model behavior

20 Years of Being on Top

Ten former America’s Next Top Model contestants on what the show was really like behind the scenes.

Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of the Subjects
Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of the Subjects
Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of the Subjects

“You wanna be on top?” Turns out, the answer for the ten aspiring models across 22 seasons to Tyra Banks’s infamous question didn’t really matter. For the contestants of reality-competition series America’s Next Top Model, being “on top” didn’t look anything like what they’d expected. Once the cameras were off, they had to hustle and get work for themselves after spending months filming a show that they thought would be setting them up for a successful career. For some contestants, a career did eventually follow; for others, not so much. And for all the women, it meant coping with both reality-TV fame and the reality-TV antics that grant said fame, some exhilarating and some traumatic, and figuring out how to make sense of it all.

The series has since undergone a reckoning of sorts, thanks in part to clips of its most shocking moments going viral on TikTok as we look back at the early-aughts series with 2023 eyes. All those model makeovers where the young contestants tearfully have their hair chopped off and their tooth gaps widened? Not so entertaining today.

Twenty years later, ten former Top Model contestants shared their experiences on the show with the Cut. While many of them didn’t have a close relationship or bond with Banks — she didn’t talk to them when the cameras weren’t rolling, many say — they did have some fond memories. Below, they tell their stories.

Cycle: 1

Adrianne Curry

“Did I deserve to win? No. I just gave producers what they wanted to make a dime and get a show going.”

In 2003, Adrienne Curry became the first-ever contestant to win ANTM. The fashion-industry rookie, born in Joliet, Illinois, was beloved for her tomboy aesthetic and unfiltered personality. “Did I deserve to win that? No,” she says. “I just gave producers what they wanted to make a dime and get a show going.” After her season aired, she was signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City and made frequent appearances on other reality-TV series, like VH1’s The Surreal Life.

What’s one experience from the show you remember most?
Elimination. We probably stood there sometimes for eight to nine hours, until 3:30 a.m. during deliberations. If they had production issues or if something happened, we just stood and stood while being hungry all the time. All we wanted was food. I remember walking in there and just shaking like a leaf. I wanted to win ANTM because I was poor and wanted to help my family. It was like the lottery to me.

What are you doing now? Did you stay in the fashion industry? 
After years of being in Hollywood, I felt like I was losing my soul. It’s a very narcissistic industry where you’re constantly worshipping yourself. I felt like I was drowning in my own self-importance and bullshit. In 2015, I was done and everyone I knew thought I had lost my mind, but I didn’t. I just didn’t want that anymore. Shit happened, but shit happens everywhere in Hollywood. I retired and started selling Avon, and now I am its top rep. I get to help all these fans who have followed me since the LiveJournal and MySpace days. I have personal relationships with people picking out skin care, and I’m at peace. I grew out my gray hair, and I have no Botox, and I’m not doing any of that shit, because I just don’t care anymore. I am more me today than I was when I lost myself on Top Model. 

What was life like for you after winning? 
Imagine you win the lottery, the press comes, and you stand there with a big check. You take all the pictures, then you go to cash the check and there’s no money. I felt bamboozled at the time. Looking back at my character growth, I’m grateful that it happened.

I see so many of the other contestants still so upset at the show, and I wish them peace, because you aren’t going to have a good life if you’re holding onto that bullshit. The lowdown is Tyra Banks was aging out at modeling and she’s brilliant. She started a show to project her career; it wasn’t for us. Now that I know more about the industry, she’s fucking smart. Then everyone’s mad because she was cutthroat as well — what industry did she come from? She doesn’t know any different.

Cycle: 4

Brittany Brower

“Filming was the longest two months of my freaking life. I felt like I was in a women’s penitentiary.”

Brittany Brower placed fourth in her cycle in 2005 and was often criticized by the show’s judges as being “too sexy.” After filming, Brower continued her modeling career and also appeared in Bravo’s Battle of the Network Reality Stars in 2005.

What did you get from being on the show? Are you happy you did it? 
I’m 100 percent happy I did it; I don’t ever have regrets about that stuff. Everything is a learning experience, and it did help me in the real world. They threw such ridiculous things at us that you’ll never have to do in the real industry, so if you could get through that and being on TV, then it made normal auditions and casting so much easier.

Do you think the show changed or perpetuated beauty standards? 
Beauty trends change all the time. Think about the ’80s, all those supermodels were like Cindy Crawford, they all had that big hair and that same look that pretty much all of them had. Then came the ’90s, and all of a sudden it’s Kate Moss who’s all the rage, the five-foot-nine girl who looks like she just shot up heroin in the bathroom. I don’t think the show did anything that wasn’t naturally already going on within the society of the modeling industry. The modeling industry is very toxic; that’s always how it’s been.

