You wanna be on top? There are 24 models who can say they reached the top of the top
of America's Next Top Model, but what do they look like today? Keep watching to find out!
The first ‘America's Next Top Model’ victor charmed the judges during season one of the show,
scooping up the shows first win. At one point in America's Next Top Model Season 1,
Adrianne Curry declared that she wanted to be a model because she loved, quote,
"being the center of attention" and felt "like God" while modeling.
Though her beauty has not decreased, as of 2021 it would appear that Curry has stepped
far away from the attention she previously loved so much. She did find success in the industry,
but her website suggests she found "the spotlight" stressful and wanted to give up the big city for
the great outdoors with her husband, voice actor Matthew Rhode. They now seem to live
happily and quietly in Montana, according to the former model's mountainous Instagram.
It isn't surprising that Curry opted to leave the public eye considering some of the negative
statements she’s made since leaving the show regarding her experiences with winning America's
Next Top Model. In a now-deleted Instagram post, according to ET Canada, the star reportedly
alleged that contestants were misinformed about what they would win with Curry suggesting,
"I never got the money. To this day, I have not been paid."
In the words of Tyra Banks herself during the America's Next Top Model Season 2 finale,
Yoanna House transformed herself from being a, quote, "quirky,
kind of weird girl" into the sort of "hip, stylish, gorgeous being"
who comes away with first prize. As she's gotten older, House has embraced a more natural look,
her refined cheekbones softened by a lion's mane of hair, but her green eyes are still as
magnetic as ever. She also underwent a breast augmentation following the birth of her son.
Speaking to E! Online in 2010, she stated that she's, quote,
"never done anything" to her face, and likely never would. However,
she was simply unhappy with how her body looked and decided to make changes. She said,
"I thought I had a boyish figure. I wanted to look more womanly,
and I think it's the best decision I've ever made."
Upon winning the third cycle of the America's Next Top Model, Eva Pigford made history — not only as
the first Black contestant to achieve the crown, but also for being one of the shortest at 5'6".
As reported by the Independent, she was "one of the more successful winners of the show"
in terms of her modeling career, landing huge gigs with DKNY and Avon, among others.
In 2005, she made her acting debut in the Taye Diggs legal drama
Kevin Hill and never looked back. The former model, who now has the surname Marcille,
has appeared in TV shows like Smallville and All the Queen's Men.
Most notably, perhaps, Eva the Diva joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast in Season 10,
but left the show in 2020. In a statement given to The Jasmine Brand,
she explained that though she was "thankful for the opportunity" she wanted to redirect
her energy to better serve her community by, quote, "finding ways to be a voice
during this transformational time in our country for people of color."
Fans of America's Next Top Model will remember Naima Mora as being something
of a renegade. With her signature haircut and gutsy punk rock swagger, it was clear
from the get-go that she had the makings of a winner. Following her triumphant season,
Mora was featured in a CoverGirl commercial with Yoanna House, and modeled in magazines like Elle.
On top of starring in the music video for the TV on the Radio's indie hit "Wolf Like Me," she was
also the frontwoman for Galaxy of Tar. Mora has lent her voice to a TED talk about her background,
Buddhism, and career, and also starred in an off-Broadway play that she co-wrote,
The Amazing Adventures of a Woman in Need.
In 2021, the artist unveiled a new look on Instagram — her old one — sharing
that she'd reinstated the classic 'do. Explaining that the "fashion
industry" had pressured her to have long hair for some time, she wrote,
"I've been wanting this hair cut again [...] I felt it [was] time to really
just return to my sexy punk rock authentic self."
On the America's Next Top Model Season 5 finale, British guest judge Twiggy
raised some concerns that distinctive model Nicole Linkletter was, quote, "a gentle soul" who may
not handle the pressures of the fashion industry well. While that concern remains up for debate,
the model's career has been seemingly less active than some other winners in recent years.
Judging from her Instagram, the former runway stomper's life looks to be extremely gentle,
with the mom of two happily married and living a life of low-key, domestic bliss.
While she may have taken a step back from modeling for fashion, Linkletter certainly seemed to be
enjoying a period where she modeled for herself, at least. The Cycle 5 winner launched a lifestyle
blog called "No Way" Mama that's full of posts about her beautiful family, plus other interests
like food and travel. Though Linkletter is still just as photogenic as ever, the America's Next
Top Model alum's overall look is way more relaxed than it was at the start of her modeling career.
