America's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model (often shortened and abbreviated as ANTM) is a show in which a number of women compete for the title of reality televisionAmerica's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry.

The show was created and is hosted by talk-show host and model Tyra Banks, who also serves as the head judge and executive producer of the show. The first "cycle" premiered in May 2003 and was one of UPN's highest rated shows. The show's seventh cycle was the first of the shows among regular programming on UPN's successor network, The CW, and thus far is the network's highest rated series. The opening theme is performed by Tyra Banks and is produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Banks co-produces the show with Ken Mok and Anthony Dominici, and is an independent production of 10 by 10 Entertainment and Bankable Productions (part of the dummy company/joint venture Pottle Productions), distributed for The CW by Bankable Productions and syndicated internationally by KingWorld (and its successor CBS Television Distribution). For the 2006–2007, 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 television seasons, ANTM was the #1 show in average viewers on The CW.

On February 16, 2010, The CW renewed the show for a 15th and 16th cycle.

Each season of America's Next Top Model has from 9–13 episodes and starts with 10-14 contestants. Each episode, one contestant is eliminated, though in rare cases a double elimination or no elimination was given by consensus of the judging panel. Makeovers are administered to contestants early in the season (usually after the first or second elimination in the finals), and a trip to an international destination is scheduled at about two-thirds of the way through the season (usually with five or six contestants remaining).

As of the fourteenth cycle, the current judging panel includes Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley, and fashion photographer Nigel Barker. Previous judges included fashion icon Twiggy, models Janice Dickinson and Paulina Porizkova, fashion stylist Nolé Marin, runway coach J. Alexander, designer Kimora Lee Simmons (Kimora was scheduled to be a permanent judge for Cycle 14 and changed her plans for not returning the show) and fashion editors Beau Quillian and Eric Nicholson. Photo shoot director Jay Manuel, though not a permanent judge, is featured every episode. Usually, an additional guest judge will sit in on the panel every week.

It was announced on January 24, 2006, that Top Model would be part of the new The CWUPN and The WB, when the next cycle started in September airing on Wednesdays. Prior to the announcement of merging with The CW, UPN had committed to renewing the series through its ninth cycle on January 20, 2006, for which casting was conducted throughout mid-2006. network, a merger between

To celebrate its tenth cycle, ANTM aired a special installment called America's Next Top Model: Exposed in two parts on the CW on Wednesday, February 6 & 13, 2008. It reviewed the best cat fights, mishaps and most memorable photoshoots, personalities, defining moments and contained other segments about the show since Cycle 1 to Cycle 9, and featured a special opening fusing all three openings together. Camille McDonald (Cycle 2), Toccara Jones (Cycle 3), Eva Pigford (Cycle 3 winner), Bre Scullark (Cycle 5), Cassandra Whitehead (Cycle 5), Joanie Dodds (Cycle 6), Jael Strauss (Cycle 8), Dionne Walters (Cycle 8), Heather KuzmichCycle 9), and Bianca Golden (Cycle 9) all returned to comment on events that happened in their or other cycles.