As with most reality TV, the success of the show boils down mainly to casting, which is where it really excels. In both the judging and the modeling, the show revolves around a pair of strong opposite poles.
At its best, ANTM's first season felt like a glimpse into how fashion actually worked: infuriatingly idiosyncratic, wildly subjective, and at its core, misogynist.
The series has the stock reality elements: The competitors share a penthouse and annoy one another; a panel of experts drops one hopeful a week. But at least the humiliation is a little different.
While the revolving door at the judges' table, the grossness of Tyra's constant idiotic catchphrases, and the repetitiveness of the challenges eventually eroded my passion for the series, my devotion to season one remains pure and true.
Love it or leave it-and it's had moments of both in its long lifespan-America's Next Top Model is one of the most influential reality shows of all time.
It's altogether awkward, a collection of stray parts that don't quite fit together, sort of like how models always describe the way they looked in junior high.
America's Next Top Model is a fun concept, especially for male viewers, but it would be better if the camera, and the people behind it, loved these women more.
