Tonight, we’re finally finding out who will be Asia’s Next Top Model. Will Maureen from the Philippines finally bring the crown to the country? Will Shikin win it for Malaysia for the second time? Or will Tu, the first Vietnamese finalist, go all the way to the top? Who will become Asia’s. Next. Top. Model. The Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 Finale airs tonight 9 P.M. on STAR World. Follow Amiciness on Twitter (@amiciness) for live updates as the show airs. You could also check this page for a recap of the episode. 🙌

https://www.facebook.com/AsNTMOfficial/photos/a.1449485278675063.1073741844.1445869792369945/1779523245671263/?type=3

The finale episode title is The Girl Who Finishes With A Bang. Hmm… “bang.” Get it? 😉

If you haven’t seen the previous episode, check out my Episode 12 recap.

The Girl Who Sees The Light: Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 Episode 12 Recap

Who do you think will win in the Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 finale? Place your bets in the comments below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgKYOmck2nk

Opening montage with suspenseful music. “Who will make their mark and ultimately bring home the title of Asia’s Next Top Model?”

Shikin’s FCO last week gave her the confidence heading into the Top 3. Cara is absent in the finale because of her sister’s marriage. Guest judge Pia Wurtzbach will take her place in the final judging.

Maureen is the youngest, shortest, and least experienced model in the competition. Shikin admits that she underestimated a lot of girls especially Maureen. Tu just wants to enjoy being in the Top 3, the first time for Vietnam. The Top 3 girls get perfume gifts from Bulgari.

The Top 3’s family and friends enter the model house: Maureen’s aunt and uncle, Tu’s friends, and Shikin’s sister and mother. “Don’t come back if you’re not the winner!” LOL Shikin’s mom. We find out that Tu’s mother was in hospital when she entered the competition, but everything’s okay. Maureen is sad that his dad isn’t there because of his busy schedule. Maureen’s aunt really supported her model dream.

Cindy Mail: It’s time to go back to your roots. The girls think they’ll be wearing traditional outfits from their own countries. Group hug before their final photoshoot. Awww love love love.

Photoshoot: Motherland

Yu Tsai and Cindy meet the Top 3 girls in the studio. The girls are representing their own countries (in avant-garde traditional outfits) in their final photoshoot. Yu Tsai will be the photographer for this shoot. Again… Tu is the “vivacious Vietnamese”,  Shikin is the “Malaysian Muse” and Maureen, the “Filipina Princess”. Tu’s headdress looks amazing but it’s very heavy, making her struggle in “breaking her body”. She finally does it after a little help from Cindy. Shikin’s eyebrows are covered in gold. She also struggles but works it out in the end. Coincidentally, this also happens to Maureen, who’s wearing a Philippine “mestiza” dress. Honestly, I don’t see anything Filipino with that dress except for the pearls. Literal much?

I wish the final photoshoot was done outdoors but I love the concept! I can’t wait to see the photos.

Runway

The girls will have their final runway in the National Gallery Singapore. Cindy and Daniel tell the girls that they’ll be portraying living statues… because they’re in an art gallery. Get it? Then Cindy introduces their co-stars in their final runway show: it’s all of the previously eliminated girls in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5. Well, all of the girls except for Anjelica, Jennica and Layla. They were probably already busy with actual modelling careers outside the show.

Oh and in case you all forgot: all of the final runway clothes were designed by fashion designer, undercover judge queen Xiao Qing. The girls walk two times and they pose on a pedestal at the end of the runway.

Deliberation

Cindy, Yu Tsai and Pia are joined by Ruby Adler from Storm Models and Adele Chan from Nylon Singapore. The judges first deliberate on the Top 3 girls’ runway performance.

Shikin: Yu Tsai says she looked more confident in her second walk. Cindy noted how while she was walking she was super confident, but when she got on the platform to do their statue poses, she was suddenly super conscious of all of the eyes focused on her.

Maureen: Adele wasn’t impressed with her walk… like at all. Yu Tsai and Ruby disagree.

Tu: Yu Tsai thought that she overdid her poses and it was distracting. She was too focused on her walk and the judges wanted to find a bit more relaxed. Yu Tsai noticed that she was indeed more relaxed in her second walk. Cindy liked her walk and her poses at the end and didn’t find them distracting at all.

Next up is for their final photo.

Tu: Royalty! The judges all loved her photo. Pia was looking intently at her photo to look for flaws but she couldn’t find one. Yu Tsai wanted her to be a king and not a queen for her photo and she served it.

Shikin: Whoa, she’s literally breaking her body. Adele is worried that she might be too edgy and that she wouldn’t pull off commercial very well.

Maureen: Pia is so proud that she proved that she was much more than just a pretty face. Cindy says that Maureen gave exactly what she asked for in her photo. Adele thinks that her face can sell magazines.

So the judges have made their decision. Who will become Asia’s Next Top Model?

And the winner of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 is… Maureen.

CONGRATULATIONS @MauWrob is Asia’s Next Top Model s5 #AsNTM5 #AsNTM5Finale #ExpectTheUnexpected pic.twitter.com/Vm7QyNslAH

— #AsNTM6 (@AsNTM) June 28, 2017

What did you think of the Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 finale? Did you #ExpectTheUnexpected? Sound off in the comments below.