Every single scandalous America's Next Top Model moment we have never forgotten: from continuous blackface to harassment on set
The list goes on and on...America’s Next Top Model is back in the headlines now that its new Netflix documentary, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, has been released.
The three-part documentary revisits the modelling competition, which ran for 24 cycles between 2003 and 2018. Hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks, she also executive-produced the hit show alongside Ken Mok. In the Netflix series, she is joined by former contestants and judges who are reflecting on what really went down.
Throughout the years, America’s Next Top Model has long faced criticism over its treatment of contestants, controversial shoots and accusations of bodyshaming.
Here, we list every single unforgivable moment that would be allowed on television today. Hold tight, it’s going to be a shocking ride…
Tyra Banks forced Cycle 6 winner Dani to get her gap closed
Believe it or not, Tyra Banks pressured Cycle 6 winner Danielle Evans, now known as Dani, into closing the gap in her front teeth. Who are we kidding, of course we can believe it!
Tyra arranged for Dani and another contestant to visit the dentist for dental work, even though Dani was originally reluctant to alter her smile. “I love my gap,” she told the dentist, proudly accepting her natural look. But by the time the judging panel convened, Banks made it clear to Dani that she would have to close the gap or risk being eliminated from the competition.
Tyra asked Dani whether she thought she could land a CoverGirl contract while keeping her gap, even going so far as to mimic the feature herself by placing a finger in front of her teeth. In the end, Dani found herself in the bottom three. She tried to meet Tyra halfway by agreeing to partially close her gap, but Tyra insisted it had to be fully changed the way she wanted it. After all, it was her show, and she made the rules. For the sake of staying in the competition, Dani went through with it. Her decision ultimately paid off, as she was crowned the winner of that cycle.
Fans grew even more frustrated with Tyra when her double standard came to light. During Cycle 15’s makeover episode, she actually created a gap in contestant Chelsey’s front teeth, highlighting the irony of her earlier demands.
During the same cycle, a different Dani was super homophobic and racist
Not to be mistaken for the Cycle 6 winner, we’re referring to Dani from Spring, Texas, who, thankfully, didn’t make it into that season’s final 13 contestants.
From the very beginning, Dani stood out for her outspoken opinions. While riding in the car with fellow aspiring models, she mentioned that during her audition, the cast was “95 percent Black girls” and admitted she “didn’t expect it to be like that.” Her remarks immediately created tension, with Furonda asking her what she was trying to say. On her audition tape, Dani described herself as “the most uber-conservative Republican, hardcore Baptist you can imagine,” openly stating she didn’t support gay people, Muslims, abortions, or “anything liberal.” She added, “Other than that, I really like to get along with people.”
Her bluntness continued to ruffle feathers throughout the competition. Eventually, Dani told Tyra, Jay Manuel, and Jay Alexander that her comments on the tape were meant to grab attention. She candidly told both Jays that she didn’t agree with their lifestyles, prompting Tyra to explain that the fashion industry she aspired to join conflicted with her personal beliefs.
Yaya was told that her proudly representing her African heritage was ‘overbearing’
Cycle 3’s Yaya DeCosta was one of the standout contestants that season. Not only was she stunning, but her photos consistently impressed the judges. Despite her strong performance, she faced unfair criticism when she chose to showcase her African heritage in a way the panel hadn’t anticipated.
In one challenge, contestants were asked to create a look around a hat they selected from a group. Yaya chose a cowboy hat and paired it with an outfit honoring her African roots. Photographer Nigel Barker admitted he had expected her to select the African-themed hat to match the outfit. Nolé Marin, on the other hand, remarked that Yaya looked “half African, half cowgirl.” He continued: “It looks like you’re about to ride a giraffe.” A guest judge went even further, suggesting that Yaya seemed determined to constantly prove her “African-ness” and called it “overbearing.” Even though Tyra gave her a skeptical glance, she didn’t step in to defend Yaya.
Yaya calmly explained her choice, but the judges still labeled her “defensive” and “unattractive.” When she was called back to continue in the competition, Tyra told her she should apologise to the panel, even though Yaya hadn’t done anything wrong.
Jaeda was forced to kiss a racist just for a challenge
For Cycle 7’s deodorant commercial challenge, the final six contestants were tasked with learning a script in Spanish. They also had to select a male model from their dinner table to co-star, and whoever they chose, they had to share an on-screen kiss. For Jaeda Young, learning the lines in another language turned out to be the least of her worries. The male model she picked, Nacho, openly told her he didn’t like Black women. He refused to rehearse the script with her and left Jaeda feeling extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious.
