Dark Side of Reality TV Episode 10 - America's Next Top Model
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00:00I constantly have people coming up to me asking me how can they get into the field of modeling.
00:10It's fierce and chic.
00:13America's Next Top Model is a cultural phenomenon.
00:16Angelique.
00:17Thank you so much.
00:19The best way for me to get into the industry is to try out for the show.
00:23Vera.
00:24It was like the ultimate prize.
00:26Lisa.
00:27It would just catapult my career even more.
00:29Oh, the life, ugh.
00:32Led by the queen of modeling, Tyra Banks, the nationwide search for the runway's next
00:37superstar offers a straight shot to fame and fortune.
00:42When you come in this room, in my house, you respect my judges.
00:48Just as long as you can take the heat.
00:50I love my hair.
00:51I look like a boy.
00:52Cut her hair.
00:53No, wait, wait, wait.
00:54They would be reprimanded if they whined too much about their look.
00:59You need to give us what we're looking for.
01:01You're a little perhaps nervous about your body.
01:04It was really uncomfortable.
01:05I was rooting for you.
01:06We were all rooting for you.
01:07How dare you?
01:09I was crying so hard they had to turn the cameras off.
01:11I started to realize that this was not a real modeling competition.
01:15It was like psychological warfare.
01:18And even if you win, you still lose.
01:23This was supposed to change my life for the better.
01:26I was so broke after the show.
01:29They don't care if you live or die.
01:32She was a victim and they re-victimized her.
01:35I was at my lowest.
01:38America's Next Top Model squashed my dreams.
01:41If you don't like what you see, change the channel.
01:55Of all the women who have ever strutted down the catwalk, Tyra Banks is one of the most
02:00iconic.
02:01Everybody knew her as a supermodel.
02:04She was the first black woman to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated and she became
02:10a Victoria's Secret angel.
02:13She was that girl in the 90s and early 2000s who really rose to incredible heights of success
02:19and fame.
02:21After conquering the modeling world, in 2003, she sets her sights on building a media empire.
02:29She empowered herself to look beyond her image because she always wanted to be a film and
02:34TV producer.
02:36Banks takes her 15 years experience in the modeling industry and infuses it with elements
02:41of the most popular reality shows of the time to come up with something brand new.
02:47Kelly Clarkson.
02:50As Tyra explains it, she goes, what if I take American Idol?
02:58And there's this other TV show called The Real World that just followed people around.
03:00What if I combine the two?
03:01What if models were followed around in the real world and they all live together in a
03:06modeling competition?
03:08America's Next Top Model is a bit of a hybrid.
03:11It's like a candid show.
03:13It's like Big Brother in that regard.
03:15Our winner is Sarah.
03:16But it's also a bit like Survivor.
03:18There are challenges that people have to win.
03:20It's like five different reality shows in one.
03:23I want to make a top model in eight weeks.
03:25And I want to chart the entire process and show America how it happens.
03:30Tyra promised that this was an earnest search for somebody who would win a modeling competition
03:37with a fabulous career almost guaranteed afterward.
03:42To help bring her ambitious idea to life, Tyra recruits Ken Mock, who's made a name
03:47for himself as a reality format guru.
03:52Because I created Making the Band and I created Tough Enough, I kind of became this guy known
03:57for doing those reality shows where there's a real prize at the end.
04:02You get to be a wrestler and you get to become, you know, this band or a singer or whatever.
04:07Ken Mock, it was all about the ratings.
04:09It was all about wanting the audience to be able to talk about the show the next day.
04:14All right, ladies.
04:16With Mock pulling the strings and Tyra bringing her star power to the screen.
04:20I have a panel of judges here that I totally respect.
04:23They recruit an all-star cast of judges who aren't afraid of giving honest opinions.
04:29We have Miss Janice Dickinson.
04:30Oh, this is a nice chair.
04:36It's really bad.
04:37I'm sorry.
04:38I can't even look at it.
04:39It's that bad.
04:41My name is Janice Dickinson, and I served as a judge on America's Next Top Model for
04:46four cycles.
04:49Tyra, Ken Mock, the producer, wanted me to emulate Simon Cowell on American Idol.
04:57My job is to be as brutally honest as possible.
05:01This photograph looks like the batteries died in her vibrator.
05:06I know what works in the industry outside of their sphere.
05:10America's Next Top Model is Adrienne.
05:13Get her.
05:15Congratulations.
05:16The first season, or cycle, airs in May of 2003, and immediately becomes a record-breaking
05:23show for the UPN network, averaging three million viewers a week.
05:28From there, it blows up, as in each new cycle, thousands of aspiring models are drawn in
05:34by the huge prize on offer.
05:37This is a modeling contract with one of the top modeling agencies in the world.
05:41A six-page spread and a cover of a magazine, and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl Cosmetic.
05:50Being on the cover of a magazine sounded fun, and obviously, I wanted the money.
05:56Let's be honest.
05:57Hi.
05:58Hi.
05:59Hi.
