“Southern Charm” star Molly O’Connell once thought she had the “America’s Next Top Model” prize in the bag.
During a December 19, 2024 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” the Bravo newcomer, who also works as a model, was asked if she only said yes to Tyra Banks cutting her hair on the ANTM Cycle 16 finale because she thought she was going to win if she did.
“One thousand percent I thought I was going to win,” O’Connell admitted. “I was like, ‘Oh I’m going to get that 100K and I can buy myself extensions.’”
“I got the most, best photos so in my mind I was ‘Yeah, sure,’” the 36-year-old South Carolina native added. “And then 45 minutes after they cut my hair off, they were like ‘Okay, you go home, you lose.’ So I went home with a Leonardo DiCaprio, circa ‘Titanic,’ bowl cut.”
O’Connell landed as runner-up to Brittani Kline when Cycle 16 of the modeling competition aired in 2011. She joined “Southern Charm” for season 10 in 2024.
Molly O’Connell Hoped the ‘Edgier’ Cut Would Help Her
O’Connell previously spoke about her rogue ANTM haircut in an interview with Reality TV World. At the time, she tried to look at the positive side of having a short ‘do.
“It was a little frustrating having them be like, ‘Okay, we chopped all your hair off, and oh by the way, you didn’t win,’” she said in the 2011 interview. “But I mean, it’s Tyra Banks and Ivan Bart. If they say that they think I should cut my hair, then I’m going to listen, because even after coming home, I get at least a person a day — no exaggeration — that tells me they love my haircut.”
“It definitely is a lot edgier and while it may hinder me in some kind of photo shoots if they want long hair, it can also help me in other parts of modeling — athletic maybe or more edgy stuff with short hair,” she added.
Molly O’Connell Took Issue With Another ANTM Hair Look
During her time on ANTM, O‘Connell also made headlines for rocking an over-the-top weave. According to Fandom, O’Connell’s monstrous weave “was so fickle, it had to be removed after only one week.”
A decade later, O’Connell reflected on the look that goes down as one of the worst makeovers in ANTM history. “Remembering that time Tyra Banks gave me the worst ramen noodle weave makeover on America’s Next Top Model,” she shared via a slideshow on TikTok in 2021.
