Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model spoilers ahead.
For any Gen Z amongst us who were too young to remember, the noughties were a TIME to be a woman. More specifically, a bad time. If you think diet culture is rife now, what with the rise of weight-loss drugs and social media exacerbating toxic beauty standards, then let us harken you back to the year 2003, when thin truly was in.
Around this time, Kelloggs' Special K ‘Drop a Jean Size’ campaign launched, with many of the women in our lives subsisting solely on the cardboard-like cereal for sustenance, in a desperate bid to get thinner. Weight Watchers made nearly $1 billion in revenue. ‘Heroin chic’ was still prevalent in fashion and beauty, with brands like Topshop using Kate Moss as their ambassador — a person who was once quoted as saying “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. Oh, and the TV show America's Next Top Model was hard-launched, a series that later developed a reputation for its scandals on set — something that's dived into in the new Netflix docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model.
It's hard to describe what a pop culture behemoth ANTM truly was. It gave us killer moments that are used as memes even today — “I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this!" and "I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you!”. And who can forget that time that Tyra Banks dramatically fake fainted while chatting to the girls in cycle six?
Amongst all the hilarity, though, a culture of toxicity and bullying was reportedly rife behind the scenes, something that often crept its way onto camera, with the hosts verbally lashing out at the girls and putting them through extremely distressing situations. Remember in cycle 4 when Michelle cried from the pain of an allergic reaction to the peroxide used to bleach her hair (which later prompted an impetigo outbreak)? In retrospect, a lot of the behaviour wasn't as funny as the hosts made out at the time.
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Despite all of the show's downsides, the documentary — which is currently the number one most-watched show on Netflix in the UK — tells us there were moments worth celebrating, too, and it turns out that most of the former winners of TV's most chaotic modelling contest seem to be doing great these days.
Read below to find out what the winners of America's Next Top Model are up to now, ICYWW…
Cycle 1: Adrianne Curry
Cycle 1's stand-out star was by far and away, Adrianne Curry. Now going by Adrianne Curry-Rhode (she married actor Matthew Rhode in 2018), her Instagram describes her as 'Avon's Baddest Lady, Reality TV Icon and Tolkien Enthusiast'. She shares content about natural ageing and beauty, showcasing her Avon beauty products and talking about her natural grey hair. And from the looks of her pics, she seems to be living in a cabin in Montana. Very cottagecore!
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Adrianne went through ups and downs on the show, later claiming that the hair weave that was installed during those iconic hair transformation scenes caused her permanent, long-term hair damage and balding, as well as being reportedly groped on the street during a shoot in Paris in one episode. In the end, she won defeated runner-up Shannon Stewart in the finale to win a contract with Wilhelmina Models, a Marie Claire spread, and a Revlon contract.
Cycle 2: Yoanna House
Who can forget Yoanna House? She was another star who received a transformative hair ‘do, cutting off her brown locks into a short, yet sleek pixie cut.
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And in a perfect example of the show's toxic diet culture, Yoanna was criticised by the judge Janice Dickinson for “rolls of skin” around her midriff, and was told by Nigel Barker to ‘work on her body’. Yikes. Nevertheless, she went on to win the show, and is still working today.
Not just a pretty face, she is also a business whizz, studying at Harvard, no less. Impressive.
Cycle 3: Eva Marcille
If you've forgotten about Eva, may we refresh your memory with one word: Tarantulas. Her infamous shoots with the spiders earned her the moniker “Eva the Diva”, though, we'd say that's unjustified considering most people wouldn't really want to get up close and personal with a bunch of tarantulas, never mind try to look good while doing it.
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She's one of the more successful former ANTM winners, and has appeared on a host of TV shows, including Everybody Hates Chris and The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
The model has a huge following online (5.3m followers on Instagram, to be exact), and uses her platform to educate people on black history and empowerment.
Cycle 4: Naima Mora
Since winning the show, Naima has gone on to channel her creativity into writing and directing. Last year, she shared about a documentary that she'd created titled Elizabeth Speaks, which explores the ‘transformative powers of ancestral connection in a conversation between world renowned supermodel, Naima Mora and her revolutionary grandmother, political artist and force, Elizabeth Catlett’.
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Cycle 5: Nicole Linkletter
Cycle 5 winner Nicole cuts a relatively wholesome profile these days, with most of her social media being devoted to images of her with her husband, Adam Nathanson, and their two children.
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Her prize for winning the show was a contract with Ford Models, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl, and her photo appearing in a Ford Fusion national advert.
Cycle 6: Dani Evans
The striking model Dani Evans beat Joanie Dodds to become winner of cycle 6 of America's Next Top Model. She has mixed feelings about starring on the show, describing in Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model that she felt like she was ‘thrown to the wolves’ after filming wrapped, saying that she received a "cold" reception at her agency and went months without going on castings.
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Despite all that, she's seen success in her own right, launching the unisex, ready-to-wear hat brand Monrowe NYC in 2017.
Cycle 7: CariDee English
After winning ANTM, CariDee has gone on to go behind the lens, putting her studio skills to work as a photographer — and she still models and works as a content creator.
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Despite being a literal modelling contest winner, CariDee has shared on social media about the pressures she's felt of beauty standards: “I edit my images until it looks like how it felt — that’s art intimidating ‘life’. Photographer and model behind the wheel, so obviously I romanticise the chaos."
Cycle 8: Jaslene Gonzalez
Jaslene is still in the public eye, running her own consulting service for other models called On Set with Jaslene, and has recently starred in another TV show about what ANTM was really like back in the day, titled Dirty Rotten Scandal for the channel E!.
