Curse of: America’s Next Top Model

Episode: The Blueprint
Host: Bridget Armstrong
Platform: iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In "The Blueprint," host Bridget Armstrong kicks off the investigative series by exploring the very first season—Cycle One—of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM). The episode sets out to uncover how a seemingly glamorous TV show that promised modeling superstardom instead established the infamous “curse” now spoken of by many contestants. By tracing ANTM’s humble and chaotic origins, Armstrong demonstrates how the show's foundational practices—body shaming, manufactured drama, under-delivery on career promises—became a blueprint for both its success and controversy, establishing a legacy that impacts reality TV and participants to this day.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spark: ANTM’s First Winner and Broken Promises

• Adrienne Curry’s Experience:

  • Armstrong recounts the finale of Cycle One, where Adrienne Curry was declared the first ANTM winner (02:09). Instead of receiving a true modeling career, Adrienne faced empty promises:

    “Those prizes never materialized, and neither did her modeling career.” (03:49–04:10, Armstrong)

  • Quote:

    “Adrienne's an Avon lady living in rural Montana. And according to her, she never got that Revlon deal. And the Wilhelmina contract was an empty promise. She says the agents completely ignored her.” (05:35, Armstrong)

• Industry Perception:

  • The show didn’t serve as a leg up in fashion, but a “black mark.” (05:55)
  • Armstrong references Curry’s own words:

    "It's certainly not a show that anyone in the fashion industry wants to touch you if you've been on it." (05:22, Armstrong quoting Curry, 2022 interview)

2. Building the Blueprint: Casting, Budget, & Early Production

• Humble Beginnings:

  • ANTM had a $500,000 per episode budget for the first season—a shoestring for a reality series (06:07).
  • Tyra Banks called in favors from industry friends (Kahmora Lee Simmons, Janice Dickinson, Jay Alexander, Jay Manuel) to staff the show (06:54–09:57).
  • Iconic low-budget decisions, like Tyra buying bed linens on her own card and models wearing her own clothes for the poster shoot (21:21).

    “The girls on the first poster have my clothes on... Those are my clothes that I put in a trash bag for the airplane... I was scared that it would get lost and then we'd have no clothes for the poster child.” (21:21, Tyra Banks, 2018)

• Casting Tales:

  • The show originally operated under the alias “Supermodels.” Giselle Sampson recounts being discovered at Disneyland, auditioning before Tyra herself, and being cast only after a tearful, nerve-wracked audition (10:23 – 14:54).
  • Contracts were aggressively pushed on hopeful, often underage contestants without legal review:

    "I was 17 years old... they threw legalities at me... I didn't know what I was signing... being a star right in front of my face. I'm gonna sign anything, you know?" (14:26, Giselle)

3. Cultural Climate & Media Analysis

• Perez Hilton on Early 2000s Reality TV:
  • Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton discusses the era’s hunger for escapist, humiliation-based reality (17:43–20:51).

    "Viewers enjoy watching others be humiliated and tortured and going through difficult things. That's why shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race and America's Next Top Model were popular." (19:47, Perez Hilton)

  • ANTM stood out despite its budget because it offered voyeurism and transformation when audiences craved "easily digestible escapism" amid world crises (20:24, Perez Hilton).

4. Behind the Scenes: Manufactured Drama & “Dramality”

• Conflict as Content:

  • Giselle describes how interview approaches shifted from professional reflections to stirring interpersonal conflicts—producers prompting contestants to comment about each other for a “dramality” effect (33:18):

    "...they would sit down and do our one on ones... later it started becoming more like, 'Well, how do you feel about that girl?'... That's kind of like where the shift happens." (33:18, Giselle)

• Early Reality TV Tricks:

  • Introducing last-minute contestants to stoke tension became an industry standard, pioneered in Cycle One (24:12).
  • Even mundane drama (like bikini waxing) became “never before seen” TV moments (25:45–26:49).

5. Body Shaming and Harmful Standards

• Deep Dive: ANTM’s Damaging Legacy

  • Warning: Section covers eating disorders and body dysmorphia (36:12)

  • Early inclusion of plus-sized models appeared progressive, but the show and judges routinely undermined this by shaming contestants for body size.

