Top 20 photographs in the History of America's Next Top Model

I discovered this website called all-antm.net that you can register for and gain access to every photo in.the.history.of.america's.next.top.model. I am overjoyed. I am overwhelmed with the endless possibilities (the tyra possibilities?) for various ANTM-related lists. My roommate has the patient of a saint because she endured me showing her photo after photo, cycle after cycle tonight, because, frankly, there are some darned lot of photographs to choose from.

I've decided to make a new feature here at S n K, which is mainly that I'm occasionally going to do an ANTM listicle. These will probably be created at random and at my leisure but I've decided to go for the Big Bang to start off this amazing new chapter in all of our lives: The Top 20 Photos in the History of America's Next Top Model.

I feel the need to set out a few guidelines for my judging before we get to the good stuff. Namely, I am not a photographer, nor do I work in fashion. These are purely the best photographs based on my taste and eye as an artist and avid consumer of fashion magazines. These photos might not be good modeling, and the girl photographed might suck as a person (god that is true of many girls who have been on that show). I chose photographs for their a) subjective beauty, b) interesting composition, c) styling, d) theme of the shoot, and e) memorable nature. I tried to include as many girls from as many cycles as I could, but I still had the final say--which is that if CariDee has two photos that are better than the best photo from Cycle 1, I'm going go with her 2 photos (btw this is true of my list but damn, the shit from cycle 1 looks amateurish to me. Oh, how the times have changed in Top Modeland).

One pattern that amazed me the most was how so many of my photos were not judged the best at panel. The photo that has been deemed the best photo in the history of top model (see cycle 11, lauren brie, balloon shoot) has not made the list. I never liked that photo and I never will. The composition is not dynamic and her shoulder looks F-ed. On the other hand, a couple of photos I have chosen either got a girl eliminated, or were taken of a girl that few people remember. Weee! I love going back into the obscure bowels of Top Model History. I can't wait until Australia's next top model has enough cycles for this sort of list to be fruitful.

So, in descending order, we begin with:

20. Kahlen, cycle 2


Kahlen was one of my favorite top model girls, although her photos weren't particularly inspiring to me, hence this one photograph being at the end of the list. Obviously, that is not exactly her fault as the styling or themes of the shoot often dictate how cool or interesting the photos are. But I love her natural look in this shot and the backlighting makes for a very warm and beautiful glow.

19. Marjorie, cycle 11


Marjorie also comes in as one of my favorite top model girls, though because of her utterly twitchy personality. This photo got her eliminated, but I've always loved it. The campy amsterdam background combined with her fashion-y awkwardness are in great contrast, and I can TOTES imagine this image being in Jane Magazine, if it hadn't gone bankrupt (R.I.P Jane! There went my dream job but for the grace of god).

18. Joanie, cycle 6


Obviously the theme of this shoot is strangely misogynistic (oh...so the girl is the dummy...operated by the man!!!...omg). However, Joanie really captured the dummy's stance and vacant look. This photo has a great level of theatricality.

17. Victoria, cycle 9


Cycle 9 was the pits. The girls in that cycle were absolutely horrendous, ending with the worst fart of a winner ever, Saleisha. The one thing I always loved about this cycle was the Ivy League Victoria, who liked to pick on Twiggy during panel. Oh, Victoria, Twiggy never "got" you, did she? Twiggy did say (and I agree with her) that there was a vulnerability to this photo that makes Victoria look like a brown-eyed deer, and that is why I was able to remember it even after Victoria got cut after three episodes. I wonder if she's like a brain surgeon now or some crazy shit.

16. Bre, cycle 5


I surprised myself with the inclusion of this photo because I barely remembered this photo shoot before I can began rifling through it. But Bre looks awesome here and all the rightward motion in this shot makes it really compelling.

15. CariDee, cycle 7


This shoot is when my love of Caridee was sealed. That elephant trunk looks so fucking hip its painful. It may be cliched, but circus-themed photo shoots are overdone for a reason. They always look FIERCE.

14. Elina, cycle 11


Including this particular photo actually makes me feel like I'm going to come across as a lesbian. This fact wouldn't bother me at all of course, but it does remind me of this one conversation I had with my brother when I was in middle school or early high school. I was downloading pretty photos of Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie onto the family computer because I loved them back then, and he remarked that a guy could never download photos of hot actors without his sexuality being seriously questioned. Now, I love appreciating beautiful women, but this remark always stuck with me. But Elina is gorgeous, and even though she had the personality of a wet noodle that turn into barbed wire on the way down your throat, she undeniably deserved the best photo win that she got the week of this photo shoot.

