In a two-part special that aired on E! on Wednesday, March 11, the docuseries Dirty Rotten Scandals has pulled back the curtain on the gritty realities behind America's Next Top Model, the long-running reality competition that captivated audiences from 2003 to 2018. Former contestants and judges shared harrowing accounts of emotional manipulation, grueling work conditions, and unfulfilled promises, painting a picture of a show that prioritized drama over participant well-being. Hosted by interviews with alumni like Keenyah Hill, Brittany Brower, Sarah Hartshorne, Angelea Preston, Lisa D'Amato, and Jaslene Gonzalez, as well as judge Janice Dickinson, the special highlighted experiences that left many feeling exploited long after the cameras stopped rolling.
America's Next Top Model, created and hosted by Tyra Banks, followed aspiring models vying for a modeling contract, a fashion spread, a major magazine cover, and a cosmetics campaign. What began as a glamorous showcase of talent evolved into a format criticized for its intensity, with contestants now alleging that production tactics bordered on abusive. The E! special comes on the heels of Netflix's Reality Check, released about a month earlier, which featured similar testimonies from Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Danielle Evans, and Hill, underscoring a pattern of concerns that have simmered since the show's finale.
One of the most poignant revelations centered on the exploitation of personal trauma. Lisa D'Amato, a winner from cycle 8 and a contestant in cycle 17, described being cornered into discussing her abusive childhood during filming. "It did make me feel uncomfortable but then I was like, 'Well this is reality TV.' I shrugged it off as nothing but they kept trying to pick and get more information about my mom. My mom was my abuser. My mom is the one that tortured me my whole life," D'Amato recounted in the docuseries. She added that the pressure led to severe distress: "I wasn’t eating correctly. I wasn’t sleeping. I probably had a couple too many glasses of wine. I was just always one moment away from fully losing it." D'Amato accused Banks of setting her up for public humiliation, claiming, "Tyra [Banks] made me look absolutely crazy on purpose." Banks' representatives declined to comment on these allegations when approached by the production.
Janice Dickinson, a judge for the first four seasons, offered a contrasting insider perspective on the show's dynamics. Defending her own on-screen harshness, Dickinson said producers, including Banks, urged her to emulate Simon Cowell's style from American Idol. "They were begging me to be harsher and cruel like Simon Cowell was on American Idol," she stated. Dickinson also addressed a heated on-air argument between Banks and contestant Tiffany Richardson from cycle 6, describing it as frightening: "Tyra didn’t want any competition. She went off on one girl, and it was so frightening that I was going to get up and hold her down." She further alleged differential treatment, noting, "She would go harder on the Black girls on the show because of competitiveness, jealousy and her being older than these young women." Dickinson concluded harshly: "The contestants left the show depressed and drained while she got so rich. America’s Next Top Model really tortured these girls for Tyra’s ego. I was there, and I saw it for four seasons. She was a hardcore bitch."
Behind-the-scenes conditions emerged as another focal point, with contestants describing schedules that pushed physical limits. Interviews revealed days stretching from 12 to 18 hours, often into the early morning, leading to warnings from crew that "someone would faint every week" due to sleep deprivation and inadequate food. House rules were stringent: lights stayed on around the clock, cell phones were banned, windows sealed shut, and departures forbidden. Punishments included confiscating books and electronics. One alum noted there was only one functional bathroom, and camera crews allegedly instructed contestants to shower together to capture footage, circumventing rules against filming solitary bathroom use.
A particularly unsettling challenge involved blindfolding contestants with paper bags over their heads, leaving them disoriented about their destination. Keenyah Hill, from cycle 4, detailed an incident of alleged sexual harassment during a photo shoot. Paired with male model Bertini Heumegni, Hill said he flirted aggressively, grunting and standing too close while wearing minimal clothing. "He had on this tiny little fabric and then it just got to the point where I realized that he actually had an erection," she recalled. When Hill sought intervention, she claimed it backfired into shaming. Heumegni, responding to prior inquiries, said, "It wasn’t my intention to make her feel uncomfortable. I just wanted her to have a good picture." The docuseries also touched on another shoot where a Black model was required to kiss a male participant multiple times, despite his expressed reluctance to touch Black women.