06:00My name is Lisa D'Amato, and I was a modeling contestant on cycle five and cycle 17 All
06:06Stars of America's Next Top Model.
06:09I had traveled the world.
06:11I had modeled in Milan, New York, Australia at this time.
06:14I thought, going on the show, that I had virtually nothing to lose.
06:20If anything, it would just catapult my career even more.
06:27My name is Anjalee Preston, and I was on cycles 12, 14, and 17 of America's Next Top Model.
06:34I always wanted to be a model, but I don't have a portfolio.
06:39I don't have any modeling pictures.
06:41I'm thinking the best way for me to get into the industry and to be a model is to try out
06:47for the show.
06:48Yeah.
06:49I have so many questions.
06:50I have so many questions.
06:51I have so many questions.
06:53My name is Sarah Hartshorn, and I was a contestant on cycle nine of America's Next Top Model.
06:59I watched the show with my friend, and he was like, I really think you should try out
07:03for this show.
07:05And I was like, no, I'm not thin.
07:06And he was like, no, no, you're pretty, and you're weird, and I think that they would
07:11pick you.
07:12And I was like, I don't think so.
07:13Wait, you think I'm pretty?
07:15I see a girl that could be a plus-size model, but is on the thinner side of that.
07:20I think everybody should just work with what they got.
07:22And if it's a lot, that's cool.
07:24Yeah.
07:25I think you look amazing.
07:27You're having an earring moment, too.
07:28I know.
07:29I feel like when you're bald, you have to.
07:30I would literally just look like a mannequin at Forever 21, so I was like, I have to put
07:33something on my ear.
07:34I love earrings.
07:35My name is Gina Turner, and I was a contestant on the final cycle of America's Next Top
07:40Model.
07:41I happened to be watching, and at the end of one of the episodes, there was just a typical
07:46black screen.
07:47And it said, want to be on America's Next Top Model?
07:49That put the bug in my ear of like, maybe you should try.
07:52I'll be America's Next Top Model with Tyra if you want.
07:55Oh!
07:56Hi, Tyra!
07:57This is me.
07:59The audition process was insane.
08:04They filed between 100 and 200 girls into this ballroom, and they cram us in a single
08:10file line.
08:11And the thing that they kept repeating, and they kept saying with nose to the back of
08:14the head, nose to the back of the head, your nose should be touching the head of the girl
08:18in front of you.
08:19And so we all had to, as a centipede, step forward, like bup, bup, bup, bup, bup, out
08:23of our shoes.
08:24And I remember looking down and being like, I am the only one that has tits that make
08:27that impossible.
08:28What do I do?
08:29Would you please put on the blindfolds that we have given you?
08:32The 30 who make it to the next stage...
08:34Welcome to America's Next Top Model.
08:37Then get a chance to woo the judges, and of course, Tyra herself.
08:42You guys have made my fierce cage.
08:46I looked up to Tyra so much.
08:48I was so happy that this woman that, you know, I admired since a child, she knows who I am.
08:56She picked me to come on her show.
08:59Well, hello, ladies.
09:01Hi, Tyra.
09:03To see her in front of me was probably one of the cooler moments of my life.
09:08I don't remember meeting her.
09:10It was totally a fugue state.
09:13Okay, what happened?
09:14Go ahead, tell us.
09:15I put it on my nose.
09:16I had balled up a friggin' straw wrapper and shoved it up my nose.
09:20You accordion it, and then you pull it out.
09:23Oh, I'm...
09:24That's...
09:25I remember getting off the stage and being like, what did I say?
09:29What did I just do?
09:32Only half make the next cut.
09:34Sarah.
09:35Gina.
09:36Anjalee.
09:37Thank you so much.
09:40Lisa.
09:41Oh, my God.
09:43The chosen few move into the model house.
09:46It'll be home for the next eight weeks, or as long as they last.
09:50Y'all in.
09:51Let it out.
09:53Everyone starts running.
09:54Oh, my God.
09:58I just remember being like, I've never seen a house like this anywhere.
10:02We were so excited.
10:04It was like the ultimate prize.
10:05Oh, my God.
10:07Penthouse Suites in Paris and Milan.
10:10Just get my hair and makeup done.
10:12Oh, the life.
10:13Ugh.
10:14Tyra, ma'am.
10:15Don't bitch and moan about this hairy situation.
10:19There's no turning back now, as Tyra calls in to tell them what comes next.
10:24Good morning, ladies.
10:25It's time to capture the new you for the world to see.
10:29Makeovers, also known as tie overs.
10:32Top model is iconic for makeovers.
10:35Well, I line the girls up, line all the pictures up, and I go one by one and try to decide
10:40what would be the best makeover to make them edgy, take them, you know, over the edge.
10:45She would look at a girl who was kind of ordinary and go, OK, well, how about if we
10:49cut her hair like this?
10:50How about if we give her blonde hair?
10:51How about if we do this?
10:52How about if we do that?
10:54They gave me a short, dirty blonde short bob, and I just loved it.
10:59You got what every girl wants.
11:01Yo.
11:02Yo, I feel like Tyra.
