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So this list is basically something that came out of boredom after marathoning
America's Next Top Model during a blizzard. The show is a hot mess now and has been for a while but there was a time when it was genuinely entertaining and a lot of people can rattle off a few of their favorite contestants. So I decided to come up with a ranking of the winners from all 21 cycles.
This ranking was not done by personal preference and instead done using math (assigning points to call out order, challenge wins, etc.) because sometimes math is fun and at the very least it is objective.21. Whitney Thompson (Cycle 10)
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Age (at win): 20
Height: 5'10"
From: Atlantic Beach, FL
International Destination: Rome, Italy
Point Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 54
When you ask most ANTM viewers who the worst winner of all time is the two most common answers you'll get are either Saleisha or Whitney. Well, it looks like half of them are right. Whitney's win was pretty ridiculous and obvious all at the same time. Even before hearing the gossip about show producers approaching Whitney (who had previously not been a plus-sized model) to gain weight to be on the show people had been calling for a plus-sized winner for years. On top of that this cycle was just a few after Tyra's whole "KISS MY FAT ASS" ordeal. What makes this win shitty is not only that their have been better plus size models in the series but this cycle produced some amazing contestants including arguably the most successful ANTM alum Fatima Siad. Anyway Whitney came up with the lowest score by a longshot. To point out how much of a joke her win is, Cycle 10 runner up Anya Kopp's score was so high that it actually would have made her #5 on this list if she was a winner (Anya also never appeared in the bottom two). That's right, Whitney's runner up performed better than 16 cycle winners. Anyway since her time on Top Model Whitney has modeled for Fashion Bug (which I think has since gone out of business), Torrid and Jacksonville Magazine. She attempted to launch a line of candles that I'm pretty sure no one bought and also recently decided to open a restaurant despite having no experience in the field whatsoever which I'm sure will end well for her.
20. Nicole Linkletter (Cycle 5)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'9" 1/2From: Grand Forks, NDInternational Destination: London, EnglandPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 67.67
Nicole Linkletter is probably more known for her complaining during ANTM and for the whole Granola / Red Bull argument than she is for her actual photos. Nicole did alright once the competition moved to their international location but it's worth pointing out that she never won a single challenge. This is another case of the runner-up (Nik Pace) performing better than the winner consistantly in the competition in both photos (3 first call-outs compared to Nicoles 2) and challenge wins (2 vs 0). The judges would eventually say that Nicole was chosen as the winner because they wanted a "more high fashion" winner this cycle. Post show she ended up working for a little bit in Asia before she ended up modeling for Forever 21 five years ago which is the last real update to her wiki.
19. Adrianne Curry (Cycle 1)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'10" 1/2From: Joliet, ILInternational Destination: Paris, FrancePoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 69.4
In all fairness there was really not much of a chance of Adrianne getting a very high ranking due to the first cycle of the series being a short one so she didn't have as many opportunities for challenge wins and photo shoots (though the scoring did make adjustments due to cycle lengths). Adrianne is often called the forgotten winner since Tyra basically never talks about her and she made noise about not receiving the prizes that she was entitled to. There's not a whole lot else to say about Adrianne because she's probably been the most visible winner due to her time on The Surreal Life and My Fair Brady which followed her relationship with The Brady Bunch alum Christopher Knight. The couple divorced in 2012 after six years of marriage and Adrianne is now probably best known as a comic con staple.
18. Danielle Evans (Cycle 6)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'11"From: Little Rock, ARInternational Destination: Bangkok & Phuket, ThailandPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 79.33
Danielle Evans, known as Dani Evans post win, was a fan favorite during her cycle. She's also the second person on the list to never win a challenge. During her cycle the judges questioned if she would ever be able to be a CoverGirl due to her accent and the gap in her teeth... Dani got the last laugh though being one of the few contestants to actually have her CoverGirl contract renewed and have ads that were seen outside of commercials during ANTM's airing. Since the show she's walked during New York Fashion Weeks a few times as well as done work for Victoria's Secret and Baby Phat.
