by Mike Bandy

 

We made it to the finale!

 

It's down to Brittani and Molly, and both girls were understandably nervous. Brittani told us about how she grew up; she had a single mom with a severe panic disorder, and they were on welfare for the first 8 years of her life. Molly has also dealt with a lot, and feels she owes a lot to her adoptive parents, as well as rehab, for helping to make her the person she is today.

 

TYRA MAIL! "Sahel, Khafif, Zoulnah." We all know what that means - CoverGirl!

 

The girls arrived at a country club and met with Ivan Bart, who wanted to have one on one meetings with them. Molly was first, and said that she has wanted to model since she was 12 years old. Ivan thought she was amazing in photos. Ivan asked Brittani if she had to move to Milan for six months, how would she handle it? Brittani said she'd handle it just fine, she knows that home is always waiting for her. He really liked her face and her attitude.

 

It's time for the CoverGirl shoot and commercial for Lip Perfection Lip Color, and the commercial will be shot from three different angles. The girls had a teleprompter, but also had a chance to practice their lines. Brittani was nervous because she doesn't do well in front of a moving camera, and Molly knew her lines really well. When it came time to do the commercial, Molly felt that she got in her own way and wasn't herself, and Brittani was worried she'd have a panic attack, but pulled it off well. For the shoot, both girls did a really great job, according to the photographer.

 

The next day, it was off to do the shoot for Beauty in Vogue, and the winner's shoot will run in the magazine! The scene was a mansion that looked a lot like a palace, and the shots were on a rooftop, sitting against a large pillar, and lying on a mirror. The photographer thought Brittani was really professional, and that Molly lost a lot of her energy. Molly was cranky for most of the shoot, because she was tired and cold and annoyed. Both girls expressed how much pressure they were under, with Molly saying that it had been a long couple of months, and she'd be pissed if she doesn't win.

 

The girls arrived home to find Molly's parents there! She ran toward them and enveloped them in a big, tearful hug. Molly's parents were really sweet and congratulated both Molly and Brittani, whose mother was unable to come. Brittani said she expected that, because of her mom's panic disorder and because she'd just had surgery on her back. Still, Brittani was crying, because she said that she's so used to looking around for somebody and not having anybody be there. Thankfully, she did get to talk to her mom via video chat, and her mom said that she was proud of her and wished she could be there. It was a really bittersweet moment.

 

Molly's parents wished both of them luck and left, and then the girls got another Tyra Mail: "Tomorrow's runway will be modeling mania." The next day, the girls met up with Jay at the Grenada Palace for the Vivienne Westwood runway show!

 

The show was salon style, and moved through a few different rooms of the palace, and Kasia, Alexandria, and Hannah would be joining them for the show as well! And, let's not forget Cycle 15 winner Ann, who opened the show (with a much improved walk, I might add!).

But I'm getting ahead of myself here...

 

Before the show, Tyra met Molly's parents, and Molly was crying and saying how much she appreciated them. Tyra wished her luck, and then moved on to Brittani, who was standing alone, but it's okay! Tyra admired her strength, but Brittani was really nervous about winning. She said that she can't model without Top Model, and Molly's parents have already agreed to help her.

 

And so, the show began. Both girls gave commanding, bouncy walks, and lots of presence on the runway, and Tyra thought Brittani had something special. On the final lap of the runway, Brittani and Molly had to pose together in front of the judges, and Brittani burst out laughing because she felt that they were in a sex position. On the way back, Brittani slipped on a rose petal and fell against the wall! It was a really traumatic moment, but kudos to Molly for helping her up! Backstage, it was revealed that Brittani had hurt her ankle and cut her wrist when she fell, and she wasn't sure she could do another walk on the runway, but it was time for the finale.

 

The finale of the show went off without a hitch, and Brittani came out smiling. You'd never have known she was hurt. Backstage, Ivan and Mr. Jay said that the competition was over, but they needed to step it up a notch and give them a new look for panel.

 

Speaking of panel, both girls arrived with new SHORT haircuts! Molly's was kind of a bowl cut, and Brittani's was a very short pixie.

 

Both looked really great. The assessment began, starting with the runway show. Brittani and Molly both had great walks, but Molly's had too much bounce, and Brittani dropping out of character was not cool to Tyra. In the CoverGirl commercial, Brittani had great angles and gave a personable performance, while Molly's said "mean girl" to Tyra. The CoverGirl shots revealed a stunning, edgy shot for Brittani, and a soft, gentle shot for Molly.

 

During deliberations, the judges reviewed past photos and talked about which girl they thought would best fit America's Next Top Model, and things seemed to be turning in Molly's favor, with most of the judges talking about what a great photo model she was. Brittani has a freshness and a charm, and knows how to get into character. Who would it be???

 

Here come the call...wait, there are no call outs. There's only two left!

 

The girls were called back in, and Molly was crying really hard. Rather abruptly, Tyra said,

 

"Americas. Next. Top. Model. Is.....Brittani!"

 

Molly said that she wanted this really badly and she failed at the one thing she wanted to do. Tyra said that she could still be a model and be very successful. Molly said that she's happy for Brittani, and she's going to go home, take a nap and eat a pulled pork sandwich.

 

Brittani said that she doesn't know what her mom will do when she finds out she won. She said that it doesn't matter where you're from, you can do whatever you want. Everything she's ever done has finally paid off.

 

It's been a lot of fun this cycle! Stay tuned for my interviews with Molly and Brittani! 

 

 

(Image courtesy of the CW)