"America's Next Top Model" was the hottest show on TV. But not everyone was feeling the
"smize-ing," shaming, or abuse. The models weren't even allowed to use the microwave!
Here's proof Tyra wasn't rooting for anyone but Tyra.
Warning: This video contains fast, flashing images. Viewer discretion is advised, especially
for those with photosensitive epilepsy.
In early 2021, Cycle 5 alum and "All Stars" winner, Lisa D'Amato, took to Instagram to
speak directly to Tyra Banks. The model made her series debut when she was just 24. But
since the "All Stars" cycle, D'Amato has been vocal about the mental and psychological abuse
she received from Banks.
"So what's this about your relationship with your mom?"
"My mom, she never had any, like, maternal instincts."
D'Amato revealed that producers forced her to share the mental, physical, and sexual
abuse she experienced as a child. She then claimed Banks took advantage of the information,
posting to Instagram:
"I don't know how you sleep at night."
She added:
"You knew very well the horrible trauma that my mom inflicted on me, and you also talk
so much about how you wouldn't be where you are without your mother and how powerful she
is. So knowing that, you still did that to me and continued to do it to other girls,
even after I spoke publicly about it."
"How do you sleep at night, knowing that you're torturing and poking at people's — girls'
— childhood traumas?"
D'Amato hoped to warn other hopefuls that "ANTM" was a sham. Despite the backlash from
fans, she continues to speak out.
Jeana Turner was the runner up for Cycle 24. The model suffers from alopecia. Turner made
an impact with viewers during an emotional makeover where she shaved her head, and began
to come to terms with her natural beauty.
"Losing my hair was a symbol of strength. I think I didn't know that until now."
But when her season aired, Turner was "shocked" that producers had edited her in a negative
light, all for the sake of drama. It was so bad that even her own family didn't believe
her side of the story.
The mistreatment didn't stop there. According to Turner, when girls were at risk for elimination,
food wasn't brought to them as quickly, they were neglected at photoshoots, and they were
villainized until they were kicked out. She told Oliver TwiXt,
"We were all mentally, emotionally, and psychologically abused."
Even under the best circumstances, the girls weren't allowed to eat or leave their rooms
without permission from security staff. Throughout her cycle, Turner was heavily criticized by
Banks for modeling for Playboy. When Turner defended herself, Banks allegedly rolled her
eyes and said:
"You sound like a f—ing prostitute."
The model says she left the show feeling shamed, traumatized, and discarded by her former idol.
Adrianne Curry was crowned the first-ever "Top Model," in 2003. But in the years since
her win, we've scarcely heard from her unless it was about her quote, "sh— show" of an
experience on "Top Model."
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Curry slammed Banks and "ANTM" for ghosting her. Curry was
promised a contract with Revlon and representation by Wilhelmina Models, but neither of those
ever panned out. Curry explained:
"We were led to believe the winner would be instantly rich and a huge Revlon cover girl.
This was a lie. After the show, Revlon informed me it didn't matter who won, they were never
going to have us as a model. […] I never got the money. To this day, I have not been
paid."
"What is my skill set? Being an annoying a–hole on TV?"
To make matters worse, Curry claims that the Wilhelmina agency passed on her, leaving the
star out of work for years. When the model reached out to Banks, she was met with silence.
Instead, the show reportedly painted Curry as an ungrateful "diva."
Despite not winning Cycle 4, Tiffany Richardson might be the most memorable contestant of
all time. After a shocking double elimination, viewers were left speechless at the sight
of Banks exploding on the 21-year-old Richardson.
"I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you!"
Leading up to the loud dressing-down, Richardson tried to lighten the mood. Banks — visibly
irritated by Richardson's lack of emotion — called the girls back and proceeded to
rip Richardson to shreds. But, as the model later told BuzzFeed, the unedited fight was
much worse, with Banks telling Richardson,
"You can go back to your house and sleep on your mattress on the floor with your baby."
Richardson looked back on the experience, telling the outlet,
"I went into it thinking Tyra was f—ng God. To actually see her and the vibe is completely
different. […] It just got to the point where I was over it. I felt like we were just
there to be humiliated."