17. Laura James (Cycle 19 - College Edition)
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Age (at win): 21Height: 6'0"From: Cambridge, NYInternational Destination: Ocho Rios, JamaicaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 81.27
I'm going to be perfectly honest... I remember next to nothing about this cycle other than the fact that it brought in Social Media Scoring and their whole stupid point system which is incedibly frustrating and makes no sense whatsoever. Anyway Laura is the daughter of Dynast star John James and a former Miss World runner-up Denise Coward. According to Wiki she is a certified pilates instructer and the face of the ANTM fragrance which I have never actually seen in a store or seen an ad for outside of ANTM so way to go Laura.
16. Yoanna House (Cycle 2)
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Age (at win): 23Height: 5'11" 1/2From: Jacksonville, FLInternational Destination: Milan, ItalyPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 83.91
Looking back at cycle 2 Yoanna has a pretty obvious winner's edit as a lot of time is spent talking about her deep love of fashion and her struggle to lose 50 lbs so that she could fulfill her dream of being a model. Her body was talked about constantly (pointing out that her body needed considerable work after not booking any go-sees) and Camille trying to start a rumor that Yoanna was bulemic. Ultimately Yoanna came out on top and even took a picture that's often ranked as one of the best in the show's history (it's the pic on the left in case you were wondering). Post series she had a gig hosting a short lived series called Queen Bees and did some other hosting gigs. It doesn't seem like she's done a lot of work in the past few years but her win was 11 years ago which is a ridiculously long time in model years so it's understandable. She also had a son in 2008.
15. CariDee English (Cycle 7)
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Age (at win): 21Height: 5'11"From: Fargo, NDInternational Destination: Barcelona, SpainPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 86.67
CariDee was probably best known during her cycle for being kind of a cornball and having poor impulse control. Case in point her joking with Nigel Barker about if he removed the stick out of his ass since the last panel almost ended up costing her the competition. However despite going way over the top and making ridiculous faces on the runway during the final challenge she came out the winner over control freak Melrose after Melrose was unable to regain her composure after Cari "accidentally" tore her dress. Cari has actually worked a lot post win both on the runway and with a few hosting gigs on TV... though the thing you have probably seen her in the most is a PSA for psoriasis.
14. Lisa D'Amato (Cycle 17 - All-Stars)
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Age (at win): 30Height: 5'9"From: Los Angeles, CAInternational Destination: Crete, GreecePoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 88.62
I debated whether or not to include Lisa because she really only won by default after actual All-Stars winner Angelea Preston was stripped of her title due to having previously worked as an escort. So Lisa was crowned winner in a re-taping - meaning that fan favorite Allison Harvard has officially lost out on the ANTM title three times - making her the oldest winner on the list. Best known for peeing in a diaper as a joke during her original cycle she hasn't done much modeling since her win (though it is worth noting that she did work quite a bit between Cycle 5 and Cycle 17). She has a YouTube channel and apparently still makes music (you might remember her song "Ace of Spades" back from the days of MySpace). Anyway she married a rich guy and gave birth to her son Dax in 2013.
13. Eva Pigford (Cycle 3)
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Age (at win): 19Height: 5'6"From: Los Angeles, CAInternational Destination: Tokyo, JapanPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 90.5
You would think that the shortest winner of the series would come from the short cycle because you know that would make actual sense but the shortest ANTM winner ever was actually Eva the Diva. After dropping Tyra as her manager in 2006 she also dropped her last name, Pigford, and decided to be known professionally as Eva Marcille. She also shifted from modeling to acting landing a gig on The Young and the Restless. She has some kind of horror mini-series coming out this year and had a baby a year ago.
