Advertise on podcast: Curse of: America’s Next Top Model

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★★★★★

4.7

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1719 reviews

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When America’s Next Top Model premiered in the early 2000s, it looked like a golden ticket: a glamorous TV show that could catapult aspiring models into fame. But two decades later, many contestants describe its aftermath as a curse. Hosted by pop-culture journalist Bridget Armstrong, Curse of: America’s Next Top Model is a deep investigation into the hidden costs of reality television, and what the show’s legacy reveals about beauty, power, and the culture that cheered it on. Through conversations with dozens of former contestants, producers and crew members, Curse of: America’s Next Top Model explores what happened behind the scenes on one of the most iconic and problematic reality shows of our generation. The series starts off by exploring how ANTM almost didn’t get made. You’ll get the real story behind the show’s most infamous controversies. Then, the models and producers pull back the curtain and talk about how the most outrageous photoshoots and runaways came together. You’ll hear from contestants who say ANTM saved their lives and from those who say it ruined theirs. The contestants also talk about how the body shaming they experienced on the show caused lifelong scars. Finally, we try to answer the question, is Tyra Banks the ultimate reality television villain? Curse of: America’s Next Top Model takes you on an investigative journey to figure out if the so-called curse is real? And if so, what was the toll on the models, and us, the audience?

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Check latest episodes from Curse of: America’s Next Top Model podcast

The Dirty Rotten Scandals of ANTM | BONUS

2026/03/11

The ANTM reckoning continues with a new E! docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals America’s Next Top Model. The series premieres on E! tonight March 11th, at 9PM EST / 6PM PT. Lauren Saft, Executive Producer of Dirty Rotten Scandals America’s Next Top Model, joins Bridget Armstrong to pull back the curtain on the latest ANTM deep-dive. With exclusive interviews from ANTM judge Janice Dickinson, and never-before-heard stories from contestants, it’s an unflinching look at Tyra Banks’ role on the show and tragic impact the experience had on the models. You can watch Dirty Rotten Scandals on Wednesday March 11 At 9PM EST / 6PM PT on E! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yeah, Tyra's a Villain | BONUS Pt. 2

2026/03/03

We’re continuing our conversation about the Netflix docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” In Pt.2, host Bridget Armstrong and editor Monique LaBorde break down Tyra’s disappointing interview in the Netflix docuseries, and why it leaves so much to be desired. They also tease what to expect on the upcoming E! docuseries, “Dirty Rotten Scandals,” airing on March 11th at 9PM EST. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yeah, Tyra's a Villain | BONUS Pt. 1

2026/03/02

The new Netflix docu-series has everyone talking. “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” features sit-down interviews with Tyra Banks and Ken Mock, plus longtime ANTM judges Miss J, Jay Manuel, and Nigel Barker. “Curse Of” host Bridget Armstrong is joined by editor Monique Laborde to break down the new Netflix series. They unpack the biggest revelations, discuss what the Netflix series leaves out, and weigh in on the question everyone’s asking-- what’s wrong with Tyra Banks? Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV: The Great Experiment | BONUS

2025/11/26

Thanks for listening to this season of Curse of: America’s Next Top Model. As you can imagine, we had to leave a lot on the cutting room floor. In this special bonus episode, we hear more behind-the-scenes details and stories from the models. We also take a field trip through time, to explore the surprising origins of reality television and its parallels with psychological experimentation. Plus, we revisit early 2000s body shaming and the climate that made ANTM possible. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The House That Tyra Built | EP 10

2025/11/18

No matter who won, Tyra Banks was always the real star of ANTM. But was she a fairy godmother, a villain, or both? On this final episode, we explore Tyra’s on-camera persona and off-camera legacy. We hear from models who went through the ANTM machine, and find out what they think they’re owed. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America’s Next Top Body Shamer| EP 9

2025/11/11

To this day, Tyra Banks hails ANTM as a champion of body positivity. But in reality, the show was one of the biggest body shaming offenders of our generation. Season after season, ANTM picked apart contestants’ bodies, shamed them for their weights, and even brought on plus-size models, only to tell them there was no place for them in the industry. The show cast women with eating disorders and criticized their bodies, too. In this episode, we hear from contestants who went on the show with confidence and left with body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and other body image issues. If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, help is available. Call NEDA, the National Eating Disorder Association at (800) 931-2237 or text “NEDA” to 741-741. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fierce, Queer, and Flawed | EP 8

2025/11/04

America’s Next Top Model was a pioneer of LGBTQIA+ representation on reality TV. The show gave us iconic queer judges, featured an openly lesbian contestant on season one, and even made groundbreaking decisions to cast a transgender model in 2008. But like many things with this show, the way production treated these contestants and their identity was flawed. In this episode, we explore how Top Model broke barriers and reshaped the culture, while hearing from the queer contestants who paid the price for its flaws. CORRECTION: This episode has been updated for accuracy. Episodes downloaded before November 5th, 2025 will not reflect the correction. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Race Swap Card | EP 7