11:04I had me a long, gorgeous blonde weave.
11:08So are you ready?
11:09Yeah.
11:10We're cutting it all off.
11:11They cut all my hair off, and I definitely think they thought I was going to cry because
11:14I had, like, homeschool long hair.
11:17I loved it, and I was super excited, and then they asked if I felt like a man.
11:21You know, was I afraid that being a plus-size model with short hair would make me look fatter?
11:25And I had never thought that maybe I would look fatter with short hair.
11:29I do now.
11:30We have to cut it off real short like Halle Berry, girl.
11:33Yeah.
11:34I love my hair.
11:35I just don't feel like myself.
11:36I look like a boy.
11:37No, wait.
11:38Wait, wait, wait.
11:39If the girls did get a haircut that they weren't happy with, they had to learn how
11:45to work with their angles because they might get booked on a job where a client says, you
11:49know what, honey?
11:50I'm going to pay you 100 grand, but I'm going to cut off all your hair.
11:52You ready?
11:53No.
11:54No.
11:55Come on.
11:56No.
11:57There wasn't anyone taking the time to explain, like, what's happening, and it was really
12:01uncomfortable.
12:02I've never had, like, a net sewn to my head before.
12:04She stabbed me in the head with her needles all day.
12:07It's OK.
12:08Are you ready?
12:09We know what would look good on your face, so there shouldn't be any tears.
12:13Most of the girls would get so emotional and teary, like, oh, my God, I don't want to cut
12:16off my hair.
12:17Oh, my God.
12:18Don't do this.
12:19So you're not ready to cut your hair?
12:20No.
12:21You know, I really don't have time for this today.
12:22You just got to leave my set.
12:25They would be reprimanded if they whined too much about their look.
12:29They had to learn the word acceptance very quickly.
12:32But for one model, it's not that simple.
12:35Gina, that wig that you have, you're going to have to say goodbye to her.
12:40I wasn't ready for them to touch me with a razor.
12:43You need to give us what we're looking for.
12:45And if you don't, you're out.
12:48The models are in mid-makeover, and Tyra's word is law.
13:06I want to see the jaw, baby, so the hair has to go.
13:09But in Gina Turner's case, it strikes a traumatic chord.
13:13What makes you interesting, special, different?
13:14I have a disease called alopecia universalis, so it's autoimmune.
13:17It attacks my hair follicles and my hair thins out.
13:20It's hard to talk about.
13:22I started losing my hair around eight years old.
13:24I had no idea it was alopecia at the time.
13:26To be a girl and not have hair,
13:28and you see how people start treating you differently
13:30and what people say is really intense.
13:33You ready?
13:34They're going to start the process.
13:36I'll hold your hand if you want me to.
13:38Producers pressure Gina to confront her alopecia on camera
13:42by shaving off what little hair she has
13:45to create her signature look.
13:49I was crying so hard they had to turn the cameras off.
13:52I just kept freaking out and I just wasn't ready for it.
13:56I wouldn't even run down my driveway to the mailbox
13:59to pick up the mail if I didn't have my hair on.
14:01Like I really wasn't ready for it to be shaven like that on TV.
14:05And then to be told, like, walk around like that.
14:07And you have to believe it's beautiful.
14:09What if I didn't?
14:10I obviously didn't think it was beautiful.
14:12I was covering it up with wigs.
14:14With Gina, before she signed up to be America's Next Top Model,
14:17she knew that this was her angle,
14:19that this would be the way that she would stand out.
14:22There's no way in the world that she would have gone on to this show
14:25not knowing that that was going to be a strong point for her.
14:28Some of the girls were poked at the traumas, and that's television.
14:32Finding that insecure thing that the model has
14:35and enhancing it and making the model just stand there,
14:38I guess, like a marine until he's finally broken.
14:42Just relax. Just like, I'm afraid of heights, girl.
14:45Oh, my God.
14:47It's not just their physical insecurities that are being exploited.
14:51Please take me down.
14:52The contestants then move on to the modeling challenges
14:55where production forces them to confront their biggest fears and phobias.
15:00I hate heights.
15:01It's like the only thing I said that I'm afraid of is heights.
15:04When we are creating the content,
15:06there might be a girl who might be scared of heights.
15:08You'll be wearing these.
15:10And you will also be wearing this.
15:13Or there might be someone who's scared of spiders.
15:16So we add those elements of fear into the photo shoot to create story.
15:21They know how you are going to react
15:23to every single scenario presented to you,
15:27whether you're going to fight or you're going to flight.
15:30During the casting process,
15:32they asked me, what was one of the most traumatizing experiences
15:37that you've ever had?
15:39At the time, my grandpa had just passed.
15:42And at my grandpa's funeral,
15:45my grandma had to get up in the middle of the ceremony
15:48and go to the bathroom.
15:50I went in there to check on her.
15:52She had, like, explosive diarrhea.
15:56And it was all over the floor.
15:58It was all over her dress.
16:00She's getting poop on my clothes.
16:02Um...
16:07So sad.
16:11Sorry.
