Americas Next Top Model :: Season 5 :: Episode 12
(Information Copied From The UPN Website)
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NICOLE WINS IT ALL
After a stress-filled day of shooting a CoverGirl commercial and print ad, Bre is the first of the top three to be cut. That leaves the catwalk clear for Nik and Nicole to make their debut during a Gharani Strok fashion show, and both are fierce as they strut down the runway. The judges' decision is a tough one, but in the end, Nicole is chosen over Nik to become America's Next Top Model. "This is the beginning of something great for me," Nicole says. "My life is beginning right now: Nicole's life as a CoverGirl!"
THE TENSION BUILDS
It's down to three, and none of those remaining can believe they've made it this far. Bre and Nicole celebrate by jumping on the beds, and Bre is amazed to have made Top Model history. She's been in the bottom two four times, but she's still in the final three. Nik concentrates on how to show her personality to the judges--she wants to make it to the end, while Nicole seems confident that she's going to be the winner.
Tyra Mail instructs the girls to be ready at 6AM, and they head out to the coveted CoverGirl photo and commercial shoot. The winning participant's CoverGirl photo will be a national ad, and Jay explains something special about the shoot: they'll be the first to try a new version of CoverGirl's TruBlend foundation powder. Jay then introduces some inspiration: Naima, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 4, who stays with the girls during the prep for the shoot. When Jay hands out the script for the commercial, Nik is petrified because during the last commercial shoot, she struggled with the language. Nicole, on the other hand, is comfortable in the CoverGirl arena, and she's looking forward to getting in front of the camera.
The group gets started posing together, and later, Bre is up first for the commercial. She has a really tough time getting through her lines, but she looks fantastic on camera. Even though Nik is anxiety-ridden before her turn, she breezes through every line in one take, and the crew applauds when she's finished. "I don't know where it came from," Nik says later. "It just worked." Jay cringes through Nicole's lines as she flubs them again and again, and she blames the lights as the problem. Jay ends up having to feed her every line just to get through it, and he knows he'll have to tell the judges that information.
YOU NEVER KNOW
Going into the print ad, Nik is excited, and she tries to change up her expression because of the judges' past critiques. Bre gets nervous when the photographer tells her she has to smile during the whole shoot, but she gets a "well done" at the end. Nicole is freaked after her bad commercial performance, but she takes direction and gets through it with a smile. Jay is 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 ratchets up a notch when the girls find Tyra Mail announcing that the next day will be one of the last eliminations. Everyone is nervous, but Bre and Nicole are really feeling the pressure after the CoverGirl shoots.
The next day, the girls meet with the judges, including guest judges Vanya Strok and Nargess Gharani, whose runway show the two finalists will walk in. First, Tyra shows the complete CoverGirl commercial, and it comes off beautifully. "You guys look like a rainbow: chocolate, vanilla and caramel," Tyra quips. Nik did the best by far on the shoot, and the director said she really stood out.
Bre's photo is shown first, but to Miss J., she looks tense around the mouth. Tyra had trouble choosing a photo from her frames, because they were all pretty, but not too modelesque. When it comes time to look at how she did on the commercial shoot, the judges are silent as she stumbles through the words. Twiggy is disappointed because her voice is so lovely, but Nigel appreciates that her delivery was personal. Nik is next, and her photo is gorgeous (though there weren't many to choose from). Miss J. jokes, "It's brilliant. It makes me want to be a CoverGirl." As for Nik's commercial, the judges are pleased at her performance, but Tyra recommends that she add a little cheekiness to her delivery. The judges are stunned at Nicole's photo, and Twiggy comments, "You look absolutely gorgeous." However, they're also stunned at her tragic performance in front of the cameras, and when J. asks her about it, she confesses she just couldn't remember the lines. When Vanya says that doing a commercial is a lot to ask of the girls, Tyra is clear that Nicole needs to take responsibility for the fact that she choked.
BRE'S TURN
Deliberations begin with Bre, and the judges are divided; Twiggy is not a fan of her photo, but Tyra notes that she has more personality than Nik and Nicole combined. Miss J. says, "Nicole needs some personality," while Twiggy thinks she's a model already. Nik's picture goes over great, but Nigel still sees her as wishy-washy. While Nicole and Nik's pictures have been consistently good, Bre has made progress, and as Nigel says, "She is who she is."
