Podcast Summary: “Curse of: America’s Next Top Model”

Episode: "Race Swap Card"

Host: Bridget Armstrong
Date: October 28, 2025
Podcast by iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts

Overview

In "Race Swap Card," Bridget Armstrong takes a critical and investigative look at one of America's Next Top Model’s (ANTM) most infamous and controversial legacies: its handling of race, ethnicity, and stereotypes. The episode zeroes in on the notorious “race swapping” photo shoots and explores the persistent use of racial tropes, stereotypes, and editing choices that shaped the portrayal (and eventual fates) of many contestants. Through a mix of former model interviews, pop culture analysis, and personal reflection, Armstrong interrogates how ANTM’s legacy is both celebrated (for its “diversity”) and deeply troubled (for the ways it commodified and exploited identity).

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Race-Swapping Photo Shoots – Infamy Unpacked

• Armstrong revisits the “race swap” photo shoot, particularly from Cycle 4, where contestants were made to pose as different races or ethnicities—including white contestants in blackface, black contestants made up to look Asian, and exceedingly stereotypical costuming.
  • "Even die hard ANTM apologists can’t deny the cringiness of this photoshoot." (03:35)
  • "For the two models who were supposed to be black, the makeup artists painted their entire faces with dark brown makeup." (04:43)
• Many contestants didn't object at the time—reflecting both the era and the authority Tyra Banks held as a Black woman producer/host.
  • Brittany Brower: “At the time, none of us thought anything of it...If Tyra wants me to do something, would it ever, ever end up being, like, anything offensive? Then she must not know about Tyra Banks.” (07:06)
  • UV Gomez: "I knew it was wrong. I absolutely knew it was wrong. I was trying to talk the girls into all of us saying we didn't want to do it. But, like, Brittany, most of them thought Tyra knew best.” (09:16)
• When the show initially aired, there was little public outcry, but that changed dramatically in retrospection.

2. Diversity vs. Stereotypes: What Was ANTM Really Selling? (16:00–24:00)

• Tyra Banks repeatedly claims her pride in ANTM’s diversity.
  • “Over 20 years ago, I created a television show...I fought...to bring the diversity at a time where it didn’t exist.” (16:30)
• Others, such as Perez Hilton (former guest judge and gossip blogger), argue that diversity was more about ratings than social mission.
  • “Top Model really was a pioneer in terms of diversity...But while that was a factor, that wasn’t an important one.” (17:18)
  • Armstrong, reflecting on this critique: "Now, after six months of reporting, I gotta admit, Perez might be onto something." (18:31)
• The show cast for maximum contrast and drama: big city vs. small town, rich vs. poor, “the hood” vs. suburbia.

3. Stereotypical Tropes by Edit: How “Character” Became “Caricature” (24:00–44:00)

• The need for “reality TV archetypes” led to contestants routinely being edited to fit expected racial or cultural caricatures.
• Asian Contestants: Relegated to “model minority” tropes, fetishized, or subject to “foreigner” narratives.
  • Sheena Sakai: "The edit made it seem like all she wanted to talk about was sex...She was also a stuntwoman, but we never heard about that." (25:40)
  • Gina Cho: Central to her storyline—a supposed “Asian identity crisis”—highlighted persistent questions about her identity choices and loyalties. (27:45)
• April Wilkner (Cycle 2): Despite being half-Japanese, was forced into “Asian Eve” for a photo shoot; perpetually called "too clinical," playing into model minority tropes.
  • Judges: “Absolutely no personality...too analytical, too mechanical, and too perfect.” (32:11)
• Latina Contestants: Expected to embody “spicy Latina” or “ex-gang-banger” narratives.
  • Jaslene Gonzalez: “I was the most cha cha diva ever.” (36:41)
  • UV Gomez: Pressured to be the “crazy Latina girl...ex-gang member,” though she rejected the narrative.
    • “They asked for three jobs...I worked as a model, a janitor, and for Abercrombie...They picked janitor. And then my favorite food? They picked Taco Bell. Sounds hella racist if you ask me.” (39:27)

4. The Angry Black Woman Trope: A Show Fixture (44:00–1:10:00)

• Armstrong details the show’s deeply problematic—yet constant—use of the “angry Black woman” stereotype, from Cycle 1 to Cycle 24.
• Tiffany Richardson (Cycle 4): The infamous "We were all rooting for you!" Tyra meltdown is dissected—not as a campy pop culture meme, but as a moment of misreading pain and vulnerability as defiance.
  • Tyra (to Tiffany): “Do you know that all of America is rooting for you?!” (54:10)
  • Bridget (reflecting): “Tyra was rooting for Tiffany the character, not Tiffany the person.” (57:21)
  • Brittany Brower (on Tyra): “If you were so rooting for her and saw her drowning, why don’t you help her? Why don’t you have production pull her aside, give her a little pep talk?” (58:34)
  • Raquel Gates (film professor): "She wanted it so much...she doesn’t feel she can be vulnerable, and that resonates completely with me as a Black woman." (1:00:15)
• Other Black Women: Contestants like Ebony (Cycle 1), Camille (Cycle 2), Jade (Cycle 6) and many others were edited into villainous or unlikable roles far more often than white contestants with similar behaviors.
  • Tyra (on Ebony): “When you come into the room, we sense a chip on your shoulder, a type of anger...” (1:15:22)
  • Bridget (on Jade): “I don’t think they cast Jade from Cycle six to win. And yet Jade is one of the most memorable contestants of the whole franchise...After the show, Jade quit modeling, in part because of how bad ANTM made her look." (1:18:13)
• The ABW trope (angry Black woman) is lucrative, Armstrong argues, and the show used it for drama, at the expense of real people’s futures and dignity.

