Curse of: America’s Next Top Model

Episode: "Reality TV vs. Modeling Competition"

iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts | Host: Bridget Armstrong

Release date: October 21, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the distinction between reality TV and true modeling competitions through the lens of "America’s Next Top Model" (ANTM). Host Bridget Armstrong examines how, over two decades, ANTM prioritized drama over actual modeling and the real costs for contestants—physical, psychological, and career-wise. The episode also investigates behind-the-scenes manipulation, the construction of on-screen “characters,” and the dangers (literal and figurative) inherent in the pursuit of good television.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dangers Behind the Drama

[02:15-10:00]

• Extreme Photo Shoots: The episode opens with Sophie Sumner recounting the infamous Cycle 18 “Macau Tower” photo shoot—posing on a slippery, rain-soaked ledge 760 feet up, designed specifically to exploit her fear of heights.

  • Quote (Sophie Sumner, 04:08):
    “I stepped out there and I have never to this day been that terrified on the side of a building. Like slipping all over the place with rain coming down God knows how high up.”

• Producer Manipulation for Entertainment:

  • Creative producer Andrew Patterson admits the show purposely designed challenges around contestants’ specific fears.

    • Quote (Andrew Patterson, 07:16):
      “If someone had a particular fear, we would find out in the castings...Okay, well, this one’s scared of heights, so maybe this cycle we should do a photo shoot 100 stories in the air.”

  • Executive producer Ken Mok pushes for more vulnerability:

    • Quote (Andrew Patterson quoting Ken Mok, 09:03):
      “We want to see these girls cry. This is going to make great television. Stop consoling them. Play it out.”

2. Reality TV vs. Real-World Modeling

[10:01-26:30]

• The Show’s Priorities: Armstrong argues ANTM is “a reality TV show first and a modeling competition second.” The show repeatedly crafted over-the-top scenarios for shock value rather than industry realism.

• “Did That Really Happen?” Photo Shoot Game: The host quizzes listeners on which outlandish ANTM shoots/challenges were real (e.g., posing in freezing water, walking on a conveyor belt, being dunked in Greek salad, etc.).

• Physical Harm Was Part of the Game: Dangerous runways and photo shoots were deliberately made more hazardous for better TV, sometimes causing real injuries.

  • Quote (Kate Taylor relaying a crew member, 35:10):
    “I spoke with a producer who, for the floating runway, said they had people go in and loosen the runway even more to make it less safe because they're like, well, it's gonna be more interesting if someone falls.”

  • Contestant Testimony (Eugenia Washington, 36:15): “I kept going. After I fell off, I just kept going. I’m freaking bleeding.”

  • ANMT Sound Mixer (Jose Torres, 38:05): “The entire crew was on pins and needles waiting for somebody...We didn’t want somebody to get knocked off, but we were like, it was funny, but not funny.”

• Photo Shoots Not Reflective of Real Modeling: Patterson (a real-world fashion photographer) says ANTM’s antics bore little resemblance to actual industry work.

  • Quote (Andrew Patterson, 45:11):
    “Coming from the real world of advertising...That’s not how we do it. Top Model is not how we do it in the real world. A model’s pictures are very intimate. It’s between them and the photographer...Not a lot of that goes on on Top Model.”

3. Constructing "Characters": The Casting Process

[50:18-1:10:00]

• Producers Seek Out "Characters," Not Just Models:

  • Casting Producer Raphael Dorval: Explains how they sifted audition tapes for personalities that “pop on screen.” Those not naturally big were coached and “amped up.”
    • Quote (Raphael Dorval, 55:09):
      “We are taking their personality and basically amplifying it.”
  • Consultants and psychologists formed contestants into archetypes: The wild child, the villain, the girl next door, and so on.

• Storylines Built in Casting:

  • Sharron Brown’s Experience: Producers and psychologists advised her to lean into being the “confident” girl—even helping design her “lucky underwear” stunt.
    • Quote (Sharron Brown, 1:00:18): “I thought that, like, oh, wow, he’s telling me about myself and affirming who I am...but, yeah, no, he was giving me my character.”

• Editing and Character Arcs:

  • Models were repeatedly directed to exaggerate behaviors for camera. If editors needed a party girl, anyone else who got drunk would be edited out.
    • Quote (UV Gomez, 1:09:02): “I drank way too much...I think the producers saw that, and they pulled me aside and snuck me out because they already had the drunk girl. There couldn’t be two.”

4. Manufactured Villains and Real-Life Consequences

[1:10:01-1:25:15]

• Casting the “Villain”:
  • Sharron Brown describes how, through editing and producer prompting, she was cast as the “arrogant bully,” even leading to accusations of transphobia toward the show’s first openly trans contestant, Isis:
    • Quote (Sharron Brown, 1:14:22): “They handpicked all of—ironically—the black and brown girls to go on her shoot...there was one white model, they did that to make that scene as if she was being taunted and bullied.”
    • Sharron says she repeated producers’ lines in confessionals (“America’s Next Top Model is not gonna be a drag queen. I’m sorry—it’s not”) because of the reality TV interview standard to repeat questions for context.
  • Personal Fallout: Sharon’s family watch party turns sour as her “villain” edit gets aired.
    • Quote (Sharron Brown, 1:21:08): “My heart dropped...you’re questioning reality and you’re questioning what happened...it was heartbreaking because it wasn’t a true reflection of who I was.”

