Television: “Germany’s Next Top Model”: Lea and Jermaine win

The winners of the 19th edition of “Germany’s Next Top Model” have been decided – and for the first time there is also a man: Lea (24) from Düsseldorf and Jermaine (20) from Kassel in Hesse have won this year’s season of the casting show with Heidi Klum. In the final on Thursday evening in Cologne, the two young models prevailed against five other candidates.

Winner Lea: “I never expected that”

Influencer Jermaine had tears in his eyes when show boss Klum raised his arm. Winner Lea was also overwhelmed. “I never expected this,” said the business developer after the announcement. She thanked her fans for their support and “all the lovely messages” she received every day.

The two left their remaining competitors behind in the three-hour show. Among the women, Xenia (24) from Hof ​​in Bavaria took second place, Fabienne (21) from Solingen (North Rhine-Westphalia) came third. Second place among the men was Linus (25) from Berlin. The twins Julian and Luka (24, Frankfurt am Main) competed as a team and came third.

The viewing figures were impressive: A total of 1.62 million women and men (8.0 percent) tuned in to ProSieben from 8:15 p.m. In the private broadcaster’s important target group of 14 to 49-year-olds, the figure was a very good 18.8 percent. This corresponds almost exactly to the previous year’s figures.

Catwalks and a photo shoot in the football goal

As usual, the models had to complete a few tasks in the live finale. They were supported by prominent guests. The candidates walked the catwalk to performances by singers Robin S. (62) and Sabrina Carpenter (25). The musician duo Sofi Tukker, who are friends with Klum, presented their new single “Spiral” among other things.

Former football pro Bastian Schweinsteiger (39) was also invited to the final photo shoot of the season, where he shot footballs at a goal. The young models had to fend off the shots and cut the best possible figure in front of the camera of GNTM veteran Rankin.

Other well-known guests included actress Elizabeth Hurley (59) and her son Damian (22) as well as designer Wolfgang Joop (79), who had been a member of the show’s jury for several years. However, Joop freely admitted that he had not seen this year’s season – he had only watched the semi-final on Tuesday.

Schweinsteiger also did not appear to be an enthusiastic fan of the show. “I don’t know why I’m here,” he said right at the beginning. Nevertheless, he later shook hands with Klum and promised him a visit during the upcoming anniversary season. However, he has not yet signed an agreement to do so, the former national player added. Anyone who wants to be a young model in 2025 can apply now: “No matter what gender,” it said on the show’s Instagram account on Friday.

The celebrity guests were unanimous in their assessment of the candidates: Lea and Jermaine were repeatedly named as favorites.

First male model on the cover of the German “Harper’s Bazaar”

“Only one can be Germany’s Next Top Model” – Klum was unable to use this oft-quoted sentence this time. It was the first time in the history of the ProSieben production that the 51-year-old had chosen a man as “Top Model” alongside a woman. The two winners will each receive 100,000 euros in prize money and will be featured on the cover of the German July issue of “Harper’s Bazaar”. This is also a first: as editor-in-chief Kerstin Schneider explained at the cover shoot in May, there has never been a male model on the cover of the German edition before.

As it turned out in the final show, there were also some romantic sparks flying during the season. Candidates Armin and Grace said they were now a couple. “I suspected it a little,” commented Klum. “But I didn’t know.”