Jaslene Gonzalez

Source: Wikipedia.org

Before the show, Jaslene Gonzalez was an online college admissions advisor. After failing to get past the semifinal round of Cycle 7, she was devastated but assured show host Tyra Banks that she would be back for the next cycle's auditions. She did return, and was cast for Cycle 8. Gonzalez became a front runner early in the season, garnering high praise for her photos and being called first two times consecutively at the start - a Top Model first. While her consistency wavered in the middle of the competition (at one point leading to a warning from Banks that she was "falling and falling"), Gonzalez improved towards the end. The judges were also impressed by her drive to win. However, Banks was also concerned about the intensity of Gonzalez's passion for Top Model. In the penultimate judging session, she expressed concern to the other judges over how Gonzalez might react to an elimination from the show, fearing that Top Model "is her life".

At 5'7", she is the second shortest winner, ahead of Cycle 3's Eva Pigford, who is 5'6.5". She is the second winner from Illinois; the first was Adrianne Curry from Cycle 1. Jaslene is the only winner to have never made an appearance in the bottom two during the entire course of the competition - thus beating the record previously held by Cycle 6 runner-up, Joanie Dodds. She was also CoverGirl of the Week 4 times, the most in Cycle 8. In her on-camera commentary in the final episode, Gonzalez said, "I'm the Latin spice here. I'm not your girl next door but I'm your girl down the block in your hood."