America’s Next Top Model winner slams ridiculous reason girls weren’t paid for Netflix doc

The first-ever winner of America’s Next Top Model has criticised the new Netflix documentary about the show, calling out producers for allegedly not paying former contestants who shared their experiences on camera.

America’s Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry spoke out after learning none of the models featured in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model received compensation for appearing.

UPN

The Netflix series revisits some of the franchise’s most controversial moments, including accounts of alleged sexual assault during filming. But Curry claims the decision not to pay contributors reflects longstanding issues with how the show treated its contestants.

Posting on X, she wrote: “They didn’t pay ANY of the girls in the Netflix Top Model documentary. They said it would seem they were ‘swaying’ them to say things. I see nothing has changed!” She paired the post with a “same old sh*t, different day” GIF, referencing how models were also unpaid during the original series run.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adrianne Curry-Rhode (@adriannecurry)

Contestants on ANTM typically received only a small daily allowance to cover basic expenses while filming, rather than wages. Even winners weren’t guaranteed to collect their full prize packages, and only a handful went on to establish long-term modelling careers. Before the era of influencer income streams, most participants returned to their pre-show jobs once filming ended.

Most Read

You can now watch Jeffrey Epstein’s disturbing private videos on ‘JeffTube’ – here’s how

Zoë Kravitz responds to those Jeffrey Epstein and Blink Twice comparisons as old emails resurface

Christine and Vic share how they *actually* felt about being sent to Malibu during Love Is Blind

Curry suggested the decision echoes earlier concerns about the show’s duty of care. In separate posts, she alleged she was the first contestant to experience sexual assault during production.

“Fun fact… I was the first woman to be sexually assaulted on Top Model… they titled the episode ‘Girl deals with a pervert,’” she wrote. She described a man reaching up her skirt during a street casting challenge, adding that she was reprimanded for being too upset and nearly eliminated after missing a booking.

UPN

Another former contestant, Shandi Sullivan, recounted how she blacked out after drinking with male models in Milan and woke to find one of them on top of her. The incident was edited into a storyline about infidelity, culminating in a filmed phone call where she tearfully confessed to her boyfriend.

Executive producer Ken Mok defended the decision to keep cameras rolling, saying the production treated the show as a documentary-style project. “There’s going to be cameras with you 24/7… and they’re going to cover everything, the good, the bad, and everything in between,” he said, adding that contestants were told anything captured on camera could be used.

For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Netflix