What was your relationship like with Tyra? 
She’s just kind of cold. I feel like when people complain about Tyra, it’s just because people wish, or think, they should have had a closer relationship with her. I can’t talk for others. I can only say for myself that she’s not my favorite person in the world, but I don’t think she deserves to be villainized.

Cycle: 4

Keenyah Hill

“The show influenced a lot of beauty standards at the time; however, it was only perpetuating beauty standards that already existed.”

“The show was genius and it was just a different time,” says Keenyah Hill, who came in cycle four, in 2005, during the notoriously racially insensitive episode of the “Got Milk” challenge, where some of the contestant had to “swap races” and were wearing blackface. “As a Black girl, I didn’t think anything of it. I was like, ‘Let’s go, this is so interesting, this is a challenge.’ Now, if they had paired the races with doing something stereotypical of that race, then, that’s messed up. But it was art at the time. That’s one of the biggest things that jumps out at me now; it’s like I didn’t even bat an eye. Who knew we’d now end up in the era of sensitivity,” says Hill. Post-show, she signed with a New York–based agency and pursued an acting career, landing roles in the shows New Girl and The Bold and the Beautiful.

What did you get from being on the show? Are you happy you did it? 
I’m glad I did the show. I had the most amazing time. Every day was exciting; you wake up and you remember that you’re on America’s Next Top Model. And you don’t know what you’re going to be doing that day. I was friends with all the other girls. We were just so young and so excited to be there. Every day was just this mystery, like what are we going to do? Is it going to be crazy? The show also started to build my confidence up because I wasn’t getting eliminated — it added some fire and made me go even harder.

Do you think the show changed or perpetuated beauty standards? 
The show influenced a lot of beauty standards at the time; however, it was only perpetuating beauty standards that already existed. My cycle was 2004 when the heroin-chic look was in, so they perpetuated that. I got some slack for gaining probably two to three pounds while I was on the show, and they edited it so poorly. I had no idea that as I was walking on the beach, they’d be zooming in on my stomach. I was 19 years old at the time. I had no idea that they were going to edit me in that way, and not only did it affect me, but it also affected other young ladies who were watching, who were probably saying, “Oh, my gosh, if she’s 5 feet 11 and they’re calling her big or bothering her for gaining weight, then what do I look like? I must be a whale or I must just be so overweight then.”

Right after filming the show, I moved to New York to start my modeling career. I lost so much weight before I went, and my agency was like, “You’re still not skinny enough.” I was drinking all kinds of energy drinks, trying to run, and just trying to do everything to lose weight.

Do you think there’s a place for these kinds of shows in 2023? 
Top Model was great for the time that it was in because no one had ever seen the behind-the-scenes of anything modeling related. People really got an inside look at some aspects of the industry.

Cycle: 11

Isis King

“A trans model, a plus-size model, a model with vitiligo … you have to give the show credit for being so impactful in the industry when they weren’t accepting of these things.”

“It wasn’t perfect for me on the show,” says Isis King, the show’s first trans contestant, who came in tenth place in season 11, in 2008, and later appeared on the show’s all-stars season in 2011, where she placed 12th. “Even during the era where there were no opportunities for a Black trans reality model after the show, and when the opportunities started to slowly trickle in, I was ready for them. That was all me, but it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t apply myself during Top Model.” Since her appearances in the two seasons, King has continued modeling and taken on acting projects, most notably a supporting role in Netflix’s 2019 film When They See Us.

What did you learn most about yourself from filming the show?
I was on the show at the very beginning of my transition. Getting in the pool on the show was the first time I got in the pool as my true self. I was around people, and the doors had been taken off the hinge. But I learned that if I bet on myself, I can do anything. I didn’t have anything holding me back.

Do you think the modeling industry has changed? 
Definitely. Some of the strife from Top Model and some of the things that were shocking for Top Model — a trans model, a plus-size model, a model with vitiligo — these things are celebrated now that weren’t celebrated then. I think as much as people hate on Top Model and Tyra, you have to give the show credit for being so impactful in the industry when they weren’t accepting of these things. Top Model deserves credit for being the pioneers of that; that’s really the reality of it.

What did you get from being on the show? Are you happy you did it? 
I realized — after the show and hearing so many stories about how I saved the lives of queer people — the power of my story. I wouldn’t have impacted so many people the way I had if I wasn’t on the show. It was bigger than me at the time. Sometimes I took a lot of punches because of that, but looking back, I wouldn’t take it away because I would’ve never accomplished some of the things I’ve accomplished.

Cycle: 7

Anchal Joseph

“The runway that we did on the water, they purposely made it wobbly. No runway is ever made that way. Runways are meant to be solid. But they put us in pin-thin skirts that didn’t even have slits, so we had to walk up this crooked runway. They made the show for TV.”

