The ‘Psychological Warfare’ Behind the Scenes of America's Next Top Model
glamour.comAmerica's Next Top Model. According to published on Monday, the environment fostered by Top Model host and executive producer Tyra Banks and her fellow producers was, in the words of one contestant, tantamount to “psychological warfare.”The Insider story, written by , recounted that Banks and fellow producers, including ANTM creator Ken Mok, exploited contestants emotionally and physically on the extremely popular reality competition series—which ran for 24 seasons from 2003 to 2018.
The abuse, as reported by Insider, included but was not limited to producers bringing up contestants’ past traumas in order to play on their emotions, as well as intentionally creating dangerous work environments to add to the drama.
One contestant, season seven's Eugenia Washington, recalls walking a runway that consisted of a path of wooden planks seesawing in a pool while wearing 6-inch heels, a pencil skirt, and two corsets.
According to the story, Washington fell and cracked her knee to avoid falling into the water. Sixteen years later, she said she still has visible scars from the incident."I felt like my life was being put on the line for ratings," Washington told Insider.
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