had trouble picking a picture from her frames because they were all pretty, but not too modelesque. And the judges were silenced as she stumbled through the words. Twiggy was disappointed because her voice was lovely, but Nigel appreciated her personal delivery. Nik was next, and her photo was gorgeous (though there were many to choose from). Miss J. joked, "It's brilliant. It makes me want to be a CoverGirl." About Nik’s commercial, the judges were pleased with her performance, but Tyra recommended that she add a little cheekiness to her delivery. Next, the judges were amazed by Nicole’s photo, and Twiggy commented, "You look absolutely gorgeous." However, they were totally stunned at her tragic performance in front of the cameras, and when asked about it, she confessed she couldn’t remember her lines. Vanya stood up for Nicole by defending all the girls by explaining a commercial shoot is a lot to ask of the girls at this point, but Tyra made it clear that Nicole needed to take responsibility for the fact that she choked.

Deliberations began for the first elimination. Once the decision was made the final three returned to the room and the results were heard. First, Tyra called Nik forward as one of the final two. Tyra explained to Bre and Nicole that both performances in the CoverGirl commercial were less then stellar. However, Nicole had been consistent with taking beautiful shots and Bre has improved drastically, but at this point in time, Nicole was selected out of the two to move to the final round and Bre was sent home.

Nicole broke down in tears, and Bre removed her high heels before going to hug both Nik and Nicole.

As Bre left she said, "I'm disappointed that I didn't win the competition, but I'm very glad that I made it as far as I did here…. Life is full of disappointments, but Tyra told us how many doors had been slammed in her face before she got to where she had to go. My path can only go up from here. There's nothing but up." Nicole and Nik were thrilled and tried to take it all in, but soon after Tyra Mail arrived which read, "You can't tell a book by its cover. Or can you?" The next day the girls arrived at their photo shoot for ELLEgirl magazine and Gilles Bensimon. The winner would grace the cover of the magazine in February of 2006. When makeup was complete the girls were psyched to find out they’d be shooting with Tyra. Nicole was up first and was given many pointers on her smile. Gilles even went as far as to say, "I'm going to touch the winner now," and Nik was taken aback to hear those words. "Hello, am I still here?" she asked. Her confidence was restored when Gilles called her a winner as well, and Nicole was knocked for a loop.

When it was time for the runway show, Nik and Nicole met with Jay, who filled them in on some of the details. They found out Eva and Naima would be walking with them, and they’d have to make a fast, wide stride stomp down the catwalk. Eva and Naima gave them advice on how to perform before the walk, and Naima assured them they could transfer their nervous energy into a powerful performance, while Eva instructed them to command attention and have no regrets.

Nik and Nicole also had some one-on-one time with Tyra to express how they felt. Nik felt blessed and was certain her father was proud of her and was certain she was America’s Next Top Model. When Tyra met up with Nicole she reminded Nicole that she once felt second best to her sister. "I feel like I have something of my own now," Nicole responded. She wanted to win badly, and tears fell from her eyes as she hugged Tyra.

Tyra gave everyone a pep talk backstage before the music started and the show began. Nicole loved her big debut. "Walking down the runway, I just feel this huge surge of adrenaline rushing through me. It just feels like you're the center of the world." Nik's reaction is much the same. "It just feels amazing, because I want to be on this runway, I want to be America's Next Top Model, and this is the time for me to do it."

During the show, Nicole came out portraying her wild side to counteract the sweetness the judges often commented on, while Nik attempted to show that modeling was exactly what she should be doing. Jay congratulated both girls at the end, and they were both confident going into deliberations.

Finally, everyone met for the last panel, and Nik and Nicole entered wearing fashions from the runway show. First up, Nigel was floored by Nicole’s performance, but Miss J. wished she didn’t slouch so much. Twiggy didn’t eve realize it was Nicole on the runway, and was surprised by the strong strut. Tyra was proud but wanted Nicole to look a little more pissed off.

Nik was up next and Twiggy said, "I thought you looked amazing. [But your walk] was a little bit bouncy for me." Tyra agreed. Miss J. didn't love her walk either, and Nigel called it "jiggly." Portfolios were evaluated next and Twiggy said, "the camera loves them both". The photos Tyra took with just eyeliner and Vaseline were highlights for both girls; they were able to sell the picture with the intensity of their eyes. As the evaluation wrapped up, Tyra asked for last words.

Nicole begins. "I just want to tell everyone that I'm so grateful to be standing here at all. And I feel like I have grown to be bigger than I knew. My heart is pounding so hard, I think that Nik can hear it." Nik said tearfully, "[This is] really scary, and I'll be happy no matter what happens." With that, the girls depart so the judges can deliberate.

The decision was tough for Tyra because both girls had so much to offer, but the judges leaned towards Nicole because she had the presence of a model and although both took great pictures, Nik’s walk was a little to bouncy all around. About their soul’s, Miss J. worried Nicole would crack under pressure, but Tyra disagreed and felt Nik’s gentler soul was more apt to difficulties. About there bodies, Nik’s was amazing, while Nicole’s chameleon-like look was pronounced a huge asset. Final decisions were made and the girls were asked back.

Once the girls returned, Tyra explained, "The judges feel one of you can truly take what America's Next Top Model means and share that not just with America, but with the world." When the monitor showed the final result, Nicole was stunned to be the winner. Nik was devastated, and Tyra embraced her. "I want that," Nik said after it's all over. "That was my goal, that was my dream, that's what I want. I want people to know my name. I wanted to win so bad…. I don't know--maybe it hasn't sunk in yet that I'm not that girl."

Nicole screamed out her joy at winning, whooping it up as the judges surrounded her. "I was always the girl who never got that much attention, and now here I am. I'm a CoverGirl, I'm a Ford Model…. Throughout this whole competition, I just feel like I've grown so much, not only as a model, but as a person. This is the beginning of something great for me."