Linkletter appeared in Cycle 5 of the show after auditioning for the show at the Mall of America. During the finale fashion runway show for Gharani Strok, Linkletter's strong runway walk demonstrated how much she had improved throughout the competition. In the final judging, the judges selected Linkletter over the runner-up Nik Pace due to her portfolio, model attitude, and fierce catwalk. Nicole's win made her the youngest winner in the history of the show at the age of 19 years and 9 months. Nicole in the end won because she was easily moldable and had succeeded in being a chameleon in many different challenges.

Tyra said of Linkletter, "...she has the model 'thing' more than any of our other winners – the body type, the face type and the attitude,...... She reminds me of the girls I modeled with when I was in Europe when I was 17 years old."[citation needed] Fellow judges Twiggy and Nigel Barker likened Linkletter's look to that of an "English rose", while she had some of