12. Saleisha Stowers (Cycle 9)
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Age (at win): 21Height: 5'10"From: Los Angeles, CAInternational Destination: Shanghai and Beijing, ChinaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 93.17
To be perfectly honest I was shocked to find out that Saleisha was this high on the list because I thought she was really terrible on the show. As previously mentioned, Saleisha is often considered by fans to be one of, if not the, worst winners of the series. In addition to some generally lackluster photos and not the greatest attitude (although to be fair a lot of people would probably bitch if they were given her makeover) she knew Tyra. Not only had she attended Tyra's "self-esteem" camp but she had modeled on both The Tyra Show and in Cycle 6 of Top Model. Her eligibility was further questioned since right before appearing on the series she was in a national campaign for Wendy's which is against the rules of the show... but the final interpretation is up to Tyra and Tyra wanted Saleisha to win so there you have it. She is another winner that has decided to make the jump from model to actress post-win and got a gig on All My Children. She also now goes by Sal .
11. Brittani Kline (Cycle 16)
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Age (at win): 19Height: 5'10" 1/2From: Beech Creak, PAInternational Destination: Marrakech, MoroccoPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 93.62
Brittani Kline is the redemption story winner of Top Mode. During her cycle she got into a fight with fellow contestant Alexandria that was witnessed by Nigel Barker (who was also the photographer during the shoot) and the client. Her piss poor attitude was brought up during judging and she was chastised for it. The argument landed her in the bottom two and Tyra said she wanted to kick her out for said attitude problem but she was "overruled" by the rest of the panel (surejan.gif). In the end the girl that Tyra wanted nothing more than to go home ended up winning it all. Since her series wrapped Brittani decided to go back to college where she is studying both the Spanish language and English writing. She's all for taking modeling jobs if they happen but has decided writing is her true passion. She's scheduled to graduate next year.
10. Keith Carlos (Cycle 21 - Guys vs Girls 2.0)
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Age (at win): 26Height: 6'1"From: Bridgeport, CTInternational Destination: Seoul, South KoreaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 94
Keith is the current reigning winner of America's Next Top Model and the only guy to ever hold the title. While his overall performance was incredibly inconsistant and he seemed to be held to a different set of standards than the rest of the potentials (his picture on the right was actual praised by Tyra while another model in a similar pose was chastised for looking dead). Ultimately the former Philadelphia Eagles player won pretty much because Tyra was thirsty for him.
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We see through your bullshit Tyra...9. Ann Ward (Cycle 15)
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Age (at win): 19Height: 6'2"From: Dallas, TXInternational Destination: Venice, Milan, Verona and Como, ItalyPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 102.7
Ann was another obvious winner from the moment that she appeared on the show. Although she receivied a ton of criticism and outrage pre-series for having "the tiniest waist ever" the 6'2" Texan native would go on to have top photo six times which is the most out of any winner. Despite her great performance in photoshoots she never won a single challenge. The "high fashion cycle" winner took some pretty nice pictures post-series but hasn't done much since 2013 outside of talk about comic books on her Twitter.
8. Naima Mora (Cycle 4)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'9" 1/2From: Detroit, MIInternational Destination: Cape Town, South AfricaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 109.8
The soft spoken former ballerina almost seemed to come out of nowhere with her win during initial viewing. She earned her spot by tying for the winner with most challenge wins (four) and is another one who kicked up her photos once they reached their international destination. Naima actually worked just about everywhere immediately after her win from doing ads for Wal-Mart to walking in New York Fashion Week. Like a lot of the other girls though she then shifted from modeling to acting and also making music. She had a band called Chewing Pics until they disbanded in 2009 and she then joined Galaxy of Tar. She's returned to modeling though she still makes music and also wrote a book called Model Behavior
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7. Sophie Sumner (Cycle 18 - British Invasion)
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Age (at win): 21Height: 5'9"From: Oxford, EnglandInternational Destination: Macau and Hong Kong, ChinaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 113.4
During cycle 18 the girls weren't only competing US vs UK but new models vs old as all of the UK contestants had previously been featured on Britain's Next Top Model. Sophie's win actually came as a surprise to me, not because she did poorly during the competition (in fact, Sophie never appeared in the bottom two), but just because I thought Tyra would never crown someone that she didn't "discover" as the winner. Since her win she's done some print work and also walked in a show on Asia's Next Top Model which I believe makes her the only contestant to appear in three incarnations of the series. Her makeover during cycle 18 is also what inspired Helen Mirren to temporarily dye her hair pink.
