America's Next Top Model

Lore & Background

The series first six cycles aired on UPN, before UPN merged with The WB to create The CW in 2006. The following sixteen cycles aired on The CW until the series was first cancelled in October 2015. The series was revived in 2016 and aired on VH1 until it went on indefinite hiatus after cycle 24. Advertisers paid $61,315 per 30-second slot during the 2011–12 television season, the highest of any series on The CW. The first 22 cycles and cycle 24 were presented by Banks, while cycle 23 was presented by Rita Ora.

Cycles 1–16, 19, and 23–24 each consisted of a cast of 10–15 female contestants. Cycle 17's cast consisted entirely of previous participants, while cycle 18 had seven new contestants and seven former Britain's Next Top Model contestants. Cycles 23 and 24 included contestants with prior competition or modeling experience. Cycle 17 was the first cycle filmed in high definition.

Reader's Guide

America's Next Top Model was among the highest-rated programs on UPN and was the highest-rated show on The CW from 2007 to 2010, making it a significant commercial force in American reality television. Its format—weekly photo shoots, challenges, judging panels, and eliminations—became a template replicated in over fifty international versions, creating a global franchise. The series also pioneered elements such as all-stars cycles (cycle 17), cross-national competition (cycle 18 with Britain's Next Top Model contestants), and the inclusion of male contestants (cycles 20–22). The show's production history reflects broader industry shifts: the merger of UPN and The WB into The CW, the transition to high definition with cycle 18, and the writers' strike of 2006 that highlighted labor issues in reality television. Its syndication across networks like Oxygen, Style Network, Bravo, MTV, VH1, and E! extended its cultural reach. The series' legacy includes launching the careers of numerous models and establishing Tyra Banks as a major television producer.

Did You Know?

• The series was the only show left on The CW that was originally from UPN.
• Cycle 23 was the only cycle presented by Rita Ora instead of Tyra Banks.
• A video game loosely based on the series, also titled America's Next Top Model, was released for the Nintendo DS and Wii on June 1, 2010.
• The series converted to high definition with the start of cycle 18, becoming the second-to-last primetime show on the five major English-language broadcast networks in the United States to make the switch.

Network Migration & Commercial Dominance

Tyra Banks created America's Next Top Model, and Ken Mok and Kenya Barris developed it into the reality competition that premiered in May 2003. The show's first six cycles aired on UPN, but when that network merged with The WB to form The CW in 2006, ANTM became the first regular series to air on the new channel. It was also the only program carried over that had originally belonged to UPN. The show's commercial success was remarkable: it held the top-rated slot on The CW from 2007 through 2010, and during the 2011–12 season, advertisers paid $61,315 for a single thirty-second spot—the highest rate on that network. The series aired semi-annually until 2012, then shifted to an annual schedule through 2018. After its first cancellation in October 2015, it was revived in 2016 on VH1 before its final cancellation in 2018. Notably, the show's writers staged a strike in July 2006 during cycle seven, seeking WGA West representation, regulated pay, portable health insurance, and pension benefits. The dispute drew a large Hollywood rally coinciding with the CW's launch, and by November 2006 the striking writers had been removed from payroll.

Competition Structure & Cycle Variations

Each cycle of the competition runs between nine and sixteen episodes and begins with a cast of ten to sixteen aspiring models. Contestants face weekly judging based on their overall appearance, how they handle challenges, and their strongest photograph from that week's shoot. Typically one contestant is sent home per episode, though the panel has occasionally agreed to a double elimination or, in rare instances, no elimination at all. Early in each season, makeovers are arranged for the remaining cast, and roughly two-thirds of the way through, the group travels to an international destination. The composition of the cast varied significantly across the show's run. Cycles one through sixteen, nineteen, and twenty-three through twenty-four featured ten to fifteen women with no prior experience on the series. Cycle seventeen broke the mold by assembling an all-stars cast of former participants. Cycle eighteen mixed seven newcomers with seven contestants from Britain's Next Top Model. Cycles twenty through twenty-two opened the competition to male contestants, producing two male winners. By April 2018, twenty-four individuals had claimed the title, which typically came with a magazine feature and a modeling agency contract.

The Evolving Judging Panel

Throughout its run, the show cycled through seventeen different judges who critiqued contestants' progress. The original panel paired Tyra Banks—who also served as the series' presenter—with Janice Dickinson, Kimora Lee Simmons, and Beau Quillian. By cycle two, Quillian and Simmons were swapped out for Nigel Barker and Eric Nicholson, and Nicholson was himself replaced by Nolé Marin in cycle three. After cycle four, both Marin and Dickinson departed, and J. Alexander and Twiggy took their seats in cycle five. Paulina Porizkova entered the panel in cycle ten, replacing Twiggy. In a notable shakeup, Banks dismissed Porizkova after cycle twelve, leaving a trio of Banks, Alexander, and Barker for cycle thirteen. When Alexander stepped down in cycle fourteen, André Leon Talley joined the judging panel but continued serving as the series' runway coach. By cycle eighteen, Kelly Cutrone had replaced Talley on the panel. Beyond the judges, the show also employed a creative director and a runway coach to guide contestants through the competition.

Franchise Legacy & Syndication

America's Next Top Model stands as the originator of the global Top Model franchise, with over fifty international versions produced in its image. The show's cultural footprint extended well beyond its original broadcast. It was syndicated through NBCUniversal's cable division, with Oxygen and Style Network regularly airing marathon blocks of full cycles during daytime hours. Bravo, MTV, and VH1 had all carried the series at various points, and E! also aired reruns. To mark its tenth cycle, the show produced a two-part special called America's Next Top Model: Exposed in February 2008, which revisited memorable catfights, mishaps, photo shoots, and personalities from the first nine cycles. Former contestants including Camille McDonald, Toccara Jones, Eva Pigford, Bre Scullark, Cassandra Whitehead, Joanie Dodds, Jael Strauss, Dionne Walters, Heather Kuzmich, and Bianca Golden returned to reflect on their experiences. The series also made a notable technical milestone when cycle eighteen marked its conversion to high definition, making it the second-to-last primetime show on the five major English-language broadcast networks to make that switch.