Who Won On Brand with Jimmy Fallon in the Finale? The Winner [SPOILER] Tells All
Get the scoop on what's next for Bianca Fernandez, and learn what you didn't see on-screen.
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On Brand has officially named its winner after one last high-pressure challenge to land the Therabody account.
One week after four of the eight remaining contestants went home in a heartbreaking final elimination, Therabody founder Dr. Jason Wersland joined CMO John Solomon, host Jimmy Fallon, and On Brand CMO Bozoma Saint John to present the final four — Bianca Fernandez, Pyper Bleu, Mahiri Takai, and Ryan Winn — with their task: Pitch a creative campaign and an entertaining, edgy, and comedic spec commercial to help launch a new massage gun designed for everyone.
But there was a big twist: Only two creative leads would be in the running to win, and the other two would be eliminated when their pitch wasn't chosen.
Ryan really focused on the "edgy" buzzword and pitched a play on the moans made when the TheraGun hits the exact right spot. Mahiri thought of a superhero/geenie who appeared whenever someone experienced pain, while Pyper aimed to convey the idea of a TheraGun being part of everyday life. Bianca got a bit emotional at the start of her pitch, which showed a man losing it on his obnoxious boss in a fantasy sequence before self-soothing with a massage instead.
Ultimately, it was down to Bianca Fernandez and Ryan Winn, in a full-circle close to the rivalry that began in Episode 1's Dunkin merch challenge. And only one emerged victorious.
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Who won On Brand with Jimmy Fallon Season 1?
Bianca Fernandez.
Finalists Bianca and Ryan successfully filmed their Therabody commercials, starring surprise guest Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The execs also liked both spots, which made the final pitch battle a real fight. While Ryan argued that he highlighted the product more, Bianca pointed out that his ad didn't clarify who the TheraGun was for, leaving potential new customers unlikely to be swayed.
Saint John said that was a serious claim, but Bianca stuck by it, and Dr. Jason loved her focus on stress and tension instead of just pain. Bianca ended up winning the account and the whole show, meaning she's $100,000 richer and has a new title: Innovator of the Year.
Fernandez spoke to NBC Insider about her experience, her win, and what's next — and revealed a heartfelt side to the show that didn't make it to air.
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Bianca Fernandez opens up about filming — and winning — On Brand
NBC Insider: The finale had some real tension. Was it as tense and emotional as it appeared on screen between you and Ryan?
Fernandez: The process was definitely intense overall. You don't really get to see the real timelines by watching, but when you're a creative lead, you're kind of "on" the entire time. I had the opportunity to be creative lead for most of the episodes, which was amazing, but then it was this mounting pressure and also lack of sleep and stress and really wanting to win and really wanting to put my best foot forward, so that was definitely very real. I think it culminated with the emotions that you see on camera.
That was very real and very authentic and vulnerable for me, but the Ryan thing...we were definitely head to head, but I would say that we also supported each other a lot through out the process. And we came out of it friends, and there was never any real tension. We both are just competitive people, and we both wanted to win, so we kind of left whatever happened in a pitch there, and then once the filming stopped, we're back to just being normal.
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So you all [of the contestants] were friends throughout?
Yeah, 100 percent. It was such a unique experience, so we all became really, really close. I even had Elijah and Lauren over to watch the Sonic episode at my apartment in New York, so we did a little watch party. It was so good to see them again. The cast, we're all in communication, so we kind of became a family by the end of it.
Can you walk me through that final pitch, and having to take a moment to regroup? I think a lot of people would have been very thrown off by having to do that.
What really happened is, I was putting so much pressure on this last pitch, right? I wanted it to be perfect. My pitches have been really good. I feel like I excel in the pitch arena. So I really wanted this to be great, and going into the pitch, I kind of started second-guessing a certain part of it, where I was like, "Oh, they said their demographic was for every American, this concept is definitely a little bit more like corporate American, it's not going to resonate."
So I was trying to change some things last minute, and then I got up to the pitch. And then, because I changed so many things, I kind of froze and was like, "What am I going to say next?" So I was trying to find my words. But then eventually I did. You have to pick it up and keep rolling. There's nothing much [else] you can do.
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So what was that moment of relief like, when you got it in the end?
It would have been really difficult, I think, to have had that moment cost it all, because of how much I put in throughout the entire season. If I didn't end up getting the Therabody account and winning it because I kind of messed up my pitch a little bit, I probably would have thought about that for a long time. So I'm really glad that it didn't work out like that. And it was just so thrilled that Therabody liked my idea and that it came to life in the way that I wanted it to. So, yeah, happy.
You were creative lead so many times, though you didn't always win. What was that roller coaster like for you?