5. When Racism Wasn't Addressed (1:19:00–1:23:00)

• Jada Young (Cycle 7): Forced to kiss a white model who stated he “didn’t like black girls.” Tyra and producers scolded her for not rising above it or being "defensive," rather than intervening.
  • Tyra (to Jada): "Well, you’re gonna have to give him a kiss to make him love some black girls, because what do they say, once they go black...?" (1:20:55)
• Yaya Dacosta (Cycle 3): Her Afrocentricity was weaponized in judging; condemned as “defensive” for refusing to perform a “cliché” version of her heritage.
  • Guest Judge: “You have this intensity to prove your sort of African-ness…and sometimes it’s overbearing. It’s just too much.” (1:22:40)
  • Yaya: “…That is very cliché. The fabric...is very artificial, very cheap, fake kente.” (1:23:03)
• Armstrong: "ANTM trafficked in negative racial stereotypes...The show could have challenged those stereotypes. Instead, it appealed to the lowest common denominator." (1:25:29)
• The ultimate irony: Even Tyra herself became defined by the angry black woman moment—her most meme-able, infamous scene.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Brittany Brower: “At the time, none of us thought anything of it...It was just fun. You gotta think, the host of our show is Tyra Banks, and Mr. and Mrs. J are right there as well. It never crossed my brain at all.” (07:06)
• UV Gomez: "I knew it was. Was wrong. Like, I absolutely knew it was wrong. And I was trying to talk the girls into all of us saying we didn't want to do it." (09:16)
• Perez Hilton: "Top Model really was a pioneer in terms of diversity. I do give her credit for that...But while that was a factor, that wasn’t an important one." (17:32)
• Bethany Butler (journalist): "There’s an understanding from the very beginning of reality TV that, like, you need to have these archetypes…and oftentimes the stereotypes, the biases we have in our country, it’s a microcosm of real life." (24:12)
• Jaslene Gonzalez: "I said my name, my height and where I'm from, like the most cha cha diva ever." (36:41)
• UV Gomez: “They wanted me to be like a crazy Latina girl, you know, the ex gang member...They chose Modesto...[and] Taco Bell...Sounds hella racist if you ask me.” (39:27)
• Tyra (to Tiffany): “Do you know that all of America is rooting for you?!” (54:10)
• Raquel Gates (professor): "She wanted it so much...she doesn’t feel she can be vulnerable, and that resonates completely with me as a black woman.” (1:00:15)
• Tyra (on Ebony): “When you come into the room, we sense a chip on your shoulder, a type of anger that makes you push yourself too hard to the point where you lose focus and become difficult to work with.” (1:15:22)
• Armstrong: “Tyra was rooting for Tiffany the character, not Tiffany the person.” (57:21)
• Jose Torres (sound engineer): "Some people were cast to win, and some people were cast for good TV." (1:17:45)
• Tyra (to Jada): "Well, you're gonna have to give him a kiss to make him love some black girls, because what do they say once they go black? They don’t go back." (1:20:55)
• Yaya: “I did not choose that hat for the very specific reason that it is very cliché. The fabric is very artificial, very cheap, fake kente.” (1:23:03)
• Armstrong: "ANTM trafficked in negative racial stereotypes, ones that fed into the audience's most base nature. The show could have challenged those stereotypes. Instead, it appealed to the lowest common denominator." (1:25:29)

Conclusion

This episode of “Curse of: America’s Next Top Model” is a rigorously honest, deeply reflective look at reality TV’s history of exploiting identity for drama and ratings. Bridget Armstrong, through interviews and analysis, illustrates how ANTM made “diversity” its brand, but perpetuated damaging, enduring stereotypes—often at the personal cost of contestants. The show may have started as a celebration of all kinds of beauty, but ultimately, as Armstrong summarizes, “Tyra was rooting for Tiffany the character, not Tiffany the person”—a microcosm of the show’s complicated, frequently harmful relationship with identity.

Next Episode Teaser: The investigation continues with an exploration of ANTM’s treatment of trans contestants and the commodification of their stories.

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary covers pivotal moments, themes, and the host’s nuanced critique—directly referencing both the pain and pop-cultural impact of ANTM’s “curse."