When she explained the situation to Tyra, many expected sympathy, but instead, Tyra suggested Jaeda kiss him and “make him love some Black girls.” Attempting to film the commercial was understandably overwhelming. Jaeda broke down on set, tearfully saying, “I cannot do this,” though she did go through with the kiss, later admitting she hoped never to face such a situation again.
During the panel that same episode, Jaeda tearfully explained her ordeal to the judges. Nigel criticised her for not taking control. Meanwhile, Jay argued that she shouldn’t have interfered with her performance. To make matters worse, the judges eliminated her from the competition that evening.
Louise vs. Kelly Cutrone
Cycle 18’s British Invasion had no shortage of drama, especially between English model Louise Watts and judge Kelly Cutrone. During a photoshoot, Louise sprinted across the set to get her hair and makeup done on time. Kelly chased after her, warning her to manage her “energy” and criticizing her attitude. She also insisted that Louise displayed “one of the worst attitudes I’ve ever seen for a young woman in the middle of a competition” and continued her commentary while Louise was trying to concentrate on her shoot.
Despite the pressure, Louise completed her shoot with three minutes to spare and delivered an impressive image. Still, the tension left her in tears afterward. Louise said it was relief that caused them, but it was likely a reaction to Louise’s relentless criticism. Unfortunately, the tension didn’t end there.
During judging, Louise didn’t hold back in confronting Kelly after being accused of rudeness. Tyra reminded her that, as a publicist, Kelly ranked above the contestants and that Louise needed to “know her place.” Frustrated by the panel’s ongoing critiques, Louise stormed off the set. Cameras caught her shouting on the street, swearing and demanding to fly home. “If she was on the street, I’d knock her out,” Louise later said, emphasising just how intense the situation felt.
Shandi cheated on her boyfriend while on the show
Cycle 2 is often remembered as one of the most iconic seasons of America’s Next Top Model for a variety of reasons. Yet, above all, perhaps the most talked-about moment came from Shandi Sullivan’s heated bunk-up with an Italian model.
The drama unfolded when the contestants invited several male models to their house and relaxed in a large jacuzzi. After a few drinks, Shandi got close with one of the models and admitted she temporarily forgot about her boyfriend, Eric, back home, ultimately sleeping with him. Once the guests had left, Shandi broke down in tears in her room. Later, she called Eric to confess, explaining that she had acted out of loneliness. The emotional phone call left both of them in tears, and Eric told Shandi that she had “completely changed” and called her a “stupid [bleep].”
Later in the episode, Shandi shared the incident with Tyra, who showed a softer side. She comforted her by reminding her that everyone makes mistakes and that she wasn’t being judged for it on the show.
Isis’s transphobic treatment was disgusting
Cycle 11 made history when Isis King became the first transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model. Isis had first caught Tyra’s eye during Cycle 10, appearing in the background of the homeless photoshoot, where her natural modeling talent stood out. Impressed, Tyra invited her to audition for the next cycle. This is when Isis openly shared that she was “born physically male” but had always felt female mentally. Even though Tyra and the panel respected her for who she was, the same couldn’t be said for others.
Early in the competition, Isis’s identity sparked curiosity and mixed reactions from her fellow contestants. Some were confused and wanted to understand how she looked the way she did. Kacey Leggett expressed shock, questioning how Isis had even been allowed to enter what she called a “girl competition.” Clark Gilmer was more aggressive, saying she would “stomp that man right out of the competition” if Isis interfered with her own goals. Meanwhile, Sheena Sakai praised Isis for being “brave and secure with who she is.”
Isis later joined the show again for the All Stars cycle.
Tyra yelling at Tiffany has gone down in meme history
Come on, you knew this would be on the list. It’s impossible to talk about memorable America’s Next Top Model moments without including Tyra yelling at Tiffany Richardson during Cycle 4, a moment that became a viral meme before the term “meme” was widely used.
During a surprise double elimination, Tyra sent Tiffany and Rebecca Epley home. While Tyra praised Rebecca for showing genuine emotion and taking the competition seriously, Tiffany’s laughter rubbed her the wrong way. Tyra accused Tiffany of treating the competition like a joke. “Looks can be deceiving and I’m hurt,” Tiffany said, adding that she was “sick of being disappointed.”