16:13And I told Top Model this story
16:17probably exactly the same way I'm telling you.
16:20Lisa's going to go first.
16:22Come on, Lisa!
16:24All the way down.
16:25What are you doing, girl?
16:27And they decide to cover us in manure
16:30and do these challenges where we just smell like shit.
16:33And they lock us in a limo,
16:36make us sit in it for four hours.
16:38And there is an exact moment that actually made it on air
16:42where I'm just sitting there, like, looking off,
16:45because I'm like, holy shit,
16:48they got this from my interview.
16:50Like, they did this based on the story that I told them.
16:54There's no way in hell that they just came up with this.
16:58From day one, the cast are interviewed relentlessly,
17:02and nothing is off limits.
17:05The producers of the show would ask me about my body all the time,
17:08and they would ask me how I felt about it
17:10and how I felt about the fact that it was different than the other girls.
17:13Am I too small? Am I, like, too big? I don't know.
17:15I just kind of feel like I'm just wrong sometimes.
17:18And so it was like, how do I, like, steal myself
17:23to let this be the thing that we talk about in every interview?
17:28They used all of your trauma during interviews
17:32to get a reaction out of you, an emotional reaction,
17:36and then they switch the topic.
17:39Anytime you see me crying on the phone,
17:41it's because they ask me,
17:43do you feel the same way like you did
17:45when your mom told you to kill yourself?
17:48And then be like, let's change the subject.
17:51Tell me, how are you going to walk into this photo shoot?
17:53With confidence, right?
17:55And you're like, yeah, I'm going to walk in with confidence.
18:00I think I was in an interview room for, like, almost seven hours,
18:03like, by myself with three people just like this.
18:06But I had the interviewer telling me
18:08I was begging her to stop asking me questions about being suicidal.
18:11They ended up using the response of me crying,
18:14saying I don't want to talk about it anymore,
18:16as my response for losing the competition.
18:18I don't want to talk about it anymore.
18:20And that's not at all what happened.
18:23Everybody behind the scenes involved with this show
18:27structurally built opportunities
18:30to poke and poke and poke
18:32at people's worst moments in their lives
18:35just to make them cry or just to make them yell
18:38or scream or be angry or seem confused.
18:42It's deeply irresponsible and also sadistic.
18:48Between the challenges and interrogation-style interviews,
18:51the women are physically and emotionally exhausted.
18:55Competition reality shows in the early aughts were tough.
18:59It was a unique time in that world
19:02because it was, like, the Wild West,
19:04and, you know, we weren't paid.
19:06It was unpaid labor.
19:08We worked until 3, 4 in the morning.
19:10We were being subject to a new world of entertainment
19:15that was cheap.
19:17There's never a moment away from the cameras,
19:19not even at the model house.
19:22There really wasn't anywhere that was private.
19:25There was mics everywhere,
19:27whether they were on top of cupboards,
19:29tucked behind toilet seats, behind your pillowcase.
19:31Like, you name it, there was a mic somewhere.
19:38The shower had, like, a wall
19:40that came up to, like, just below our nipples.
19:44Like, or just, maybe just above,
19:46but, like, not if we reached over our head,
19:48you know what I mean?
19:49And they were like,
19:50we won't film you if you are alone in the shower
19:53or in the bathroom,
19:54but if anyone else is in there, we will film you.
19:57Also, you guys should totally shower together.
20:00It's like a sorority house for models,
20:02right down to their bad diet.
20:04This ramen tastes like insane.
20:07They didn't give you enough per diem to feed yourself.
20:10A lot of the girls were just living off of cereal
20:12or Top Ramen.
20:14Also, you know, these girls who don't know how to cook
20:16are in a kitchen,
20:17so it was a lot of Hot Pockets,
20:18it was a lot of fish sticks,
20:20a lot of, like, oven fries.
20:22We weren't eating super well.
20:28And when you're hungry, you get angry,
20:29and then you lash out.
20:30So, how does it feel being in the bottom,
20:32Raina and Brenda?
20:34If it don't feel good, do it.
20:35They wanted us to fight
20:37because they wanted to see
20:38what you're like at your worst.
20:42Yeah, we were irritable.
20:43We were snappy.
20:45That was a concerted effort
20:47to keep us off kilter.
20:49It got to the point where I was like,
20:51I'll just have a glass of wine.
20:52But guess what?
20:53Now this glass of wine is now two glasses of wine,
20:55and I forgot that I didn't have breakfast,
20:56and wait, did I even have lunch?
20:58And no, and now I'm, like, kind of drunk.
21:04The result is exactly what producers want.
21:07Y'all fake as hell.
21:08Don't say that!
21:09This is a hell hole.
21:11Oh, my God.
21:12Tell them it's an emergency.
21:13I started to realize that this show
21:15was not a real modeling competition.
21:17You're a stupid bitch.
21:19You want to know me?
21:21No, f*** y'all, f*** all y'all.
21:23It was like psychological warfare.
21:32You have to tell it to him.
21:33You have to be aggressive.
21:36I'm not being aggressive.
21:37Yeah, you are.