Once the decision is made, the final three return to hear the results. First, Tyra calls Nik forward as one of the final two. Tyra says that Bre's and Nicole's performances in the CoverGirl commercial were less than stellar. Nicole, however, has taken consistently beautiful pictures, while Bre has improved drastically. Unfortunately for Bre, Nicole is chosen as a finalist, and Bre must head back to pack her things and go home. Nicole breaks down in tears, and Bre removes her high heels before going to hug both Nik and Nicole.
"I'm disappointed that I didn't win the competition," Bre says, "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 are thrilled to make it to the top two, and they try and decompress after Bre's elimination. Soon, Tyra Mail arrives, reading, "You can't tell a book by its cover. Or can you?" The next morning, the girls arrive at their photo shoot for ELLEgirl magazine with Gilles Bensimon, and "the training wheels are coming off." Whoever wins will have their shot grace the cover of the magazine in February of 2006. When hair and makeup is complete, the girls find Tyra already in front of Gilles' camera, and they are psyched to realize they'll be shooting with her. Nicole is up first, and Gilles and Tyra give her many pointers on her smile. Gilles even goes so far to tell Nicole, "I'm going to touch the winner now," and Nik is taken aback to hear those words. "Hello, am I still here?" she asks. But soon, her confidence returns when Gilles calls her a winner as well, and Nicole is knocked for a loop.
STOMP
When it's time for the runway show, Nik and Nicole meet with Jay, who fills them in on some of the details. They find out Eva and Naima will also be walking with them, and they'll be making a fast, wide stride stomp down the catwalk. Before the show begins, they meet with Naima and Eva, who give them some advice on how to perform. Naima assures them that they can transform their nervous energy into a powerful performance, and Eva instructs them to command attention and have no regrets.
Nik and Nicole also get a chance to meet with Tyra one on one to tell her whatever they'd like. Nik feels blessed, and she's happy to feel like her father is proud of her for the first time in her life. She feels in her heart that she's America's Next Top Model. When Tyra meets with Nicole, she reminds her that when Nicole started the competition, she felt second best to her sister. "I feel like I have something of my own now," Nicole responds. She wants to win badly, and tears come to her eyes as she hugs Tyra.
Tyra gives everyone a pep talk backstage before the music starts and the show begins. Nicole loves 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."
THE WALK
During her walk, Nicole tries to portray her wild side to counteract the sweetness the judges often comment on, while Nik attempts to show that modeling is exactly what she wants to be doing. Jay congratulates both girls at the end, and they are both confident going into the end deliberations, feeling good about their performances.
Finally, it's time for the last panel, and Nik and Nicole enter wearing fashions from the runway show. Evaluations begin with Nicole, and while Nigel was floored by her strong performance, Miss J. wished she didn't slouch. Twiggy didn't even realize it was Nicole on the runway at first, surprised by the strong strut. Tyra was proud, but she wanted Nicole to look a little more pissed off.
Nik's eval is next, and Twiggy has this to say: "I thought you looked amazing. [But your walk] was a little bit bouncy for me." Tyra agrees. Miss J. didn't love her walk either, and Nigel calls it "jiggly." Evaluations of the girls' entire portfolios begin, and Twiggy says that "the camera loves them both" as the photos are shown. The photos Tyra took with just eyeliner and Vaseline are highlights for both girls; they are able to sell the picture with the intensity of their eyes. As the evaluation wraps up, Tyra asks 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 it pounding so hard, I think that Nik can hear it." Nik says tearfully, "[This is] really scary, and I'll be happy no matter what happens." With that, the girls depart so the judges can deliberate.
NICOLE IS AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
The decision is a tough one for Tyra, because both girls have so much to offer. Nigel mentions that Nik has taken gorgeous pictures since the beginning, but she is simply too bouncy for Twiggy. Nicole is more of a model to her, and Nigel agrees that Nicole has learned so much since the beginning. J. is concerned that Nicole will crack under the pressure, while Twiggy sees Nik's gentle soul as more apt to have difficulties. Nik's body is amazing, while Nicole's chameleon-like look is pronounced a huge asset. Tyra asks final opinions of all the judges, and with that, the decision is made.
Once the girls return, Tyra explains, "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 shows the final result, Nicole is stunned to be the winner. Nik is devastated, and Tyra embraces her. "I want that," Nik says 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 screams out her joy at winning, whooping it up as the judges surround 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."
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