A good ten years before the fashion boom of diastema— a gap between the two front teeth — made
models like Lara Stone and Georgia Jagger industry darlings, there was Dani Evans being called
out for hers on America's Next Top Model. The striking model went on to win Cycle 6 of the show,
but not without eventually closing up the gap in her teeth on the advice of host Tyra Banks.
In 2020, a moment from the show where the Top Model host challenged
Evans over her initial refusal to receive dental work on her teeth
went viral. In the resurfaced clip, Banks mockingly asks Evans,
"Do you really think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?"
Tyra Banks took to Twitter to acknowledge, quote, "the insensitivity of some past 'ANTM' moments"
and apologized. Meanwhile, Evans challenged the messaging of the moment in an Instagram video.
Addressing, quote, "all the young queens" affected by the clip, she said,
"It doesn't matter if you have a gap, stacked teeth,
straight teeth [...] I want to remind you of your worth. You are a masterpiece."
She may not have her charming gap, but Evans continues to radiate her beauty, inside and out.
Of all the models to have competed on America's Next Top Model, CariDee English may have stood
out the most for her gigantic personality and theatrical approach to modeling. It stands to
reason then that as much as the Cycle 7 winner enjoyed a modeling career, she also managed to
land herself some respectful minor acting credits in shows like Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.
For much of her career following her win, English became an advocate for the chronic skin condition
psoriasis. Writing for Health, English said that a majority of her body was affected by the condition
by the time she was 12, and that she spent most of her life struggling to control it. She shared,
"Because of my psoriasis, I'd obtained this bigger-than-life
personality so people wouldn't notice my skin."
Prior to starring on America's Next Top Model, English started a new treatment. With her
condition cleared up, she proudly posed on the rooftop of a hotel for the show's semifinal,
writing in the piece that, quote, "it was such a beautiful moment"
for her, as a result. Judging from her Instagram,
English is still modeling and still larger than life — and just as photogenic as ever.
"I'm not giving up.”
“You shouldn't give up.”
“I'm coming back.”
“Okay, give me a hug."
Having originally auditioned for Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model
before being cut from the final batch, Jaslene Gonzalez managed to bounce back from rejection
to climb to the top of Cycle 8 — and became the first Latina woman to do so. Following her win,
the 21-year old reflected to Seventeen that there were, quote, "so many roadblocks" to overcome so
she could win the reality show, including an abusive relationship. She told the magazine
that her mental wellbeing was negatively affected by the relationship and added,
"It was such a dark moment in my life. But I still did what I had to do.
I think perseverance is the key to success."
As evidenced by her active Instagram account, Gonzalez is still thriving in her career and
looks to be just as spirited and outrageously stunning as she was when she won the competition.
On top of modeling, Gonzalez has dabbled with some minor appearances in films
like Eli Roth's Death Wish and an episode of Chicago Fire. Notably, the model is now
helping to inspire other aspiring models nurture and navigate their own careers via her website,
On Set with Jaslene, where she hosts workshops designed to support such ambitions.
Despite her good looks and evident skill for performance,
Saleisha Stowers was one of the more controversial winners of America's Next
Top Model. On top of having attended Tyra Banks' T-Zone camp at age 14, she also had
previous experience in the industry, including modeling on episodes of The Tyra Banks Show.
Understandably, this made some people question whether Stowers had an unfair advantage over
other contestants. As Reality TV World reported, the model defended herself to reporters in 2007
by stating that neither her connections nor experience helped her win. She said,
"I was chosen fairly like every other girl to be on the show."
Whatever the case, Stowers has arguably found greater success as an actor than a model,
having remained a soap fixture in shows like Days of Our Lives and All My Children.
In 2021, the star refocused her energies on health and wellbeing
by launching "Soul by Sal Stowers," a web project that she described on Instagram as,
"A place where I hope to build a beautiful
community and share my passions of Health, Wellness, Fitness."
Making history as the first plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model, Whitney Thompson's
season ten win seemed to be a game-changer for an industry that she described as, quote,
"treacherous" and "based on lies" to HuffPost. The model became a spokesperson for the National
Eating Disorders Association in 2010, and the position seemed to affirm her mission in life.
In 2018 she shared with the outlet that she continues to receive fan mail from people
affected by body image issues and disordered eating, who have been inspired by her story.
