All eyes are back on America’s Next Top Model. Tyra Banks’ modeling competition show may have concluded its 24th and final cycle in 2018, but now, the reality series is getting a critical analysis in the E! documentary series Dirty Rotten Scandals.
The third and fourth episodes of the unscripted television-focused docuseries, both of which aired Wednesday, March 11, on E!, portray America’s Next Top Model as a machine run by Banks that did little to protect aspiring models while profiting enormously from them. It features interviews with former America’s Next Top Model contestants and judge Janice Dickinson, as well as culture reporters who discuss the show’s larger impact.
Dirty Rotten Scandals comes on the heels of social media rediscovering America’s Next Top Model and critiquing some of its more outlandish moments, such as the race-swapping photoshoots and dramatic, sometimes painful makeover episodes. The program also follows the February release of Netflix’s documentary series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which highlighted the controversies surrounding the long-running competition and included interviews with Banks and others involved in the series.
In the wake of all the America’s Next Top Model criticism, here’s what Dirty Rotten Scandals said about the series.
Lisa D’Amato claims Tyra Banks pushed her boundaries
Lisa D’Amato competed in Cycle 5 and went on to win Cycle 17, the latter of which was an all-stars season. (More on the controversy surrounding her win, later.) D’Amato spoke about how she felt the show goaded her to talk about her relationship with her mother, whom she called her “abuser” who “tortured” her during her childhood. She claimed that the show also used selective editing to portray her as an unstable person — an image that followed her years after her time on the show ended. That included keeping a moment on the show in which fellow contestant Coryn Woitel called D’Amato an “alcoholic bitch.”
“I was set up to be publicly humiliated on repeat forever so Tyra could make money,” D’Amato alleged.
D’Amato said she felt further exploited when, while appearing as a guest on Banks’ daytime talk show in 2005, D’Amato asked that Banks not bring up the abuse she experienced. She claimed that Banks, against her wishes, then introduced her as a survivor of abuse, something that deeply upset D’Amato. When she left the talk show stage, D’Amato expressed how upset she was to a production assistant, who she alleges then locked her in a closet and told her she would not receive payment for her appearance if she did not continue on the show.
Janice Dickinson says she was a scapegoat for Banks’ agenda
Supermodel Dickinson appeared as a judge for the first four cycles of the series. In the time since, she has spoken negatively about her experience with Banks.
While Dickinson was known for her brash, highly critical notes to the models during the judging panels — which often included Dickinson commenting on their appearance and weight — she ultimately blamed Banks for creating a toxic culture.
“America’s Next Top Model really tortured these girls for Tyra Banks’ ego,” Dickinson said. “She put the girls down for everything: their hairstyles, the way they walk, the way they hold their face. It really tore their ego and identity. I was there, and I saw it for four seasons. She was a hardcore bitch.”
Elimination days were intense
Sarah Hartshorne, who competed in Cycle 9 and went on to release a memoir about her time on the show in 2025, said that the days when the women appeared in front of the judges could mean they filmed for up to 18 hours. She said that multiple contestants fainted — something that Hartshorne said production warned them about early on. Hartshorne added that she nearly passed out during her first elimination day.
The contestants lived in strict conditions
Multiple contestants, including Cycle 2 winner Yoanna House, spoke about the conditions in the apartment where all the aspiring top models stayed. In addition to being forbidden to use their cellphones or access the internet, they were also not allowed to open windows, according to Hartshorne.
“If we didn’t follow the rules, we would be punished,” Hartshorne said. “They could take away our books, our iPods, so we would have to sit in silence for hours.”
Hartshorne noted that contestants were allowed privacy using the toilet and in the shower, if they were alone, but if two or more contestants were inside the bathroom, cameras were also allowed in. She also said that the women were encouraged to “shower together.”
The ‘all-stars’ season controversy
Cycle 17 of America’s Next Top Model, which aired in 2011, reunited former contestants for an all-stars season. Angelea Preston, who previously appeared on Cycle 12 and Cycle 14, originally won the all-stars competition — only for the show to re-shoot the finale and crown D’Amato the winner instead.
Audiences were not told why Preston abruptly left the show, leading to much speculation online. D’Amato, who said she only returned to America’s Next Top Model after her bad initial experience on the show for redemption, said she received an onslaught of hate for her win due to the confusion around Preston.
It later came to light that Preston’s win was revoked after the legal team associated with the show learned that Preston had previously engaged in escort work prior to the all-stars season. In Dirty Rotten Scandals, Preston claimed that casting director Michelle Mock was aware of her experience during her initial interview for Cycle 17.
As for Preston, she said she “felt used.”
“I felt like a throwaway,” she said in interviews for Dirty Rotten Scandals. “There had been a sensible excuse as to why Angelea didn’t make the final runway. ‘She got sick’ or something. But y’all wanted people to question what happened to me to boost your ratings. It’s not right.”
Preston sued Banks and the network The CW in 2014, stating that she was wrongly denied the show’s grand prize. She dropped the suit in 2018, per a 2022 interview with Bustle.
Dirty Rotten Scandals previously released two episodes on The Dr. Phil Show. Next, it will explore The Price Is Right with two more episodes that air on March 18.
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