Ebony Haith, from cycle 9, spoke about the unauthorized disclosure of her sexuality. "I thought my sexuality was something between me and everybody that was producing the project. But Tyra Banks choosing to say that I was gay and putting that out there without talking to me first? I was floored," Haith said. The revelation led to unwanted repercussions, including calls from churches urging her to "come back to the Lord," with Haith questioning how they obtained her number. Financial exploitation was another thread, as contestants reported receiving no pay for their participation despite constant surveillance. They were allotted just $37 daily for food, and the touted $100,000 prize contract was described as merely a promise of work opportunities worth that amount over a year, with clauses absolving producers of payment if opportunities fell through.
Season 1 winner Adrianne Curry admitted in archival footage that she didn't receive a substantial paycheck. Winners felt "indebted to the franchise," compelled to make unpaid appearances for a year post-victory. Angelea Preston's story exemplified broken promises. A semifinalist in cycle 12 and third-place finisher in cycle 14, Preston won cycle 16's All-Stars edition before being disqualified upon the revelation of her past as an escort—a situation she attributed to exploitation by a predator during a desperate time. "Before I went on All Stars, I was in a bind and I was just desperate to make some money. Someone took advantage of me. A predator swooped in and just put me on a path of self-loathing and destruction and harm," Preston explained. Instead of the expected $100,000, she received only $300 in cash.
Jeana Turner, from cycle 23, accused the show of manipulating her alopecia storyline. Diagnosed at age 10, Turner said a scene edited to show her crying to Banks about her condition was actually from a separate moment of distress after being shamed for a Playboy pose. During a head-shaving challenge, she felt diminished: "Their editing was that deceptive that they were actually able to make an audience think that I felt powerful. I felt so small." The docuseries also addressed tragedies linked to the show. Mirjana Puhar, a cycle 21 contestant, was killed at age 19 in a 2015 triple homicide at her boyfriend Jonathan Alvarado's home in North Carolina, alongside Alvarado and roommate Jusmar Gonzaga-Garcia.
Renee Alway, from cycle 8, faced legal troubles, pleading guilty in 2018 to four felony burglary counts, one count of vehicle theft, one count of firearm possession, and one misdemeanor count of identity theft, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence. Former contestants like Brittany Brower, Sarah Hartshorne, and Preston questioned executive producer Ken Mok's accountability, recalling his comment that their efforts funded his daughters' college education. Hartshorne likened the environment to a cult: "They controlled when we went to the bathroom, when we ate, when we slept, when we were allowed to speak to each other. They isolated us from our friends and family. We weren’t allowed to have magazines, we weren’t allowed to have newspapers and we weren’t allowed to have anything that showed what day it was or what time it was." She added threats of lifelong wage docking for confidentiality breaches.
Interactions with Banks extended beyond the show, with negative experiences reported on her daytime talk program. Shandi Sullivan, from Netflix's doc, recalled being cornered into off-limits topics. D'Amato shared a similar ordeal: A producer promised $750 for discussing her Top Model experience but ambushed her with trauma questions. "I was so livid when they brought it up anyway. The PA calmly took me backstage and then he opened the door to some room and he just closed the door behind him. They locked me in a closet. I was there 20 to 30 minutes," she said. Refusal meant forfeiting payment.
The long-term impact on participants was stark. Many reported eating disorders, workout compulsions, and health complications stemming from the show's pressures. As the dueling documentaries—E!'s special and Netflix's series—bring these stories to light, they invite reflection on the ethics of reality TV. While Banks has previously defended certain challenges as educational, her team offered no response to the latest claims. Former participants hope the exposure prompts industry changes, ensuring future shows prioritize consent and care over sensationalism.
With America's Next Top Model alums continuing to speak out, the narrative shifts from runway glamour to a call for accountability. Whether this leads to formal investigations or reforms remains unclear, but the voices in Dirty Rotten Scandals ensure the conversation endures.