‘America’s Next Top Model’ Stars Tell All: Behind the Scenes of the Controversial Series

Tyra Banks had the best intentions when she created America’s Next Top Model in 2003. Her goal, she stated, “was to spread beauty and break down barriers.” But years later, after the reality series faced criticism for treating many of its contestants with “insensitivity,” the former supermodel, 51, confessed that she and other producers also got a lot wrong: “[There were] a whole bunch of things that we did mess up,” she admitted in 2020.

Six years after the show ended its 24-season, 15-year run, former contestants and a notorious ANTM judge are now opening up about what they claim happened behind the scenes on the wildly popular series. “I got to go overseas, experience different countries and cultures, meet all these celebrities. Top Model did all that for me. That was great,” Cycles 12, 14 and 17 star Angelea Preston, 38, exclusively tells In Touch. “But then there’s also that other side” — the dark side.

Producers used multiple methods to control and fuel drama, contestants claim. “They always wanted you drinking. You were never actually fed,” Lisa D’Amato, 44, from 2003’s Cycle 5 and 2011’s Cycle 17: All Stars seasons, alleges. Janice Dickinson, who served as a judge on the show for four seasons, backs up that claim. “It’s true,” says the former supermodel, 69, who’s currently writing a tell-all book. “They barely fed us as judges.”

Also shocking: Before joining the show, Angelea had met a man in NYC who pressured her to become an escort, and she claims producers knew about it when she joined All Stars. But after she won, they disqualified her because of her past and stripped her of the title and $100,000 prize, leaving her feeling “exploited” all over again.

In another incident, Tyra allegedly asked a Christian contestant about her sex life. Lisa claims the woman was then eliminated after declining to do a racy shoot. A disabled contestant from Germany who’d been in a wheelchair was cruelly forced to walk in heels, she adds.

And Sarah Hartshorne, 38, from 2007’s Cycle 9, recalls asking for medical care for a contestant who was suffering from heat stroke. “A producer told me no,” alleges Sarah.

There are mixed feelings about Ms. Banks’ role in everything. Lisa calls the host “a narcissist,” while Angelea thinks Tyra “could have been more helpful to us.”

Looking back, Sarah concludes, “It’s possible Tyra had good intentions, but in order to maintain them, she would have had to turn a blind eye to a lot of mistreatment and a lot of questionable choices.”