The next morning the boys are woken up by an early morning phone call. It's Cory Bautista, and he tells the finalists they are off to a go-see with Cosmopolitan magazine. Hmm....which one of these boys are Cosmo ready? I think I'd be pleased to see any of them flipping through the pages. But I bet Branden's boyish good looks goes over like gang-busters in the Women's magazine market.
The guys arrive at
Cosmopolitan and are greeted by seemingly the entire staff. The head of
Cosmopolitan says that they guys are there for a cover test.
Jonathan is up first, and the crew wants him to relax a bit. Jonathan says he feels like he was stuck in neutral, and the staff thinks his poses are a little femme. They say he's a little stiff and posey. Next is Branden, who says his Mom would buy every copy of Cosmopolitan. The head of Cosmo says that Branden is dreamy and he kills the photo shoot. Last up is Sandhurst, who is growling for the camera. The photog calls him back to the camera and lectures him silently about bringing the sexy. They then demand him to take his shirt off. Thank you photographers of this episode, I love you. He started out rocky, but Sandhurst's performance was applauded.
Here are the final critiques from the head of Cosmopolitan:
Sandhurst you did great, you can do fashion and lifestyle both. Sometimes the eyes were vacant.
Branden did better than everybody balancing of fun and fearless. (Side note: damn, Branden is bringing it tonight!!)
Jonathan overall you didn't nail it, stiff and posey.
The boys arrive home to a trio of mysterious envelopes. The envelopes inform the boys that they are invited to a gallery opening, with a plus one. And then...ding-dong! It's the door bell. Who is it?
The first plus one to arrive is Branden's "Mamma" and though I've seen it already, it still has me all misty-eyed. They hug and squeeze and are totally adorable. Branden proudly shows off the thousand dollar new suit he bought last week, to which his Mom asks stunned, "you have money?" Then the editors cut to a heart breaking monologue about how much he wants to have a son so he can be the Father his "Coward Dad" never was. We should start a count with how many times Branden makes us cry tonight, we bet it'll be more than once.
Next to arrive is Sandhurst's sister, and obviously the quirkiness runs in the family. They are totally adorable and definitely the pair I'd want to party with. Sandhurst's sister tells him he better win because the whole Country of Tobago is rooting for him. To which Sandhurst jokes, no pressure! No pressure!
Last is Jonathan's wife and absolutely adorable son Jude. Everyone melts, myself included, with Jonathan's reunion. Jonathan seems centered with his wife's arrival, though a little heart broken that Jude has taken his first steps and can walk now. Jonathan points out, this should prove how much he wants to win Make Me A Supermodel. And it's true, he's sacrificed a lot.
Branden is thrilled and proud to be taking his Mom to an art gallery. The models and their guests arrive to a SoHo gallery to discover they are the art. The art of the gallery is the finalists' portfolios. Jude, Jonathan's son, instantly recognizes Daddy on the walls and promptly pees his pants all over Nicole. (Note to Jude: I love you.) A ton of the photographers from the season and all the judges are at the gallery, which Branden of course reacts to like a school boy. He even gives Perou a hug, which as he notes, is really awkward. Branden also notes, and we love him for it, "Perou's still kind of an asshole to me." Branden's Mom is in total awe of his photos, proclaiming "Oh my gosh, my son is a Supermodel!"
Sandhurst's sister is in awe of her brother and his photos, though she's a little embarrassed about the nude photo. Jonathan's wife is impressed by how polished and handsome her husband's photos are, while Jude just wants to flip through the photos as fast as possible. Everyone is in high spirits after the gallery opening, especially Branden's Mom (who is my new favorite person) saying that his "Bass photo is off the hook." Oh no, more crying! Branden's Mom hugs him tearfully and says, "I sent a boy to New York and got a man back." And with that, the men say goodbye to their plus ones and start worrying about the finale.
Back at the Supermodel loft Sandhurst apologizes to Branden, "I'm sorry man I underestimated you." And damn Sandhurst, it's looking like we all underestimated Branden. Because, and don't rip my head off here guys, it's looking like Branden just might win this thing. They've focused on him a TON tonight, as much as they have all season...which during a finale episode usually only means one thing.
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--Abbey Simmons, BuddyTV Staff Writer