Moments From America's Next Top Model No One Will Forget

Those who grew up binge-watching reality TV shows will be fully aware of Tyra Banks' hit phenomenon "America's Next Top Model." The fierce competition show made its debut in 2003 and managed to stay on air until 2018. Not only that, it paved the way for the likes of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and "The Face."

Even though "America's Next Top Model" has produced many stars, like Yaya DaCosta, Eva Marcille, and Winnie Harlow, it has also faced criticism for the way the contestants were treated. Cycle 9 alum Sarah Hartshorne came forward in 2021 and revealed on Twitter she was only paid $40 a day and had to pay for her own food while on the show. In a TikTok video, Sarah also revealed that everyone taking part in "America's Next Top Model" had to sign an NDA that forced them to not talk about the shady things that went on behind the scenes. If they were to leak any information, Sarah stated they were told they would be sued for $10 million.

The ongoing backlash about the show clearly couldn't be ignored by Banks. In May 2020, she came forward and admitted she made some "really off choices" on Twitter. "Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you," Banks tweeted, adding, "[I] appreciate your honest feedback." Now, let's get into those "off choices" that many have deemed to be unforgettable.

In the middle of participating in Cycle 4, Kahlen Rondot received a phone call message that informed her a friend from her high school days had died. Finding out that news while not being surrounded by her friends and family made Kahlen state in her confessional that the day she found out about her friend was the worst day she had in the competition. What she didn't realize, though, was that her journey was about to get more difficult.

For the photoshoot that happened right after she received the news, the remaining contestants had to represent the seven deadly sins in the middle of a graveyard. On top of being in a graveyard, they had to pose at the bottom of an eight-foot grave where people are usually buried. Understandably, Kahlen was emotional on set and was filmed crying her eyes out. The creative director, Jay Manuel, said he was unaware of the situation and spoke with Kahlen privately. While he did seem mildly concerned, he didn't seem too phased about her personal situation, as he only asked whether she "needed a minute" before going into hair and makeup. Being a trooper, Kahlen participated in the shoot and produced an iconic photo that embodied wrath. 

While Tyra Banks and the other judges seemed to reward her struggles by calling her name first, the timing of the shoot was very questionable.

Cycle 6 was clearly a rollercoaster of a season. During one of the challenges in panel, Tyra Banks put the contestants to the test by asking them to walk in a pair of ridiculously high heels. The shoes were so high that they appeared difficult to stand in, let alone walk in, for the very first time. In fact, Banks' rival, Naomi Campbell, had previously fallen in them while on the runway, so it appeared almost as if Banks set the contestants up to fail on purpose.

Sara Albert, Brooke Staricha, and Joanie Dodds were the only few who managed to strut without stumbling. However, Kari Schmidt and Dani Evans fell more than once. "This is the most nerve-wracking judging test we have ever done. I was holding my breath the entire time," Banks declared. However, what she really should have been focused on was the level of danger she was putting her contestants in.

Before everyone returned to panel, doctors were called in backstage after Dani's pinky toe "came completely out and twisted." She returned in crutches with her foot raised and told the judges she had "sprained my baby toe." Banks seemed completely unphased by the situation and just carried on as if nothing major had happened.

Keenyah Hill didn't have the most comfortable time on a shoot when a male model named Bertini kept making moaning noises around her. Keenyah did the right thing and stopped posing to inform creative director Jay Manuel about what was happening. Unfortunately, Manuel didn't do much about the situation other than say that she was in a "professional situation" and that there were many others on set.

The shoot continued even after Keenyah spoke up. However, Bertini didn't catch the hint and continued to cross the line. Manuel eventually told the guys to stop "grabbing her butt," but the damage was already done. Keenyah left the set upset and worried that the final image she would be judged on in panel would affect her chances of being eliminated.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the last time Keenyah had to interact with Bertini. When the contestants went out for dinner, they were joined by the male models from the same shoot. Keenyah confronted Bertini over his behavior and made him aware that the line he crossed was "pretty darn thick." With that being said, she shouldn't have had to go to dinner with him in the first place for the sake of the show.

For Cycle 7's deodorant commercial, the remaining six contestants were told they had to learn a script in Spanish and pick a male model at their dinner table to be their co-star. Not only that, they would have to share a kiss with whichever model they chose. However, having to learn a script in a foreign language was the least of Jaeda Young's problems after finding out the male model she chose, Nacho, told her he doesn't like Black girls. He wouldn't practice the script with her at the table and made her feel incredibly insecure and uncomfortable.

When coming face to face with Tyra Banks, Jaeda informed the supermodel about her situation. To many people's surprise, Banks didn't sympathize with Jaeda, instead, she told Jaeda she should kiss him and "make him love some Black girls." That's one way of ending racism, right? Filming Jaeda's commercial was understandably a mess, as she openly admitted on set "I cannot do this" and burst into tears. Jaeda did end up kissing the male model but said she hoped to never go through anything similar again.

