It's almost finale time for the 12th cycle of America's Next Top Model. Only three girls remain: Allison, Aminat, and Teyona and you couldn't have three more different girls in the finale. Allison is a unique beauty, with oodles of editorial and avant garde potential, Aminat has all the makings of a supermodel but hasn't found how to channel it off the runway, and there's Teyona who has wowed the judges with her consistently strong photos and alien beauty. One lucky model will receive the grand prize, which we can all recite by heart now: a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, and the cover and six-page fashion spread in Seventeen magazine. Each day leading up to the finale, we'll explore why each finalist could walk away the winner. Today, we take a closer look at Teyona.

* Read: Why Aminat Will Win *
* Read: Why Allison Will Win *




Mid-way through the Cycle the judges should have just put a sash on Teyona emblazoned with the word "Winner." It would have been about as subtle as the heavy-handed hints dropped by the editor's of the show leading up to Wednesday's finale. A couple episodes into the Cycle, we began to notice that Teyona was getting what we call the "McKey edit." As you all know, this term gets its name from last cycle's winner McKey Sullivan and the suspiciously sparse, but almost always positive footage that was used during her time on ANTM. If America's Next Top Model was a play, both Teyona and McKey would be considered supporting actresses until the final act, when they'd suddenly become the star. Throughout the cycle we've seen tons of interview footage and color commentary from Allison and Aminat, but surprisingly little of Teyona. The same was true last Cycle, where Analeigh and Samantha stole the show, right up to the point it mattered most and McKey was declared the winner.

Teyona's similarities with last Cycle's winner don't end with their sparse, but glowing edits. Teyona, just like McKey, is a unconventional beauty and a tomboy. As Tyra would say, Teyona is the kind of pretty that normal people don't get, but fashion people love. In fact, Tyra and Co. have come up with a new adjective to describe Teyona's unique facial features: wind-blown. They've also said on numerous occasions that Teyona looks like she's permanently in a wind tunnel, and they mean that as a compliment. Teyona has also been glowingly called "alien like." Despite her unique facial features, Teyona hasn't fallen prey to the ugly-pretty problem that has often plagued other interesting ANTM contestants.
 
As much as the judges seem to love Teyona's look, the camera seems to love it two-fold. The angles of Teyona's face photograph beautifully and they don't come across as harsh on film as they can in person. Out of nine photo shoots, Teyona has been in the top three for eight. She and Allison are tied for the most winning photos this Cycle, with three a piece. However, the strength of her portfolio is bolstered by the fact she's also had three 'runners up' photos. Unlike Allison and Aminat, Teyona has managed to completely avoid the bottom two this cycle.  
 
Even if Teyona struggles, hell, even if Teyona refuses to do the Cover Girl commercial, the strength of her portfolio and the fact the judges and Brazilian fashion designers love her, should guarantee her a spot in the final two. If she's up against Allison in the final two, she'll win in part thanks to Allison's pitiful runway walk. If Teyona's up against Aminat in the final two, she'll win thanks to the strength of her portfolio, especially in comparisons to Aminat's mediocre photos. Basically, if we were a betting woman, we'd place our bets squarely on Teyona being declared America's Next Top Model.

Be Sure to Read: Why Aminat Will Win
Be Sure to Read: Why Allison Will Win



--Abbey Simmons, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image Courtesy of CW)