'America’s Next Top Model' contestants detail allegations about show in Dirty Rotten Scandals

Former 'America’s Next Top Model' contestants discuss alleged treatment on show in Dirty Rotten Scandals

Former contestants from America’s Next Top Model have shared allegations about their experiences on the reality television series in the E! docuseries Dirty Rotten Scandals.

The programme revisits the modelling competition, which ran for 15 years, following renewed scrutiny that emerged during pandemic-era rewatching of the show.

Critics and viewers revisited past episodes online, with some questioning how contestants were treated by host Tyra Banks, judges and fellow participants.

Several former contestants featured in the docuseries describe their experiences both on and off camera.

Cycle 2 winner Yoanna House said the show’s judging environment could be difficult. “There was this level of, I want to say, cruelness at that time that you wouldn't be able to get away with saying in this moment,” she said in the series. “It really kind of messed with my self-esteem.”

House also described the judging process as lengthy. While eliminations were shown briefly on television, she said contestants stood before judges for extended periods.

Cycle 9 contestant Sarah Hartshorne said elimination sessions could last between 12 and 18 hours, sometimes continuing into the early morning.

Other participants discussed the rules in the shared house during filming. House said the lights remained on at all times, and contestants were not allowed to use mobile phones. “You're almost an animal for spectator sport versus a human being,” she said.

Cycle 17 winner Lisa D’Amato also addressed her return for the show’s all-star season, saying she hoped to change how she had been portrayed previously. “I went back for redemption,” she said.

Tyra Banks did not participate in the E! series and declined to comment through her representative. However, she previously addressed criticism of the show in a 2020 social media post.

“Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you,” she wrote. “Looking back, those were some really off choices.”

Banks has also said the show attempted to expand representation in the modelling industry during its early years.

“I have dedicated my life to expanding the definition of beauty,” she said during a 2025 awards event, adding that the show had sought to bring diversity to television at the time it premiered.