America's Next Top Model (often shortened to Top Model or abbreviated as ANTM) is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry.
The show was created and is hosted by veteran television personality, former supermodel and current talk-show host, Tyra Banks, who also serves as the head judge and executive producer of the show. The first "cycle" premiered in May 2003 and was one of UPN's highest rated shows. The show's seventh cycle was the first of the shows among regular programming on UPN's successor network, The CW, and thus far is the network's highest rated series. The show will continue until at least the 2009-10 season. The opening theme is performed by Tyra Banks and is produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Banks co-produces the show with Ken Mok and Anthony Dominici. For the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 television seasons, ANTM was the #1 show in average viewers on The CW.
Each episode of Top Model covers the events of roughly a week of real time (however, while overseas, an episode roughly covers three to four days, totaling two weeks of filming abroad), and features a fashion challenge, photo shoot or commercial, a critique of each contestant and her performance by the judging panel led by Tyra Banks, and the elimination of one or more contestants. As of Cycle 10, the current judging panel includes runway coach J. Alexander, fashion photographer Nigel Barker and Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova. Previous judges included fashion icon Twiggy, supermodel Janice Dickinson, fashion stylist Nolé Marin, designer Kimora Lee Simmons and fashion editors Beau Quillian and Eric Nicholson. Photo shoot director Jay Manuel, though not a permanent judge, is featured every episode. Usually, an additional guest judge will sit in on the panel every week. Each episode is usually associated with a theme in the world of modeling, such as dealing with the press in interviews, selling a commercial product, appearing in a runway show or going on "go sees".
An episode usually begins with the contestants receiving training in an area concurrent with the week's theme. For example, contestants may get coached in runway walking, improvisational acting, or applying make-up to suit various occasions. A related challenge soon follows, such as a mock runway show or interview, and a winner is chosen by a judge. She receives some prize, such as clothing, a night out, or an advantage at the next photo shoot, and she is usually allowed to share the benefits with a certain number of other contestants of her choice.
The next segment is a photo shoot, and each contestant's performance will reflect heavily on her judging for that week. Each season features photo shoots such as bikini or lingerie shots, beauty shots, posing nude or semi-nude, posing with a male model, and posing with animal(s). Usually one photo shoot per season is replaced with a commercial shoot (excluding Cycle 2, Cycle 5 and Cycle 9 where there were both a commercial and a photoshoot and Cycle 4 where there was no commercial at all) and in Cycles 2 and 9, a photo shoot was replaced by a music video for Tyra Banks and Enrique Iglesias respectively.
The final segment of each episode is judging. During judging, contestants are often given a challenge in some area such as posing, selling a product, runway walking, or choosing a representative outfit or make-up to satisfy a given prompt, known as a pre-evaluation task. This practice has been discontinued since Cycle 8. Each contestant's photo is then shown and evaluated by the judging panel. After all photos have been evaluated, the contestants leave the room as the judges deliberate. The elimination process is ceremonious, as Tyra reveals and hands out the photos of the contestants that have not been eliminated one-by-one, in order of merit, each time saying, "Congratulations. You are still in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Model". The last two contestants who have not received their photos are brought up as "the bottom two", and Tyra critiques each one before revealing which of the two is continuing on in the competition (the other being eliminated). However, there have been three exceptions, as Cycle 4 had a double elimination, Cycle 5 had a non-elimination, and in Cycle 9, the original eliminee was saved by another contestant's decision to quit on the spot, just moments after Tyra had called her name for safety.
The format varies slightly when only three contestants remain. With the exceptions of Cycles 1 and 2, (when CoverGirl wasn't a sponsor), and Cycle 3 where there was no commercial, the three remaining contestants compete in one last photo shoot and commercial for CoverGirl, followed by a judging session in which the judges eliminate the contestant they feel to be the weakest. The final two then compete in a runway show in front of the judges and a live audience, before both their performances there and during the entire competition is considered when the judges declare a winner.
Since CoverGirl has become a sponsor, each week from week 3 to 12, recap excluded (with exception of Cycle 3, Cycle 9 and Cycle 10 where it was awarded on Week 2 as well) a girl can be voted CoverGirl of the Week by the viewers. From Cycle 11 onwards, this has been replaced by a Top Model in Action segment, focusing on former contestants and their post-show accomplishments.
