KIMBERLY IS THE NEXT GREAT STYLEMAKER
During the final challenge of throwing a sprawling loft party, the last two Perfectionists presented their concept for a magazine to New York society. Both Kimberly and Mitch gave their all to prove themselves to the judges, and the decision was a close one. In the end, Kimberly was named America's Next Great Stylemaker, winning the opportunity to begin building her own media empire.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
Day 25 begins with Kimberly thrilled to be back in the game. She's "got a new spirit for the game," but Mitch is positive Kimberly won't last because her skills just aren't up to par.

Joan Lunden gathers the teams in the kitchen and announces yet another game change. The Crafty Beavers and Team Artisan are now gone: everyone will be working solo to prove their worth as the Next Great Stylemaker. Skill will combine with personality in a challenge that takes the Perfectionists to New York City for a screentest with CBS Early Show star Hannah Storm. During the screentest, each contestant must demonstrate how to create a craft with Hannah, and their performances will be judged on ingenuity, look, communication and comfort in front of the camera. The judges will make the final call, and will eliminate three Perfectionists at the end of this round.

Mitch is confident going into the challenge because of his past experience on camera, and Amy knows everyone is "gunning for the big prize." The Perfectionists have 24 hours to prepare for their screentest, and they get started on their creations right away. Heather will be making a handbag, Dawn will set a tablescape, Kimberly will make her ribbon flowers, Amy will make snakes out of neckties for a children's toy and Mitch will make a cranberry candle holder. As he creates his candleholder, Mitch tells Heather, "I am going to strangle Kimberly," and laughs over the fact that she is making ribbon flowers on her screentest even though the judges haven't always liked them.

MAKEOVER MADNESS
Morning arrives and the excited Perfectionists pile into a limo for New York. The makeovers begin, and Heather has trouble with her make-up artist, since she is very particular about her look. When they are through, she goes into the makeup room to remove the makeup and reapplies her own.

The screen test order is random, and Dawn is up first, while the others wait anxiously in the green room. Dawn creates her tablescape on camera, and when she's through, the judges give their rundown-they liked her creation, but would have liked to see her pull her hair back and lower her voice. Mitch is next, and after he creates his cranberry candleholders, the judges say they wish he'd infused his presentation with a little more verve. Amy follows, and when her snakes don't come out as planned, the judges aren't impressed. They liked her personality and energy, but Candace didn't want to see a children's project. Kimberly's turn comes, and the judges think she looks great on camera and came off extremely well. Heather goes last, and although Bobby likes the ending that Heather puts on her presentation, Candace didn't like the craft, and David felt that her style wasn't well put together.

NARROWING THE FIELD
The judges deliberate, and they felt that Heather and Amy didn't do well, but that Kimberly nailed a spot in the finals. The judges fight it out over Mitch and Dawn-Candace is a fan of Mitch, while Bobby thinks Dawn lights up a room with her smile and finesse. The pressure is on when the group is called down to the set to hear the final word, and Joan asks the judges to announce the finalists. Their first pick is Kimberly, and the second is Mitch. The other three take the news with smiles despite their disappointment, and they leave the set one by one

Kimberly and Mitch are both thrilled to be chosen as the last two, but the competition is fierce between them. When Day 27 begins, Joan brings the pair together to let them know about the final challenge. It will be a "coming out" party for both of them as they introduce themselves and their magazine to New York society. The location will be an open loft space overlooking the city, with the area divided by a line down the middle. Tentation Party Planners will be at their disposal for both party preparation and planning the menu. The two Perfectionists will also name and design a magazine cover that should represent what they want to bring to the public as America's Next Great Stylemaker. The judging will be based on every aspect of how both players present themselves with only two days of prep time and $20,000 each to spend.

The two players get started, and Kimberly is happy to be entirely on her own for a change. She heads over to Tentation to work with the party planner, and decides she would rather spend more money on atmosphere rather than food. She wants elegant but "not stuffy," choosing dark, rustic colors for a warm environment. Mitch dives into the planning as well, centering his theme around the magazine with red as his main color.

DESIGN FOR LIVING
Mitch shoots his magazine cover and helps choose his image, working with the graphic designers on how it will look. His title will be "Directions for Living," with his initials "MAP" in a corner section. Kimberly follows suit, going through her shoot and selecting background images to go with her own photo. She will call her magazine "Lifestyle," with her initials on the cover as well.

The next morning, Kimberly heads to the NY flower district to choose hydrangea arrangements for the party. Mitch's experience as a florist comes in handy as he makes his choices, knowing just how much of each thing to get. Mitch later plans out his menu, asking the caterer about popular items from past events. Kimberly has a tougher time choosing, and she moves away from the more popular items to focus on what would reflect her personality. Mitch's signature drink will be a clear tomato martini, while Kimberly chooses champagne mixed with almond syrup and a cinnamon stick.

Construction begins on the space, and the caterers get to work on the food presentation. The Perfectionists are in the final stretch, and Mitch is confident, yet grateful to have the opportunity he has to make his talents known. Kimberly is more hesitant, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve that might push her over the edge. The two players size up the competition, and Mitch believes they "are just two different peas in two different pods."

THE FINAL CHALLENGE BEGINS
The parties begin, and Mitch explains some of the food and drink to the party guests, while Kimberly discusses the warm environment her area has to offer. When the judges arrive, Joan Lunden calls the finalists up to the stage to introduce them to the crowd. As the night progresses, the judges like Kimberly's area design, but they love all of Mitch's menu offerings. However, when it comes to the signature drinks, Bobby prefers Kimberly's to Mitch's. The magazine presentations get started, and Mitch tells the crowd a little about himself before unveiling the cover of his "Directions for Living" magazine. Kimberly's presentation is next, and she pinpoints elegant simplicity as the focus of her "Lifestyle" magazine. With that, the party comes to an end, and Joan lets the pair know that the next night, the winner will be announced in the Rock Garden.

The next night, the other Perfectionists all return to witness the final elimination, and their opinions seem divided as to who ought to win. Once Mitch and Kimberly arrive at the Garden, the judges ask pointed questions about why they made the choices they did. Mitch wanted his party to be "passionate," like his personality, while Kimberly's objective was to make the guests feel warm and welcome. Candace asks if Kimberly tasted the food prior to the party, and many of the other Perfectionists are stunned when she says she didn't, even though she was pleased with the way things turned out. As for drinks, Mitch wanted to offer something different, while Kimberly's favorite drink is champagne and she wanted to spice it up a bit.

The final Perfectionists both explain their reasons behind wanting to become America's Next Great Stylemaker, with Kimberly wanting to bring back unpretentious style to America, and Mitch wanting to share his gift with the country as well. The judges deliberate, weighing each of the positives and negatives of both players; Kimberly's party (despite the food) was Candace's favorite, especially with the tree as a focal point to draw guests into the party. Bobby felt Mitch's party was a "Valentine's party on steroids." He did like Mitch's magazine concept, while Candace related more to Kimberly's. The judges think the competition is a toss up, and have a difficult time choosing the winner.

THE VERDICT
Anticipation builds as the Perfectionists await the decision, and Bobby breaks the tie between Candace and David to select Kimberly as the winner. She is overwhelmed to have made it all the way to the end, and Mitch is gracious in his loss. Kimberly sums it up: "This whole thing has been an amazing opportunity, and for me to win this, it's just amazing. I don't know what else to say." back