‘America’s Next Top Model’ Cancelled: CW Cancels ‘ANTM’ Realty Show | Variety 

Tyra Banks’ reality competition series “America’s Next Top Model” will end its run after 12 years and 22 seasons spread between two networks, the CW confirmed Wednesday.

The series finale is set for Dec. 4. CW said it was in talks to assemble a retrospective special targeted to air late next year.

Banks has hosted and exec produced “ANTM” with Ken Mok since it premiered in May 2003 on UPN. She broke the news about “ANTM” via Twitter.

“Thinking #ANTM22 should be our last cycle,” Banks wrote. “I truly believe it’s time. May your pics be forever fierce. Keep on Smizing!”

At the height of its game, “Top Model” was one of UPN’s top-rated programs. It was the first program to air on the CW in its September 2006 debut, following the merger of UPN and the CW. In addition to giving exposure to fashion-industry insiders like Janice Dickinson, Twiggy and Nigel Barker by making them judges, it also launched the careers of model/reality TV star Adrianne Curry, actress Analeigh Tipton and others who have had success on and off the runways.

Airing Wednesdays from 2004 to 2009 before cooling off, CW moved “Top Model” to Fridays nights for the first time in 2012 and it’s mostly aired there since. Its current cycle aired for a couple of months this summer on Wednesday before moving to Friday two weeks ago. At present it’s averaging about 1.25 million viewers in Nielsen’s live-plus-same day ratings.

Video:‘FabLife’: Tyra Banks, Chrissy Teigen & Joe Zee Tease New Daytime Talker

Banks has tackled other TV projects during the run of “ANTM,” including her own self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which spanned five seasons. Last month, she launched a new lifestyle syndicated talk show “FabLife,” currently on-air and hailing from Disney/ABC.

The former supermodel is also attached to “Life Size 2,” which 

has learned is in development at Disney Channel. The TV movie will be a sequel to the 2000 Lindsay Lohan flick that co-starred Banks as a Barbie-like doll named Eve who comes to life. Though officially in the works with Banks likely serving as exec producer and star, insiders say no writer is yet attached to the project.

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The news of “ANTM’s” cancellation comes amid the CW’s transition away from a tight focus on teen girls and young women to a slightly older demographic and superhero series like “The Flash” and “Arrow.” On Tuesday, CW announced that it was ending romance-focused procedural “Beauty and the Beast” after the show’s fourth season.

“‘America’s Next Top Model’ was a successful franchise for two networks, first at UPN and then The CW, and it became not just a ratings hit, but a global pop culture phenomenon,” said CW president Mark Pedowitz. “I want to thank Tyra and Ken for all their years of success in establishing a show that was not just popular in the U.S., but all across the world.”

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Associate Director, YouTuber & Gamer Partnerships

I am so sorry to learn that America’s Next Top Model is due to go off the air. It was beneficial to young people that desired to enter the modeling field. As an older person I enjoyed watching it, and enjoyed seeing all the characters. It was great entertainment.

I am glad that this show is going to end. I was a fan before but now I just hate it, its more like a bunch of whore doing a reality show. Season 22 completely sucks everyone are pshyco …. Lmfao!!!!

Show became too much about interpersonal drama. Also, adding the guys, putting them together with the girls, showing them sleeping together right off the bat made it look like a trashy hookup show. With no story leading up to these hookups it looked like cheap whoring. And the fact that Tyra accepted what was presented to us as very very casual sex, cheapened the show even further. She had a quite young audience, not a bunch of post menopausal women who are old enough to know better than fall prey to convenient hookups. I’m a photography instructor of children and once the obvious sleeping around, cheating on boyfriends back home started, I could no longer talk about that show to my students. I’d have had their parents after me. Someone had to put a stop to showing this to such a young audience.

I have always been a fan of this show, specifically earlier cycles. Its demise ultimately is rooted in a few glaring areas

1. The show never produced a true top model. Some of its alumni found success with their prizes and other minor publications and roles (in acting and music) but there were none who truly went on to be real top models in the industry. That makes the credentials and validity of the show somewhat questionable especially after so many cycles-you’d think they’d produce a major top model.

2. The tasks and photo shoots, which in earlier cycles were legitimate and emulated legitimate campaigns, evolved into laughable productions. For example, posing on the back of a moving truck bed on a motorcycle could be a legitimate fashion shot. Doing so while posing as trashy reality stars will not train you to become an elite model, prepared to handle the responsibilities of a cutthroat industry. Posing as trailer park trash, jumping historical figures, or dressing in recyclable materials are all good for TV but not anything I could envision on the pages of a leading publication or in the portfolio of the top models of today.

3. Judges/Guest stars. I understand these are huge constraints on the budget but they add further to the legitimacy of the show. I’ll concede that in the past the show has had huge fashion leaders and icons somehow involved-Andre Leon Talley was a sitting judge, the girls visited the house of Missoni one cycle, among many other fashion elite. With the addition of social media and using questionable scoring from judges (along with NO guest judge) made the elimination process that much more questionable.

4. Questionable contestants. In looking at girls (and guys) in some cycles, I found myself asking “are they REALLY in the running to be America’s Next Top Model?”. Tyra leading girls on to become top models, but ultimately they don’t have much potential in the industry. That’s blunt but true, and probably proven correct by their post-show careers. Furthermore, Tyra eliminates contestants for some questionable reasons, and keeps some models who, in my opinion, don’t have what it takes. This cycle-Delanie has the height and proportions of a working model; Devin and Mikey do not. Devin and Mikey are over the top characters so I guess despite a poor portfolio, they earn their space in the house.

