Confession. America’s Next Top Model is something I used to watch a few years ago. I would like to think that it was because of the talent on the show but, in hindsight, it was due to the lack of choice. I didn’t have satellite TV and a vast DVD collection so come Tyra Banks and her hot chicks, I would look forward to what they had in store. This was before reality TV even came to South Africa and so it was intriguing to see how Americans did it back then. Starting out in 2003, no one dreamed that the show would get far, not even Tyra. She had a cool concept where she took desperate-to-be-famous girls into a competition where they would win several prizes that would be a step into mainstream modelling and the “America’s Next Top Model” title.
Over the years, several names have come out of the show to become successful models which was commendable for a production that appeared exploitative at first.
It’s 2015 and the show that was unlikely to survive is now at the helm of other shows of this nature. Celebrating their 20th season, Tyra and crew have decided to switch things up and celebrate this milestone in style. Ladies, this one you are going to love. For the first time in the history of the show, men are going to be contestants as well and so it will be slugged America’s Next Top Model: Guys & Girls or simply as ANTM 2.0.
Still on firsts, this is one episode that has had more than 14 contestants and so there are so many storylines to follow through. If you are a fan of male models like Tyson Beckford, this is a good place to see how they started out and how far they can go with modelling.
The strength of America’s Next Top Model greatly rests on the scripting. It has the right ingredients of a reality show, so much so that even today, with all the TV viewing options at my disposal, I could be found watching an episode or two. The locations where the shows are shot are the major drawcard. So you get to travel around the world in your living room. After a while it became obvious that the show needed a change of scenery and, ever since then, the numbers have been growing.
The activities are an added attraction. For example, the guys go through somewhat extreme challenges like who is best at wearing a weave. If wearing weaves is your thing, then fine but, if not, best TV results come out of that uncomfortable situation.
l America’s Next Top Model: Guys & Girls airs every Thursday at 7.30pm on Vuzu (DStv Channel 116).