It has been eight years since America’s Next Top Model last aired, yet one of the most unhinged exports of early-2000s reality television has been exhumed by Netflix’s three-part documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which premiered on February 16.
Like all cultural artefacts best left in their era, ANTM has not aged quietly.
Created by Tyra Banks and developed with showrunner Ken Mok, the series debuted in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons, or “cycles” in ANTM-speak.
As Banks recounts in the documentary, the original concept spliced the competitive element of American Idol with the house-share voyeurism of The Real World, all dressed up in the fantasy of fashion.
While Cycle 1 opened with the noble pitch of democratising fashion by plucking girls from obscurity and fast-tracking one to industry legitimacy, rising ratings quickly nudged the series away from its original premise and towards engineered spectacle.
Even allowing for the cultural climate of the early 2000s, the show repeatedly crossed lines that now feel indefensible.
Contestants were subjected to body shaming, while photoshoots veered into outright harm, from race-swapping to tasteless attempts to aestheticise poverty by styling models as “high-fashion” homeless people alongside people actually experiencing homelessness.
The documentary does not litigate every offence in detail, but those involved concede that much should never have made it to air. Judge Nigel Barker admits some creative choices were simply “wrong” and went unchallenged at the time.
Jay Manuel echoes this, noting that many of the most controversial concepts were effectively handed down from above.
Banks, for her part, frames the escalation as audience-driven, before conceding that some decisions were, in her words, “dumb.”
There is little else like ANTM in television history, and for the sake of young women everywhere, there should not be again. With its legacy now being re-examined, we revisited 12 ANTM winners to see where they are now.
Skip ahead to…
- Cycle 1 Winner, Adrianne Curry
- Cycle 2 Winner, Yoanna House
- Cycle 3 Winner, Eva Marcille
- Cycle 4 Winner, Naima Mora
- Cycle 5 Winner, Nicole Linkletter
- Cycle 6 Winner, Danielle Evans
- Cycle 7 Winner, CariDee English
- Cycle 8 Winner, Jaslene Gonzalez
- Cycle 9 Winner, Saleisha Stowers
- Cycle 10 Winner, Whitney Thompson
- Cycle 11 Winner, McKey Sullivan
- Cycle 12 Winner, Teyona Anderson
Cycle 1 Winner, Adrianne Curry
After becoming ANTM’s first-ever winner, Adrienne went on to pop up across a string of other reality shows, including My Fair Brady with then-husband Christopher Knight.
She later married voice actor Matthew Rhode and now lives in Montana, where she runs an Avon business and, per her Instagram bio, is “aging gracefully amid Montana’s peaks.”
Cycle 2 Winner, Yoanna House
Following her win, Yoanna signed with IMG Models before moving into television, working as a host and producer for networks including E!.
She has since pivoted into content education, teaching courses in digital creation and modelling alongside her work as a fashion stylist. She also runs her own model camp, described on her website as a “two-day intensive workshop.” Let’s hope she’s gentler than Tyra was.
Cycle 3 Winner, Eva Marcille
Eva Marcille rose to fame after winning America’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 in 2004, earning a CoverGirl contract, an ELLE spread and a deal with Ford Models. She went on to appear in major campaigns and editorials, before transitioning into television.
Her acting credits include Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris and a long-running role on The Young and the Restless, which earned her NAACP Image Award nominations. Marcille later became a reality TV fixture, joining The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and now leads BET+ series All The Queen’s Men, produced by Tyler Perry.
Cycle 4 Winner, Naima Mora
Naima is still modelling and has recently stepped behind the camera.
According to her Instagram, she has made her directorial debut with the documentary 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.”
Cycle 5 Winner, Nicole Linkletter
Nicole Linkletter modelled for major fashion and beauty names including Burberry, Forever 21 and MAC Cosmetics. She also appeared as a judge at the Miss USA 2006 pageant and shot for multiple publications including marie claire, ELLE and Nylon.
In recent years, she appears to have stepped back from modelling, now living a quieter life with her husband Adam and their two children.
Cycle 6 Winner, Danielle Evans
Dani Evans’ tooth-gap controversy remains one of America’s Next Top Model’s most enduring flashpoints.
During the episode, Tyra Banks and the judging panel told Evans and fellow contestant Joanie Dodds that their teeth needed cosmetic work to be “marketable.” Dodds agreed to the procedure, while Evans resisted, repeatedly telling the dentist she did not want to lose the gap that defined her look.
The judges framed the decision as a career necessity, with Banks questioning whether Evans could secure a CoverGirl contract with a gap in her teeth. Although Evans initially refused, she later agreed to have the gap partially closed, a compromise she says felt less like a choice and more like an ultimatum.
In Netflix’s Reality Check, Evans reflects on the experience as invasive and manipulative, describing how her boundaries were overridden in service of good television.
Banks apologised for how the situation was handled, explaining she felt caught between industry pressures and the wellbeing of a contestant. Evans, however, rejects the idea that altering her appearance opened doors, arguing the moment was engineered for drama at her expense.
Cycle 7 Winner, CariDee English
CariDee is still modelling, regularly posting shoots on her Instagram.
Following her win, she returned to America’s Next Top Model for the Cycle 8 finale to open the runway and mentor finalists. Her editorial career included covers and features for Seventeen, Cover, Inked and Social Life, with campaigns for JCPenney, Matrix, Christian Siriano and Aubrey O’Day’s “Heart On My Sleeves” line.
On the runway, she walked New York and Los Angeles Fashion Weeks. Her TV work includes cameos on One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl, co-hosting MTV’s Scarred, and appearances on The Tyra Banks Show.
Cycle 8 Winner, Jaslene Gonzalez
Following her win, Jaslene walked major runways including New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week and Chicago Latino Fashion Week.
She continues to model today, while also running On Set With Jaslene, a confidence-building workshop for aspiring models focused on presence, professionalism and self-belief.
Cycle 9 Winner, Sal Stowers
After her win, Saleisha Stowers modelled for labels including Dereon, Baby Phat and Garage Clothing, and walked in New York Fashion Week.
She later pivoted into acting, landing roles on All My Children, Ugly Betty, Switched at Birth and Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. Alongside her screen work, Stowers has built a parallel career in wellness, launching her own body and nutrition brand and qualifying as a certified nutrition coach.
Cycle 10 Winner, Whitney Thompson
Whitney Thompson made history as America’s Next Top Model’s first plus-size winner. After her win, she modelled for brands including CoverGirl, Forever 21 and Saks Fifth Avenue, and continued walking high-profile runways.
In 2009, she launched her jewellery and candle line, Supermodel. Since then, Thompson has stepped back from the industry spotlight, building a quieter life in Panama City Beach. Married to artist Ian Forrester since 2014, she now runs an ice cream and fudge shop and lives there with her family.
Cycle 11 Winner, McKey Sullivan
Brittany “McKey” Sullivan adopted the name McKey during the competition to avoid confusion with another contestant, and it has remained her professional moniker ever since. After her win, she modelled for publications including Essence and walked in various fashion shows.
Today, McKey has stepped away from the industry spotlight. She shares five children with her husband, MMA coach Sam Alvey, and, according to her Instagram bio, is currently studying midwifery.
Cycle 12 Winner, Teyona Anderson
The New Jersey native, born Asia Anderson, found modelling success in South Africa following her win, and welcomed a son in 2017.
In recent years, she has stepped back from both the industry and social media, choosing a quieter life away from the public eye.