5. Tyra’s eccentricities. Tyra used to help the girls face realities of the industry, coach them on how to navigate their way through the industry, and serve as a mentor to them. As the show continued, she had less of a hand in the day to day but as the show progressed she introduced them to “tooching” and “pot ledom” (what?), forced them to make a music video, and help them discover alter ego brands (that were completely ridiculous). I am not sure the last time I saw Karlie Kloss or Gigi Hadid refer to themselves as alter egos or penned their own single, but of course because Tyra thought it would be fun, the girl on Top Model were forced to.

I understand a lot of these things lead to better ratings and the content of the show has to evolve over time and meet the needs and expectations of the viewing demographic. I wish Top Model focused more on progressing in the industry, and not on the drama of the house full of highly questionable models, and obscure challenges and photo shoots Tyra and her cronies concoct. I had hope the show would regain legitimacy when it introduced prizes with Vogue Italia (in addition to top agencies and Cover Girl), but sadly as it was replaced with social media and theme cycles, the show has lost full legitimacy–and in turn ratings sunk to a point of no return.

Excellent breakdown in what happened to the show. One thing that always bothered me was the hypocrisy in some of the decisions. Camille was given a makeover because her “braids weren’t versatile for the industry”. Three cycles later, Eboni was given braids. Mollie Sue was eliminated because of “lack of persona”. But, later there was the talk that CariDee was a “loose cannon”. (I understand that there’s a happy medium, but ANTM didn’t seem to.)

As for the photo shoots dissolving into the ridiculous (the famous Greek Salad photo shoot), you hit it spot on. This past summer I discovered Australia’s Next Top Model on one of the subscription services. The show is excellent. There’s some occasional drama, but the focus is on the photo shoots that tend to be very high end. The contestants on Australia’s version have had photo shoots and commercial shoots where they were rewarded with national campaigns. And, I never saw one girl on the Australian version get a makeover with her hair half one color, half another. Or a contestant get a dark-dye job and then have her eyebrows bleached out to where they couldn’t be seen.

It was becoming a little too transparent that certain people were cast for their “good TV” not their modeling potential. True on other reality shows to (The Bachelor) but this show is one where you can literally see when someone has modeling potential – and they are eliminated while a character stays on. The variety in photographers helped. I know Erik Asla is a good photographer but is boring TV week after week. Retouyching on photos was also looking cheap and bad. Sorry it ended without getting better. I agree with all your comments, guy.

Can’t believe that with 1.25 million viewers in Nielsen’s ratings that the show would close down. I loved when Nigel and Janice Dickinson were on the show. I never cared much for the 3rd judge on the panel-where did she come from? It’s likely that Tyra is attempting to branch out into other entertainment venues, which may not get the viewership of this show. Especially if they feel betrayed by the sudden exodus of ANTM. Bad move I’m predicting.

I think that when they got rid of Nigel, Jay, and Mister Jay it sent the show on a downward spiral. I much preferred watching when the originals were there.

Ms. Jay is back this season. The season is great and Ms. Jay is hilarious.

I stopped watching ANTM for a few seasons, It should have been cancelled about 5 years ago.

It provided an opportunity for many young women who otherwise may have been overlooked in the industry. I agree it’s time to bow out …. but congratulations to Tyra for always trying to put the values of “one’s own beauty” over that of unachievable successes.

I can’t think of a single winner who actually became a top model.

Whitney Thompson, Eva Marcille, Jaslene so far are the winners who are successful.Oddly enough its the non-winners like Toccara (a plus size model who appeared in Vogue Italia) Fatima, Allison, Natasha, Leila, Jane have done better internationally. Anyway the show doesn’t really make “top models,” it just gives them the platform. Its up to the contestants what they do afterwards. Some contestants actually had modeling experience before applying for the show.

We need a cool show like American top model’s to remind us that dreams do come true.Thank you.

What What WHAT no no no NO booo boo BOO this is OUTRAGEOUS we want american next top model next year they cannot cancelled my sister love it I’m not happy with you right everybody RIGHT good this is not definitely done and not end please give another chance NOW oh well fine good day and finally good bye period

Sorry it has to end but I’m sure Tyra has her reasons for doing so I’ve watched since the beginning. I wish Tyra well in any new ventures she may have

Thank god it ended! Every cycle was cheaper & lower. It lost relevance since cycle 7. Tyra was wacky, annoying and delusional. Every cycle was less about modeling and more mindless.

i am overwhelmed and devastated I look forward to every season and watch it faithfully I love Tyra banks and everything she stands for TV will never be the same I’m so sad in my opinion it’s the best show ever it opened up so many doors and opPortunities for so many different types of people ANTM will be missed greatly fierce and love baby .

Sorry to see it go…… Loved watching every season from the beginning!

Good Tyra the last show was terrible and the video made know sensei have watched the very first show and it was grate ! The Sewell girl has blossomed and booked into the oriental show business and doing well. The last show was the worst I have ever seen and that is on you.

Video was something that I just did not under stand, You should have gone backed and look at some of your Owen shows they grater Jay was a big part of your show and you lost him. Look to the advertising world and have them do your analyses and you are a good still photographer in you Owen world. Look at some new hot commercials that are running ,You lost something and you need to take a time out for your self.Mr. Jay was grate and I missed him. Go with really good people that are stable. Ask Steve Miesel what is his opinion if he will tell you anything ?Your new show is not well done and your losing your core values listen and talk with Opera and listen to her she knows. Good luck and reflect back on your own.

Harvey Sherman from John Urie and associates

Please, do not advise Tara until you have mastered the English language and the art of writing.

It’s been a good fun escape show with some interesting information at times-I gleaned a bunch of photo tips – but after Cover Girl stopped sponsoring it, Tyra went to college, and it was men and women competing together, the show became Big Brother with a purpose of sorts. Too much emphasis on the interpersonal drama now.

Darn….this is my guilty pleasure. I look forward to it every season.