    “...I saw it on the show, which is like a shock to me, which means now you're putting it into everybody's head all across America that I have a wide ass. So clearly, I'm not good enough. Clearly, I can't be a model. So how do I get rid of this wide ass? Oh, maybe I should stop eating..." (39:56, Giselle)

  • Robin, the "curvy" model, was repeatedly humiliated by judges:

    “Robin's out as far as I'm concerned.” (41:12, Janice Dickinson)
    “I think next, America's Top model is not a plus size model. I'm sorry, that's my opinion.” (41:20, Janice Dickinson) “She's huge. She's not going to be a top model.” (41:47, Janice Dickinson)

  • Contestants’ eating habits were policed and speculated on in front of camera for supposed authenticity, but there was a lack of real support:

    “While Elise denied having an eating disorder on the show, other contestants from cycle one say their eating disorder started after the competition ended.” (39:44, Armstrong)

  • Tyra’s stated goal was to challenge standards, but the show perpetuated industry harm:

    "...while there may have been questions about Elise's size, she was rarely talked about as negatively as Robin... What message does it send that the girl we've been led to believe has an eating disorder is also the girl who's most ready for high fashion, the girl with the best body?" (41:51–42:38, Armstrong) "...if Tyra really wanted to make this a learning experience, why didn't she bring in an expert to talk about healthy eating and body image?" (43:49, Armstrong)

6. The Cinderella Story – and Its Ugly Aftermath

• Transformation & Exploitation:

  • Adrienne Curry’s working class background, relatable struggles, and apparent transformation made her an ideal "Cinderella" for reality TV (45:32–48:39).

    “She may not have been as refined as some of the other girls or as Runway ready as Elise, but she did want it bad. And she had the best story.” (48:39, Armstrong)

  • The reality: Promised modeling contracts and industry support never materialized (49:36).

    "She never got the prize... the Revlon contract turned out to be a $15,000 job to model makeup in a room... she never even got the $15,000 and the Wilhelmina contract..." (49:36, Armstrong)

  • When Curry reached out for help, the production was silent—except to discourage her from joining another reality show, The Surreal Life.

• Contestants After ANTM:

  • Many ended up in debt, couch-surfing, and struggling to capitalize on their brief fame:

    “I was in debt after the show. I was getting billed for the testing, I was getting billed for the dresses. So now I'm having to pay and I'm in debt and I don't have a place to stay.” (52:48, anonymous contestant) “It was a very stressful time because Tyra owned me for that year.” (53:04, anonymous contestant)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Janice Dickinson’s Bluntness:

  "Tyra hired me to be like a female Simon Cowell, to be feeding in a negative fashion things about the girls." (08:10, Janice Dickinson)

• Ms. J’s Motto:

  "My motto is walk like it's for sale. And the rent is due tonight." (09:28, Ms. J / Jay Alexander)

• Giselle’s Audition Breakdown:

  "I freaked out... I started crying because I was so self conscious because I have S curve scoliosis. And so I had a total breakdown." (11:40, Giselle)

• On Religious Tension:

  “Do you believe in anything, Elise? — Like, I’m an atheist.” (29:46, Robin and Elise)
  “Robin actually showed me this Bible verse... when I read that, that made me think of you.” (30:10, Robin)

• Body Image Harm:

  “I walked into that show with a lot of confidence, and then I ended up having anorexia issues after that. Bulimia issues after that. Have never overcome my own body shame that I have.” (39:56, Giselle) “I think next, America's Top model is not a plus size model. I'm sorry, that's my opinion.” (41:20, Janice Dickinson)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 00:02: Cycle One’s Finale and Immediate Aftermath
• 03:49: Adrienne Curry and the “Curse” Begins
• 08:10: Janice Dickinson on Being the “Simon Cowell” of ANTM
• 10:23–14:54: Giselle Sampson’s Casting Story
• 17:43–20:24: Perez Hilton on Escapist Reality TV
• 21:21: Tyra Banks on ANTM’s Low Budget
• 24:12: “Surprise” Contestants and Reality TV Conflict
• 25:45–26:49: Bikini Waxing Scene
• 33:18: Producers Stir Interview Drama
• 36:12: Transition to Body Image and Eating Disorder Discussion
• 39:56: Giselle’s Struggles After Show
• 41:12–41:47: Judges’ Body Shaming Robin
• 43:49: Tyra’s Stated Defense of Industry “Realism”
• 45:32–48:11: Adrienne’s Cinderella Story
• 49:36: Aftermath—Broken Promises for the Winner
• 52:48: Contestant in Debt After the Show

Conclusion

"The Blueprint" exposes how ANTM’s very first cycle set patterns of exploitation—manipulative production, humiliation, empty promises, body shaming—that not only defined the show’s legacy but echoed across reality TV for decades. Through interviews, industry context, and behind-the-scenes accounts, Armstrong reveals that the supposed fairy tale of aspiring models was, for many, a cautionary tale. In the next episode, the series promises to dive deeper into contestant contracts and ANTM’s most notorious scandals, continuing to unravel the cost of reality TV’s dreams.