Dark Side of Reality TV Episode 10
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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.
12:48No one is crying, I want to see some tears.
12:59I don't understand these dramas.
13:01You're making me burn.
13:02The models are in mid-makeover, and Tyra's word is law.
13:05I want to see the jaw baby.
13:07So the hair has to go.
13:09But in Gina Turner's case...
13:11Hello!
13:12...it strikes a traumatic chord.
13:13What makes you interesting, special, different?
13:14I have a disease called alopecia universalis.
13:17so it's autoimmune, it attacks my hair follicles
13:19and my hair thins out.
13:21It's hard to talk about.
13:23I started losing my hair around eight years old.
13:25I had no idea it was alopecia at the time.
13:27To be a girl and not have hair,
13:29and you see how people start treating you differently
13:31and what people say is really intense.
13:34You ready?
13:35They're gonna start the process.
13:37I'll hold your hand if you want me to.
13:39Producers pressure Gina to confront her alopecia on camera
13:43by 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.
14:08And you have to believe it's beautiful.
14:10What if I didn't? I obviously didn't think it was beautiful.
14:12I was covering it up with wigs.
14:15With Gina, before she signed up to be America's Next Top Model,
14:18she knew that this was her angle,
14:20that this would be the way that she would stand out.
14:22There's no way in the world
14:24that she would have gone on to this show
14:26not knowing that that was going to be a strong point for her.
14:29Some of the girls were poked at the traumas,
14:31and that's television.
14:33Finding that insecure thing that the model has
14:36and enhancing it and making the model just stand there,
14:39I guess, like a marine until he's finally broken.
14:42Just relax. Just like...
14:44I'm afraid of heights, girl!
14:46Oh, my God.
14:48It's not just their physical insecurities that are being exploited.
14:51Please take me down!
14:53The contestants then move on to the modelling challenges,
14:56where production forces them
14:58to confront their biggest fears and phobias.
15:00I hate heights.
15:02It's like the only thing I said that I'm afraid of is heights.
15:05When we are creating the content,
15:07there might be a girl who might be scared of heights.
15:09You'll be wearing these.
15:11And you will also be wearing this.
15:14Or there might be someone who's scared of spiders.
15:17So we add those elements of fear into the photoshoot to create story.
15:22They know how you are going to react
15:24to every single scenario presented to you,
15:27whether you're going to fight or you're going to flight.
15:30During the casting process,
15:33they asked me,
15:35what was one of the most traumatising experiences
15:38that you've ever had?
15:40At the time, my grandpa had just passed.
15:43And at my grandpa's funeral,
15:46my grandma had to get up in the middle of the ceremony
15:49and go to the bathroom.
15:51I went in there to check on her.
15:53She had, like, explosive diarrhoea.
15:57And it was all over the floor.
15:59It was all over her dress.
16:01She's getting poop on my clothes.
16:03Um...
16:06It's so 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.
16:26What are you doing, girl?
16:28And 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?
17:29They used all of your trauma during interviews
17:33to get a reaction out of you, an emotional reaction,
17:37and then they switch the topic.
17:40Any time you see me crying on the phone,
17:42it's because they ask me,
17:44do you feel the same way like you did
17:46when your mom told you to kill yourself?
17:49And then be like, let's change the subject.
17:51As you're crying, tell me,
17:53how are you going to walk into this photo shoot?
17:55With confidence, right? And you're like,
17:57yeah, I'm going to walk in with confidence.
18:00I think I was in an interview room for, like, almost seven hours,
18:04like, by myself with three people just like this.
18:07But I had the interviewer telling me
18:09I was begging her to stop asking me questions about being suicidal.
18:12They 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.
18:19I don't want to talk about it anymore.
18:21And that's not at all what happened.
18:24Everybody behind the scenes involved with this show
18:28structurally built opportunities
18:31to poke and poke and poke
18:33at people's worst moments in their lives
18:36just to make them cry or just to make them yell
18:39or scream or be angry or seem confused.
18:43It's deeply irresponsible and also sadistic.
18:48Between the challenges and interrogation-style interviews,
18:52the women are physically and emotionally exhausted.
18:56Competition reality shows in the early aughts were tough.
19:00It was a unique time in that world
19:03because it was like the Wild West,
19:05and, you know, we weren't paid.
19:07It was unpaid labor.
19:09We worked until 3, 4 in the morning.
19:11We were being subject to a new world of entertainment that was cheap.
19:17There's never a moment away from the cameras,
19:20not even at the model house.
19:23There really wasn't anywhere that was private.
