‘America’s Next Top Model’ Contestant Describes Show As ‘Cult’
For years, fans watched various aspiring models compete on America’s Next Top Model. However, years later, one contestant on the show has made some claims about what life was like behind the scenes. The model even made some shocking comparisons about her time on the show to a “cult.”
Fans Watched America’s Next Top Model From 2003 To 2018 On Various Networks
America’s Next Top Model was a competition series that saw aspiring models compete to get their start in the modeling industry. The series was created by Tyra Banks, who also famously served as a presenter and judge on the show.
The series originally premiered on UPN back in 2003. Moving onto other networks, the series also spent a few years on The CW before finishing its run on VH1 in 2018. Since then, over fifty international versions of the series have been created.
Recently, one contestant from America’s Next Top Model has spoken out about her time on the show. Sarah Hartshorne was the only plus-size model during Cycle 9 on the show. She shared her story in the book, You Wanna Be On Top, from Penguin Random House.
In an excerpt with USA Today, Hartshorne touched on her first day. She shared, “Before boarding the cruise ship SS Adventure, the contract the show had sent me seemed huge. There were hundreds of pages of legalese that I barely understood. But by the time we docked in Saint Martin, it felt like an albatross.”
Sarah Hartshorne Gave Fans A Look At Her First Days On The Show
However, as the days went on, Hartshorne began to wonder what she had gotten into. She continued, “A few days in, the shine had worn off a little. And the show started to feel like a cult. From the undisclosed filming locations in international waters to not being allowed to speak for days at a time.”
“The language that they hammered into us over and over again urged us to be grateful for this opportunity. And the reality is … it was a cult. I got suckered into a cult.”
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Hartshorne had contacted various legal experts while working on the book. Doing so helped her reach a conclusion concerning what she had signed into. She shared, “Negotiating never even occurred to me. But if it had, all the lawyers I interviewed for this book agreed: It’s not an option. Either you sign or you don’t. You’re in or you’re out.”
Hartshorne took note of an excessive use of flattery during her time on the show. She shared being told, “You guys are the ones who made it. You’re here. And it’s not just your looks. You all know that being a top model is more than that. It’s who you are. And one of you … is America’s Next Top Model. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Hartshorne Shared Ways How She Felt Contestants Were Manipulated, From Praise To Threats
However, Hartshorne claimed she grew “uncomfortable” with this. Citing Amanda Montell in Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, she also claimed that this was a tactic used in cults to manipulate people. Praise can help convince people to cut themselves off from “outsiders” and view all sorts of behavior as “special treatment.”
That said, there was another point where the show was less than cordial. As Hartshorne shared, “The NDA section of the contract carried, famously, a fine of five million dollars if violated.”
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When the girls seemed confused by these threats, according to Hartshorne, it was made clear that judges would get to determine how much their future paychecks would be docked, and that the show would assuredly win any legal battle. The girls were also told, “There’s a million girls that would happily take your place.”
“And we have their phone numbers. They’re ready and willing to meet us on the next island.”
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