Thompson now lives in Tennessee with her husband where they opened an exciting "multi-concept
restaurant" by the name of Copper Vault in 2016. She maintains a lifestyle blog,
"Whitney's Wanders," where she posts candidly about motherhood,
travel, and the joys of being a restaurateur.
To this day, Thompson remains the only plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model, and is still
skeptical about how much progress has truly been made in the industry. The star told HuffPost,
"If we want a true body revolution,
we have to stop emphasizing plus and start integrating all sizes, without gloating about it."
When Brittany "McKey" Sullivan was introduced as a competitor in Cycle 11 of America's Next
Top Model, she was a breath of fresh air. The model had a background in mixed martial arts,
which gave her a unique physicality when it came to striking poses.
It's no surprise then, that the model continues to be a prominent part of the
MMA world that motivated her to win the competition, in the first place.
According to MMA Weekly, her husband, MMA star Sam Alvey,
was instrumental in cheering his then-girlfriend on to audition
for the eleventh season after being turned down for the final casting of Cycle Nine.
The two lovebirds enjoyed parallels of great success at the time of her win, and following it.
A quick glance at the model's Instagram tells you everything you need to know about her current
joyful life. On top of rocking a dynamite blonde crop of hair, Sullivan is also a mom to five kids
and continues to be happily married. She's also putting some of her martial arts training to
good use and is currently coaching children in the artform according to an Instagram post from 2021.
During Cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model, the finale pitched two very different and very
compelling models up against each other. On one hand, there was the spooky Allison
Harvard. On the other, the versatile yet consistent catwalk queen Teyona Anderson.
The latter won, and as she recalled to NJ.com, though she'd worked hard to claim the title,
she was still, quote, "so surprised" to be given it. She said,
"We were so neck and neck and the judges loved Allison. I just swore they were going to pick her."
These days, however, she's less focused on modeling and more focused on being a mom to her young son.
Anderson's baby son is a huge feature on her Instagram,
where the model used 2020 to share every stage of her incredible and touching loc journey.
Ann Ward's time on America's Next Top Model got off to a controversial start,
all thanks to a preview:
"You have the smallest waist in the world. I mean, look at this waist."
In a statement to People, Banks apologized for the video and said,
"[The video] was edited in [a] way that misconstrued our overarching
message. [...] During this season of Top Model, you will see that Ann [...] provided
another opportunity for me to support a young woman struggling with her own
body image issues (she's 6'2″; and is the receiver of countless stares and ridicule)."
Though fashion houses and photographers seemingly adored her, Ward was also "the most reclusive and
shy model" to win the competition, as noted by the Los Angeles Times. This might account for the fact
that the model has mostly disappeared from the spotlight these days, with the self-proclaimed
nerd enjoying a quiet life as a concept artist and animator in Dallas, according to her Twitter.
Appearing on America's
Next Top Model straight out of high school, 19-year-old Brittani Kline was
given a dramatic black bob and took home first prize. In the years that followed,
Kline was realistic about the challenges of the industry. She balanced inconsistent modeling gigs
with bartending to make ends meet, ensuring she did so without having to compromise herself or
dramatically alter her looks for shoots. In 2013, she explained to Williamsport Sun-Gazette saying,
"I needed to make enough money to support myself and stay true to who I am,
so I moved back home to my family, boyfriend and bartending job."
When more jobs became available, she found herself traveling the world again for jobs,
but by 2017 she'd been worn down by the lack of stability that the role provides and announced
her resignation from modeling on Instagram. These days, Kline looks more focused on taking care of
herself and her loved ones — including her "life partner" and cute baby son, Rowan. Good for her.
Renowned for her big personality and picture-perfect poses,
Lisa D'Amato knew that part of the hustle of being a model was knowing
how to serve charisma as well as beauty. The Cycle 17 winner told Digital Spy,
"At the end of the day, you have to be driven. You can't just depend on a pretty face."
Since winning the All Stars season of America's Next Top Model in 2011,
the model appeared in an episode of Shark Tank in 2019 where she successfully brokered a deal
for her product Dare-U-Go, an eco-friendly baby bib with self-sealing compartments for food.
As she told KB Pop Culture in 2020, Dare-U-Go has since become an even bigger international
brand — something that became challenging while caring for her two babies and starting
up a second business of a smoke shop. She may be making serious bank and be busier than ever,
but she hasn't lost her unique personality. On Instagram, for example, she often showcases
her favorite way to unwind and stay healthy: casually pole-dancing while talking politics.
