Holly Kiser Wins 'Supermodel'; Chicago's Ronnie Kroell is Runner-up
Fri. April 4, 2008 12:00 AM by Kevin Wayne
ben dichiara and ronnie kroell
photo credit // bravotv.com
Chicago, IL -
Bravo's 'Make Me a Supermodel' season one came to the end of the catwalk last night. After nationwide voting 21-year-old Holly Kiser from Coeburn, Virginia came out on top besting Chicago's Ronnie Kroell.
Kiser, the only female in the Top 4, was joined by Kroell, Perry Ullmann, 22, of Phoenix and Ben DiChiara, 22, of Nashville in the season finale vote.
"In a way, I was surprised that Holly won because the boys had such a fanbase," writes show co-host Tyson Beckford in his BravoTV.com blog. "I think the votes split, and she was able to fly that way."
The 14 contestants have lived together in New York for the past couple of months in the first season of Bravo's answer to "America's Next Top Model."
Kroell, from Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, was the last remaining male model receiving the second most votes. The 24-year-old held his own against the 13 other finalists throughout the season. While not always impressing the judges, Kroell was a viewer favorite and repeatedly received enough votes to keep him in the competition.
One of the most played-up plot lines from this season was Kroell's "bromance" relationship with DiChiara, his straight, married roommate in the models' house.
"I'm comfortable with who I am and Ronnie's comfortable with who he is, and we're comfortable with each other," DiChiara told AfterElton.com when asked about the relationship. "We know the limitations and we know what's real and what's not real. Bravo can portray it any way they want to."
Kroell told ChicagoPride.com's Bill Pritchard by phone last last night that he plans to return to Chicago as early as Friday. "Give everyone a hug and let them know how special they are to me," Kroell said.
For her win Kiser will receive $100,000 and a modeling contract with New York Model Management.
Kiser, the only female in the Top 4, was joined by Kroell, Perry Ullmann, 22, of Phoenix and Ben DiChiara, 22, of Nashville in the season finale vote.
"In a way, I was surprised that Holly won because the boys had such a fanbase," writes show co-host Tyson Beckford in his BravoTV.com blog. "I think the votes split, and she was able to fly that way."
The 14 contestants have lived together in New York for the past couple of months in the first season of Bravo's answer to "America's Next Top Model."
Kroell, from Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, was the last remaining male model receiving the second most votes. The 24-year-old held his own against the 13 other finalists throughout the season. While not always impressing the judges, Kroell was a viewer favorite and repeatedly received enough votes to keep him in the competition.
One of the most played-up plot lines from this season was Kroell's "bromance" relationship with DiChiara, his straight, married roommate in the models' house.
"I'm comfortable with who I am and Ronnie's comfortable with who he is, and we're comfortable with each other," DiChiara told AfterElton.com when asked about the relationship. "We know the limitations and we know what's real and what's not real. Bravo can portray it any way they want to."
Kroell told ChicagoPride.com's Bill Pritchard by phone last last night that he plans to return to Chicago as early as Friday. "Give everyone a hug and let them know how special they are to me," Kroell said.
For her win Kiser will receive $100,000 and a modeling contract with New York Model Management.