To celebrate its tenth cycle, ANTM aired a special installment called America's Next Top Model: Exposed in two parts on the CW on Wednesday, February 6 & February 13, 2008. It reviewed the best cat fights, mishaps and most memorable photoshoots, personalities, defining moments and contained other segments about the show since Cycle 1 to Cycle 9, and featured a special opening fusing all three openings together. Camille McDonald (Cycle 2), Toccara Jones (Cycle 3), Eva Pigford (Cycle 3 winner), Bre Scullark (Cycle 5), Cassandra Whitehead (Cycle 5), Joanie Dodds (Cycle 6), Jael Strauss (Cycle 8), Dionne Walters (Cycle 8), Heather Kuzmich (Cycle 9), and Bianca Golden (Cycle 9) all returned to comment on events that happened in their or other cycles.
On March 3, 2008, The CW confirmed a 11th and 12th cycle would run.
ANTM is also very connected with Tyra Banks' talk show. Several contestants have appeared on it, most notably Natasha Galkina (Cycle 8) who worked as correspondent for the show. The show's stage was also used for the Cycle 5 reunion show. More recently, Banks had several girls (Shannon Stewart (Cycle 1), Camille McDonald, Shandi Sullivan, Mercedes Scelba-Shorte (all Cycle 2), Toccara Jones (Cycle 3), Michelle Deighton, along with her husband and daughter (Cycle 4), Joanie Dodds (Cycle 6), Anchal Joseph (Cycle 7), Jael Strauss (Cycle 8), Heather Kuzmich and Bianca Golden (both Cycle 9) feature to celebrate the 10th Cycle of ANTM.
Banks also held the Fiercee Awards, a mock award show, with categories as follows. Bold names indicate the category winners.
This ceremony was preceded by red carpet interviews of Toccara Jones, Caridee English, Jaslene Gonzalez, Camille McDonald, Keenyah Hill, Carol Alt, Quiana Grant, Melissa Baker and Tyra Banks, followed by an online fashion review by Toccara Jones and Jay Manuel. Amongst Jay's favourites were Jones herself, together with McDonald, while Jones liked Jaslene Gonzalez. They agreed that Saleisha Stowers, Norelle Van Herk and Tyra Banks were amongst the best dressed while CariDee English was amongst the worst.
Ken Mok and Tyra Banks noticed that most of Cycle 8's girls were unusually heavy smokers. "Tyra and I understand the influence 'Top Model' has on a generation of young people, and we want to make sure we get the right message to our audience," Mok said, which then prompted the "green" theme of Cycle 9.
After filming Cycle 10, the producers of America's Next Top Model were served with a lawsuit from Michael Marvisi who owns the loft used as the Top Model house. The lawsuit claims the contestants as well as the production crew caused an estimated $500,000 in damages to the loft. Marvisi claims the contestants engaged in food fights, made holes in the walls, caused water damage to the bathroom, damaged a $15,000 chandelier beyond repair, and caused $90,000 worth of damage to an electrical store. Also, the production crew has been accused of damaging the flooring and making holes in the ceiling for lighting equipment.
There has also been controversy regarding Whitney Thompson's win in Cycle 10, over her official "plus-sized" crown. Plus-sized models are usually exclusively dress sizes 12-16 (US) while Whitney was only a size 10.