Tyra didn’t agree, and when Tiffany became defensive, Tyra completely lost her patience. She told Tiffany to “be quiet” and stop talking, yelling, “I have never yelled at a girl like this! When my mother yells like this, it’s because she loves me. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you, how dare you!” She ended by demanding that Tiffany “take responsibility for herself.”
Ultimately, Tiffany walked out of the elimination room on her own while the other contestants watched in stunned silence.
Celia threw Thalia under the bus, and Tyra was NOT here for it
By Season 12, the contestants should have known better than to challenge Tyra Banks. That said, Cycle 12’s Celia Ammerman clearly missed the memo. After Tahlia Brookins had previously expressed that she no longer wanted to continue in the competition, Celia grew upset when her friend Kortnie Coles was about to be eliminated. Before Tyra could even hug Kortnie and wish her well, Celia stepped onto the runway to call out Tahlia. “Tyra, with all due respect, I think you should know something,” she said. “Before sending Kortnie home, you should know that Tahlia expressed she didn’t want to be in the competition anymore and didn’t think continuing was a smart career choice.”
Celia went on: “It feels unfair for someone who doesn’t want to be here to remain in the competition.” Tyra remained unimpressed and calmly told Celia that the only unfair part of the situation was that Celia had brought this to her attention instead of Tahlia herself. “The judges have made their decision. Take your place, Celia,” Tyra instructed.
Celia’s intervention nearly backfired. The following week, she landed in the bottom two, and Tyra called her actions “one of the most non-beautiful things” she had seen in the competition. In the end, Celia was saved due to a strong photo.
Tyra Banks put her contestants in blackface not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES
In a Cycle 2 photoshoot where the contestants were assigned a celebrity to embody, Xiomara Frans was given the iconic Grace Jones. However, instead of just simply taking on the persona of the actress and model through hair and fashion, she was painted much darker, essentially taking on Grace in blackface.
Sadly, this one occasion was not the only time this show involved blackface. During Cycle 4, Tyra Banks and the production team of America’s Next Top Model made the controversial decision to have contestants participate in a photoshoot where they “switched” ethnicities. White contestants were made to portray Black women using dark makeup that many critics compared to blackface.
Unfortunately, a similar situation arose in Cycle 13. While shooting in Hawaii, the remaining six contestants were asked to embody someone who was “Hapa,” or half one ethnicity and half another. The production again applied brown makeup to some contestants, sparking backlash once more.
Tyra later addressed the controversy in a 2020 interview with Chicks in the Office. She explained that she had already apologized on The Tyra Banks Show, but felt the need to apologise again for those who hadn’t seen it. Tyra emphasised that she never intended to use blackface. She admitted that the decision reflected ignorance on her part and a lack of understanding of the cultures she was attempting to represent.
Yu Tsai refused to stop calling Winnie Harlow slurs
Chantelle Young, now known as the famous fashion model Winnie Harlow, first found fame as a contestant on Cycle 21 of America’s Next Top Model. Born with the skin condition vitiligo, Winnie was discovered by Tyra Banks through Instagram.
During the competition, Winnie struggled with the nicknames creative director Yu Tsai repeatedly called her, such as “panda” or “cow,” which she did not find flattering. When she politely asked him to stop, Yu Tsai became defensive. Winnie explained: “I don’t want kids out there to see you, someone so high up in the industry, calling me ‘panda’ and then think it’s acceptable to call someone else a cow because of a skin condition.” In response, Yu Tsai claimed Winnie would never be a successful model, saying she “rubs people the wrong way” and has difficulty “really listening.”
Winnie was filmed getting emotional while describing how years of being bullied over her skin had affected her. Instead of acknowledging her feelings, Yu Tsai dismissed them and said she didn’t deserve respect for her request, insisting he would call her “porcupine from now on.”
Kahlen had to do a photoshoot in an eight-foot grave straight after her friend died
During Cycle 4, Kahlen Rondot received devastating news that a high school friend had passed away. Learning this while away from her family and support system made the day one of the hardest she had experienced on the show, as she revealed in her confessional. Yet her challenges were far from over.
Immediately following the news, the contestants were tasked with a photoshoot representing the seven deadly sins in the middle of a graveyard. They even had to pose at the bottom of an eight-foot grave, where bodies are buried. Understandably, Kahlen became emotional on set, and cameras captured her in tears. Creative director Jay Manuel, who seemed unaware of her loss, spoke with Kahlen privately. Though he appeared mildly concerned, he didn’t dwell on her situation. Jay merely asked if she “needed a minute” before moving on to hair and makeup.
