Over the course of more than 20 cycles, the show has amassed its fair share of untold truths.
Wonder what happens to contestants after they’re kicked off?
Curious about what it’s really like working with Tyra?
She even starred as Whitney Houston in a Lifetime biopic about the iconic singer’s life.
Unfortunately, DaCosta says her “ANTM” cred didn’t exactly do her any favors.
You didn’t talk about it.
It wasn’t on your resume."
“It makes me feel bad watching it,“Richardson told ThoughtCo.in April of 2017.
“I’m like, ‘I was hurting this lady bad.’
Some people say she was acting.
But some people say, ‘Tiffany, you were being mean.’
But me and Tyra know.
We’ve talked since.
Tyra yelled at me because she loved some Tiffany.”
I had so much love for this girl.”
“Many years ago, I was stressed with starting new businesses …
This was cycle 8.”
Cycle 8, y’all!
That means Banks tried to quit the series for the first time in 2007.
Impeccably appointed lofts, condos, and penthouse apartments maxed out with every modern amenity?
However, she does corroborate Hartshorne’s depiction of Banks being absent.
“Tyra was non-existent,“Preston told The Daily Mail.
“The only time we saw Tyra was at panel.
Tyra never came in to talk to us personally.
When the cameras stopped rolling, it’s like she’s a stranger.”
And if you felt bad for them before, prepare to feel even worse.
“The stay was determined by the time of elimination,” she said.
But that’s not all.
(Contestants are allowed limited time in a “phone booth.")
“The first thing we did when we woke up was get a microphone put on.
Obviously, producers didn’t want to miss anything dramatic.
Well, at least for the audience.
What fans may not know is that Banks created an alter ego for herself when the show started.
“So people think that it’s me.
And it’s totally not.
My talk show is just me.”
(“The Tyra Banks Show” aired from 2005 to 2010).
Nor did it prevent nearly every outlet from reportingthat all three had been fired.
However, in 2016, Miss J cleared up that misconceptionduring an interview with Perez Hilton.
“Listen, I was never fired.
My contract was just not renewed.”
Only, life isn’t quite as carefree as one might imagine.
“We’d get up at five in the morning, get home at midnight.”
“They hardly used any of that footage,” contestant Mike Scocozza added.
“I’m sure there’s some really good stuff on there.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t loopholes.
In typical Cutrone fashion, she was unflinchingly honest, making her one heck of an interview subject.
The models weren’t paid
Sadly,low payis something many aspiring models have to deal with.
She also claimed they didn’t even have a microwave to heat that food up.
In atweetfurther discussing payment, Hartshorne clarified that the contestants also didn’t get any residuals from the episodes.
Many were upset by the claims that contestants weren’t paid for their time on the show.
I don’t care what they signed or ‘consented’ to.”
But she has since retired from modeling, and instead focuses on comedy and writing.
But Hartshorne decided not to let those threats control her.
She has alleged that production did bag searches and controlled their food.
She also claimed models were pressured into “showering together.”
The shared experience did help some of the cast members to bond.
I just want them to be successful in all the areas of their life,” Hartshorne said.
And according to “ANTM” alum Matthew Stephen Smith,they’re tested before the show even begins.
“They knew stuff about the combination of our cast before we even knew it.”
In May 2020, clips from the show started going viral as viewers were shocked by problematic content.
In anotherviral clip, the judges criticized a contestant for refusing to have the gap in her teeth closed.
Tyra did apologize for this in an episode of “The Tyra Banks Show.”
Risking lives for ratings?
In one suchchallengeduring Cycle 7, the models had to walk across a thin runway over a pool.
Unfortunately, Eugena Washington did fall and hit her knee hard on her landing.
“I felt like my life was being put on the line for ratings,” Washington said.
It seems the former contestant may be right that the show put drama above the model’s safety.
Along with the lack of representation, many curve models on the show have been treated poorly.
Toccara Jones was a plus-size model on Cycle 3.
Instead, the last few scenes were reshot months later with the title given to the runner-up Lisa D’Amato.
I couldn’t book a job to save my life,” Preston said.
“It was very hard.
You have these 15 minutes of fame but you might’t capitalize on them.”
To get by, the model took work as an escort.
“I had to survive.
I had no money.
I had no income,” Preston said.
According to Preston, “ANTM” was aware of her past work before booking her for Cycle 17.
She competed on the show and won.
Look at what happened to me.
Girls like me don’t have a chance,” Preston said.
Sadly, coming out “on top” didn’t turn out to be what she’d expected.
According to Curry, the winner was promised a contract with Revlon and Wilhelmina.
She added that she never received the $15k.
“I purposely got wasted and skinny dipped.
I took joy in knowing it would bother people,” she said.
“I took every opportunity to let press know I was never paid or given my prize.
I’d talk s**t about Tyra just to do it.”
However, Curry added that’s not how she would handle things now.
“I was a kid.
My anger was a thin mask for my broken heart.”