When being evaluated in panel, Jaeda told the rest of the judges about her racist co-star while crying about her disastrous commercial. Nigel Barker told her she should have taken control of the situation and Jay Alexander claimed it shouldn't have stopped her from doing her job. To make matters worse, the judges used this situation to eliminate Jaeda.

Who could forget the tension between English model Louise Watts and judge Kelly Cutrone during Cycle 18's British Invasion? During a photoshoot, Louise was captured running across the set to get her hair and makeup done in time. Cutrone went after Louise and warned her to watch her "energy." Cutrone insisted Louise had "one of the worst attitudes that I've ever seen for a young woman who's in the middle of a competition" and continued to address Louise while she was trying to focus on her shoot.

With three minutes to spare, Louise slayed her shoot and produced a stellar image. However, the stress that Cutrone put on her left her in tears after the shoot. Louise claimed they were due to relief it was all over, but it was most likely in response to Cutrone's constant criticism of her actions. And unfortunately, there were worse things to come her way. 

In judging, Louise wasn't shy about addressing Cutrone about her rudeness after Cutrone said Louise was rude to her. Tyra Banks claimed that, because Cutrone was a publicist, she was above the model in rank and that Louise had learn her place. Louise became annoyed with the panel's continuous critiques and stormed off the set. As seen in the photo above, she was filmed shouting on the street, cursing and demanding to fly back home. "That f**king Kelly Cutrone, if she was on the street, I'd knock her out," Louise claimed.

Cycle 11's Isis King made history as the first transgender contestant on "America's Next Top Model." She had previously appeared in the background of the homeless photoshoot for Cycle 10 and caught Tyra Banks' attention that way. After the supermodel was impressed with Isis' natural modeling skills, Banks asked her to return for the following cycle in the hopes of her becoming a contestant. In her audition, Isis informed Banks, Jay Manuel, and Jay Alexander that she was "born physically male" but "mentally, everything else, I was born female."

During the early stages of the competition, the other contestants had something to say about Isis' identity. Many of them wanted to figure out why she looked the way she did, and when Isis informed them of how she was born, there were a variety of reactions. Kacey Leggett was shocked and questioned how she got "through the door," claiming it was a "girl competition." Clark Gilmer didn't hold back either and said she was willing to "stomp that man right out of the competition" if Isis got in the way of her "goal." On the other hand, Sheena Sakai commended Isis for being "brave and secure with who she is." 

Even though Isis faced many transphobic comments as part of her "ANTM" experience, she became a fan-favorite contestant and an inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community.

It was practically impossible not to include this iconic moment on this list. After all, Tyra Banks yelling at Tiffany Richardson became a meme before anyone even knew what that word meant. When Banks sent Tiffany and Rebecca Epley home during a surprise double elimination, the supermodel was unimpressed with Tiffany laughing the situation off. She told Rebecca she admired her emotion, as it showed Banks that the competition was something that was "very important" to her. Tiffany, on the other hand, left Banks furious, which resulted in her accusing Tiffany of taking the competition as a joke. "Looks can be deceiving and I'm hurt," Tiffany explained before informing Banks she's "sick of being disappointed."

Banks disagreed with her, resulting in Tiffany getting defensive. However, as soon as Tiffany raised her voice, Banks lost her cool, telling her to "be quiet" and stop talking. "I have never yelled at a girl like this," Banks shouted, adding, "When my mother yells like this it's because she loves me. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you, how dare you!" Banks ended her rant by telling the aspiring model to "take responsibility for herself."

In the end, Tiffany walked out of the elimination on her own, while the rest of the room silently watched her go.

In Cycle 4, Tyra Banks and the production of "America's Next Top Model" — for some reason — seemed to think doing a photoshoot that saw the contestants switching their ethnicities would be a good idea. She allowed the white girls to portray African Americans by wearing dark makeup that practically looked like they were in black face.

And unfortunately, she didn't seem to learn her lesson. In Cycle 13, Banks photographed the remaining six contestants in Hawaii and felt it was necessary to attempt another shoot that was similar. This time, they had to portray someone who was "Hapa," a person who is half one ethnicity and half another. The show didn't hesitate to get out the brown paint and put some girls yet again in black face.

To no one's surprise, Banks faced a lot of backlash about these decisions. She explained in an interview with "Chicks in the Office" in 2020 that she had previously apologized for the shoot on her talk show, "The Tyra Banks Show." However, she admitted it was important for her to apologize again for those who weren't around to hear it the first time. Banks said her intention was never to do black face but did confess she realized it was an "ignorant" move on her part due to her lack of knowledge of the different cultures she attempted to portray.