| Cycle | Premiere Date | Winner | Runner Up | Other Contestants (In Order Of Elimination) | Number Of Contestants | International Destination(s) |
| Cycle 1 | May 20, 2003 | Adrianne Curry | Shannon Stewart | Tessa Carlson, Katie Cleary, Nicole Panattoni, Ebony Haith, Giselle Samson, Kesse Wallace, Robin Manning, Elyse Sewell | 10 | Paris, France |
| Cycle 2 | January 13, 2004 | Yoanna House | Mercedes Scelba-Shorte | Anna Bradfield, Bethany Harrison, Heather Blumberg, Jenascia Chakos, Xiomara Frans, Catie Anderson, Sara Racey-Tabrizi, Camille McDonald, April Wilkner, Shandi Sullivan | 12 | Milan, Italy |
| Cycle 3 | September 22, 2004 | Eva Pigford | Yaya Da Costa | Magdalena Rivas, Leah Darrow, Julie Titus, Kristi Grommet, Jennipher Frost, Kelle Jacob, Cassie Grisham, Toccara Jones, Nicole Borud, Norelle Van Herk, Ann Markley, Amanda Swafford | 14 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Cycle 4 | March 2, 2005 | Naima Mora | Kahlen Rondot | Brita Petersons, Sarah Dankleman, Brandy Rusher, Noelle Staggers, Lluvy Gomez, Rebecca Epley, Tiffany Richardson, Tatiana Dante, Michelle Deighton, Christina Murphy, Brittany Brower, Keenyah Hill | 14 | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Cycle 5 | September 21, 2005 | Nicole Linkletter | Nik Pace | Ashley Black, Ebony Taylor, Cassandra Whitehead (quit), Sarah Rhoades, Diane Hernández, Coryn Woitel, Kyle Kavanagh, Lisa D'Amato, Kim Stolz, Jayla Rubinelli, Bre Scullark | 13 | London, United Kingdom |
| Cycle 6 | March 8, 2006 | Danielle Evans | Joanie Dodds | Kathy Hoxit, Wendy Wiltz, Kari Schmidt, Gina Choe, Mollie Sue Steenis-Gondi, Leslie Mancia, Brooke Staricha, Nnenna Agba, Furonda Brasfield, Sara Albert, Jade Cole | 13 | Bangkok , Thailand |
| Cycle 7 | September 20, 2006 | CariDee English | Melrose Bickerstaff | Christian Evans, Megan Morris, Monique Calhoun, Megg Morales, AJ Stewart, Brooke Miller, Anchal Joseph, Jaeda Young, Michelle Babin, Amanda Babin, Eugena Washington | 13 | Barcelona, Spain |
| Cycle 8 | February 28, 2007 | Jaslene Gonzalez | Natasha Galkina | Kathleen DuJour, Samantha Francis, Cassandra Watson, Felicia Provost, Diana Zalewski, Sarah VonderHaar, Whitney Cunningham, Jael Strauss, Brittany Hatch, Dionne Walters, Renee Alway | 13 | Sydney, Australia |
| Cycle 9 | September 19, 2007 | Saleisha Stowers | Chantal Jones | Mila Bouzinova, Kimberly Leemans, Victoria Marshman, Janet Mills, Ebony Morgan (quit), Sarah Hartshorne, Ambreal Williams, Lisa Jackson, Heather Kuzmich, Bianca Golden, Jenah Doucette | 13 | Shanghai & Beijing, China |
| Cycle 10 | February 20, 2008 | Whitney Thompson | Anya Kop | Kimberly Rydzewski (quit), Atalya Slater, Allison Kuehn, Amis Jenkins, Marvita Washington, Aimee Wright, Claire Unabia, Stacy Ann Fequiere, Lauren Utter, Katarzyna Dolińska, Dominique Reighard, Fatima Siad | 14 | Rome, Italy |
| Cycle 11 | September 3, 2008 | TBA | TBA | Eliminated: ShaRaun Brown, Nikeysha Clarke, Brittany Rubalcaba, Hannah White, Isis King, Clark Gilmer, Lauren Brie Harding Still in the running: Analeigh Tipton, Elina Ivanova, Joslyn Pennywell, Marjorie Conrad, McKey Sullivan, Samantha Potter, Sheena Sakai | 14 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| Region/Country | Local title | Network(s) | Broadcast year(s) | Presenter(s) | No. of cycles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan's Next Top Model | Mazar-i-Sharif | 2005 | 1 | |||
