Something I have to comment on - when Jennifer's portfolio was being shown at the end, was it me, or did every picture of her have her mouth open?

Anyway, I just wanted to say congratulations to Laura and Nicole, a very deserving Final Two.

Laura made it all the way into the top 2 without being called first even once... weird. (Even though I think there have been weeks where she definitely deserved to be called first - that topless horse shoot, Cirque du Soleil, ninjas...) Best top 2 ever, though. I'm still pulling for a Laura win. She kicked ass at the dance challenge.

Who else laughed their ass off when Mr. Jay announced the double elimination, the girls were all "O_O OMG", and Jay told Jennifer that she could close her mouth? Erin talking about how she's in her head, singing "One of those pop songs that the teenagers listen to" was a close second. She sounded like an old lady.

Justice prevails. I'm stunned.

My two favorites are in the top two! I don't think this has ever happened before. I am so excited! Of course, now I don't know who I will vote for in the finals.

OMFG. Best. final. two. EVAH!!1!!!!11one!11!

There are rare, fleeting moments that I really unironically love this show, and this episode was one of these moments. Four likable (even Erin), beautiful, and talented girls who deserved to be there (even Jennifer) in the final four? And then the right two going on to the finals? You know, if having shorties made Tyra finally put down the crackpipe, I'm all for just sticking with shorties.

I have loved Laura since the beginning and I am glad she made the final two, but I did not agree with the judges on her picture. I didn't really like it. The showing of Erin's portfolio at the end made me realize how beautiful she is and it had some great pictures. I am kinda sad that Erin didn't make the final two, despite her being a brat, but I am very happy that my two girls did!!

Best top 2 since Dani/Joanie, perhaps the best ever! Colour me shocked that this could happen in the most shark-jumping cycle of all!

I thought they were sabotaging Nicole, too, when they showed that pho-to. Face was gorgeous, but during the shoot she had some amazing body shapes.

I have loved Laura since the beginning and I am glad she made the final two, but I did not agree with the judges on her picture. I didn't really like it. The showing of Erin's portfolio at the end made me realize how beautiful she is and it had some great pictures. I am kinda sad that Erin didn't make the final two, despite her being a brat, but I am very happy that my two girls did!!

Did anyone notice that at the beginning of the episode, when they're listing the remaining girls, they mixed them up? It went by fast, but I know they showed Nicole when they said Jennifer's name o_O

Okay... I actually teared up when Laura got in the final two. The most likeable contestant ever, IMO. I was all tensed up, ready for Jennifer to get called second. Laura's challenge win had the conspiracy theorist in me convinced it was the show throwing her a bone before eliminating her (not to mention, the sudden, out-of-nowhere trouble she had in the final photo shoot).

I don't think she has a prayer of WINNING, of course, but I'm happy she's gotten this far.

YAY!! Best top 2 ever! I would be happy with either winning - but so rooting for Laura. And the resemblance between her and Rachel Hunter was stunning - never really noticed it until tonight! Oh - and the girl can dance!

Wait....I'm confused. The two girls with the best portfolio's all season are in the top....what is wrong with the world?

Yes!!! Laura makes top two. I was prepared to throw something thru the TV if Tyra called Jen or pouty blond chick's name.

Eh, not too keen on Laura, sad that Erin was so much more deserving since she always had the better pic than Laura.

Dbrain - not just you. Every single photo was Jennifer's mouth WIDE open (well for a model anyway).

I was really worried for Laura especially because she was seriously featured today and then she cried how badly she wanted this and her accent was really thick today, I'm thinking, she's going home and that will suck. And then she didn't and it made me incredibly happy. I love this Final 2, and I think I'll be happy with any one of them winning :)

Yes every single one of Jennifer's photos showcased her ubiquitous open mouth.

Blackface photos? What are you talking about? We never had any blackface photos! /Tyra

TOTALLY not just you. Her mouth was gaping open (a la Whitney our "plus size winner") in every single damn picture. WHEW! I had actually managed to stay relatively unspoilered this season but that could have been because I seem to remember reading a spoiler that said Jennifer was the winner and I didn't see any way in hell she could have won over any of the girls in the final 6. OK, except Sundai.