19:26There was mics everywhere,
19:28whether they were on top of cupboards,
19:30tucked behind toilet seats, behind your pillowcase.
19:32Like, you name it, there was a mic somewhere.
19:35And I called the shower.
19:38The shower had, like, a wall
19:41that came up to, like, just below our nipples.
19:45Like, or just maybe just above,
19:47but, like, not if we reached over our head.
19:49You know what I mean?
19:50And they were like,
19:51we won't film you if you are alone in the shower or in the bathroom,
19:55but if anyone else is in there, we will film you.
19:58Also, you guys should totally shower together.
20:01It's like a sorority house for models,
20:03right down to their bad diet.
20:05This ramen tastes like insane.
20:08They didn't give you enough per diem to feed yourself.
20:11A lot of the girls were just living off of cereal or top ramen.
20:15Also, you know, these girls who don't know how to cook are in a kitchen,
20:18so it was a lot of Hot Pockets.
20:20It was a lot of fish sticks, a lot of, like, oven fries.
20:24We weren't eating super well.
20:29And when you're hungry, you get angry, and then you lash out.
20:32So, how does it feel being in the bottom?
20:34Raina and Brenda, if it don't feel good, do it.
20:37They wanted us to fight,
20:38because they wanted to see what you're like at your worst.
20:43Yeah, we were irritable. We were snappy.
20:46That was a concerted effort to keep us off kilter.
20:50It got to the point where I was like, I'll just have a glass of wine.
20:53But guess what? Now this glass of wine is now two glasses of wine,
20:56and I forgot that I didn't have breakfast.
20:58Wait, did I even have lunch? And no.
21:00And now I'm, like, kind of drunk.
21:05The result is exactly what producers want.
21:08Y'all fake as hell.
21:09Don't say that!
21:10This is a hell hole.
21:12Oh, my God.
21:13Tell him it's an emergency.
21:15I started to realize that this show was not a real modeling competition.
21:19You're a stupid bitch.
21:21You want to know me.
21:23No, f**k y'all. F**k all y'all.
21:25It was like psychological warfare.
21:34You have to tell it to him.
21:36I'm not being aggressive.
21:38Yes, you are.
21:40The top model cast are tired, hungry, and on their last nerve.
21:45But they have to pull themselves together
21:47for the most grueling event of all, Judgment Day.
21:53We would go to eliminations, which were the longest, the hardest days.
21:56The day was so long. It was so long.
21:58We'd been up since, like, 5 or 6 a.m.
22:01I mean, the days would sometimes go until, like, 3 a.m.
22:04They had us standing in heels for hours and hours and hours on end
22:08in a really hot production room.
22:10No fans, no A.C., lights blasting on us.
22:13Like, we weren't allowed to sit down.
22:15I didn't feel that you embraced me.
22:20A girl fainted every week.
22:22They warned us. They were like, don't lock your knees.
22:25I was like, these skinny bitches, they're fainting.
22:27And then 10 hours later, I was like, I'm fainting.
22:32In Sarah's case, the physical toll the show has exacted
22:36becomes her Achilles' heel when she's brought to face the judges.
22:40Sarah!
22:41You seem to have lost quite a bit of weight
22:43since the beginning of this competition.
22:45A couple people have said that, and I haven't.
22:47It seems like it.
22:48Perhaps it's the way you're dressing has changed.
22:50The reason that I was losing weight was A, that I was stressed,
22:53but also that I was trying to save money because we weren't getting paid,
22:56and so I was trying to only eat very little and very cheap food.
23:02Junta, congratulations.
23:07She was brought into the competition as a plus-size model.
23:10To become not a plus-size model within the span of the competition
23:14is really difficult to then compete.
23:16You can't just say you're a plus-size model and be not.
23:19I know it hurts. I know it hurts so bad.
23:23Honestly, like, I was super sad that I got eliminated, and I did cry a lot.
23:28I was so surprised that I was crying so much,
23:32and I was so surprised at myself that I was feeling all these feelings,
23:37and I didn't really know what they were about.
23:39I don't know what I feel, but I feel a lot of it.
23:41Some of the judges are put off by your fire.
23:43Some of them think it's cocky.
23:46One by one, the women are picked apart and eventually eliminated.
23:51I was shocked. I was really disappointed.
23:54I knew that I, like, did such an amazing job
23:57that I just knew it was bullshit.
24:00My season was the only one,
24:02the only season they have a bald girl with no hair.
24:05The winner will receive $100,000, thanks to Pantene.
24:09Congratulations.
24:11My season's the only one that a hair company is the sponsor?
