Curse of: America’s Next Top Model

Episode: The House That Tyra Built
Host: Bridget Armstrong
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This final episode of Curse of: America’s Next Top Model is a deep investigation into the legacy of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM)—both its cultural impact and the personal toll on contestants. Host Bridget Armstrong speaks with ex-contestants, producers, journalists, and superfans to unpack whether ANTM’s success story is shadowed by what Armstrong calls "the curse": exploitation, trauma, and unacknowledged harm. Moving through compelling interviews and infamous show moments, the episode interrogates Tyra Banks’ role in the show’s failings, the accountability owed to former contestants, and asks the audience to reflect on their complicity as consumers of reality TV drama.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Giselle Sampson’s Post-ANTM Experience: The “Curse” Begins

[02:58 – 11:32]

• Giselle Sampson (Cycle 1) thought ANTM would launch her modeling career. After being eliminated, she returned to her old job and signed with a small agency.
• Surreal twist: Michael Jackson's team reached out after he read about Giselle’s attempt to visit him in a men's magazine story (due to the show's photo shoot). She visited Neverland Ranch—fed giraffes, saw memorabilia, met Michael, and was offered a role in a future project that never materialized due to Jackson’s legal troubles.
• The promised “big break” fizzled; agencies dismissed her—once you were a "reality person," you were “bottom of the barrel” ([11:36]).
• Quote:

  “The show was no help to me whatsoever. Besides the whole Michael Jackson stuff, there was no help.”
  — Giselle Sampson [11:09]

• Giselle, like many, felt the show gave her only “a cool story to tell...and a lifetime of trauma.”

2. The Reckoning: What Do Contestants Want?

[12:33 – 15:11]

• Bridget describes how many former contestants now seek acknowledgment, apologies, or compensation for the harm done.
• Some feel ANTM’s reruns compound old wounds as Tyra Banks and the network continue to profit.
• Quote:

  “This is unjust. We should be given some sort of compensation.”
  — Giselle Sampson [12:33]

3. Tyra Banks’ Makeovers and Their Impact ("Tie-Overs")

[15:47 – 25:29]

• Tyra’s infamous “makeover” episodes (“tie-overs”) were often humiliating or harmful rather than helpful.
• Notable moments:
  • Danielle “Dani” Evans pressed to close her tooth gap, yet another contestant was told to widen hers—arbitrary standards ([16:53 – 17:22]).
  • Contestants suffered physical harm: burns, permanent hair loss, hospitalization (e.g., Mikaela, Season 16).
• Models often felt powerless; resistance meant risking elimination.
• Quote:

  “Hair grows back, but teeth don’t.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [17:28] “You’re 18 years old. You’ve signed this contract. Everyone on production is saying we can’t push back against Tyra.”
  — Kate Taylor, freelance journalist [20:12]

Gina Turner’s Story (Cycle 24, Alopecia)

[20:59 – 24:44]

• Gina expected a new custom wig; instead, her head was shaved on camera in a supposed “empowerment” moment she describes as exploitation, triggering childhood trauma.
• Quotes:

  “I was mad that they couldn’t tell me the truth...because I also had never had my head shaved.”
  — Gina Turner [23:39]
  “I’m not doing something courageous. You guys are sitting here manipulating a girl who’s actually gone through this.”
  — Gina Turner [24:44]

4. Sexual Harassment and Show Response: Kenya Hill’s Experience

[29:02 – 33:31]

• During a South Africa shoot (Cycle 4), contestant Kenya Hill was groped and made uncomfortable by a male model; producers barely intervened, and Tyra chastised Kenya for not handling it with “feminine wiles.”
• Kenya had trusted Tyra’s mentorship, making the lack of support feel especially cruel.
• Quote:

  “Tyra told Kenya...handling it the right way was actually wrong. Tyra wanted her to use her, quote, feminine wiles.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [31:43] “I thought Tyra would probably...professionally and politely stop the shoot and just express her feelings...That’s what I genuinely thought.”
  — Kenya Hill [32:17]

5. The Tyra Banks Paradox: Apologies, Accountability & Denial

[34:53 – 47:48]

• Tyra Banks' recent public apology at Essence's Luminary Spotlight Awards is viewed as insincere—a “blanket” statement that fails to address specific harms ([35:12]).
• Multiple contestants want more direct and personal acknowledgment:
  • Jaslene Gonzalez (Cycle 8) is more forgiving, seeing Tyra as only human ([36:10]).
  • UV Gomez (Cycle 4), Sarah Hartshorn (Cycle 9), and Giselle Sampson call for specific accountability and compensation.
  • Yoanna House (Cycle 2), Sharon Brown, others seek a real apology, more empathy, or even a group dialogue.
• Quote:

  "What Tyra is reducing to a few clips on the Internet are things that people went through."
  — Sarah Hartshorn [37:52–38:25] “She was kind of deflecting, like, not wanting to own up to...the very not good things that she did.”
  — UV Gomez [36:54] “I think people deserve to be paid for their work and their time...there were a lot of girls who couldn’t afford the mental health help they needed.”
  — Sarah Hartshorn [39:53–40:09]

The "Tyra Banks Character": On-Camera Persona vs. Reality

[42:45–44:50]

• Ex-producer Andrew Patterson, contestants note Tyra performed a role for filming yet showed little warmth off-camera.
• Quote:

