America's Next Top Model - Cycle One (2004)

Synopsis: The ultimate guilty pleasure, AMERICA'S TOP MODEL contains all the makings of great television: catty drama, nude photo shoots, backstabbing, and skinny girls with attitude. In the season that... The ultimate guilty pleasure, AMERICA'S TOP MODEL contains all the makings of great television: catty drama, nude photo shoots, backstabbing, and skinny girls with attitude. In the season that started it all, 20 girls are chosen out of thousands of eager applicants to compete for the ultimate prize: a contract with Wilhelmina Models, a spread in Marie Claire Magazine, and a contract with Revlon. The finalists are flown to LA, where they must strut their stuff for a panel of celebrity judges composed of Janet Dickenson (who describes herself as "the world's first supermodel"); Beau Quillan (fashion director of Marie Claire Magazine); Kimora Lee Simmons (self-proclaimed "Shopaholic," and CEO of the Baby Phat clothing line); and of course, Ms. Banks herself. Ten out of the 20 girls are then chosen to fly to New York, where they will live together in a supremely girly penthouse in midtown Manhattan. Created and hosted by supermodel-actress-recording artist Tyra Banks, the show also features regular appearances by entertaining characters like Jay Manuel, and J. Alexander, who dresses in drag to teach the girls the art of walking on the runway. Each week, the girls receive "Tyra Mail" containing clues to their next photo shoot. In these shoots, the girls must prove that they deserve the title of America's Next Top Model, even if it means posing with potentially deadly Cobras or modeling bikinis in the dead of winter atop a Manhattan high-rise. After each photo shoot, the celebrity judges evaluate each contestant's potential (often prompting tearful breakdowns), and one girl is eliminated. The drama doesn't contain itself to the runway however, as tensions run high in the girls's shared living space, with catfights erupting over everything from religious differences to who left their dishes in the kitchen sink. This set includes the complete first season, containing nine episodes with names that say it all, such as "The Girl Who Gets Really Naked," "The Girl Who Gets Rushed the Emergency Room," and "The Girl Who Deals with a Pervert." [More]