21:39The top model cast are tired, hungry,
21:42and on their last nerve.
21:44But they have to pull themselves together
21:46for the most grueling event of all,
21:49Judgment Day.
21:52We would go to eliminations,
21:53which were the longest, the hardest days.
21:55The day was so long, it was so long.
21:57We'd been up since, like, 5 or 6 a.m.
22:00I mean, the days would sometimes go
22:01until, like, 3 a.m.
22:03They had us standing in heels for hours
22:06and hours and hours on end
22:07in a really hot production room.
22:09No fans, no A.C.,
22:11lights blasting on us.
22:12Like, we weren't allowed to sit down.
22:14I didn't feel that you embraced me.
22:17I want you.
22:20A girl fainted every week.
22:21They warned us.
22:22They were like, don't lock your knees.
22:24I was like, these skinny bitches,
22:25they're fainting.
22:26And then 10 hours later, I was like,
22:29I'm fainting.
22:31In Sarah's case,
22:32the physical toll the show has exacted
22:34becomes her Achilles' heel
22:36when she's brought to face the judges.
22:39Sarah.
22:40You seem to have lost quite a bit of weight
22:41since the beginning of this competition.
22:43A couple people have said that,
22:44and it happened.
22:45It seems like it.
22:46Perhaps it's the way your dressing has changed.
22:48The reason that I was losing weight
22:50was A, that I was stressed,
22:51but also that I was trying to save money
22:53because we weren't getting paid.
22:55And so I was trying to only eat
22:57very little and very cheap food.
23:02So we thought, congratulations.
23:07She was brought into the competition
23:08as a plus-size model.
23:10To become not a plus-size model
23:12within the span of the competition
23:14is really difficult to then compete.
23:16You can't just say you're a plus-size model
23:18and be not.
23:19You need to stay strong.
23:20I know it hurts.
23:21I know it hurts so bad.
23:23Honestly, like, I was super sad
23:25that I got eliminated,
23:26and I did cry a lot.
23:28I was so surprised
23:30that I was crying so much,
23:32and I was so surprised at myself
23:34that I was feeling all these feelings,
23:36and I didn't really know what they were about.
23:38I don't know what I feel,
23:39but I feel a lot of it.
23:40Some of the judges are put off by your fire.
23:42Some of them think it's cocky.
23:45One by one, the women are picked apart
23:47and eventually eliminated.
23:50I was shocked.
23:52I was really disappointed.
23:54I knew that I, like, did such an amazing job
23:57that I just knew it was bullshit.
23:59My season was the only one,
24:01the only season they have a bald girl
24:04with no hair.
24:05The winner will receive $100,000
24:07thanks to Pantene.
24:09Congratulations.
24:11My season's the only one that a hair company
24:13is the sponsor?
24:14There's no way.
24:15You've come so far.
24:17Oh, I was so disappointed when I got eliminated.
24:20Oh, I cried like a baby.
24:21Always crying.
24:22Goodness gracious.
24:23Oh, so emotional.
24:24Oh, trust me.
24:26You will be seeing it again.
24:27Know that.
24:28Okay.
24:29Their one solace after being cut
24:31is that the exposure should help
24:33their modeling careers.
24:35I was like,
24:36you made it to the second last episode.
24:38Good job, Ange.
24:39Like, you did good.
24:40Now you got your portfolio.
24:42Just, you know, like, hit the ground running.
24:46No, no, no.
24:47From glasses, young lady.
24:49It turns out the opposite is true.
24:52Lisa, alcoholic.
24:54And Jayla.
24:55Alcoholic and insane, though.
24:56Yeah, well, Lisa's insane anyway.
24:58I was portrayed as an alcoholic villain.
25:01You're basically presenting yourself
25:03like a moron, okay?
25:05And what are you doing, alcoholic bitch?
25:07People on the street were calling me
25:09an alcoholic bitch.
25:12I was devastated.
25:15I don't really have the time to think about
25:17what the other girls are doing.
25:19I don't care about anything else but myself.
25:22I feel like they tried to make me the villain.
25:24It was not at all what I experienced in person.
25:27That girl's not me at all.
25:28Like, the girl that they tried to make me out,
25:30it's not me at all.
25:34Some girls who got bad edits
25:36had a really hard time signing with agencies
25:38or even if they got with an agency,
25:41the clients weren't interested in working with them.
25:46One agent, he looked at my top model portfolio
25:49and said,
25:50Huh.
25:52Like, how dare you come here with this bullshit?
25:56A model's call sheet or look books
25:58are natural and raw.
26:01Sometimes the girl's covering their breasts,
26:03you know, in some of these very quiet moments.
26:07That would work on television.
26:09Quiet moments.
26:10They'd yawn and change the channel.
26:13It affected my actual career.
26:16One agency told me that they do not
26:18affiliate themselves with America's Next Top Model contestants
26:20because it is really hard for brands and clients
26:22to take that model seriously
26:24because of the affiliation of the show.
26:26I could not get signed to an agency
26:28to save my life.
26:30I was so broke after the show.