  “Tyra Banks played a character called Tyra Banks on Top Model.”
  — Andrew Patterson [42:45]
  “I was like, now you’re acting like a normal human. But on the show there was such a disconnect.”
  — UV Gomez [43:39]

6. The Legacy of Pain, and What Contestants Want Now

[44:06 – 47:48]

• Many ex-models want personal apologies or compensation, a few defend Tyra, others simply want a conversation or guidance.
• Tyra’s apologies are often couched with context, blame the times, or address only the public, not the affected contestants.
• Quote:

  “If Tyra wanted to at least seem like she was atoning...she should make personal apologies.”
  — Yoanna House [44:50] “Her ambition is what made her body shame these young women, even though she knew personally how painful that is... Her ambition is what allowed her to look the other way.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [45:04–47:46] “I think the fact that she refuses to apologize is what’s going to keep her failing.”
  — Eugenia Washington (Cycle 7) [47:48]

7. Superfan Oliver Twixt & Reexamining the ANTM Phenomenon

[52:23 – 60:46]

• Oliver Twixt became a pandemic-era content creator centering on ANTM; by interviewing dozens of contestants, sometimes prompting catharsis and revelations, his platform helped spark the "ANTM reckoning."
• Hearing the models’ pain and trauma first-hand changed his own perspective on Tyra and the show.
• Quote:

  "My intentions are always just rooted in wanting to hear them...without judgment...I'm seeing tears, I'm seeing people say 'I've never shared this before.' I'm hearing people use words such as, 'this was so healing.'"
  — Oliver Twixt [55:12] "She’s a human, too...But unfortunately for Tyra, when you get into that position of power, it does come with responsibilities."
  — Oliver Twixt [56:38]

• Discusses the double standard Black women in power face—Tyra is asked to shoulder more blame than her non-Black peers (see input from Raquel Gates and Bethany Butler) [57:00–58:57].

8. Moral Complication: Who's Responsible For The "Curse?"

[60:46 – 67:03]

• Contestants signed contracts, but models, journalists, and the host agree Tyra has a moral responsibility.
• Pivot to larger culpability: fans, networks, sponsors—all play roles in creating demand for exploitative content.
• Perez Hilton and Corey Wade’s comments highlight the tension between condemning individuals and examining a society that rewards drama at contestants’ expense.
• Quote:

  “We all tend to want to point the finger at Tyra. I think it’s more important now than ever that we kind of look at ourselves...We are the consumers, the people who loved that show, who watched it every single week.”
  — Corey Wade [65:46–66:23]

9. The True “Curse” and ANTM’s Lasting Legacy

[67:11 – End]

• Armstrong argues that the real curse of ANTM is on the audience—it made viewers complicit in the normalization of exploitation for entertainment.
• The show changed the reality TV landscape, popularizing humiliation and personal pain as acceptable trade-offs for fame.
• Quote:

  “ANTM birthed an entire generation of reality TV and taught the audience that as long as it's in the name of entertainment, people are disposable.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [64:09] “Thinking critically about the past pushes pop culture forward. Our entertainment has to evolve with us.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [67:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On being discarded by the industry:
  “Back then, if you’re a reality person, you were bottom of the barrel piece.”
  — Giselle Sampson [11:36]

• On traumatic makeovers:
  “You’re not in a position where you can really advocate for yourself.”
  — Kate Taylor [20:12]

• On Tyra’s accountability:
  “She’s doubling down on the things you’ve done and said to everyone. Well, that’s...pretty fierce, I guess.”
  — Giselle Sampson [37:27]

• On public vs. personal apology:
  “Her apologies also seem to be directed at the public, at her audience, not to the models who say they were harmed by the show.”
  — Bridget Armstrong [46:16]

• On the accountability of viewers:
  “Take a look at what you are entertained by today...Its success was due to us and how much we supported it.”
  — Corey Wade [66:07-66:23]

Key Segment Timestamps

• Giselle Sampson’s Post-ANTM Story: [02:58 – 11:32]
• Makeover Trauma & Power Dynamics: [15:47 – 25:29]
• Gina Turner & Wig Deception: [20:59 – 24:44]
• Sexual Harassment Shoot—Kenya Hill: [29:02 – 33:31]
• Tyra’s Apology & Responses: [34:53 – 44:50]
• Oliver Twixt’s Superfan Perspective: [52:23 – 60:46]
• Audience Responsibility & The Real Curse: [60:46 – End]

Tone and Style

Anchored by Armstrong’s critical-yet-nostalgic narration, the episode is rich with direct testimony, mixing pain and irony, frustration and disappointment—but also hope for accountability. The tone is analytical but empathetic, shining a light on uncomfortable truths about both the reality TV machine and the viewers who kept it running.

Conclusion

The House That Tyra Built closes Curse of: America’s Next Top Model by confronting the complex legacy of ANTM. Between unforgettable stories, damaging fallout, and lasting cultural influence, the show’s true legacy is shaped by both its creators and its viewers. The podcast challenges listeners to reflect on their roles as consumers of “messy” reality TV and to consider how nostalgia and entertainment sometimes come at a devastating cost to real people.

For Further Listening

• Bridget Armstrong suggests that audience engagement—subscribing, leaving reviews, and sharing the show—can help broaden these crucial pop culture conversations.