This is an incredible F2!!! WOW! As has been said, these were my favorite two in personality and pho-tos from the beginning. I wasn't the hugest fan of Laura's pho-to tonight, but agree it was very Rachel Hunter-esque. But Nicole just cannot take a bad picture. Hers last week were simply stunning. Love that girl!

Next week will be fun and interesting. For the first time ever, I'd be happy with either of them as the winner although I would prefer Nicole.

Laura looked like Rachel Hunter? Maybe just before she realized she was about to get executed by a firing squad.

Let's take a moment to focus on Tyra's judging attire.... Do the Hustle!

Jennifer was doomed the moment she questioned the Shoket.

Thank you for all the shots of hair stylist guy, editors!

Wow, I can only reiterate what others are saying -- I can't believe I actually really like both girls in the final 2! That said, the picture selections for judging were weird.

Jennifer's portfolio was so annoying with all those open mouths! Literally every one I think.

Me! Those were definitely the two best guffaw-worthy moments of the show! The third had to have been Nicole's attempt at dancing. Love the girl, but she can't dance (but I can't either).

I love Nicole and I think she's the better model of the two, but I really see a Laura win coming. Just because the show is being so blatant about Nicole being #1 pretty much throughout the competition and a Laura win probably makes the better reality show story. Though honestly I can't be mad at a Laura win. It's probably better for Nicole's own modelling career to be the runner up.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that. That has to be one of the funniest dances on this show since Furonda's... thing in Thailand and that seizure April had that made Janice go "What the hell was that?!"

Nicole needs to dance every week for the audience. And Laura, but for un-ironic reasons.

Yay at Nicole being the F2, finally a san decision by Tyra. :)

Laura...well she's likeable and nice. However I really think she's a weak model and only coasting by with her personality. DOn't get me wrong, I do like her and everything, but she's not that great. Jen I grew on and she got better towards the end IMO. But yes her mouth was open in 95% of her shots. The hell?

Erin, sad I really like her and her look. I don't care if she's a brat (which I don't think she is, just the editing by this stupid show), I think she was robbed. Erin vs Nicole would've been epic!

I had other thoughts on the episode, but Ann "Beak Nose" Shoket made my brain hurt. Ugh at her bitchface to Jen. Bleh. :x

This episode was actually... surprising.

I'm confused as to why Jennifer lasted as long as she did, considering she didn't win the whole thing -- because surely her tenure wasn't based on awesome modeling skills. So I guess this also means that an Asian girl will never, ever win ANTM. *laughs*

Although Nicole is my hands down favourite, I'd like to see Laura win. I think it would benefit her more. If Nicole does win, I hope she can shed the contract as fast as possible... she won't be fresh faced forever. Does anyone know how long the typical winner's contract lasts? 1 year? 2 years? 3 years?



ITA with this. To me, she doesn't even look like a model at all, especially in height, and lower body. And she photographs alright, I suppose. Laura's just a really pretty girl, in an actress way but not a model way... which is totally okay. I think a lot of people are biased and can't view her and her body of work objectively without factoring in her TV persona.

Anyways, if Nicole wins she'll be the most deserving winner ever in any winner's respective cycle (IMO.)

I am so happy right now! Laura and Nicole are my favorite two contestants! I can't believe they're the final 2. Finally, I don't even care who wins at this point.

Thank you, showgods!

Something funky was going on with Beaky when Tyra was introducing her. It was like two different personalities were fighting for control of her body:

Grimace...WEIRD SMILE...grumble grimace...FORCED SMILE....twitch...SMILE.

Just me?

I am still gaping at my television in shock. The two most deserving contestants are in the finals... is this even for real? I haven't been this happy/excited about a finale in well, the history of ANTM. I feel like suddenly Tyrant has had a personality change seeing as I thought for sure Jennifer was going to make it.

No shit, Sherlock. She and Whitney need to have a Mouth-off, and then they can go off and bake cupcakes. I thought FOR SURE Tyra was sneaking Jennifer in at the end. My Lord, she only had one good face shot in her entire portfolio, what the hell was Tyra smoking?

