America’s Next Top Model Drama Allegations on Dirty Rotten Scandals

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America’s Next Top Model promised contestants a shot at being on top.

The show’s reputation declined significantly after a surge in viewers during the pandemic led to widespread criticism of how contestants were treated by host Tyra Banks, the judges, and even each other over its 15 seasons.

The show faced strong criticism, with many calling it harmful despite its claims of promoting inclusivity and broadening beauty standards in the modeling world.

It wasn’t just people watching the show later who felt this way. Several former contestants have also said they were traumatized by their experiences, both during filming and in what was shown to the public.

TopMob’s Dirty Rotten Scandals explores troubling aspects of the show, and season two winner Yoanna House recently shared how harsh treatment during her time on the show damaged her self-esteem. She explained that things were said and done that would be unacceptable today.

Lisa D’Amato, winner of Cycle 17, revealed in the docuseries that she returned for the all-star season of America’s Next Top Model seeking “revenge.” She claims Tyra Banks intentionally portrayed her as “absolutely crazy” during her first appearance on Cycle 5.

Lisa shared on Dirty Rotten Scandals that she returned to try and make amends and turn her life around.

Tyra wasn’t involved in the TopMob series, and her team said she didn’t want to make a statement about it.

As someone who’s followed pop culture for years, I’ve definitely noticed the recent renewed interest in America’s Next Top Model. And honestly, I think it’s great that the show’s creator is being open about things that, looking back, just didn’t quite land right. She’s admitted that some of what happened on the show was problematic, and I applaud her for acknowledging that and growing from it.

In May 2020, Tyra Banks responded to criticism about insensitive moments from past seasons of America’s Next Top Model. She tweeted that she agreed with the concerns, acknowledged those moments were mistakes, and thanked people for their honest feedback, sending them love and support.

But the former supermodel has also struck a defiant pose when it comes to the show she created.

The 52-year-old explained that she’s spent her career challenging traditional ideas of beauty. While accepting the Luminary Spotlight Award at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration last March, she recalled the struggle to introduce diversity to television with the 2003 premiere of America’s Next Top Model, noting that representation like that was largely absent at the time.

She admitted they faced challenges, but ultimately persevered. “Did we always make the right choices? Absolutely not,” she said, acknowledging she’d said things she regretted. However, she didn’t want her career to be defined by online controversies, emphasizing the positive impact they had over many years. She believes everyone grows and improves through collaboration.”

Some former contestants on America’s Next Top Model believe the show was intentionally set up so that no one truly achieved lasting success, and they argue that was the point.

Honestly, the show really revolves around Tyra Banks,” explained Cycle 8 winner Jaslene Gonzalez on Dirty Rotten Scandals. “She won’t try to build anyone up more than herself, I don’t think.

Here are the most shocking moments from TopMob’s Dirty Rotten Scandals: America’s Next Top Model.

Janice Dickinson, who was a judge on the first four seasons of America’s Next Top Model, revealed on the TopMob podcast Dirty Rotten Scandals that producers – particularly Tyra Banks – wanted her to be more critical and even mean, similar to how Simon Cowell behaved on American Idol.

Janice recalled that Tyra consistently criticized the contestants – everything from their hair and walk to how they posed. She explained it damaged their self-esteem and sense of self, and that she personally witnessed this behavior over four seasons of the show, describing Tyra as very harsh.

In a 2003 interview with TopMob, Tyra Banks stated that she was the one who hired Janice, though she admitted she hadn’t anticipated Janice would be quite so outspoken. Banks declined to comment further for the TopMob series, but archival footage shows her saying the decision to hire Janice was “100 percent” hers, and she was surprised by how candid Janice turned out to be.

In a 2009 interview with ABC News, Tyra Banks responded to a question about Janice Dickinson calling her “righteous” and accusing her of disrespecting her fellow judges with a playful, “Why do you think?”

When the interviewer accused Janice of being jealous, Tyra clarified, “I didn’t use that word – you did.”

Janice has also praised Tyra, describing her as a strong and savvy businesswoman who excels at television, particularly on her 2015 OWN show, Where Are They Now?

I said some harsh things about her previously because I was upset about losing my job, and I reacted badly. I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time, and I sincerely apologize to you, Tyra, for anything hurtful I may have said.

Yoanna House, the winner of Cycle 2, shared on TopMob’s Dirty Rotten Scandals that she was surprised and hurt by the judges’ inconsistent feedback. She explained that they would switch between complimenting her appearance and criticizing her body, leaving her feeling confused and upset.

Yoanna described the relationship as feeling like a whirlwind of highs and lows. She explained it went from intense affection – ‘love-bombing’ – to feeling worthless very quickly.

Now 45, she explained she became obsessed with exercise, feeling the need to burn off all the calories she consumed. This led to her losing her period for two years. A doctor warned her that if she continued to focus on extreme weight loss and being very thin, she risked losing the ability to have children.

Since appearing on the show, the mother of Alastair has shared that she’s been in therapy and has built a successful career in broadcasting, fashion, and television commentary. She also mentioned that she’s learned to be kinder to herself, which has made her more resilient.

Tyra Banks didn’t want to talk about the show when asked by TopMob, but in Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, she explained that discussions about contestants’ weight reflected the very limited beauty standards of the fashion industry at the time. She said, “That’s just the way things were back then.”

Although the elimination portion of each episode—where Tyra announced who was still competing to be America’s Next Top Model—typically lasted only about five minutes on TV, Yoanna revealed on Dirty Rotten Scandals that the contestants actually spent hours standing before the judges.

Sarah Hartshorne, a contestant from Cycle 9, described elimination days as lasting at least 12 hours, and sometimes stretching to 18 hours, often going until 2, 3, or even 4 a.m.

