America’s Next Top Model 13, The Finale: Murphy’s Law

Previously on America’s Next Top Model, the four remaining models continued in their quest of fame and fortune. A dance challenge was in store with a hip hop hula theme. Laura won the challenge and received a luxury vacation for her and a fellow model in Hawaii and she chose Jennifer to share in the bounty.

At the most important photo shoot of the season, the models were dressed as Pele (the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes) and placed on a dramatic rock outcrop by the beach. Nicole won the photo shoot, but only Laura joined her in the final two. Both Jennifer and Erin were eliminated.

Only Nicole and Laura remain in the running, but not for long.

Missed anything? Check out my recap of the previous episode right here. Also, be sure to check out Phil Kural’s interviews with Erin and Jennifer.

The winner of this season of America’s Next Top Model will receive a dream contract with Wilhelmina Models, a $100,000 Covergirl contract, and a cover with six-page spread in Seventeen magazine.

Now, on to this season’s final episode:

We begin the episode in the bus on the way back the Hawaii Top Model House. Our two finalists relax and celebrate their progress in the competition. Laura wonders if anyone back in her home town will even believe that she’s made it as far as she has. We get a quick montage of photos of Laura’s family – including the grandmother that makes all of her clothes.

Nicole reflects that, a mere two months prior, she was too shy to present an art project in front of her class at school. Now, she regularly faces the judging panel. Nicole thinks that both her poor self-esteem and lack of confidence have gone dormant during the competition.

Arriving back at the Hawaii Top Model house, Laura and Nicole take a celebratory cannonball into the swimming pool. Laura considers how far she’s come from being a poor, rural woman with dyslexia to being one of the final two. Nicole considers the journey that she’s taken from the beginning of the series to where she is now, especially in how much that she’s learned.

Nicole worries that Laura could pose a serious threat and could possibly win the entire competition as she has a more wholesome look. Laura recognizes that Nicole has dominated most of the photo shoots, but thinks that her own personality gives her an edge.

Tyra Mail arrives and asks if anyone would hear if a model were to fall in the forest. Included are commercial scripts for the models to memorize before the next day, and the first line is in Hawaiian. Later, both models go over their lines, but Laura struggles with hers due to her dyslexia. Nicole figures that she has a clear advantage in a commercial shoot challenge.

The next morning, our two finalists are whisked away to a spot in the rain forest and are met by Jay. He announces that the challenge ahead of them is a combined commercial shoot and photo shoot for a print campaign. The winner of the challenge will be featured in a national ad campaign.

Jay has a surprise in that a former winner of America’s Next Top Model is there to help out: Teyona, winner of the previous season. She appears from behind a nearby tree to greet the finalists.

It’s a flurry of hair and makeup as the models prepare for the commercial shoot. Nigel also stops by and Jay announces that Nigel will be handling the photography portion of the day while he’ll be handling the commercial portion of the day.

First up for her photo shoot is Nicole, who admits that she’s not much of a smile-type model in her photos, but today demands some softness and smiling. Nigel tells Nicole to not look downward as this photo shoot is meant to emphasize the eyes. Nigel confides that Nicole always shows up ready to be photographed.

Elsewhere, Laura begins filming her portion of the commercial but starts off struggling with her lines and is visibly frustrated. By the eighth take, Laura seems calm and is able to deliver the entire commercial without pause. Jay notes that Laura started off slowly, but kept her cool and got better with each take. Laura is thrilled with her performance.

Finished with her photo shoot, Nicole has her turn at the commercial shoot. She messes up her first take. Her multiple takes all seem to have a lack of energy, but she delivers her lines well. Jay urges Nicole to be more genuine.

Meanwhile, Laura is in the midst of her photo shoot and Nigel notes her great energy and bubbly personality. He asks what she’s thinking about and she replies “milkshakes” which gets a chuckle out of Nigel.

Both shoots are over and the models reconvene at the Hawaii Top Model house. Nicole is concerned about her performance in the commercial shoot. Laura offers that Nicole’s high intelligence and good pronunciation skills could work against her in that she may not be appealing to the average person.

Later, a knock at the door brings Ann Shoket (editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine) to the Hawaii Top Model house. She’s greeted by both models and announces that she’s arrived to shoot their respective covers for the magazine. Alas, only the winner’s photograph will actually be used.

Once again, it’s a flurry of hair and makeup as the Hawaii Top Model house is transformed into a studio. Guest photographer Gilles Bensimon is introduced and he has an impressive resume. Both models have their turns before the camera in a variety of clothes. Ann doesn’t see a clear-cut favorite at this point and notes that both models have given a great photo shoot for the cover of the magazine.

Later, Tyra Mail arrives and promises that the final competition will be on the runway. Laura thinks that she’s better on the runway than Nicole and hopes that her skills will give her an edge. Nicole realizes that she’ll need to be nearly flawless in order to beat Laura in a runway challenge. Nicole decides that a bit of runway practice is in order. She knows that she’s not awful on the runway, but struggles to “feel” the walk and the energy. Nicole hopes to bring some of the energy that she uses to excel in photo shoots into the runway competition. Laura also practices her runway walk nearby.

Another knock on the door brings Tyra herself into the Hawaii Top Model house. She congratulates the finalists and to take the chance to chat with of the women individually. First up for a chat is Nicole, who is amazed that a petite woman such as herself (at 5’7”) can even have the opportunity to compete. Nicole talks to Tyra about how she’s always struggled to get to know people and to make friends, and how “awkward” she’s felt her entire life.

Tyra then chats with Laura and she rehashes her small-town roots and how she’s always been told that she was too short to be a model. Laura tells Tyra about a letter she received from her grandmother, which makes her start to well up with tears.

Much later, the models arrive at the location of the fashion show and are met by Miss J. and Jay. As a surprise, a number of fellow contestants will walk in the fashion show with our finalists. Included in the group of models are Erin, Brittany, Sundai, and Jennifer. Everyone is excited to be part of the finale.