That definitely tests you throughout that process — though each loss and creative lead position was experience, and taught me a little bit more about the show and what the judges and the brands were actually looking for in this context. So I was able to, I think, refine my my pitches and maybe my ideas a little bit more as the season went on. So it was good to learn from, but it's definitely not easy to get to lose so many times.
By the Pillsbury episode, I was kind of like, "All right, I'm good." I was still giving it my all, but Pyper had a really great idea, she deserves this win. So I got comfortable with losing by that point.
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You currently work for Lili Reinhart's company, right? How did that experience translate onto this show?
I'm the Head of Brand at Personal Day, and part of the founding team, so I've been working with her on the brand since a year before launch. It's really fun to work with someone your own age on a project and in business together, especially another woman your own age. It helped me be hyper conscious of optics, communication.
When it's a talent-led brand, there's a lot of eyes on you, so you have to be even more careful and more strategic with how you speak and what language you use. So I think that gives me experience into how these multinational, huge brands also approach their own PR, their own comms, their own creative campaigns. I worked at TikTok before, and then led social at Tarte Cosmetics, so similar kind of experience, which I think definitely helped me understand how big companies might think.
Your experience is all in very modern, newer companies. How did that compare to working with brands like KitchenAid, who have been around for more than 100 years?
When we came to On Brand, they were like, "Give us your biggest, boldest, never-been-done-before ideas." So for these legendary brands, these icons, to then come onto the show and be so comfortable with saying, "Yep, we're gonna do this dating game show for KitchenAid," they're stepping out of their comfort zone. Which I think is such a huge positive sign that these brands are willing to adapt and evolve to stay relevant. But I think that is kind of the norm in the in the startup world.
When I have an idea for Personal Day for a campaign, I can very easily get the green light and get that made. And there doesn't have to be a lot of convincing, because it's a small company. We can play a little bit more.
What's next for you after your win?
I now have a long-term partnership with Therabody, joining their team as a creative in residence, which is a new kind of role. [It's] similar to their ambassadorships they've done with Josh Allen and Kendall Jenner, but in a more creative sense, while actually getting to collaborate with them on campaigns throughout the year.
I'm going to participate in KitchenAid's color of the year campaign, and going to the Super Bowl with my team is going to be really cool, seeing how the Captain Morgan team brings [the campaign] to life. I'm taking this win as leverage, and accepting whatever comes my way.
Do you have a plan for the prize money?
I do want to do something nice for my family, who's been so incredibly supportive, maybe take them on a little vacation, and then, honestly just put the rest in a rainy day fund. I feel like I always have nine million projects or ideas that could use some funding, so it's going to be the Bianca Creative Chaos Fund.
How are you watching the finale?
I have an annual Halloween party, so this finale just happens to land on Halloween night — thank you, NBC! Before [the party] starts, I'm gonna have close friends and family over. I have a projector set up and we're gonna watch and cry and then celebrate. And we'll all be dressed as aliens, because my party is outer space. So it's gonna be really funny to be watching the show, sitting on the couch, dressed in blue makeup and a silver get-up. It's kind of comical.
What was it like working with Jimmy and Boz?
Oh my gosh, I mean, Jimmy is exactly how he is in person as he is online or on [TV], that really bubbly, joyous personality. It's so authentic to him, and same with Boz. She's so authentic to herself. She's just unapologetically herself and she's so confident. Being in the presence of people like that rubs off on you a bit...It was like a dream boss situation.
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Is there anything that didn't make it to air that you wish had made it?
There's a lot of the creative process that didn't make it, and the collaboration. After you became creative lead, there was a lot of collaboration within the teams to come up with an actual plan before we go into the execution. I wish some of that collaboration was shown more...the interactions between the cast, how we really collaborated, how we really supported each other, and how we did form friendships across the entire cast. I wish that kind of heartfelt connection would have been [shown]! It was a competition, but it was very friendly.
There was such varied experience across the cast. Did you find all of those different talents helpful?
When I had the Dunkin' campaign, I was like, "I really want Azhelle, because she has great design and graphic design experience, and she can help rework the box design." Everyone's unique skill sets definitely played a role in building the teams. We're going to be talking to people? Let me get Lauren, she's very bubbly and can talk to everyone. We really did mesh well. And on a team, everyone had a role and filled a gap, which is how marketing teams usually are. That was closer to the real-life experience, and it was cool that everyone had a diverse background.
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What advice would you give to any future On Brand contestants?
I would say, prep your pitches well. Get clear on how you're going to communicate it. Maybe don't over-prep so you don't forget what you're going to say next, but trust your instinct and don't be afraid to go big. Know the brands, who they are and what they would realistically want, but trust yourself.
Stream all of On Brand with Jimmy Fallon on Peacock now.
