Molly O'Connell Tells All on Her America's Next Top Model Haircut: "I Thought..."

Molly O'Connell finally opened up about her time as a contestant on America's Next Top Model. The Southern Charm newcomer competed in Cycle 16 of ANTM and made it to the final two of the modeling competition, which aired in 2011. And snow she's spilling the beans about her time on the Tyra Banks-hosted show, including those hair transformations that she had to go through.

Molly's journey to the final two was not easy. She had one of the "most dramatic makeovers" on the show, when Tyra Banks requested that Molly get a curly blonde weave sewn into her head. After the final runway show, Tyra had Molly's hair cut into a short pixie style (which can be seen in this video) for the final judge's panel. Molly told WWHL host, Andy Cohen, that she only went through with the final chop because she "thought she would win." 

Molly O'Connell reflects on her time on ANTM

"One thousand percent, I thought I was gonna win," she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Thursday, Dec. 19. "I was like, 'Oh! I'm gonna get that $100k and I'm gonna buy myself extensions ... And then, 45 minutes after they cut my hair off, they were like, 'OK, you go home. You lose.' So I went home with a Leonardo DiCaprio circa Titanic bowl cut," she joked.

It's fair to say that she was just slightly traumatized by it all. "It was fantastic, yes," she said sarcastically. 

Molly Oconnell sitting as a guest at Watch What Happens Live in New York City on December 19, 2024.

Photo: Molly Oconnell

Molly O'Connell says she would "probably" do ANTM "again"

Molly had previously opened up about this finale chop during a June 2022 episode of Next Page Podcast. She reiterated that she let them cut her hair, after having such a traumatic and dramatic first makeover, because she "really thought I might win." "I was like, you know what? I'll use that money, I'll buy myself a wig or something," she explained.

But, she ended up in second place and had to keep the haircut after filming until the winner was announced. "So I had to keep that haircut for eight months," she said. "And then no one wanted to book me [for] modeling. I looked ridiculous."

However, at the time, she admitted that she would do it all again, even if she was known for complaining during her season. "Even looking back on it, I'd probably do it again," she continued. "I would just do it very differently. I would."

"But if I did it differently, would I have made it so far on the show? Because maybe if I had more of a filter, they would have been like, 'Let's give her a crappy photo this week, send her home.' So it's a double-edged sword there," she concluded.