For the "British Invasion" season of America's Next Top Model, a crop of British and American
models vied to be on top. However, it was Sophie Sumner's classic English rose good
looks and bubbly personality which eventually won over the judges, catapulting the model to
stardom. In 2012 she suggested to Vogue that she suddenly became so famous that she was recognized
more than her bestie and former roommate Emma Watson when they attended Coachella together.
Sumner's high fashion look landed her into the pages of publications including Vogue Italia,
and Cosmopolitan, and her personality took her into a new career as a TV star. In 2015,
the model appeared in the reality series Taking New York, a show about
a group of British folk in their twenties attempting to make the Big Apple their own.
According to her Instagram, Sumner keeps busy as a contributing editor for Daily Front Row
and a style host for Amazon Live. She's still, thankfully, also an active model,
with the star sharing work she's done for designer eyewear brand Krewe and Nordstrom.
After the chiseled dudes of Cycle 20 failed to infiltrate the America's Next Top Model
winner's wall, the ultra-chiseled Keith Carlos made sure that his smoldering good looks
beat out the competition. His background as an NFL star likewise helped, too. Carlos told Your Teen,
"We get critiqued hard in football, cussed out, out kicked, whatever. When it comes to modeling,
and someone tells you you're this and that, it rolls off me."
Carlos is still modeling, but in more recent years he's also competently made the transition
to acting. On top of starring in the Kill Bill inspired music video for Cardi B's Be Careful,
he also enjoyed a 23-episode arc in The Bold and the Beautiful
and a smaller role in Like Family. According to his Instagram,
Carlos is also enjoying the next huge phase of his life: being a father.
Nyle DiMarco made history in 2015
as the first Deaf winner of America's Next Top Model. He told Entertainment Weekly,
"[Winning America's Next Top Model] proves that Deaf people can do anything and everything."
Not that his journey to do so wasn't still difficult. The model told the website that some
shoots weren't accessible for him, and that the isolation he was shown experiencing in the model
house was very much real. However, he used part of his struggle to his advantage. He told the outlet,
"I was not distracted at all. I was focused. One hundred percent focused."
As well as enjoying a thriving modeling career,
DiMarco's also doing well as an actor having starred in shows like Station 19
and Switched at Birth. But he's also doing a lot away from the spotlight too. As Deadline reported,
the star is an executive producer on two projects focused on the American Deaf community for
Netflix. One is a coming-of age documentary series titled Deaf U and the other is a film
about a Deaf high school athlete called Audible. He also won Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars.
In 2021, DiMarco announced the 2022 release of his first book,
Deaf Utopia in an Instagram post wherein he described it as being, quote,
"a memoir of my life but also a celebration of Deaf culture."
When India Gants won the 23rd Cycle of America's Next Top Model
she had to reckon with two important parts of herself: some severe body image issues
and her resemblance to model Gigi Hadid. However, while talking to People,
Gants suggested that Hadid's career path is one she actually looks to for inspiration. She said,
"Initially, she broke into the industry as someone who's not typical model skinny."
She pointed out that Hadid lands commercial work alongside "the high fashion stuff."
Gants continued,
"She's a little bit bigger than me and she's [...] doing every type of modeling."
Looking at her Instagram, it's clear that Gants is achieving both,
and is doing so on her own terms. On top of modeling, the star also DJs. As she told Paper,
"I realized [...] I have to actually push my personality on people."
Two dozen cycles into the reality competition, the seemingly fearless and wonderfully outspoken
Kyla Coleman proved to have the kind of moxie it takes to win America's Next Top
Model nowadays. As Entertainment Weekly perfectly described the 2018 champion,
"She's got the looks of a star and the tenacity of a social activist."
Speaking with the outlet about the intersections between activism and modeling, Coleman stated,
"Representation is so important."
She went on to say she'll do what she can to raise the voices of marginalized people.
While the star's Instagram shows the model is getting some impressive work
to this day — including an editorial shoot for Rihanna's takeover of i-D
and modeling for Alexander Wang – she's still engaging with activism.
In 2020, the star shared an Instagram post offering handmade "protest kits" — featuring
first aid kits and bottles of water — to her fellow Black Lives Matter
protesters in Portland. She also signposted where people could find her at the rally,
so they could collect said kits. Clearly, Coleman is a woman of her word.
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