| Australia's Next Top Model | FOX8 | 2005-present | Erika Heynatz (2005-2006) Jodhi Meares (2007-2008) Sarah Murdoch (2008-present) | 4 | Also aired on VH1 in the United States in 2007 | |
| Austria's Next Topmodel | Puls4 | 2009 | Lena Gercke | First cycle when a ex-winner has hosted an Top Model Cycle (Lena won Germany's Next Top Model Cycle 1) | ||
| Topmodel | KanaalTwee | 2007-present | Ingrid Seynhaeve (2007) An Lemmens (2008) | 2 | ||
| Brazil's Next Top Model | SET | 2007-present | Fernanda Motta | 2 | ||
| Canada's Next Top Model | Citytv/A-Channel | 2006-present | Tricia Helfer (2006) Jay Manuel (2007-present) | 2 | ||
| Caribbean | Caribbean's Next Top Model | CaribVision | 2008 | Carla Campbell | 1 | |
| Central America | Super Model Centroamérica | BCCA | 2007 | Leonora Jimenez
| 1 | Only part of the franchise in its first Cycle |
| China's Next Top Model (CNTM閃亮模坊) | Dragon TV | 2008 | Li Ai | 1 | ||
| Hrvatski Top Model | RTL | 2008 | Tatjana Jurić | 1 | ||
| Denmark's Next Top Model | TV3 | 2005-2006 | Anne P | 3 | Was originally part of Scandinavia's Next Top Model | |
| Suomen huippumalli haussa (Searching for Finland's Top Model) | Nelonen | 2008-present | Anne Kukkohovi | 2 | ||
| France's Next Top Model | Métropole 6 | 2005-present | Odile Sarron (2005) Adriana Karembeu (2007) | 2 | ||
| Germany's Next Topmodel | ProSieben | 2006-present | Heidi Klum | 3 | ||
| Top Model Ghana | GTV | 2006 | Abenaa | 1 | First African version of the franchise | |
| Amiga Top Model | Commodore | 2007 | 1
| |||
| Hungary's Next Top Model | Viasat 3 | 2006 | Viktória Vámosi Panni Epres | 1 | ||
| יוצר- עירד אשל The Models | Channel 10 | 2005-2008 | Galit Gutman | 3 | ||
| Italia's Next Top Model | SKY Vivo
| 2007-present | Natasha Stefanenko | 2 | ||
| Я красивая (I'm Beautiful) | Hit TV | 2005 | 1 | |||
| Mexico's Next Top Model | SET | 2009 | ||||
| Mega Model Nepal | Image Channel | 2008 | 1 | |||
| Holland's Next Top Model | RTL5 | 2006-present | Yfke Sturm (2006-2007) Daphne Deckers (2007-present) | 4 | ||
| Nigeria's Next Top Model | Hi TV | 2007 | Adoara Oleh & Oreke | 1 | Second African version of the franchise, after Ghana. | |
| Norway's Next Top Model | TV3 | 2005-present | Kathrine Sørland (2005-06), Vendela Kirsebom (2007-present) | 6 | Was originally part of Scandinavia's Next Top Model | |
| Philippines' Next Top Model | RPN | 2007 | Ruffa Gutierrez-Bektas | 1 | ||
| Ты супермодель (You're a supermodel) | CTC | 2004-present | Fyodor Bondarchuk (2004-05) Alexander Tsekalo (2006) Svetlana Bondarchuk (2007-present) | 4 | ||
| Scandinavia | Scandinavia's Next Top Model | TV3 | 2005-2006 | Kathrine Sørland Anne P Mini Anden (2005) Malin Persson (2006) | 3 | Consisted of contestants from Norway, Denmark and Sweden |
| Slovakia's Next Top Supermodel (H'lada sa Supermodelka) | TV JOJ | 2007 | Simona Krainova | 1 | ||
| Supermodelo | Cuatro | 2006-2008 | Judit Mascó (2006-2007) Eloísa González (2008) | 3 | ||
| Sweden's Next Top Model | TV3 | 2004-present | Mini Anden (2004) Malin Persson (2005-06) Vendela Kirsebom (2007) | 4 | Was originally part of Scandinavia's Next Top Model | |
| Switzerland's Next Supermodel | 3+ TV | 2007-present | Nadja Schildknecht (2007) Franziska Knuppe (2008) | 2 | ||
| Thailand's Next Top Model | Thai TV3 | 2005 | Sonia Couling | 1 | ||
| Turkey's Next Top Model (Top Model Turkiye's) | Star TV | 2006 | Deniz Akkaya | 1 | ||
| Britain's Next Top Model | LIVING | 2005-present | Lisa Butcher (2005) Lisa Snowdon (2006-present) | 4 | ||