5. Manipulation of the Competition & Elimination Process

[1:25:16-1:37:00]

• Producers Control Outcomes for Story, Not Talent:

  • Jose Torres (sound mixer): “A lot of those girls were just like cogs in the machine. You know, they got looked at as a commodity, they were a product.”
  • Andrew Patterson (creative producer): “Was it always the best person winning and was it always the worst person being sent home? Hell no. Hell no.” (1:31:15)
  • If a contestant’s story arc or entertainment value ended, she might be given a challenge specifically designed to ensure she failed and was eliminated.

• Comparison to Other Reality Shows:

  • Casting producer explains, using RuPaul’s Drag Race as a veiled analogy, that producers could rearrange challenges to guarantee the “boring” contestant would go home.

6. The False Promise of a Modeling Career

[1:37:01-1:46:00]

• “Portfolio as a Prize”—a False Hope:

  • Models endured humiliating or dangerous shoots, believing they’d get a professional portfolio to launch their career.
  • Reality: Those photos were too ridiculous for the real modeling industry.
    • Quote (Kenya Hill, 1:44:00): “I couldn’t even use my portfolio from America’s Next Top Model in my actual portfolio because the pictures ... were so over the top, so overly edited, overly styled, overly made up. It was for TV. Real modeling portfolios didn’t look like how our pictures looked.”

• Cultural Impact:

  • The host notes many viewers formed false impressions about the modeling industry due to the show’s sensationalism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote/Context | |-----------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:08 | Sophie Sumner | "I have never to this day been that terrified on the side of a building...slipping all over the place." | | 07:16 | Andrew Patterson | "If someone had a particular fear, we would find out in the castings..." | | 09:03 | Andrew Patterson (Ken Mok) | "We want to see these girls cry...This is going to make great television." | | 35:10 | Kate Taylor (crew quote)| "They had people go in and loosen the runway even more to make it less safe..." | | 36:15 | Eugenia Washington | "I kept going. After I fell off, I just kept going. I'm freaking bleeding." | | 45:11 | Andrew Patterson | “Top Model is not how we do it [in the real world]. Modeling pictures are very intimate... it’s between them and the photographer... Not a lot of that goes on on Top Model.” | | 55:09 | Raphael Dorval | “We are taking their personality and basically amplifying it.” | | 1:00:18 | Sharron Brown | “He was giving me my character.” | | 1:09:02 | UV Gomez | “They already had the drunk girl. There couldn’t be two.” | | 1:14:22 | Sharron Brown | “They handpicked all of—ironically—the black and brown girls... to make it look as if she was being taunted and bullied.” | | 1:21:08 | Sharron Brown | “My heart dropped… you’re questioning reality... it wasn’t a true reflection of who I was.” | | 1:31:15 | Andrew Patterson | “Was it always the best person winning and was it always the worst being sent home? Hell no.” | | 1:44:00 | Kenya Hill | “I couldn’t even use my portfolio from America’s Next Top Model in my actual portfolio because the pictures... were so over the top, so overly edited, overly styled, overly made up. It was for TV.” |

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [02:15-10:00]: Macau Tower shoot—how danger and drama were engineered for TV, using Sophie’s story and producers’ testimonies.
• [10:01-26:30]: Armstrong’s “Did That Really Happen?” quiz about the show's outrageous, sometimes harmful, challenges.
• [26:31-50:17]: Real-world modeling vs ANTM’s version; confessions from producers about intentional spectacle for ratings.
• [50:18-1:10:00]: Deep-dive into casting, creation of reality TV "characters," and the manipulative psychological steering of contestants.
• [1:10:01-1:25:15]: The construction of villains; how editors/producers built Sharron’s “mean girl” arc, and its personal toll.
• [1:25:16-1:37:00]: How elimination and judging were structured to serve the show’s needs, not actual modeling talent.
• [1:37:01-1:46:00]: The false promise of a modeling portfolio and lasting career; impact on contestants and viewers.

Concluding Insights

• Reality TV as Illusion: ANTM strove for spectacle, often at contestants’ expense—sometimes resulting in real injury, emotional trauma, and post-show reputational damage.
• Fantasy vs. Fact: The “modeling competition” conceit hid a reality in which TV narratives, not modeling merit, determined fate.
• Ethical Reckoning: This episode lays the groundwork for a bigger question—did ANTM leave a “curse” on its contestants, its viewers, and the understanding of beauty and power in pop culture?

Next episode teaser: The show will examine ANTM’s role in advancing or perpetuating racist stereotypes and how its legacy lingers today.