24:14There's no way.
24:16You've come so far.
24:18Oh, I was so disappointed when I got eliminated.
24:20Oh, I cried like a baby.
24:22Always crying. Goodness gracious. Oh, so emotional.
24:25Oh, trust me. You will be seeing me again. Know that.
24:28Okay.
24:29Their one solace after being cut
24:32is that the exposure should help their modeling careers.
24:36I was like, I made it to the second last episode.
24:39Good job, Ang. Like, you did good.
24:41Now you got your portfolio.
24:43Just, you know, like, hit the ground running.
24:47No, no, no. From glasses, young lady.
24:50It turns out the opposite is true.
24:53Lisa, alcoholic and jailed up.
24:55Alcoholic and insane, though.
24:57Yeah, well, Lisa's insane anyway.
24:59I was portrayed as an alcoholic villain.
25:02You're basically presenting yourself like a moron, okay?
25:05And what are you doing, alcoholic bitch?
25:08People on the street were calling me an alcoholic bitch.
25:12I was devastated.
25:15I don't really have the time to think about what 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.
25:24That was not at all what I experienced in person.
25:27That girl's not me at all.
25:29Like, the girl that they tried to make me out, it's not me at all.
25:35Some girls who got bad edits
25:37had a really hard time signing with agencies
25:39or 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 and said,
25:50huh, like, how dare you come here with this bullshit?
25:56A model's call sheet or look books are natural and raw.
26:01Sometimes the girl's covering their breasts, you know,
26:04in some of these very, very quiet moments.
26:07That would work on television.
26:09Quiet moments, they'd yawn, change the channel.
26:13It affected my actual career.
26:16One agency told me that they do not affiliate themselves
26:19with America's Next Top Model contestants
26:21because it is really hard for brands and clients
26:23to take that model seriously because of the affiliation of the show.
26:26I could not get signed to an agency to 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...
26:39..squashed my dreams.
26:42Made everybody around the globe hate me.
26:45Also made me hate myself for years.
26:50When they come off the show, we don't give a shit.
26:52We don't care what they do.
26:53They get on with their life, we get on to the next episode.
26:56So there is no follow-up and there is really no care factor,
27:00I guess, from the executive team or from the network
27:04to follow up with these girls to see how their careers are going.
27:07They don't care if you live or die.
27:10Afterwards, they don't care.
27:20America's Next Top Model is...
27:25Britney!
27:27After 16 cycles, America's Next Top Model has become a staple on the CW,
27:32bringing in millions of viewers every week.
27:35But for many of the women,
27:37being on the show has done nothing for their careers,
27:41forcing them to move on.
27:44I knew that I wasn't going to be booked.
27:47My dreams are kind of over, but music is different,
27:50so maybe I can just catapult my career in this direction
27:53instead of acting and modelling.
27:56I was touring, I was doing music.
27:58I'm making amazing choices in my life.
28:01I've found a new sense of self.
28:05And then Top Model comes knocking at the door.
28:08There were rumours that an all-star cycle was happening,
28:11and a producer reached out to me via email.
28:13He was like,
28:14Hey, Anjali, we're thinking about having a top model all-star cycle.
28:18We are putting the girls through some fierce challenges
28:20to take their careers to the next level.
28:22We are putting the girls through some fierce challenges
28:24to take their careers to a whole new level.
28:27They told me that this competition isn't just a modelling competition.
28:31They were going to focus more on our brand.
28:33We were going to be able to showcase our talents.
28:36Completely different format.
28:38You guys are going to co-write your own song
28:40and star in your very own music video.
28:43It's for music, it's for runway, it's for modelling.
28:46Lisa, literally, if there was a competition that was made for you,
28:49this is it.
28:51I welcome this.
28:52It can't get any worse than where I just came from.
28:55So, if I don't win, I can take this.
28:59And because I'm ganged up a little bit more now,
29:01I know how to pivot and try to work it in my favour this time.
29:07I was in the mental headspace where I was so strong.
29:09I thought this would be a great way,
29:11on an international syndicated television show,
29:14to rebrand myself as who I really am.
29:17But I have to be really careful when I film.
29:19And I knew their tricks and so,
29:21if any time I was ready, this was the time I was ready.
29:24I went through all the past cycles and brought back your favourite.
29:292011's Cycle 17 All Stars
29:32brings together 14 models from past seasons
29:35to compete in the ultimate showdown.
29:40All Stars, for me, was the best cycle.
29:43We got girls who had certain personalities,
29:45who should have won, who didn't win,
29:47who acted like this, who looked like that, who were kooky.