Do I remember correctly that neither Laura or Nicole can walk? We know they both can't do a commercial. So this will be interesting.

Nicole's face and head look really big during her confessionals. And Laura is really no model. Sigh.

edited to add-- I really think that Nicole is all about her red hair (which is dyed) If she was brown haired, she wouldn't be here today.

Did Laura's lips look kinda big in her final shot?

And why couldn't Erin smile in any of her shots?

I would have loved to have seen the other shots of Nicole. I don't think the final shot chosen was the best.

I'm glad that Nicole and Laura are in the final two. Erin looked resigned, poor thing. And I think Jennifer was shocked (I know I was) when she wasn't chosen.

I want Nicole to win. But a Laura win would be OK too.

Most likeable final 2? Yes.

But a better final 2 would have had Erin in it. I'm sorry, but I KNOW she had better photos (like her alternative photo that was released). I feel she was somewhat sabotaged. I really wish Mr.Jay was a judge, so he and Tyty can have it out on panel about Laura and Erin's performance.... but then we'd probably end up with a different creative director next season ("We needed to cut the fat").

When they showed Erin's portfolio in the end, I got a lil teary (JUST A LIL). No offense to Laura, but Erin deserved the F2 based off potential alone. And Erin is not really a brat, I don't see it. =\

I really think they're paving the way for a Laura win. Nicole has been shown as the golden child (not you, ERIN) but Laura has more story. Plus, Laura seems to know what to say to make Tyra happy (mentioning her struggle with dyslexia, and her fear of drowning.... you know... "obstacles" n shit).

I agree. I think she was a weaker model than Erin on average, and I fully expected Erin's Redemption Arc to find her a spot in the final two. My mouth was hanging open wider than Jennifer at photo shoot when they called Laura's name as the second finalist.

To me, this is Nicole's contest to lose. She screams model to me. Laura is a pretty girl who has taken some nice photos (and I want to just scoop up that adorable little country mouse and carry her in my pocket), but I think she needs some more seasoning before she could ever be successful in the modeling world.

As for Erin, she probably deserved a F2 spot in some ways, but boy I am glad she didn't get it. That girl needs to take 2 heaping spoonfuls of STFU every day before I can deal with seeing her on my TV again.

Ok, this is (one of) the episode(s) that just makes me say, "Has Tyra opened a fashion magazine in the last decade ?" Laura's face, Laura's face, Laura's face... that's all I have to say... It was that bad. She looked like she was possessed by the ghost of a really constipated flamenco dancer in that picture. First finalist never to have had a single first call-out... and quite frankly I don't think she deserved one... They're were better models in the Vegas shoot (Rae), the horse shoot (Nicole) and the ninja shoot (Nicole). Throughout the season, she was flat out outmodeled by Nicole. Still I love her personality, but I'm always criticizing Tyra when she's choosing to keep a girl in the competition based on personality and not based on their past performances, so... I would have kept Erin (even though her picture was not good, she was inches away from showing a nipple and she needs to eat a slice of humble pie in the worst way)

Things I learned in today's episode...

... that I really hate dancing challenges! Hate them, hate them, hate them ! They're pointless, they have nothing to do with modeling and it's just an excuse for Tyra to vampirize these girls' background and hardships. If they have to do a dance inspired photoshoot that's cool, but when they actually have to dance, well... that way lies badness and awkward silences

... who Laura reminded me of ! She just screamed actress to me from week 1, she litterally reminded me of a specific actress and I couldn't remember who. Today it dawned on me. When she's not made up and not "modeling", she reminds me of Amanda Seyfried in Mean Girls but in a less modely way... Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen !

... that Tyra cannot pull off a jumpsuit, stop trying Tyra !!!

... that Ann "beak nose" Shoket needs to be banned from TV. There's nothing redeeming about her.

... That Janice really needs to come back, cause she would have been all over those average to bad shots instead of the tongue bathing that the judges gave during panel this week. I miss hearing, "That's pedestrian Honey." on Top Model

... that Nicole's picture was a step back for her, but that she's still light years in front of anybody else. She will get signed no matter what.

