After 12 years, 22 seasons and introducing countless slang terms, “smizing” and “Tyra Mail” will come to a close later this year. That’s right— America’s Next Top Model will air its final episode on December 4, 2015, so prepare your tissues for what promises to be one of the most emotional nights of the year.
With about 1.25 million viewers and adaptations all over the world, ANTM has had a far-reaching impact. Mark Pedowitz, president of the show’s network, The CW, called it a “global pop culture phenomenon” in a statement after the show announced its end.
The show’s mass popularity helped to launch Tyra Banks’ career as a television personality and actress, and has also spurred the careers of various celebrities and fashion executives who have served as guest judges on the show throughout its lifespan.
The contest has also put its participants in the spotlight. After Adrianne Cury’s win on the first season of ANTM back in 2003, she appeared on various reality TV shows like VH1’s “The Surreal Life” and “My Fair Brady.”
Even participants who did not win their season have enjoyed celebrity status as a result of their time on the show. Lisa D’Amato, who finished sixth in Cycle 5, has been modeling for clothing brands and fashion runway shows since the season aired in 2005.
But it’s not just the show’s creators and contestants that ANTM has affected— the show’s influence has permeated popular culture as well. From the popularization of terms like “smize” and “flawsome” and the pervasiveness of clips from the show— see “I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you”— Mark Pedowitz is right in calling the show a pop culture phenomenon.
ANTM has even had an influence here on Duke’s campus. In 2010, Duke alumna Simone Lewis competed on the show and made it to the fourth round before she was voted off. Despite the obvious differences between modeling and being a college student, Lewis said there were actually remarkable similarities between the two.
“The group of girls this cycle was so diverse, and I could definitely tell that each of them had something very different about them,” Lewis said of her time on the show. “So in a way, it kind of reminded me of being at Duke, as far as having this mish-mosh of people with different experiences and different backgrounds.”
Lewis cites her time on the show as having been a positive experience.”Before ANTM, I was very very type A,” she told The Chronicle in March 2011. “[Now] I’m better able to kind of take a chill pill and really prioritize the way I spend my time and the parts of my life where I place the most importance.”
So maybe it’s not a medical career that a degree in Biology is preparing some Duke undergrads for: it’s a modeling career in the high-stakes world of fashion.
And as for all the ANTM fans out there— even though this will be the last season aired on television, the network is already discussing a retrospective special that would air late next year.
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