America's Next Top Model has churned out stunners since the series' debut in 2003.
But, despite the show's success, many winners have yet to achieve Tyra-level status. And
some have even stopped modeling completely. Here are the Top Models who can't land a gig.
"America's Next Top Model is…"
Adrianne Curry was the very first Top Model winner in 2003 — but her post-show journey
wasn't what she thought it would be. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Curry lamented,
"We were led to believe daily the winner would be instantly rich and a huge Revlon cover girl.
This was a lie […] they were never going to have us as a model."
Curry did see minor success as a reality TV star,
with her ex-husband, Christopher Knight, of The Brady Bunch fame. But as of 2020,
it appears Curry got remarried and has since taken to selling Avon in Montana.
"And I will be wearing Avon. I'm doing my own makeup. What can I say, I'm a frugal chick."
Whitney Thompson was the first plus-size Top Model winner,
taking home the title in 2008. But she hasn't done much professional modeling, since.
"I'm not finished. You know, this isn't, this isn't where I stop."
On her website, Thompson explains,
"I am […] a restaurant owner, travel enthusiast,
vegan, animal lover, fashion fiend, and stone cold b----."
Thompson lives in Tennessee with her son and husband, and posts vegan recipes on her blog,
WhitneysWanders.com. She also owns and operates the Copper Vault,
a Springfield, Tennessee restaurant that's all about cocktails, live music, and small-town charm.
Chicago-born Puerto Rican beauty, Jaslene Gonzalez,
always wanted to be a model. And her dreaming paid off when she won Cycle 8, in 2007.
"If my family were to be standing here, I know they would be so proud of me already,
you know, making it this far."
She was awarded a spread in Seventeen magazine, a contract with Elite Model Management,
and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl. And she spent 2009 modeling all around the world,
and gracing the pages of VOGUE India, Marie Claire, and ELLE.
"I'm here to help you step up your game."
The Top Model winner eventually gave up the biz and parlayed her success
into a modeling workshop, helping other hopefuls learn the ropes.
Nicole Linkletter was 20 years old when she won Cycle 5. Just a small-town girl from North Dakota,
she took home a $100,000 CoverGirl contract, a Ford Model contract, and a national Ford
Fusion ad. She then went on to grace covers of Elle Girl and Malaysia Marie Claire,
and walk for major fashion designers like Alice + Olivia.
"I was always the girl who never really got, like,
that much attention. And now here I am. I'm a CoverGirl and I'm a Ford model."
But just as fast as her success came, it appears to have gone. According to her
Instagram, these days Linkletter is workin' it with her family.
Britney "McKey" Sullivan landed the top model title for Cycle 11, and went on to
sign a contract with Elite Model Management, appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine,
and sign a contract with CoverGirl. Still, she really hasn't modeled since.
"I'm married to a man who likes to smile an awful lot. He
makes himself laugh all the time. He's his own best friend."
Sullivan seems to be spending her time raising her family and supporting her UFC-star husband's
career. According to her Insta, she even practices martial arts herself. As she told TV Guide,
"I used to be a tomboy and play about every sport under the sun."
Teyona Anderson won Cycle 12 of the show in 2009. The then-20-year-old from New Jersey
took home the standard prize package and spent several years working in the industry.
"I'm America's Next Top Model!"
But since then, Anderson appears to be enjoying the off-duty model
life as a devoted mom. She posted a tribute to her son in 2018, writing,
"You are the happiest person, just radiating joy everywhere you go.
I couldn't be more excited to be your mom and watch you grow. Momma loves her Andy!"
"Never would I have been like, 'I'm gonna be top two on America's Next
Top Model.' Coming from a trailer park, who would think of such a crazy thing?"
Brittani Kline won Top Model in 2011, when she was 19 years old. For her efforts, she landed
spreads in Beauty In Vogue and Vogue Italia, and a contract with IMG Models. Kline maintained her
momentum after the show, booking various runways as well as a spread in Vogue Mexico and Elle
Vietnam. But these days, Kline is busy being a mom and a student. She wrote on Instagram in 2019,
"I […] made the decision to start grad school this fall through [Penn State]
and am excited to dive deeper into the world of strategic communications."
Cycle 20's Guys & Girls season was the first to feature both male and female models. But
that didn't stop Jourdan Miller from taking home the crown. Miller won a $100,000 Guess campaign,
an eight-page spread in Nylon, and a NEXT Model Management contract. She told The Star in 2014,
"I am just so happy and am ready to take on the world, and this is the first step in my career.
But I want to grow beyond [Top Model] and become an icon like Tyra Banks."
"This has been the hardest, but most incredible year of my entire life."
But Miller's plans didn't exactly pan out,
and she filed for bankruptcy in 2015, according to the Daily Mail.
She still models — at least on Instagram — though we're not sure how much work she finds.
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