26:32I didn't think that the show was going to make me rich,
26:34but I sure as shit didn't think it was going to make me broke.
26:37America's Next Top Model
26:39squashed my dreams.
26:42Made everybody around the globe hate me.
26:45Also made me hate myself for years.
26:49When they come off the show, we don't give a shit.
26:51We don't care what they do.
26:52They get on with their life.
26:53We get on to the next episode.
26:55So there is no follow-up
26:57and there is really no care factor,
26:59I guess, from the executive team
27:01or from the network
27:03to follow up with these girls
27:05to see how their careers are going.
27:07They don't care if you live or die.
27:10Afterwards, they don't care.
27:19America's Next Top Model is...
27:24Britney!
27:26After 16 cycles,
27:28America's Next Top Model has become a staple on the CW,
27:31bringing in millions of viewers every week.
27:34But for many of the women,
27:36being on the show has done nothing for their careers,
27:39forcing them to move on.
27:43I knew that I wasn't going to be booked.
27:46My dreams are kind of over,
27:48but music is different,
27:49so maybe I can just catapult my career in this direction
27:53instead of acting and modeling.
27:59I was touring.
28:00I was doing music.
28:01I'm making amazing choices in my life.
28:04I've found a new sense of self.
28:08And then Top Model comes knocking at the door.
28:12There were rumors that an all-star cycle was happening
28:14and a producer reached out to me via email.
28:16I was like, hey, Anjali,
28:18we're thinking about having a Top Model all-star cycle.
28:21We are putting the girls through some fierce challenges
28:23to take their careers to a whole new level.
28:26They told me that this competition
28:28isn't just a modeling competition.
28:30They were going to focus more on our brand.
28:32We were going to be able to showcase our talents.
28:35Completely different format.
28:36You guys are going to co-write your own song
28:39and star in your very own music video.
28:42It's for music. It's for runway.
28:44It's for modeling.
28:45Lisa, literally, if there was a competition
28:47that was made for you, this is it.
28:49I welcome this.
28:51It can't get any worse than where I just came from.
28:54So if I don't win, I can take this.
28:58And because I'm ganged up a little bit more now,
29:00I know how to pivot
29:02and try to work it in my favor this time.
29:06I was in the mental headspace where I was so strong.
29:08I thought this would be a great way
29:10on an international syndicated television show
29:12to rebrand myself as who I really am.
29:16But I have to be really careful when I film.
29:18And I knew their tricks.
29:19And so if any time was ready,
29:21this was the time I was ready.
29:23I went through all the past cycles
29:25and brought back your favorite.
29:272011's Cycle 17 All Stars
29:30brings together 14 models from past seasons
29:34to compete in the ultimate showdown.
29:39All Stars, for me, was the best cycle.
29:42We got girls who had certain personalities
29:44who should have won, who didn't win,
29:46who acted like this, who looked like that,
29:49who were kooky.
29:50As the contest ramps up,
29:52one competitor is outshining the rest.
29:56Angeli has evolved so much.
29:58I've got to agree with you, Andre.
30:00Angeli, she's totally blowing my socks off.
30:03Angeli Preston was the girl who stood out the most
30:06to be the winner of All Stars.
30:08Tune up more.
30:09Yeah, that's it there. Good.
30:11She walked onto camera.
30:12She had a certain esque and a certain way about her.
30:15You are knocking it out.
30:17She held herself in a strong model-like manner.
30:21And how she acted was someone that, you know,
30:25was going to win that cycle of America's Next Top Model.
30:29Sure enough, Angeli is victorious.
30:33I won America's Next Top Model, cycle 17.
30:36Me, Angeli from Buffalo, I won.
30:39I was screaming. I was so excited.
30:42I was so happy.
30:44I just could not believe it.
30:47But viewers never get to see her big finale,
30:50as after the show wraps, there's a problem.
30:53I get a phone call.
30:55Can you come down to the city, to New York City?
30:57We want to talk about sponsorships
30:59since you won the CoverGirl contract.
31:01Okay, great.
31:03So I get there and see the show's psychiatrist,
31:06the attorney, and one of the executive producers,
31:09Laura Fust Silva.
31:11So I'm like, okay.
31:13All right, sponsorships. Okay.
31:15Everyone's professional.
31:16But I'm like, why is the psychiatrist here,
31:18like, if we're talking about sponsorships?
31:20So Laura's like, we can't air you as the winner.
31:26I'm like, why?
31:29And she's like, we just can't air you as the winner.
31:34Oh, my gosh.
31:36It was just, I can't even describe the feeling
31:40because it's just anger, sadness, confusion, WTF.
31:49I was pulled into a meeting by Tyra
31:51and three other executives that no one else was to know about.
31:55And I was like, gosh, what's going on here?
31:57Like, what's happening?
31:58And I was told that after the first episode went to air
32:02that Anjalee had spoken to someone on social media
32:05and she had announced that she had won America's Next Top Model.
32:09We couldn't have the whole world knowing on episode one
32:12that the winner was Anjalee
32:14because why would the audience want to tune in
32:16for another 12 or 13 episodes
32:18when they already knew who the winner was in episode one?