Sarah Hartshorne has been very vocal about her "ANTM" experience. Hartshorne was dubbed
"plus-size" in Cycle 9 and was body shamed in an attempt to shake her confidence. The
effort continued when she was given a drastic pixie cut for her makeover, but Hartshorne
said she actually loved it. What she didn't like was the way her fellow contestants were
treated by Banks and the crew.
While Banks made millions every cycle, the girls were given a measly stipend. Harshorne
told the New York Post,
"We were not paid at all for being on the show. We were given a $38 daily cash stipend
that we had to use to pay for our own food. And they didn't even give us a microwave to
heat the food up."
Hartshorne also confirmed the allegations that contestants were kept hungry and tired
for the sake of drama. She said,
"Production kept us in the dark about almost everything because they wanted to keep us
on edge. Us being confused, tired, stressed, sleep-deprived, and hungry just made for better
TV. We never knew where we were going at any given time. They would transport us from place
to place in a windowless van, and we'd have to face every situation totally clueless."
Yaya DaCosta was the runner up for Cycle 3. But her authenticity hasn't always been appreciated.
During her time on the show, DaCosta was criticized for being, quote, "condescending" and "arrogant."
And as judge Rebecca Weinberg once observed,
"You have this intensity to prove your sort of African-ness, and I think that sometimes
it’s overbearing."
In 2016, DaCosta spoke about the anti-blackness she experienced on the show, revealing to
Essence,
"Unfortunately, 14 years later, nothing has changed. Same ignorance, new show… It took
a lot of work to heal from that experience and looking back, I feel so much for that
eager, vulnerable young version of myself. There are so many things I would whisper in
her ear."
Despite never receiving an apology, DaCosta has clearly moved on to bigger and better
things.
Casting week proved to be an emotional rollercoaster — with model Hannah Kat Jones learning firsthand
what it was really like to be on "ANTM." She told the Sarah Scoop Show in 2020,
"We were kind of like, treated like, 'You're given an opportunity and you're gonna act
like you appreciate it or else we're gonna like get rid of you.'"
When it came time to select the models to live in the house, hopefuls were given a series
of envelopes: if their picture was inside, they made it to the next round. If not, they
hit the road. Unfortunately, Jones received a blank envelope.
Jones made a teary statement before she and the other castaways were whisked away for
a sendoff from Banks. But it turned out, this was all a trick: they were actually the ones
who made it into the house. Jones says that it all left her feeling stressed for the rest
of the cycle, worried that at any moment, she could be tricked again.
Angelea Preston came in 3rd on Cycle 14. She was also the former winner of "ANTM: All Stars."
But Preston was stripped of her title when Banks discovered her past as an escort. Having
only worked in the business for three weeks, the model felt she had been unfairly targeted.
Throughout her Cycle, Preston was portrayed as difficult and uneducated, making it hard
to find work when the show wrapped. Preston also described what she refers to as "'Top
Model' prison," telling the Daily Mail,
"There are times when we didn't get fed. We had to film straight through, 15, 18 hours
without eating."
The crew reportedly even withheld medical treatment when Preston suffered a stress-induced
anxiety attack. She ultimately left the show with sour feelings toward Banks.
Preston claims Banks' depiction as a supportive mentor was just a sham — and that she was
never seen outside of the panel.
Nineteen year old Natalie Pack left Cycle 12 under shady circumstances. After getting
great feedback from creative director Jay Manuel, Pack was promptly sent home without
explanation. Her elimination came as a shock to everyone. Pack told Reality TV World,
"It was a little strange to me because when I got to panel the judges didn't like my picture
and I was just like 'Well, are you even communicating with Jay?' How can I get such good feedback
from him and then have Tyra and the other judges hate my picture. It's just a little
weird to me."
Pack suspects that Banks intentionally chose a bad photo for judging. The former contestant
also accused Banks of playing favorites. Pack also wasn't happy with the final edit, telling
the outlet,
"I'm not snobby, I'm extremely down to earth, I'm not even wealthy. I mean, I don't have
tons of money and anything like that they portrayed me as."
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