29:51As the contest ramps up,
29:53one competitor is outshining the rest.
29:57Anjali has evolved so much.
29:59I've got to agree with you, Anjali.
30:01Anjali, she's totally blowing my socks off.
30:03Anjali Preston was the girl who stood out the most
30:06to be the winner of All Stars.
30:09Enough more. Yeah, that's it there. Good.
30:11She walked on the camera,
30:13she had a certain esque and a certain way about her.
30:16You are knocking it out.
30:18She held herself in a strong model-like manner,
30:22and how she acted was someone that, you know,
30:25was going to win that cycle of America's Next Top Model.
30:30Sure enough, Anjali is victorious.
30:33I won America's Next Top Model, Cycle 17.
30:36Me, Anjali from Buffalo, I won.
30:39I was screaming, I was so excited, I 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.
31:01I said, OK, 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, OK.
31:13All right, sponsorships, OK, everyone'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, we just can't air you as the winner.
31:35Oh my gosh, it was just,
31:38I can't even describe the feeling,
31:41because it's just anger, sadness, confusion, WTF.
31:50I was pulled into a meeting by Tyra
31:53and three other executives that no one else was to know about.
31:56And I was like, gosh, what's going on here?
31:58Like, what's happening?
31:59And I was told that after the first episode went to air
32:03that Anjalee had spoken to someone on social media
32:06and she had announced that she had won America's Next Top Model.
32:09We couldn't have the whole world knowing on episode one
32:13that the winner was Anjalee,
32:15because why would the audience want to tune in
32:17for another 12 or 13 episodes
32:19when they already knew who the winner was in episode one?
32:26I get a call from a producer of the show,
32:29and they said that there's going to be a reshoot
32:32and there's going to be a new winner of the All Stars.
32:35America's Next Top Model is Lisa.
32:42It was like I was on cloud nine.
32:45That's crazy! It's absolutely crazy.
32:50I felt like the world was finally doing something nice for me.
32:55Anjalee'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.
33:49Four years earlier, after appearing on Cycle 14,
33:52Anjalee is struggling.
33:54After Cycle 14 stopped filming, I'm living in Queens
33:58and this guy pulls up in the car
34:00and he's like, hey, you know, what's your name?
34:03Blah, blah, blah.
34:04And I was like, oh my God, he's cute.
34:06Gave him my number.
34:09And I'm just like, I'm a struggling model right now.
34:12Like, I'm not making any money.
34:13And he's like, well, I know how you can make some money.
34:16You know, like my girls, like they, they just go on dates.
34:20The plan was just get some money so I could be on my own
34:23and then continue to focus on modeling.
34:26And it just, it just got like out of, like out of control.
34:35It was basically being sex trafficked.
34:40I don't know if it's because I'm,
34:42whew, excuse me.
34:45Do you have a tissue?
34:47I'm sorry.
34:48You know, I just went on this modeling odyssey, right?
34:53And this was supposed to change my life for the better.
34:59And then I found myself in a situation where I was,
35:04where I was out of my mind.
35:06And I was like, I'm not doing this.
35:08I'm not doing this.
35:09I'm not doing this.
35:10I'm not doing this.
35:11I was in a situation where I was, where I was at my lowest.
35:16Anjali claims producers knew her story
35:19before asking her to return for All Stars.
35:23Anjali herself made it very clear
35:26what she had done in the past on the All Star show during filming.
35:32So we all kind of knew.
35:35And Lisa alleges executive producer Ken Mock alludes to this
35:39rather than the social media posting
35:41as the reason for Anjali's disqualification.
35:45Before the reshoot, Ken Mock said to us,
35:48we are disqualifying Anjali because of her past.
35:54And if you guys say a word,
35:57just know that you'll be in serious legal trouble.
36:09The rumor mill has been swirling
36:10as to why Anjali was disqualified from top model All Stars.
36:15But once she goes public with her story,
36:17the media runs with it.
36:20I don't really know the truth.
36:22I know that there's a lot of rumors and confusion,
36:25but it seems like she won All Stars
36:29and they took it away because she had been an escort,
36:33which is just a weird, why would they care about that?
36:36She performs well enough to win,
36:38and they can't allow her to win because of the sex work
36:41that they knew she did.
36:43She was a victim, and they re-victimized her.
36:47You know, the simplest answer is that's a cowardly thing.
36:51On the other hand, I think it's important
36:53to contextualize America's Next Top Model
36:55as a show that is airing on network television
36:58with a very specific demographic,
37:00with advertisers that the show absolutely needs
37:03in order to keep running.