... that I'm becoming addicted to the elimination song. TOP MUH-Uh-DEL TOP TOP MUH-UH-DEL TOP MODEL TOP MODEL TOP MODEL... it's like a mantra that cannot get out of my head.

... who Miss Jay is voting for in the final deliberation... and Nigel... and Tyra... Yeah, I think it's gonna be a Laura win. I'm thinking a callback to C4 when Tyra said who's gonna win this thing ? The girl who did really good all season but did ok on the final exam (Kahlen or Nicole) or the girl who did good during the entire semester but killed the final exam (Naima or Laura). Then again, she could just do a callback to C10 and the just crown who she wanted to see win all along (Whitney).

Things I learned from the preview...

... that Nicole needs 22 takes to do a CG commercial... not good but the fact that they show this in the preview is making me think of last cycle when Teyona was shown to do super bad and we all know how that ended (I'm pulling for Nicole and I'm desperately trying to convince myself that she still has a shot at winning this)

... that the girls looked stunning on the final runway, but I thought the theme looked cheesy and cliché.

BTW, does anybody know if Mr Jay will join panel for the final deliberation ???

I agree Janice should be back, but she wouldn't have been all over the average shots because she would have been drunkenly screaming "SHORT! TOO SHORT!" all cycle.

And it would have been awesome. (And correct.)

Happy happy happy about the final 2, but I was a little taken aback to see Erin be so incredibly sweet and supportive of Laura as L came down of the rocks upset about her shoot. She's such an enigma -- both the bitchiest *and* the nicest girl of the season.

See, I thought she looked like she was poked in the back with a sharp stick. But I like your description better! I like Laura, but that face, that face....

Yeah, Laura's photo was not good, yet it received pretty much universal praise by the judges. This episode was all over the place - Laura seemed like she was about to burst into tears in a confessional just a few minutes into the episode, and then another confessional later she actually seemed to start bawling, and her photoshoot didn't go well, and then all of a sudden at panel, her photo is received well and no mention is made of bad photos in her reel or anything.

Maybe Laura took a swig of whatever Jenniwonky was drinking in her confessionals, except instead of the drink loosening her up and making her generally entertaining, it made her go PMS-emotional? Or maybe it was just PMS?

I loved Laura's face in that photo. Just as a close-up, it's an intriguing photo. However, the expression seemed discordant with everything else in the shot. Still, I'm glad she's in. Like a lot of others here, I believe she's been robbed consistently throughout the competition for higher call-outs. And I think she can work, getting the sort of jobs that Frederique and Rachel Hunter got.

ITA I wish they would show the whole sheet of shots to us or at least to the judges. It would be so easy to dump on a contestant by picking their worst shot. I thought several of them looked like odd choices tonight.

And I am no fan of Jen's but she was critisized for holding up her skirt--didn't Laura and Erin do the same thing?

Has Laura put on a bit of weight over the course of the season? She looked like she had a little something of a gut during the bikini dance thing, and while she is thin by mortal human standards, it was enough to have me picturing Cory Bautista and his tape measure.

In contrast, Nicole seems to be closer to working form right off the bat- thinner, but enough curves in the right places to look properly proportioned.

Holy shit. I'm actually in a state of shock.

The two girls I wanted to see in the final two are actually in the final two. Count me with those who realized at the end that Erin actually had a stunning portfolio, but clearly she'll get work if she wants it.

Did I say I was in a state of shock? Has this show grown the beard?

Nah.

Also, what in the hell was making Nicole's arm look all elephant trunk-y and wrinkled when they were learning the hula dances? It looked almost like a burn scar. Someone tell me they saw this too, because it really, really freaked me out. I kept rewinding and pausing the TiVo on it, trying to figure out what the hell it was.

Was it just me or are they STILL saying Kat's name wrong? This is so obviously done on purpose.

Was Kat TMIA this week (I was in the restroom, heard Nigel's voice but couldn't discern who he was talking about)? Is is me or have they recycled a few of those this cycle, Kat included if she was indeed featured tonight.

