'America's Next Top Model' delivers more entertainment than supermodel success
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Fan favorites on Cycle 17 of "America's Next Top Model" on the CW. -
Paulina Porizkova, a former judge on "America's Next Top Model," has criticized the show. -
Janice Dickinson, a former judge on "America's Next Top Model," has criticized the show. -
"America's Next Top Model" may not catapult its contestants to modeling jobs, but it has produced successful actresses. Yaya DaCosta has appeared in several movies, including "The Kids Are All Right." -
"America's Next Top Model" may not catapult its contestants to modeling jobs, but it has produced successful actresses. Analeigh Tipton's movie roles include the recently released "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
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Despite the popularity of "America's Next Top Model," former contestants and fashion industry insiders don't believe the show is an avenue to supermodel stardom.
One of fashion's greatest minds, Karl Lagerfeld, describes Tyra Banks' "Top Model" as "trash that's funny for 5 minutes" but says its contestants "will never become the next Gemma Ward."
"Modeling is a phenomenal opportunity, a great job, and a s----y career," supermodel and former "America's Next Top Model" judge Paulina Porizkova says in a Huffington Post article about the cutthroat modeling industry.
So why then, since 2003, have countless model hopefuls scrambled for a chance to compete on Ms. Banks' wildly popular television show in hopes of walking the same runways as Gisele Bundchen and Agyness Deyn?
An all-stars version of Ms. Banks' hit show returns for Season 17 (seasons are better known as cycles to fans) at 9 tonight on The CW. The show's format will remain the same as it has for the past 16 installments -- 14 contestants will compete for a contract with IMG models, an Express fashion campaign and a cover of Beauty in Vogue magazine. The "All-Stars" version is chock-full of contestants from past seasons again competing for the coveted title.
Since its first airing, the show has garnered millions of loyal viewers and critics on the Internet. Seas of message boards dedicated to praising and bashing particular contestants can be found on countless websites.
Amanda L'Heureux, a 22-year-old Bangor, Maine, resident and avid "Top Model" fanatic, has been watching the show since its fourth season in 2005, blogging about it on her site, "My ANTM Addiction Starts Here." Ms. L'Heureux says that "All-Stars" is bound to be great television, but will do little to help raise the show's credibility as a full-fledged representation of the fashion industry.
"I think 'Top Model' succeeds as a reality show in a way that a lot of others don't," she says. "Despite seeing the purpose of the show fail time and time again, faithful viewers are invested in the contestants for many different reasons. Some people will always support the best model while some tune in to see the funniest girl or the most tragic story. There's a nice, healthy mix of trash, absurdity and a prize that makes the show decidedly watchable."
First Published September 14, 2011 12:00 am