13. Lauren Brie, cycle 11


This photo, although not number 1, inspired me to make this list...I sought out all-antm.net because I saw this photo in passing online. I had forgotten how utterly amazing it was. I love that the focal point is off-center, yet Lauren looks so symmetrical. It is dynamite.

12. Erin, cycle 13


I had to come to terms with my hatred for Erin before putting this photo up, but this has got to be the only ANTM photo that truly proves Tyra's constant point that alien can be a good thing. She also looks like a contemporary take on a victorian portrait, like girl with a pearl earring. It's so fierce it hurts--god i love pretty things lookin' ugly. Also, why does Tyra never say fierce anymore?

11. Allison, cycle 12


I struggled with the idea of including anything from the dreaded cycle 12 (aka Cycle Tahlia) but this photo of Allison is just too much. Awwwww...fluffy little birdie! But...artsy!

10. Samantha, cycle 11


So cycle 11 is in a dead heat with cycle 7 for most represented cycle in this list...I'm not sure why. I will say that these two cycles both created a great desire for me to actually own photographs from ANTM--a very weird thought. That being said, this photo is so mod, and the splash in the foreground gives the picture very nice depth.

9. Laura, cycle 13


I love me some Laura like I love me some grits, and boy let me tell you: that is a lot. You will probably see her on future positive listicles. You should check out her blog if you want some warm fuzzies. The judge said she looked like a Renaissance woman in the picture. She looks so serene and so soft and so pink that she's like a high-quality marshmallow. Delicious.

8. Anya, cycle 10


They claimed this picture was an accident in judging (she's about to fall off the step), but it's still such a pretty moment it gets into the top ten through the sheer beauty of Anya alone.

7. Rae, cycle 13


Cycle 13 started off strong, and this photo is pretty much the reason why. The light is fantastic.

6. Eugena, cycle 7


Again, this was a photo I had forgotten about. It's compelling because it's so raw and Eugena is probably one of the more underrated ANTM girls. She was an absolute stunner, even if she was a little quiet, and the power of emotion behind this photo speaks to the fact that her exterior obviously concealed a great deal that she didn't allow to make its way onto national television. Suck it, Tyra! Even if she did make top 3!!

5. CariDee and Amanda, cycle 7


When my mom and I saw this photo on the TV we gasped. I'm not even sure what else there is to say about it--of course Amanda got kicked off in this episode, although for what I can't remember. I just love flowy shit and contrasting colors (see the next photo, obviously).

4. Yoanna and Shandi, cycle 2


This picture is amazing because of how sexually charged it is. I'll make no bones about it, it is some serious lesbian shit. The sensuous look on yoanna's face, the ecstasy of shandi's--they never let us see the full shot (maybe it was originally cropped like this) so we can all wonder....ooooh voyeurism.

3. Danielle, cycle 6


Danielle actually took this picture after a couple hours in the hospital after fainting during a challenge. She was barfing, dehydrated, and sick as a dog. And then she got on a top of an elephant and looked so serene and amazing, she made it to the top 3. I am impartial to this photo because of the elephant, of course, but this moment is so pure on both parts that I simply love it.

2. Brittany, cycle 8


My last two photos are violent and thematic because of Tyra's half-baked ideas about what it means to be in fashion (i.e. she blatantly rips off ideas from high-fashion as if that makes the show cutting edge in some way). There was recently a Jezebel post about death in fashion and whether it was appropriate (of course linking to this photo shoot, though not this particular picture). I was conflicted when I read about this--I honestly love seeing death used in fashion spreads, namely because I like to use them for my collages. Regardless, Brittany ended up getting cut because she threw a tantrum after missing the time cutoff for her go-sees, but not for this photo and not for this episode.


1. Michelle, cycle 7


The twins were honestly my favorite ANTM contestants of all time, and I still think they should have been the top 2 (sorry Caridee! Loved ya on Gossip Girl, girl!!!!). That being said, Michelle was clearly the more natural model of the two, even if she threw herself under the bus at the end to save her twin from elimination. She claimed she didn't even know if she wanted to model...and that she was a bisexual? Or maybe a lesbian? But definitely not straight. She was a total basketball dyke. It was awesome. But I digress. This shoot was based on stereotypes about models, and Michelle was supposed to represent bulimia. The action of this photo is really compelling and very gritty. It's haunting in a gruesome way. And that's why I think it was the best photo of all time.

Thoughts? Opinions? Would you like to contribute your own lists?