Despite her third-place finish on "America's Next Top Model," Maui resident Renee Alway says watch for her to become bigger than Tyra.

"I felt like I was going to win. ... I feel like I was leaps and bounds above the other girls," Alway said in a phone interview from Los Angeles following the airing of the season finale on Wednesday night.

Jaslene Gonzales, an online college admissions adviser from Chicago, was crowned the winner of the hit reality show. However, Alway, who became known for her unpredictable and sometimes combative behavior, says she's still going to take the modeling industry by storm and is even looking to break into acting.

"I don't understand the girls who come out of (the show) who get upset with the network or with Tyra. It's great exposure, and I'm so grateful," she said.

While on the show, the blond, square-jawed, stay-at-home mom made no secret of the fact that she saw the contest as a way to help her family.

Originally from Michigan, Alway was 18 years old when she met her future husband while visiting Maui. Two weeks later, they were "head over heels in love." Without going into much detail, Alway said her relationship caused friction in her family. However, she married at the age of 20 and settled with her husband and their infant son on Maui.

The couple apparently ended up in debt following their wedding and at one point Alway's husband was living on the beach, she said.

"I still feel like my family is going to be in a better place because of this experience," Alway said.

Alway says she hasn't yet received any post-show work offers, but she expects that they will come.

Her exit from "Top Model" came midway through the final episode following a CoverGirl photo shoot and commercial challenge. The judges were pleased with all the girls' performances, but they dropped a bomb when they told the 21-year-old Alway that her look is not as fresh and young as the two other finalists.

"I was crushed," Alway said. "They said I looked a little bit older. I'm 21. I just found it laughable."

Alway took the decision in stride, however.

"Last season's winner was blond-hair, blue-eyed. They probably wanted something different," she said.

While Alway and her family plan to continue to reside on Maui, the model mom says she also plans to travel to Los Angeles frequently to build up her career.

"Maui will still be our home base," she said. "That's where my heart is."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.