OK so let's talk about a tiny show called America's Next Top Model (Or ANTM for short). That tiny show that has had 24 cycles so far and has aired in over 170 countries - yup that one.
It's added a lot to pop culture since it aired in 2003. From "smizing", to Jade Cole's "This is not America's Next Top Best Friend", to Twiggy being fabulous, and the Tiffany rant (more on that later), it's safe to say that it's been pretty huge.
Despite the earlier years giving us some serious reality TV gold, there are also a lot of moments that in hindsight are pretty problematic and definitely would not fly today. So, let’s take a look through ANTM history
1. Kahlen (Cycle 4) had to pose in a casket at the bottom of an eight foot grave, right after receiving news that a friend had died.
In light of the new ANTM, let's remember the time Tyra made Kahlen pose inside an actual grave the same week her best friend died. https://t.co/UbGZcTIKDT
She was offered the chance to skip the shoot but was told that if she did, it'd affect her position in the contest, so she went ahead with it.
2. On a similar theme, Jael (Cycle 8) found out her friend had died of an overdose and a week later, she had to pose dead for a photoshoot.
Seriously?
3. Cycle 4 had an entire photoshoot around "different ethnicities".
4. Then they gave us a "blending" of cultures photoshoot!!!!!!!!
5. They pushed a contestant to their limits because she wasn't ~bubbly~ enough.
6. Angelea (Cycle 14 and 17) had her title stripped because she was once an escort.
7. Kayla (Cycle 19) opened up about being abused by a man as a child and was still told to film a ~sexy~ shoot with a male model.
I know I'm way behind on this one, but I'm shockingly not tooo horrified at how Cycle 15 of #ANTM handled Kayla revealing her sexual assault
For the first time in her life, Kayla told someone about what had happened to her as a child. She expressed how she really didn't want to be intimate with the male model but instead of telling her to not do it, she was told she should tackle her problems by facing them head-on.
8. Tyra once pretended to faint and everyone was terrified and scared as hell.
9. Shandi (Cycle 2) told her boyfriend she'd cheated on him with an Italian model and we witnessed the moment she called him.
Shandi from ANTM cycle 2 deserved better
Did we really need to witness the moment she broke down?!’
10. Janice Dickinson told a contestant to "Zip it bitch. Zip it. You're dead in my book!".
11. The Tiffany (Cycle 4) rant.
12. The time Danielle (Cycle 6) left hospital to participate in a photoshoot.
13. Cycle 7's swimming pool photoshoot which caused hypothermia for one model.
14. Jaeda (Cycle 7) had to film with a male model who said he "didn't like black women".
15. The show made Keenyah pose as an elephant after she'd expressed her worries about her weight gain.
Y'all remember Keenyah from season 4 of #ANTM? Remember when she started gaining weight, & they started shading her by making all her photoshoots "fat"-themed? https://t.co/OtCjIKwYME
After Keenyah (cycle 4) openly said she was struggling with insecurities after gaining weight, producers responded by assigning her an elephant in their next photoshoot.
16. Keenyah also had to deal with a male model grunting in her ear and touching her inappropriately during a photoshoot.
ok and in cycle 4, when the male model is literally moaning into and groping at keenyah in the photo shoot, and shes looked DOWN ON for being uncomfortable, and asking to take a break.... and then they make her go out to dinner with him! the drama is not worth that shit...
17. The numerous times a model had her hair cut short and then was eliminated pretty soon afterwards.
18. And finally, Michelle (Cycle 4) had impetigo but her competitors thought she had a flesh eating virus instead and the producers did not intervene.
