America's Next Top Model strutted its stuff for an impressive 22 seasons over 12 years,
and Tyra Banks' reality competition kickstarted busy entertainment careers for many of its
leggy alumni.
But not every contestant has walked a pretty path to fashion and fortune.
And some look much different than their on-screen portfolios.
Here are the Top Model stars who look so much different now.
Jael Strauss
Cycle 8 contestant Jael Strauss seemed fresh-faced and fierce on camera in 2007, but the years
following her appearance were plagued by drug addiction and homelessness.
Fans were shocked when a haggard, nearly unrecognizable Strauss appeared on Dr. Phil in 2012.
Her family's tumultuous, televised intervention encouraged Strauss to seek professional help
for her addiction to crystal meth, cocaine, and painkillers.
She completed rehab and, according to her Facebook, began working at Resolution Gardens
landscaping company in Austin, Texas.
Renee Alway
Renee Alway was another young contestant on Cycle 8 whose success ended once the cameras
stopped rolling.
Alway became addicted to painkillers and heroin and lost her home and custody of her three
children as a result of her drug use.
Her most publicized post-show spread was a mugshot after her arrest in Palm Springs in
2013.
Alway pled guilty to felony counts of burglary, vehicle theft, and possession of a firearm
and a misdemeanor count of identify theft.
She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In hopes of deterring others from following in her footsteps, Alway conducted an interview
from prison, sporting a standard-issue jumpsuit and shaved head, and spoke about her post-show
destruction.
She explained that her inability to get work after the show was the start of her downfall.
"I felt like a failure because I couldn't I couldn't get past the reality TV stigma
that had been put on me."
Though Alway connects her downfall to the shows, she also assumes responsibility for
her decisions.
"But there's plenty of girls who who were eliminated and they're doing just fine.
So, obviously I made choices that brought me here as well."
Cassi Van Den Dungen
Australia's version of America's Next Top Model led to the discovery of model Cassi
Van Den Dungen, who, at just 16, became runner-up Down Under in 2009.
The working-class youngster earned significant success walking for major fashion houses,
including Calvin Klein and Miu Miu, but she shocked the industry with her skeletal appearance
on the catwalk during Australian Fashion Week in 2014.
The designer, Alex Perry, publicly apologized for booking her on his runway and claimed
he was bothered by her waifish appearance as well.
"I looked at, I looked at that footage and I recoil from it and the images, um, that
it, it's not the image that I, um, think is a good one to, to put forward."
A defensive Van Den Dungen fired back via Instagram by posting a quote that read:
"I think a lot of overweight girls are hypocrites.
I'm naturally tall and skinny, I eat what I want, I don't starve myself, and I am beautiful.
So why are you allowed to love your 'curves' but it's wrong for me to love my 'bones'?"
The pair didn't stay at odds too long, because In 2016, Perry hired Van Den Dungen again
to model for his Resort 2017 collection.
Amanda Swafford
Cycle 3 contestant Amanda Swafford was a judge favorite for her flawless photographs and
icy eyes, but financial struggles have taken a toll on her CoverGirl face.
In 2014, Swafford launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for $5,000 to replace a missing front
tooth.
She explained her distress by writing:
"If I had money like that I would have replaced my glasses when they broke two years ago and
started a savings account for my son to go to college or buy a car to drive his blind
mom around."
Swafford reportedly broke her nose and knocked out another tooth in early 2015.
She eventually appeared to have her tooth repaired, and her signature sweetness was
intact.
Bello Sanchez
Cycle 22 competitor Bello Sanchez also turned to crowdfunding for a little financial assistance
after he was injured in a traffic accident in California in October 2015.
Sanchez revealed that was on his way home after a long day of fashion shows when he
"fell asleep at the wheel."
Sanchez posted a photo of his bloody face next to a request for $30,000.
One thing that remained intact after the incident, of course, was his pair of signature blue
eyes.
He since appears to have recovered from his ailments.
Lisa D'Amato
Lisa D'Amato, winner of America's Next Top Model: All Stars, mangled her face on the
set of an indie film called Cowboys and Indians in 2013 when she fell while attempting a handstand.
D'Amato shared the gruesome damage which was done to her prized face, before and after
her reconstructive surgery, and they were not suitable for the squeamish.
"I split my nose open from here to here.
Like if you cut it right down the center you can fold it, you can open it up and see inside
of my brain."
Even though her nose has now changed, she's called the obstacle an opportunity and has
gone on to become the face of a skincare campaign as well as launching her music career in electro
hip hop.
She also returned to reality TV with her doomsday prepper husband for Marriage Boot Camp: Reality
Stars.
Denzel Wells
Annnnd then there's this guy.
Cycle 21's Denzel Wells was given a beard weave during the makeover episode.
And he was stuck with the costume shop scruff for the rest of the season.
Viewers lost their minds at the site of Wells' faux follicles.
It became a character all its own, consistently taking top honors in every ridiculous meme,
list, and blog associated with the show.
As soon as it was done, though, he ditched the hairy appliance and now woos the ladies
with a trim, authentic goatee as "Travis" on Tyler Perry's soap opera If Loving You
is Wrong.
Smart choice, dude.
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