Glad to see Nicole and Laura in the F2. That said, I have a sneaking suspicion the best model won't win. Interestingly, it seemed that BeakNose liked Erin best. Based on what we saw of deliberations, I have no clue how Nicole got FCO. Laura gave an interesting, if a little off, facial expression and her long shot far surpassed Nicole's (and I say this favoring Nicole as a model). Previews indicating that they both under-perform in their commercials, I guess it will come down to who "aces the final exam" ala Nai-meh.

Speaking of Tyra, stop trying to make jumpsuits happen. She looked like a chain gang reject with accessories.

This is the first final 2 I care about since Joanie and Danielle. I'm actually stunned that Tyra chose the 2 best girls and they're my 2 favorites. Amazing. As much as I love Nicole, I'm rooting for Laura. I like her a bit more and i think she fits the prizes better. But yay for both of them! I'm so excited I love them both so much! And lol @ Jay's comment to Jen about closing her mouth and Erin's song.

Yeah, Laura seems like a sweet girl and all, but Nicole should win this in a walk — which means she won't win. They're freakin insane if they don't choose Nicole — but then again, Whitney won this show so, you know....

I agree with everyone who thinks they deliberately did not choose Nicole's best shot for this episode. Just watching her on the shoot, it was painfully obvious she had better than that — not that it wasn't good, but I think she probably had much more stunning shots in her film. You could see it by the way the photographer et al at the photoshoot responded to her. She killed it. It just seemed like a manipulation, the first step in ultimately justifying a Laura win.

Who knew Tyra was so sentimental, telling Jenn "I will always remember when I took your photo and you asked 'Can I breath?'" Except that Jenn asked if she could scream, not breath. Way to "always remember," Tyra.


Maybe she was trying to Smimace or would it be Grimize?

I was thinking about this while the show was airing and that's why I thought Nicole was definitely out tonight. She's a stunning model and would be better suited for as much high fashion work as she can get. Laura has more of the Seventeen/Cover Girl bouncy personality, which is why I think she'll win.

Jen did too, and would've been a shoo-in for the final two based on that alone had she not back-chatted to ol' Becknose. She should've followed everyone's advice and kept her mouth shut for once. I felt like Tyra's comments at panel indicated that Jen was staying and Nicole was out, but I think Beaknose intervened and Tyra made the switch to please her cause the show cannot afford to lose a sponsor. Sadly, I don't think Erin stood a chance at all. But I fully expect to see her in a segment of "TMIA" next season. I'm sure she'll kill it once she finds her niche in the modeling world.

Agreed. I'm shocked that I like the F2 as much as I do because this season has really dragged, imho, until the past couple episodes. Not counting the blackface that didn't happen, of course.

I was surprised Laura made it through because the previouslies rewrote history to say she struggled. She'll probably win, though I think Nicole has played this game really well.

Can't wait to see the finale now, which is surprising.

I'm amazed that I actually called the final two for the first time ever. Erin's been getting the bitchy edit for a while (though note, the other girls find her bitchy also) and has practically the exact same bitch face in every picture, and Jennifer's lazy eye has never stood out so much as tonight, when she parted her hair the other way and it was *super* crazy looking.

I really think they can't have picked Nicole's best picture, because no. freaking. way. We saw that shoot! I'm pleased for Laura and have been rooting for her since the beginning because she's so nice, but I end up liking both of them. I think Laura should get the win, because Nicole's going to have a career regardless.

Laura is a pretty girl, but that photo tonight was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC. I am still scratching my head as to why it received so much praise. Her face was a giant question mark and she looked short. It should be interesting in the final deliberation when they compare Laura and Nicole's portfolios. Laura has a solid body of work, but Nicole's is just so incredibly superior. Will we get a Whitney/Anya type comparison to make them seem equal? I think so.

Erin deserves to be F2. I thought her original idea of having a strong and powerful face and body was a much better fit for the theme of Pele than "flirting with the camera" like the photographer asked of her. Her portfolio montage at the end was breathtaking (except the Cirque shoot, but did anyone do well with that?). I LOVED that when Tyra said her film sucked she put on an awesome bitch face. Understandably, though, because Jay adored her film. "Lucked into the shot" my ass.

Jankifer isn't worth talking about.

Ann Shoket needs to learn how to smoze - smile with her nose.