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Cycle 9: Saleisha Stowers
Saleisha ‘Sal’ Stowers is now a successful actress and entrepreneur, best known for her long-running role as Lani Price on the hit TV show Days of Our Lives (2015–present), as well as roles in All My Children and Sistas.
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Not only that, but she launched her own fitness and wellness company, SS Body & Nutrition, in 2023 and is now engagement to actor John-Michael Carlton. Online, she's pretty open about her Christian faith, and works with a humanitarian organisation that aims to help impoverished people.
Cycle 10: Whitney Thompson
Whitney was famously the first ‘plus-size’ model to win the show (despite being an American size six at time of filming), and talks in Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model about how difficult it was being larger than the other girls: "I would go to set, and they would have nothing that would fit me," she shares in the documentary. "They would have to cut open the back and clamp it. It just makes you feel like s*** to not be the right size. It was just demeaning."
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Although she faced difficulties on the show, she has stood up for host Tyra Banks and what she sees as her contribution to culture: "She took queer, Black, trans, different weights, different heights and she put them into the average American’s living room where everyone was together watching these shows, rooting for someone who didn’t necessarily look like them.”
Cycle 11: McKey Sullivan
McKey is married to the MMA star Sam Alvey and has six children. She's also partial to martial arts herself, practising Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And as well as parenting and learning to fight, she's also studying midwifery. Where does she find the time?!
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Cycle 12: Teyona Anderson
Teyona doesn't appear to have social media, so we're not really sure what she's up to these days. What we do know, is that following her win, she modelled in South Africa, appearing in Arise Cape Town Fashion Week and South Africa Fashion Week. She also appeared in a CoverGirl campaign and worked for brands such as Southpole and Suzaan Heyns. A deep-dive on Tumblr tells us she might have changed her name to Asia Anderson — maybe because of the aforementioned Top Model stigma? We don't know for sure.
Cycle 13: Nicole Fox
Like Teyona, Nicole doesn't appear to have Instagram either… womp, womp. However, it sounds like she's doing well. Reports show that after winning the season at the young age of 18, she worked as a fashion model in New York and Los Angeles. After studying acting, she got parts in some commercials, television shows and films. Apparently she now spends her time painting, drawing, writing, acting, and rock climbing — sounds idyllic, tbh.
Cycle 14: Krista White
Krista is actively still modelling and also has her fingers in other fashion pies — including working as the Fashion Director for Deluxe Version Magazine.
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Cycle 15: Ann Ward
Despite going on to achieve success as a model post-ANTM, it appears Ann has now left the world of fashion behind. Her social media tells us that she's now a UI artist and illustrator for games like NBA2K23 and NBA2K24. She's also worked as a designer and animator for an ad agency called Groove Jones and has created characters for an animation studio called Theory Studios, per her website. She's based in Dallas.
Cycle 16: Brittani Kline
Cycle 16 winner Brittani Kline also appears to have left modelling behind her, too, and is now a “human raising tiny humans” according to her Insta. She's another ANTM alum who's gone into academia, earning a Master of Professional Studies degree from Penn State University. Clever clogs.
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Cycle 17: Lisa D'Amato
Lisa D'Amato now splits her time between Los Angeles and Portugal and describes herself as an “eco-innovator”, creating a not-so-glam but practical 5-in-1 bib for babies and toddlers, which was featured on the show Shark Tank and seems to be a massive hit with parents.
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Cycle 18: Sophie Sumner
Sophie has been one of the more successful stars of ANTM, working as a TV host for the likes of Amazon Live and Wimbledon, as well as acting and producing.
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Cycle 19: Laura James
Laura Ellen James' Instagram tells us virtually nothing about her, other than that her profile labels her as ‘Actor’. A quick scroll of her IMDb, though, tells us that she's starred in a bunch of shows that you've probably seen — S.W.A.T, American Woman, and The Young and the Reckless.
Cycle 20: Jourdan Miller
Jourdan appears to be one of the few ANTM alums who's still actively working in the modelling industry, working with a bunch of luxurious brand names from Gucci to Valentino. She hasn't been active on Insta since 2023, so that very well could have changed.
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Cycle 21: Keith Carlos
In a twist that M. Night Shyamalan would be envious of, Cycle 21's winner was a man… Keith Carlos, to be precise. He now goes by King Keith (very King Kylie of him) and has two million followers on Instagram.
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He's still modelling away, starring in campaigns for the likes of Fashion Nova Men, who he's an ambassador for. In his time off, he's busy raising his two children. D'awww.
Cycle 22: Nyle DiMarco
Another male winner, this time Nyle DiMarco who stole hearts with his blue eyes and lovely personality.
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In case you forgot, Nyle is deaf and has gone on to use his experience with the condition to inspire his New York Times bestselling memoir, Deaf Utopia, and Emmy-nominated film Deaf President Now! on Apple TV+. Impressive stuff!
Cycle 23: India Gants
Cycle 23 winner India has pulled back on the modelling work of late, but is a big star on TikTok, sharing advice and insights about being sober and other wellness-inspired lifestyle tidbits.
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Cycle 24: Kyla Coleman
The last season of ANTM saw Kyla win first place — and she still continues to work as an international model, starring in shoots for the likes of Good American, Diesel and Skims. Oh and did we mention that she's in the music video for Dua Lipa's song Don't Start Now? Iconic.
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Cycle 25: TBC…
At the end of Netflix's documentary Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Tyra teased about the possibility of another season of ANTM. She said: "After the show I had so many big ideas for my life. I'm obsessed with pivoting and I live in Australia now. I feel like my work is not done. You have no idea what we have planned for Cycle 25." Watch this space…
Tyra Banks' infamous “I was rooting for you!” tirade is tame, at this point.