“I look at the clips now; I was no bigger than the bitch next to me,” says Anchal Joseph, who came in seventh place on cycle 7 of the show in 2006. She was one of the first Indian models to appear on the show and was often praised for her striking features. “I was 125 pounds. Mentally, it did fuck with me for years when it came to body image,” she says. Since filming, she signed to several modeling agencies and appeared in Gossip Girl.

How do you think the modeling industry has changed?
I grew up admiring the ’90s models: Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Niki Taylor. Those were the bombshell women. They didn’t talk about Botox and lip fillers, and maybe they did get boob jobs back then and they were still curvy. The era now, the women don’t bring that appeal, that sex appeal that they used to.

Do you think the show changed or perpetuated beauty standards? 
ANTM was the first show to start pushing the whole curve thing. A couple of seasons after me they really did implement it with models like Whitney and Toccara. Those girls really switched it up, and they said, “We can be sexy too.” I think that really, really started everything, so I do have to give them props. They deserve credit too.

Do you think there is a place for these kinds of shows now? 
In this day and age, with the sensitivity? Maybe if they would go about it differently, so they don’t get canceled. But I don’t think it would have to be with the same premise. I think it would have to be a legitimate top-model show. Getting up at 4 a.m., going to a casting, getting the hair and makeup, and not this fake entertainment. The runway that we did on the water, they purposely made it wobbly, and Eugena fell on it and scratched up her leg. No runway is ever made that way. Runways are meant to be solid. I’ve done so many fashion shows and never had that; those runways are solid and they make sure models can’t be harmed. But they put us in pin-thin skirts that didn’t even have slits, so we had to walk up this crooked runway. They made the show for TV.

Cycle: 23

Tatiana Elizabeth Price

“The show has always been a reflection of the times.”

“Growing up and watching Top Model was the reason that I wanted to be a model,” says cycle 23 runner-up Tatiana Elizabeth Price. The model also is a beauty entrepreneur and founder of Skin Buttr, a line of natural beauty butters, which she often promoted on the show. Known as being one of stylist Law Roach’s favorites of the season, she quickly rose to the final round, landing her in second place. “Being on the show made me realize my potential to not only be selected on a show that I grew up admiring, but to make it to the final two let me know that the sky isn’t the limit.” Price is still growing her beauty brand while starring in major beauty and fashion campaigns including Calvin Klein, True Religion, and more.

How would you sum up your experience on the show?
We spent the majority of the time off-camera with one another with no phones, so we had to come up with ways to entertain ourselves. We got to know each other so well and formed a sisterhood. When I look back on the show, that’s something a bit out of the norm that I really think about and cherish.

Do you think the show changed or perpetuated beauty standards? 
I feel like in previous seasons, there are definitely moments we can all look back on and cringe a bit. There were infamous Tyra makeover moments that challenged beauty standards, but overall the show has always been a reflection of the times.

Do you think the modeling industry has changed? 
The internet, social media, and fast-fashion culture have changed the industry for the better. Things are way more inclusive now, and a lot more brands care to make people feel more seen and represented. High fashion still has a little ways to go, but generally, the industry has progressed and more people are able to relate to the people who they see in ads, magazines, and campaigns.

Cycle: 2

Mercedes Scelba Shorte

“Tyra was only a by-product of what she had learned. She could have changed that momentum, but she was trying to mirror what the industry was like at the time.”

“I have wanted to model ever since I was little,” says Mercedes Scelba Shorte, who was on cycle 2 in 2004 and placed as runner-up. “Growing up in New Jersey, right across from Manhattan, my mom would take me to the modeling agencies and I would get a lot of no’s. And I didn’t really see that many people who looked like me, but I knew that I wanted to model so that there could be more representation on billboards or in magazines.” The curly-haired Shorte would often face ridicule from the judges for looking “too commercial.” She also hid the fact that she had lupus for a few episodes. After the show aired, she continued modeling and acting while also pursuing other passions, like being a luxury home brand representative, starting her own jewelry line, and enjoying motherhood.

How did you deal with how you were perceived on national television? 
You have to go against your morals at times. I was hiding my medication. I asked one of the producers if I could use her cell phone so I could call my doctor, because my hair was falling out. She probably could have gotten fired. And I just appreciated that humanity. No one got to see that — everyone we worked with was kind and really respectful of our space. We were treated like humans. I forged really strong relationships with the people on the show. I’ve become friends with a lot of the people from that season, almost everybody, just because it was untreaded waters.

