Congratulations to our very own Stephanie Retuya who almost (almost!) won in “Asia’s Next Top Model.” She finished first runner-up to Jessica Amornkuldilok, the winner from Thailand. Taiwan’s representative, Kate Ma, placed third.
After being in the bottom two five times, the 23-year old Stephanie was considered the underdog among all 13 finalists coming from all over Asia; she never won best in photo even.
The finals had the top three girls shooting a TVC for Canon, posing for a cover shoot for Harper’s Bazaar magazine, and walking the runway for show by Singaporean designer Frederick Lee.
Gracing the finale was Tyra Banks, the supermodel host and creator of “America’s Next Top Model.” Tyra had great, encouraging words for Stephanie, who was praised for her runway walk and TVC performance.
Said Tyra, “I thought your runway walk was spectacular. You have sass but you’re also very sweet. This is a model now although she is not modeling.”
“You were thinking strength but not giving strength,” Tyra told Stephanie, pertaining to her weak performance during the shoot for the magazine.
So what did Stephanie almost win? A modeling contract with Storm Models (which includes an all-expenses-paid working trip to London for three months), a cover shoot for Harper’s Bazaar, a 2013 campaign for Canon IXUS, a new Subaru XV, and $100,000 in cash, according to Interaksyon.