2025/10/28

ANTM was one of the most racially diverse reality shows of its era. So why did so many of its episodes look so racist? This episode investigates how ANTM represented, performed, and exploited race. We hear from models who were put in Blackface for the infamous race-swapping photo shoots and talk about the racial dynamics at play during the “We Were Rooting for You” moment. We unpack the show’s racial stereotypes and contradictions, including the paradox of a Black woman at the helm of a show that stereotyped and harmed other Black women. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV vs. Modeling Competition | EP 6

2025/10/21

ANTM was never really about creating top models. It was a reality TV disguised as a modeling competition, and it showed. We break down how photo shoots were designed to create unforgettable moments and reactions on screen and how casting prioritized personalities over potential. We also explore why the winners rarely became working models. From laughable challenges to unusable portfolios, this episode exposes the truth: The show cared more about TV drama than the contestant’s modeling careers. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Psych Out | EP 5

2025/10/14

CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions sexual assault, suicide, and suicidal ideation. We continue our discussion about the ANTM psychological evaluation. We hear from models who say the traumatic experiences they shared with the show’s psychologists were later used to manipulate them for the cameras. We discuss contestants who may have slipped through the cracks of the psych eval and later met tragic ends. Then we explore the story of one model who says being on ANTM sent her into a downward spiral towards drugs and crime. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Psych Up | EP 4

2025/10/07

CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions sexual assault, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Before you could be cast on America’s Next Top Model, you had to pass a psychological evaluation. Contestants were told these psych evals were about keeping them safe. But whose safety was ANTM really worried about? In this episode, we explain how the ANTM psych eval worked and where it failed. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tale of Two Winners | EP 3

2025/09/30

We explore one of ANTM’s most infamous controversies. Angelea Preston won the All-Stars season of America’s Next Top Model. Later, she was stripped of the title, and her win was given to Lisa D’Amato. But what really happened behind the scenes? Angelea and Lisa tell very different stories. We hear from the models at the center of ANTM’s messiest win and discuss the contestant contract that enabled it all. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Blueprint | EP 2

2025/09/23

Cycle 1 was messy, low-rent, and groundbreaking. It was also the blueprint for everything ANTM would become. It introduced us to the larger-than-life personalities that became synonymous with the show. Cycle 1 also laid the groundwork for the body shaming, humiliation, and on-screen drama that made ANTM iconic. From the beginning, ANTM loved a Cinderella story. While Cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry may have gotten the crown, she didn’t get her happily ever after. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Set-Up | EP 1

2025/09/16

Tyra Banks screamed it, but was she ever really rooting for these girls? In the series opener, host Bridget Armstrong explores one of ANTM’s biggest criticisms—that the show didn’t create any top models. We go back to the beginning to figure out how this germ of an idea in Tyra Banks’ imagination ended up on our screens. We talk about Tyra’s accomplice, ANTM Executive Producer Ken Mok, and explore how America’s Next Top Model was built on a formula of entertainment, desperation, and humiliation. Looking to place a face to the name and hear bonus content? Check out our Instagram account, @glasspodcasts, where we recap each episode with show notes that include the people, places, and even video clips referenced in the episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Curse of: America's Next Top Model

2025/09/09

Podcast reviews

Read Curse of: America’s Next Top Model podcast reviews

4.7 out of 5

1719 reviews

★★★★★

j_a_x_ 2026/07/09

Excellent Podcast

About a horrific reality show. I cannot believe this show was allowed to air, or that so many people watched it. And liked it! Everything about this s...

★★★★★

The half blooded prince 2026/05/03

Blowing the whistle on NTM

Society needs a wake up call to the toxicity that comes with creating reality TV shows.This podcast features interviews with multiple contestants of A...

★★★★★

Waiteforit 2026/04/24

Times have changed

A great look back and analysis of the problems of reality TV shows and how they impacted participants - especially early on when people could be more ...

★★★★★

Tyra’s Last Photo 2026/03/20

Best I’ve Heard in Years 💎

Bridget is such an engaging storyteller! Great topic, well researched, great interviews, great BTS tea. Loved this podcast, I slurped up every episode...

★★★★★

vsoares1018 2026/03/16

really enjoyed!

great reporting, really interesting listen and good mix of sources!!

★★★★☆

Vhjfuibv 2026/03/15

Thorough reporting about negatives experiences and lots of personal opinion included in this podcast

The narrator is quite opinionated. It would be more journalistic if her editorial style was kept in check. She also pronounces some words strangely. ...

★★★★★

Coley673 2026/03/12

This is Amazing Right

We all agree, the interviews are compelling, the storytelling is entertaining, and the discussion is important. Not since Betrayal Season 1 has a pod...

★★★★★

little piña 2026/03/12

Glad I listened to this pod before the doc

Like many others in the comments, I think this podcast was WAY more insightful than the docuseries. I love that more bonus episodes have been coming o...

★★★★★

hflick90 2026/03/12

GREAT Podcast BUT

First I want to give my honest review that I loved this podcast. I greatly appreciated hearing from so many past contestants and discuss the show with...

★★★★☆

Creampuff190 2026/03/11

Love it but GLP-1 ads are problematic

The show is well researched and feels like it has a balanced perspective while clearly condemning harmful values that ANTM perpetuated. That said, WHY...

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