6. Jaslene Gonzalez (Cycle 8)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'8"From: Chicago, ILInternational Destination: Sydney, AustraliaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 113.5
Having auditioned for cycle 7 but ultimately not making the cut Jaslene came back to take it all a few months later. Jaslene ended the series with four first top photos and having never once landed in the bottom two. She was also one of the few girls to renew her CoverGirl contract and found some success outside the series walking in New York Fashion Week several times for a number of designers. She was also featured on the cover of Nylon in Mexico and in Marie Claire in India.
5. Teyona Anderson (Cycle 12)
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Age (at win): 20Height: 5'9" 1/2From: Woodstown, NJInternational Destination: Sao Paulo, Brazil Come to Brazil......
Point Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 115
When this cycle first aired I thought Teyona's win was complete bullshit since I was rooting for runner-up Allison Harvard the entire time but when I went to make this post and looked through her photos she really didn't take any bad pictures. She ended up with top photo three times and won two challenges. She's done a ton of work in South Africa in both print and runway and has since changed her name to Asia Anderson.
4. Jourdan Miller (Cycle 20 - Guys vs Girls)
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Age (at win): 19Height: 6'1"From: Bend, ORInternational Destination: Bali, IndonesiaPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 122
Jourdan Miller was married at eighteen and divorced at eighteen. If you watched any of the first Guys vs Girls cycle you might remember this because she mentioned it at least once every fucking episode and would talk about it as if this happened decades ago and had given her such wisdom when in reality it was just the year prior. Anyway she performed well in an overall pretty lackluster cycle so she ended up earning this spot by being the best in a mediocre bunch. It's kind of like saying you're the fastest one at solving problems in a remedial math class... impressive in your group but not so much in the grand scheme of things. She had a few good pictures, like the one on the right, but this was the year Tyra discovered gifs so everything moved like it was a Hogwarts portrait and overall things were embarrassing. Since winning Jourdan has had a couple of magazine covers in Malaysia.
3. McKey Sullivan (Cycle 11)
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Age (at win): 19Height: 6'0"From: Lake Forest, ILInternational Destination: Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 123.2
McKey, whose real name was Brittany but this was one of the Cycles where Tyra decided people couldn't have the same name even though sometimes she doesn't seem to give a shit, Sullivan is another winner who never once appeared in the bottom two. During the show she also booked all of her go-sees despite being disqualified from winning the challenge due to getting back to the location late. McKey, who has previously been named one of People's Most Beautiful People found work in both runway and print after the show and was one of two ANTM alums to walk for Mr. Jay's clothing line which is apparently a thing that exists. She gave birth to a daughter in 2013.
2. Krista White (Cycle 14)
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Age (at win): 24Height: 5'9" 1/2From: Pine Bluff, ARInternational Destination: Auckland and Queenstown, New ZealandPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 126.9
So... awkward... I really don't remember a whole lot about this cycle other than Angelea being all bitch I work at a bank and them doing a photo shoot in the Shire. That being said just looking at the numbers Krista clearly earned her space. She's tied with Naima for most challenge wins (four), had top photo four weeks in a row and never once landed in the bottom two. It's also worth noting that for a series that has a tendancy of sending girls home for being "too old" Krista is the oldest winner to ever win a regular cycle of Top Model. Post series she's modeled for Betsey Johnson.
1. Nicole Fox (Cycle 13 - The Short Cycle)
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Age (at win): 18Height: 5'7"From: Louisville, COInternational Destination: Maui, HAPoint Total (based on call-outs/challenges): 132.2
As previously stated despite being the winner from the short cycle of ANTM, Nicole is not the shortest winner (that title goes to Eva) however she is the youngest winner. Nicole had top photo three times and like a few other winners on the list never fell into the bottom two. She's also done a pretty good amount of work post series modelling for Steve Madden and House of Harlow to name a few. She's also recently jumped from model to actress most recently starring in the 2014 film Redlands where her performance was praised by critics.
Source: Me, Excel and Wikipedia