What is your relationship with Tyra like today? 
Tyra was only a by-product of what she had learned. Everyone talked to you like you were trash; that’s how they talked to each other in the fashion industry. She could have changed that momentum, but she was trying to mirror what the industry was like at the time. Everybody’s going back now, and it’s great that we’re becoming more sensitive and privy to people’s mental health and things like that, but at the time, everybody was like that. That’s how it was.

What would you say you learned the most about yourself? 
Having a disease at 21 and trying to make sense of your life can be difficult, but I learned from the show that I just kept making it through every episode and judging session stronger than I thought I was. I had promised my grandmother that I would change the way people looked at lupus. I hoped that she could live longer, but she didn’t. America’s Next Top Model gave me such a large platform to express who I was as a person, where I wanted to go, and it gave me visibility to make those things happen.

Cycle: 23

Tash & Cody Wells

“They do extensive psych tests before you’re even allowed on the show; they learn your weaknesses and they use it against you.”

Tash and Cody Wells were the second set of sisters to be featured on the show, on cycle 23 in 2016. Tash placed 12th and returned in episode nine as a comeback contestant, and later placed sixth. Cody came in fifth. Cody was the “tomboy” and Tash the “girly girl.” After the show, the sisters continued modeling, but today are mainly focused on their rap duo group called IIIcon.

You both had the unique experience of being featured on the show as sisters. What was that like for you? 
Cody: Tash is straight and I’m queer, and we were actually dealing with my coming out at the time while we were on the show. So we had had some challenges before we got on the show that we ended up really working out while we were on the show. The experience actually brought us so much closer together and allowed us to see each other as individuals.

Tash: There was a lot of manipulation from the producers wanting to spin this story of sibling rivalry. It was so weird, because we were actually scouted as twin models; we always sold ourselves as a pair. We had no idea that once we got on the show that they were going to pit us against each other. The whole time we were trying to sell this idea of twin winners and we would win together, and once the cameras started rolling, they were like, “That’s not going to happen.” I feel like there was a point where there was a brainwashing, and it started to feel like we were really battling each other through these challenges, which was hard for me, because I never saw that for us. It was a lot to deal with, but having my sister there to go through it with … I don’t know how I could have handled that by myself.

What did you learn the most about yourself from being on the show? 
Tash: I felt very targeted. They do extensive psych tests before you’re even allowed on the show; they learn your weaknesses and they use it against you. And there was this thing of me and my sister, one being a tomboy and one being the girly girl, and they made it a point to switch our looks. They were really trying to get a reaction out of me, which they got. I had locked myself in the bathroom, and I was just giving myself these affirmations, which I think is a moment that a lot of people remember, unfortunately. I don’t think at the time I knew that that was what I was doing, but now that I look back at it, I’m just really proud of myself for taking that time away and just trying to remind myself of who I was.

Cody: There was a time when I just felt like I had the title of being a top model, but I didn’t have anything else. And I felt like there were a lot of expectations from people who watched the show and they wanted to know how Tyra was, and they wanted to know how my life was changing, and they wanted to know all these things, but none of that was really happening. It sent me into a depression, but after healing myself, I realized that being a top model in general is a title that a lot of models are really looking for to have that validation. Our music gave us an outlet to take that experience and immortalize it.

Cycle: 3

Toccara Jones

“I love going back and watching it. I know a lot of girls feel like they edited and they showed only certain things. But it was really true to me.”

“When I was little, my dad said I used to hide behind the TV,” Toccara Jones says, “and I used to be like, ‘How do you get in here, how do you get into television?’” Today, Jones is widely praised for putting curve models on the map. Even after not receiving a callback when she auditioned for Top Model the first time, she tried again: “I went to the casting, performed on the stage, and walked out like a celebrity and told everybody that I was going to be on America’s Next Top Model.” Now, the actor (who is starring in Hulu’s Three Ways), who is also the creator of a lingerie line for busty women called Toccara Intimates and a healer with her own wellness studio in Georgia, is still being recognized in local grocery stores.

In the industry, you’re considered one of the blueprints for curve models. How does that make you feel? 
The other day I was in Sprouts, and a woman saw me and she started crying. When I was on the show, because I already had signed with Wilhelmina, they used the term plus size for me. I never let that define me. I didn’t look at it as a derogatory thing. Because first of all, plus is a good thing; I don’t know how it even got flipped around. I was fortunate to be on a platform where I entered millions of people’s homes and I was able to represent that for bigger sizes.

Overall, how would you describe your experience on the show? 
The show was really good for me because I was myself. I love going back and watching it. And they were able to capture that, and I know a lot of girls feel like they edited and they showed only certain things. But it was really true to me. I mean, some things they did edit, but overall it was still me. They do have to do their job; it’s a TV show. So they’re casting for beauty, but they’re also casting for personalities.

20 Years of Being on Top