Despite everything, Kahlen pushed through and delivered what many have considered one of the most iconic photos in the show’s history. She was assigned wrath and channelled the emotion. Tyra and the judges recognised her effort by calling her name first during judging. However, the timing of the shoot has always raised questions about sensitivity and compassion.
The dangerous high heels called for doctors to rush in
During a panel task in Cycle 6, Tyra challenged the contestants to walk in extremely high heels. They were so tall that just standing in them was a struggle, let alone walking gracefully. The shoes were infamous for being difficult; even Tyra’s rival, Naomi Campbell, had fallen in them on the runway. Before they had even started, it felt almost like the contestants were set up to fail.
Only very few contestants managed to walk without stumbling, while Kari Schmidt and Dani Evans fell multiple times and hurt themselves. “This is the most nerve-wracking judging test we have ever done. I was holding my breath the entire time,” Tyra commented. However, let’s be honest, she should have been focused on the level of danger she was putting them in.
After Dani’s pinky toe “came completely out and twisted,” doctors were called backstage. Dani returned to the judges on crutches, holding her foot up. She explained that she had “sprained my baby toe.” Tyra appeared unfazed, continuing the panel as if nothing serious had happened. Really?!
Keenyah was harassed on the set of a photoshoot
Keenyah Hill had a highly uncomfortable experience during a photoshoot when a male model named Bertini began making inappropriate moaning noises around her. She did the right thing by pausing her poses and alerting creative director Jay Manuel to what was happening. Unfortunately, he offered little intervention, simply telling her she was in a “professional situation” and that there were plenty of people on set.
Despite speaking up, the shoot continued, and Bertini didn’t pick up on the hint, crossing boundaries again. Jay eventually instructed the men to stop “grabbing her butt”. The damage, however, had already been done. Keenyah left the set upset, concerned that the final images she would be judged on could impact her chances in the competition.
The ordeal didn’t end there. Later, during a dinner with the male models from the shoot, Keenyah confronted Bertini directly, telling him that he had clearly crossed a serious line. Ideally, she shouldn’t have had to face him in that setting at all. Clearly, the show put her in that uncomfortable position for television.
She was also brutally bodyshamed
During her time on the show, Keenyah Hill admitted to gaining weight while in South Africa, telling Kahlen Rondot she had put on 12 pounds. She explained that the stress of the competition had led her to find comfort in food. For an upcoming photoshoot, the contestants were asked to portray different animals, with creative director Jay Manuel assigning each a creature he felt reflected their personality. Some contestants were given the assignment of an ostrich or a zebra. Meanwhile, Keenyah was told she would be an elephant. Bear in mind, she had to represent gluttony during the previous shoot. Hmm…
Understandably, Keenyah was frustrated at being linked to an animal often associated with being overweight. However, she got on with it and did the shoot. During the panel, Tyra addressed the issue directly, noting that Keenyah’s photos required extensive retouching and body work. While she didn’t blame anyone else, Tyra told Keenyah to be honest with herself about her weight gain and reminded her that nobody would ever retouch her images as much as she did. Judge Janice Dickinson was less than supportive, telling her to “disguise” herself if she was “sporting a gut”.
That same episode, Keenyah landed herself in the bottom two. However, she was saved after Tyra had faith that she would lose the weight healthily.
CariDee reached the point of hypothermia and was blamed for it
It’s no secret that some photoshoots on America’s Next Top Model were extremely challenging and pushed the contestants to their limits. However, one of the most infamous was the freezing pool shoot in Cycle 7.
For this challenge, Tyra Banks was on set alongside Jay Manuel and the photographer. The final four contestants were paired up and tasked with making it appear as though they were floating effortlessly in the pool, despite shivering violently and battling numbness from the cold. CariDee English posed with Amanda Babin and struggled to maintain composure, repeatedly telling the crew how freezing it was. She needed towels during breaks and, at one point, had to be pulled from the water after showing signs of hypothermia.
Jay Manuel told her: “As a model, you have to tell people when you’re past your limit.” Tyra added: “You have to listen to your body and speak up.” It seemed like the pair were blaming CariDee for freezing to death…
Rebecca fainted during panel
While being critiqued for her photo during panel, Cycle 4’s Rebecca Epley fainted and gave everyone a shock.
The short clip has since resurfaced many times as a meme. However, we can imagine it was scary not only for her but for everyone on set.
Thankfully, Rebecca was fine, and she was able to continue.
Read more: The most shocking America’s Next Top Model makeovers in history: from horse mane to beard weave
