Jaslene Gonzalez America's Next Top Model

Last season she failed to secure the title of America's Next Top Model, but Chicago born model Jaslene Gonzalez returned this year to outlast the other contestants to become the first Latino woman to win America's Next Top Model.

Tyra Banks now has another top model from the eighth season of America's Next Top Model after 20-year-old Jaslene Gonzalez of Chicago managed to beat out all of the other girls to take the coveted title, plus a year contract from Elite Model Management, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl, and a cover and six-page spread in Seventeen magazine. According to E Online, earlier in the season Jaslene revealed that modeling was the only thing in the world that she wanted to do and had devoted everything she had into winning, even if that meant pulling out the hair of other competitors. After taking the title of America's Next Top Model on Wednesday May 15, Gonzalaez was quoted as saying, "Every little girl has a dream to be something. And to be here, I overcame so much. I didn't make it the first time but, now, look at me...That shows to all young women, if you have that drive, keep going. Second time around, and I'm America's Next Top Model!"

Throughout the 13-week competition, the contestants went through a number of grueling photo shoots and several intense training sessions while Jaslene Gonzalez remained the frontrunner throughout the entire competition. The judges remarked that Jaslene looked older than her fellow models, with one CoverGirl executive mentioning that Gonzalez appeared, "too mature to be starting out in the modeling industry." But when it came down to the final three of Renee Alway, Natasha Galkina, and Jaslene Gonzalez, it was 20-year-old Alway who left the show first, which completely blew the young model away. "I'm completely blown away by the judges' decision. I had the best commercial, I had the best picture, which apparently wasn't enough for them...I'd rather have wisdom in my eyes and knowledge in my head than be blank and stupid and have nothing there."

With Alway gone from America's Next Top Model, Natasha Galkina and Jaslene Gonzalez remained to battle it out for the title. As the trash talking began, Galkina revealed, as E Online reports, "She is more fierce, and I am more exciting and fun." Gonzalez on the other hand mentioned the spicy element of being Latino, "I'm the Latin spice here! I'm the edgy girl. I'm not the girl next door, but I'm the girl down the block, in your hood!" And when the final runway showdown actually happened, Tyra Banks' advice to Natasha Galkina was, "Strong but not stiff," while for Jaslene Gonzalez, Banks remarked, "Strong but not drag queen."

In the end, Jaslene Gonzalez was the stronger of the two models, as Tyra Banks and the other judges felt that Gonzalez had the most potential to make it as a commercial model, because of her edgy exotic presence. Hosted by Tyra Banks, America’s Next Top Model sets out to find the next supermodel. Debuting in in 2003 on UPN, ANTM quickly became the network’s highest rated show. During the season, 10 to 14 models compete for the top prize while the cameras often travel to international locales for photo shoots that include Paris, Milan, Tokyo, London, South Africa, Bangkok, Barcelona, and Sydney. Past winners include Adrianne Curry, Yoanna House, Eva Pigford, Naima Mora, Nicole Linkletter, Danielle Evans, and CariDee English.