37:05Final 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,
37:14the show's biggest sponsor for the past 15 years.
37:18Good 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 a $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.
37:55Great.
37:56Sure, CoverGirl 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.
38:17I do believe that,
38:18because a lot of the times it wasn't my choice.
38:21Easy, breezy, beautiful, CoverGirl.
38:24Great.
38:25I've heard that CoverGirl does have a say.
38:28How much of that is true?
38:31I don't know.
38:33I would be on the outside looking in.
38:36There's never been an official reason given
38:39for Anjali losing her crown.
38:41The network has never produced the social media post
38:44that Andrew Peterson alleges led to her being disqualified.
38:49I personally didn't see it.
38:51I tried to find that information online.
38:53I couldn't find anything.
38:54Things can be taken off the internet.
38:56I can delete things.
38:57I don't know how all that went down.
38:59I'm not privy to that information.
39:00So it's actually really something
39:01I'm not confident in talking about.
39:05Despite 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, I won the show.
39:22You deserve this, Lisa.
39:24You are a star.
39:27And even though Lisa benefited from Anjali's exit,
39:30she too ends up a loser.
39:33Nothing happened with my modeling career.
39:36The industry still did not give a shit about me.
39:40Now I'm basically just reality TV garbage.
39:44Okay.
39:45All right, are we ready?
39:46Top Model finally comes to an end in 2018.
39:50Then, during the pandemic,
39:52all 24 cycles are released on Hulu.
39:55And 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.
40:09I was watching it,
40:10and so was the rest of the world in quarantine.
40:13All of a sudden, there was this internet rise of,
40:17hey, this show is really, really problematic.
40:21There's some things on here that are controversial
40:23and, like, also need to be talked about.
40:25Now there's a twist.
40:26We are actually going to switch your ethnicities.
40:30Oh, my God, the photo shoot
40:31where they had to dress up as other races?
40:34It was a cacophony of problematic things.
40:38I want to be out like I'm gay,
40:40and I'm really proud of it.
40:42I think there's a certain thing of being proud.
40:44Like, I'm black and proud, you know what I mean?
40:46But I'm not, like, walking on the red carpet.
40:48I'm black. I'm black. I'm proud.
40:49It ended up being such a wake-up call.
40:52I think we came to terms with how flawed it is.
40:58Tyra responds to the criticism on Twitter,
41:01saying the show made some off choices.
41:05Please.
41:08Her publicist was probably like,
41:10you got to write something, girl.
41:11Tyra was like, OK, well, think of something.
41:13OK, yeah, that sounds good.
41:15And then she just went back to doing what she did
41:17in her Pacific Palisades Malibu mansion, OK?
41:20Like, she do not care.
41:22She don't care. Please.
41:24Good job, Tyra.
41:26It would be really easy to paint Tyra
41:29as just this malicious overlord who has all this power.
41:32In some ways, she's a great example
41:35of 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
41:46that maybe this competition isn't for you,
41:48because you're here to get feedback.
41:50I am not trying to cut you down.
41:52Ultimately, Top Model was a competition reality show
41:56on finding a model.
41:58That is the basis of America's Next Top Model.
42:01When you enter the real world of fame and supermodels,
42:04there's millions of people cutting you down every day.
42:07The intention was never to go out
42:09and to change the image of women
42:12or to change, you know, how women felt about themselves.
42:16She's got rolls of skin that hang over her jeans.
42:19If I said anything on the show about scrutiny
42:23and severe criticism of a body type, I apologize.
42:27That was for TV purposes, and I was stupid enough to say it.
42:31I'm deeply, deeply sorry if I offended anyone.
42:34As for the women who appeared on the show,
42:37the damage has been done, but they're stronger for it.
42:41I don't like being silenced,
42:43and I think that's why I got into a career in journalism,
42:46because I felt like my voice was being taken from me,
42:49and I wanted to be able to help other people
42:52who may have felt the same way by telling their stories.
42:55If I could talk to the version of myself
42:57that was contested on the show,
42:59I think mainly I would tell myself
43:01to stop being a victim of circumstances
43:04and stand up for yourself.
43:06I get really quiet sometimes,
43:08and it takes, like, a gust out for me to be like,
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 f***ing proud of who I am.
43:35If I was given the opportunity
43:38to, like, go on the show now,
43:41absolutely not. Hard pass.
43:43No. No. America's Next Top What?
43:46No. I'm good.
43:48I don't need to be America's Next Top Model.
43:51I don't know if I ever did.