Beauty is…

Is America’s Next Top Model done?

America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) has been around since 2003 when Cycle 1 aired. As the fashion world’s views on gender, age, and weight have changed, so too have the views on ANTM. Yet for a TV show that claims to be moving forward with the time and claims to want to show beauty in all different sizes and ages, it has a very funny way of showing it.

Tyra Banks made it clear in the first episode of Cycle 24 that she was willing to have many different types of models when she picked Ivana Thomas and Khrystyana Kazakova, two plus sized models; Kazakova was also one of several contestants that was in her 30s; the 27 years old age limit had been stripped away for this cycle.

As the cycle went on and Kazakova became part of the final three, alongside models Jeana Turner and Kyla Coleman, it seemed clear that the judges would pick Kazakova. She had gotten best photo multiple times and had won many different challenges. She had also only been in the bottom once while Turner had been eliminated previously and Coleman had been in the bottom twice.

But the judges made a huge mistake when they put Kazakova in third, Turner in second, and Coleman in first. For a cycle that wanted to show all types of beauty, it seems very odd for them to pick Coleman who looks like a classic model compared to Turner, who is shorter, or Kazakova.

With this mistake and the rest of the lackluster season in mind, Cycle 24 was just not good. The challenges, when compared to previous seasons, are not as good and, in same cases, they don’t make any sense.

‘Beauty Is Social,’ episode eight of the season, has a challenge about selfies in it. Tyra gives the contestants tips on how to take the perfect selfie before having the models take the perfect selfie themself while showing off some clothes. One of the tips, have the phone low and crop it out later, is ignored by the person who won the challenge.

The cycle also had a frustrating issue with the top four. The top four was announced, and then it was announced that this was not the top four because an eliminated girl would replace one of the girls. In the next episode, featuring the new top four, none of the contestants went home. The final two episodes before the last episode felt like a waste of time since nothing changed.

Cycle 24 was not good, and Cycle 23 was also not good. It is clear that ANTM has hit the end of its run. Unless something changes for Cycle 25, it is not looking good for this 15 years old show.