32:22I get a call from a producer of the show
32:25and they said that there's going to be a reshoot
32:28and there's going to be a new winner of the All Stars.
32:32America's Next Top Model is Lisa.
32:39It was like I was on cloud nine.
32:42That's crazy. It's absolutely crazy.
32:46I felt like the world was falling apart.
32:49I felt like the world was finally doing something nice for me.
32:54Anjalee's disqualification is also made public on the revised finale
32:59to explain her sudden disappearance.
33:02It turns out that after shooting was wrapped,
33:04our production team and the network learned information from Anjalee
33:08that disqualifies her from the competition.
33:11But they never provide an official reason
33:13leading to an internet frenzy about what went down.
33:18Comments I saw, all types of crazy stuff.
33:21Oh, she was pregnant and didn't disclose that she was pregnant.
33:24Oh, she told that she was the winner
33:26and that's why they had to disqualify her.
33:28I remember seeing one tweet that really stuck out to me.
33:32The tweet was the guy and he said he knew someone
33:35who worked closely on the show
33:37and he can confirm that it was none of those things.
33:41With her title taken away from her,
33:43Anjalee decides to file a lawsuit
33:45in which a very different story emerges.
33:48Four years earlier, after appearing on Cycle 14,
33:52Anjalee is struggling.
33:56After Cycle 14 stopped filming,
33:59I'm living in Queens and this guy pulls up in a car
34:02and he's like, hey, you know, what's your name, blah, blah, blah.
34:06And I was like, oh my God, he's cute.
34:08Gave him my number.
34:10And I'm just like, I'm a struggling model right now.
34:13Like, I'm not making any money.
34:15And he's like, well, I know how you can make some money.
34:18You know, like my girls, like they, they just go on dates.
34:22The plan was just get some money so I could be on my own
34:26and then continue to focus on modeling.
34:29And it just, it just got like out of, like out of control.
34:38It was basically being sex trafficked.
34:42I don't know if it's cause I'm,
34:45whew, excuse me.
34:53Do you have a tissue? I'm sorry.
34:56You know, I just went on this modeling odyssey, right?
35:00And this was supposed to change my life for the better.
35:07And then I found myself in a situation where I was,
35:12where I was at my lowest.
35:15Anjali claims producers knew her story
35:18before asking her to return for All Stars.
35:22Anjali herself made it very clear
35:25what she had done in the past on the All Star show
35:29during filming.
35:31So we all kind of knew.
35:34And Lisa alleges executive producer Ken Mock alludes to this
35:38rather than the social media posting
35:40as the reason for Anjali's disqualification.
35:44Before the reshoot, Ken Mock said to us,
35:47we are disqualifying Anjali because of her past.
35:53And if you guys f***ing say a word,
35:56just know that you'll be in serious legal trouble.
36:05The rumor mill has been swirling
36:08as to why Anjali was disqualified from top model All Stars.
36:12But once she goes public with her story,
36:15the media runs with it.
36:18I don't really know the truth.
36:20I know that there's a lot of rumors and confusion,
36:23but it seems like she won All Stars
36:26and they took it away because she had been an escort.
36:30She performs well enough to win
36:33when they can't allow her to win because of the sex work
36:36that they knew she did.
36:38She was a victim, and they re-victimized her.
36:42You know, the simplest answer is that's a cowardly thing.
36:46On the other hand, I think it's important to contextualize
36:49America's Next Top Model as a show
36:51that is airing on network television
36:53with a very specific demographic,
36:55with advertisers, and with a very specific audience.
36:59With advertisers that the show absolutely needs
37:02in order to keep running.
37:04Final three, we are the finalists.
37:07During the final episode of All Stars,
37:09the women compete for a chance to appear
37:11in a major campaign for CoverGirl,
37:13the show's biggest sponsor for the past 15 years.
37:17Good morning.
37:19We are in this gorgeous, picturesque little restaurant,
37:22and it is going to serve as your set
37:24for the CoverGirl print ad and commercial.
37:28You guys actually have the benefit
37:30of having the client right here.
37:32Hi, girls.
37:33CoverGirl will award the winner
37:35a $100,000 modeling contract.
37:38I know that there are lots of thoughts and opinions
37:41when it comes to the last element of the competition,
37:45which is the CoverGirl photo shoot,
37:47and the input that CoverGirl has into announcing the winner.
37:51Just a little softer in the mouth, I think.
37:54Oh, look how pretty that is. Great.
37:56CoverGirl needs to have an opinion.
37:58Do they have a final say?
38:00No, I don't believe that they have a final say,
38:02but they certainly have to like the girl
38:04who's going to be the face of their brand.
38:06From Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, CoverGirl.
38:09I'm not altogether sure, but I believe CoverGirl
38:12had a say in choosing the winner of each episode.
38:16I do believe that, because a lot of the times
38:19it wasn't my choice.
38:21Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, CoverGirl.
38:23Great.
38:25I've heard that CoverGirl does have a say.