Sarah explained that on their first day, a crew member told them someone usually fainted during the long training sessions, and to signal for help if they started feeling unwell.

On day one, she recalled, “That was me.”

Yoanna described the show’s rules as difficult. She remembered that the lights were kept on constantly, even when contestants wanted to sleep, and they weren’t allowed to open windows or use their cell phones.

Sarah explained that using the bathroom alone guaranteed privacy, but if multiple people entered, the cameras would start recording.

Yoanna felt like she and the other competitors were being treated like test subjects, pushed to their breaking points for the entertainment of others. She described it as feeling less like a human competition and more like watching animals fight for a crowd’s amusement.

Although he wasn’t involved with the TopMob series, executive producer Ken Mok explained on Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model that the show aimed to feel like a real documentary. He said contestants were informed from the very beginning that cameras would be filming them constantly—around the clock—capturing all aspects of their experiences, both positive and negative.

Brittany Brower and Keenyah Hill were contestants on Cycle 4 of America’s Next Top Model and participated in a controversial photoshoot called “Got Milk?” where models were styled to appear as a different race or ethnicity than their own.

Brittany, who is white, admitted on the show Dirty Rotten Scandals that she didn’t question being made up to look Black because Tyra Banks was the one directing the photoshoot.

Brittany explained that because Tyra Banks is a Black woman and was guiding them to embody that experience, she and the other contestants didn’t question anything. They simply did whatever Tyra asked, as no one wanted to be eliminated from the competition.

Keenyah agreed, explaining in the TopMob series that people often lack the confidence to speak up, even when something feels wrong or isn’t appropriate.

Looking back on a photoshoot she now regrets, Tyra Banks shared in the Netflix series Reality Check that she didn’t realize it would be seen as problematic when it originally happened in 2005.

She remembered feeling confident and proud, believing she was making a statement about the beauty of Black and brown people. However, the audience reacted very differently, with many questioning her sanity.

Looking back on the show today, I see the problem with it,” Tyra explained. “And I completely understand why people feel that way.

After being on America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 14) in 2010, Angelea Preston explained in the TopMob series that people in the industry didn’t want to collaborate with her due to how she was depicted on the show. She said they felt her image – described as “urban,” “ghetto,” or similar – was difficult to promote.

So, when she got the call about doing the all-star Cycle 17, “I just wanted another chance.”

Angelea won the show’s finale, which was filmed in Greece. However, a few weeks later, as she shared in her book Dirty Rotten Scandals, she received a call asking her to come to New York City. There, she learned the show couldn’t air the planned ending because of allegations that she had been involved in sex work.

On the show Dirty Rotten Scandals, Angelea shared that she was struggling financially after her time on Cycle 14 and ended up in a harmful situation. She described feeling vulnerable and taken advantage of, which led to a period of self-doubt and personal hardship.

And she alleged that the production knew before cameras started rolling on Cycle 17.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than getting so close to a major win, only to have it snatched away. I was expecting a $100,000 payout – it was practically within my grasp! – but instead, they offered me a measly $300, like a little ‘sorry for your trouble’ gesture, and basically showed me the door. It felt incredibly dismissive and honestly, just heartbreaking.

In 2022, after Angelea spoke to Bustle about her experiences, Ken, an executive producer on America’s Next Top Model (ANTM), released a statement. He said there wasn’t much he could add to her story, as it had been widely reported and happened a decade prior. He personally considered Angelea a talented and charismatic contestant and wished her well for the future.

Lisa D’Amato was announced as the winner of Cycle 17 after the finale was re-shot. Nigel Barker told Lisa and runner-up Allison Harvard that Angelea had been disqualified due to information revealed to the production team and network.

Lisa has publicly stated, through interviews and social media posts, that the show exploited her past childhood abuse to affect her performance during season 5. She recently shared on the TopMob series that she came back for the All-Stars season hoping to change how people perceived her, specifically to stop being labeled as an alcoholic.

She insisted, “That absolutely didn’t happen.” Instead, things got worse, and fans started reaching out to her, asking what had happened to her character, Angelea.

“It felt like I was just disposable,” Lisa went on. “There could have been a good reason why Angelea wasn’t chosen for the final walk.”

Instead, she added, “Y’all wanted people to question what happened…to boost your ratings.”

Jeana Turner, a finalist on Cycle 24 of the show and who has alopecia, was promised a high-quality wig for her makeover. Instead, she says producers asked her to take off the wig she regularly wore and shave her head for the cameras.

In 2018, while on America’s Next Top Model, Jeana explained that taking off her wig felt incredibly freeing. She shared that it felt like she could finally be seen, both by the world and by herself.

Thinking about it now, I remember her talking about Dirty Rotten Scandals and how that show was actually the first time the producers deliberately tried to play with her feelings to get the performance they wanted for a particular scene. It really stuck with me how early on they started doing that.

Jeana explained that the way the footage was edited created the impression she was very strong and influential. However, she confessed that, personally, she felt quite vulnerable and insignificant during that time.

Jeana pointed out that her season was unique because it was the only one sponsored by a hair company. She questioned how she could have won, given that Pantene was the sponsor.

Tyra Banks wasn’t involved in the TopMob series and hasn’t spoken publicly about claims made by former contestants. After 14 former America’s Next Top Model contestants shared their memories of difficult moments on the show in 2023, a representative for Banks told Entertainment Weekly that many people – including the production crew and network – worked on the show over its 15 seasons, and that Ms. Banks wasn’t in charge of every aspect of it.

The statement described America’s Next Top Model as a reality competition that amplified real-life situations, similar to what you’d expect from any reality TV show.

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2026-03-12 10:18