With its December 12th finale, Cycle nine of Tyra Banks’ masterpiece, America’s Next Top Model, came to a close. Sadly, there has never in the history of ANTM been a finale – or a season – as disappointing or lackluster. It is clearly no secret that journalists and fans all throughout the country are more than disappointed with the results of the competition.

The final three contestants, Jenah Doucette, Saleisha Stowers and Chantal Jones gathered in Beijing, China to shoot their CoverGirl commercials and print ads for the new Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers. None of the girls truly nailed the delivery of the commercial, with Saleisha struggling through twenty takes before finally delivering all of her lines. However, all three contestants produced a beautiful picture with the direction of guest photographer Jim Deyonker.

At judging, Saleisha and Chantal both ganged up on Jenah by disclosing to the panel that they considered her to have the least Top Model potential because of her sarcastic attitude. In a fine display of the alleged “sarcasm” that differentiates her from the other two girls, Jenah retaliated by explaining to the judges that just because she does not “spew rainbows incessantly” it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have a warm personality. Unfortunately, the judges eliminated her anyway, stating that they felt that she was still dealing with issues in her past and may not be ready for the challenges and responsibilities of a Top Model. Many journalists and fans have agreed that this was nothing more than a cop-out to eliminate a girl who, while taking the strongest photos in the competition, did not display the stereotypical perkiness of a CoverGirl.

But, wait… isn’t America’s Next Top Model all about breaking the mold and producing an edgy, unique model? It has begun to appear that the judges aren’t interested in rewarding a girl who started out and consistently stayed an amazing model, but are more concerned with taking a girl with many flaws and attempting to patch them up.

The two “finalists,” Chantal and Saleisha, competed in a Qi Gang fashion show set in the Forbidden City. Over 500 extras dressed in traditional Qin dynasty attire lined the longest runway in ANTM history and, in an unprecedented move, one of the extras tripped on the train of one of Chantal’s gowns. In a move that may very well have lost her the title, Chantal stopped and broke character by freaking out over the fallen extra.

At the final judging, Tyra and her cohorts reviewed the girls’ ANTM “career” and debated which of the girls would make a better Top Model. While they stated Saleisha’s over-confident runway walk as a major flaw, Chantal’s only con was her inexperience. Though the judges admitted that Chantal had a much more high-fashion look and was more believable as a CoverGirl, they eventually acknowledged Saleisha’s newfound edge and announced her to be the winner.

Many critics have called the competition rigged, as it was soon discovered that Saleisha had previous national modeling experience and a previous relationship with Tyra Banks, both factors that should have eliminated her from the competition. Nevertheless, Saleisha’s issue of Seventeen is currently on news stands around the nation, the glowing symbol of the level of conformity and mediocrity that Top Model has risen to in the past few seasons.