38:28How much of that is true, I don't know.
38:33I would be on the outside looking in.
38:36There's never been an official reason given
38:38for Anjali losing her crown.
38:41The network has never produced the social media post
38:44that Andrew Peterson alleges led to her being disqualified.
38:48I personally didn't see it.
38:50I tried to find that information online.
38:52I couldn't find anything.
38:54It was taken off the internet.
38:55I can delete things.
38:56I don't know how all that went down.
38:58I'm not privy to that information,
39:00so it's actually really something I'm not confident
39:02in talking about.
39:04Despite Anjali laying out her story,
39:07she ultimately decides to drop the lawsuit.
39:11And I was just so over it.
39:13I just didn't want to be silenced,
39:15and I just wanted people to know, like,
39:21I won the show.
39:22You deserve this, Lisa.
39:23You are a star.
39:26And even though Lisa benefited from Anjali's exit,
39:29she, too, ends up a loser.
39:32Nothing happened with my modeling career.
39:35The industry still did not give a shit about me.
39:39Now I'm basically just reality TV garbage.
39:43Okay.
39:44All right, are we ready?
39:45Top Model finally comes to an end in 2018.
39:49Then, during the pandemic,
39:51all 24 cycles are released on Hulu.
39:54And this time, viewers see it through a different lens.
39:58Hi, everyone.
39:59Welcome back to another episode of
40:00Why America's Next Top Model
40:01is the most toxic show of its decade.
40:03I could not believe the things
40:04that came out of those people's mouths.
40:05This show is literally why I experience eating disorders.
40:08I was watching it,
40:10and so was the rest of the world in quarantine.
40:12All of a sudden, there was this internet rise of,
40:16hey, this show is really, really problematic.
40:19There's some things on here that are controversial
40:22and, like, also need to be talked about.
40:24Now there's a twist.
40:25We are actually going to switch your ethnicities.
40:29Oh, my God, the photo shoot
40:30where they had to dress up as other races?
40:33It was a cacophony of problematic things.
40:37I want to be out like I'm gay,
40:39and I'm really proud of it.
40:41I think there's a certain thing of being proud.
40:43Like, I'm black and proud, you know what I mean?
40:45But I'm not, like, walking on the red carpet.
40:47I'm black. I'm black. I'm proud.
40:48It ended up being such a wake-up call,
40:51and I think we came to terms with how flawed it is.
40:57Tyra responds to the criticism on Twitter,
41:00saying the show made some off choices.
41:04Please.
41:07Her publicist was probably like,
41:09you got to write something, girl.
41:10Tyra was like, okay, well, think of something.
41:12Okay, yeah, that sounds good,
41:14and then she just went back to doing what she did
41:16in her Pacific Palisades Malibu mansion, okay?
41:20Like, she do not care.
41:22She don't care. Please.
41:24Well done, Tyra.
41:26It would be really easy to paint Tyra
41:28as just this malicious overlord who has all this power.
41:32In some ways, she's a great example
41:34of how hurt people hurt people,
41:37and people who succeed within a flawed system
41:41are the best people to perpetuate it.
41:44You're making me start to believe
41:45that maybe this competition isn't for you,
41:47because you're here to get feedback.
41:49I am not trying to cut you down.
41:52Ultimately, Top Model was a competition reality show
41:55on finding a model.
41:57That is the basis of America's Next Top Model.
42:00When you enter the real world of fame and supermodels,
42:03there's millions of people cutting you down every day.
42:06The intention was never to go out
42:08and to change the image of women
42:11or to change, you know, how women felt about themselves.
42:15She's got rolls of skin that hang over her jeans.
42:18If I said anything on the show about scrutiny
42:22and severe criticism of a body type, I apologize.
42:26That was for TV purposes, and I was stupid enough to say it.
42:30I'm deeply, deeply sorry if I offended anyone.
42:34As for the women who appeared on the show,
42:36the damage has been done, but they're stronger for it.
42:40I don't like being silenced,
42:42and I think that's why I got into a career in journalism,
42:45because I felt like my voice was being taken from me,
42:48and I wanted to be able to help other people
42:51who may have felt the same way by telling their stories.
42:54If I could talk to the version of myself
42:56that was contested on the show,
42:58I think mainly I would tell myself
43:00to stop being a victim of circumstances
43:03and stand up for yourself.
43:05I get really quiet sometimes,
43:07and it takes, like, a gusto for me to be like,
43:09"[Bleep], I'm speaking."
43:11But after experiencing this, that's all I'll ever do.
43:15I have learned to create a life
43:18completely changing the narrative
43:21of what I was supposed to become, a statistic.
43:25And now I'm thriving, have absolutely no fear
43:29in what anybody throws my way,
43:31and I am so, "[Bleep], proud of who I am."
43:34Look at this girl now.
43:36If I was given the opportunity to, like, go on the show now,
43:40absolutely not. Hard pass.
43:42No. No. America's Next Top What?
43:45No. I'm good.
43:47I don't need to be America's Next Top Model.
43:50I don't know if I ever did.