Sunset Park, Brooklyn and America's Next Top Model: Difference between pages

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'''''America’s Next Top Model''''' is a [[reality television]] show which pits [[contestant]]s against each other in a variety of competitions to determine who will win a [[model (person)|modeling]] [[contract]] with [[makeup]] manufacturer [[Covergirl]]. [[Supermodel]] [[Tyra Banks]] hosts and produces the show.

:''[[Sunset Park (movie)|Sunset Park]]'' is also a [[1996]] American [[film]].

The debut season of the show premiered on the [[UPN]] network in [[2003]]. On it, 10 female contestants were placed in a [[New York City]] apartment. Spanning a wide variety of women of various races, heights and body sizes, they had been whittled down from a pool of thousands to compete against one another in various contests designed to simulate the extreme demands placed on professional models. Each week one contestant was eliminated by a panel of judges: Banks herself, clothing designer [[Kimora Lee Simmons]], [[Beau Quillian]], and [[Janice Dickinson]], who bills herself as the world's first supermodel. By the next season, only Tyra and Janice remained judges, but the others are now ex-model/fashion photographer [[Nigel Barker]] and fashion editor/stylist [[Nolé Marin]]. After season four, Janice, amid rumors of personality conflicts with some other judges, and Marin were replaced by [[Twiggy]] and "Miss" [[Jay Alexander]] (Alexander had been involved with the runway and various photo shoots since the first season).

'''Sunset Park''' is a [[diverse]], [[working-class]] [[neighborhood]] in the [[South Brooklyn]] section of [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, New York]]. The neighborhood is located south of [[Park Slope]] and [[Windsor Terrace]], separated by [[Green-Wood Cemetery]] and the Prospect Expressway/NY-27, while 65th Street and the [[Gowanus Expressway]]/I-278 mark the end of the community before [[Bay Ridge]] to the south. The community extends westward from [[Borough Park]] at 8th Avenue, all the way to the [[pier]]s of Brooklyn's [[waterfront]] and the [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]].

The show has also produced a [[male model]] copy-cat show on the [[Bravo (television network)|Bravo]] network, called ''[[Manhunt (reality television series)|Manhunt]]''. It's hosted by [[Carmen Electra]].

There is a namesake city [[park]] within the neighborhood, located at 43rd Street and 5th Avenue, which is one of the highest points in Brooklyn. The hillish terrain of the park affords visitors magnificent views of [[Downtown Brooklyn]] and the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], [[Lower Manhattan]] and the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Staten Island]], and [[New Jersey]] beyond. The "[[main street|main drag]]" of the neighborhood lies along 5th Avenue. The [[New York City Subway]] serves the region on the [[BMT Fourth Avenue Line|Fourth Avenue Line]] with stations at 36th Street, 45th Street, 53rd Street and 59th Street. The area is also home to the [[Jackie Gleason Bus Depot]].

== BriefSeason history and overview1 ==

The show takes on a reality show style of format in that we not only see these competitions but the effects they have on the participants, as well as the drama of their day to day lives while participating. This included several contestants who were devout [[Christian]]s and disapproved of [[homosexuality]], to the dismay of [[lesbian]] contestant [[Ebony Haith]]. [[Elyse Sewell]], who was in the top three, is probably the most memorable contestant. The extremely intelligent double major expressed her liberal views proudly, which gave her edginess, but her acerbic tongue that dripped with condescension towards others of differing views or who weren't as gifted mentally, brought a wary eye upon her by the show's judges. It also didn't help that she undercut the touted premise throughout the show that modeling was "hard" as she breezed through set up challenges and the rigors of modeling using sheer wit. Elyse did earn a huge following that has lasted well after the show for said views and attitude, but she proved on the show that innate intelligence can get you very far and is probably most responsible for her continued success as a model. In a dramatic 2 hour season finale, Elyse and the eventual winner [[Adrianne Curry]] were both selected as the bottom two, allowing fellow contestant Shannon to advance automatically to the finals. The former was later booted out of the competition due to her "know'all" attitude. The winner of the first season was [[Adrianne Curry]], an [[Illinois]] woman with a thick accent who had been pursuing modeling since her early teens, and till today, the judges felt that Adrianne was indeed the rightful winner that outshone's Shannon's superior All-American beauty.

In the heyday of the [[New York Harbor]]'s dominance of [[North American]] [[shipping]] during the [[19th Century]], Sunset Park grew rapidly, largely as a result of [[Irish American|Irish]], [[Polish American|Polish]], and [[Norwegian American|Norwegian]] [[Immigration to the United States|immigrant]] families moving to the area. The neighborhood grew up around the [[Bush Terminal]], a model [[industrial park]] completed in [[1895]], and continued to grow through [[World War II]], when the Brooklyn Army Terminal employed more than 10,000 civilians to ship 80% of all American supplies and troops.

== Season 2==

After the war, with the rise of truck-based [[freight]] shipping, the growth of [[suburban sprawl]] and ports in [[New Jersey]], the closing of the Army Terminal, and the decreasing importance of heavy industry in the American northeast, Sunset Park's fortunes began to decline. Families which had lived in the community for decades began moving out, and the homes in the neighborhood — largely modest but attractive [[rowhouse|rowhouses]] — lost [[value]]. The construction of the [[Gowanus Expressway]] in [[1941]] effectively cut the neighborhood off from the harbor, which further wounded the area, in a fashion often associated with the expressway's builder: [[The Power Broker|power-broker]] [[Robert Moses]].

The second season of the show, in [[2004]], featured 12 contestants this time. Though the format was the same, the production took several different angles on how the show was presented. The judges were often much more harsh in their criticism of the contestants. In particular, one contestant, Catie Anderson, was repeatedly told that she looked or acted like a [[prostitute]]. The contests in this season were also more sexual: the first one required contestants to pose nude in body paint, something that plus-size contestant Anna Bradfield opted out of, causing her to be eliminated first. There was also a lesbian-erotic photo shoot towards the end of the show where the remaining four contestants posed nude in seductive positions in pairs of two.

Sunset Park's second age began with a wave of immigration from [[Puerto Rico]], [[Mexico]], and the [[Dominican Republic]], as well as other [[Latin American]] countries. By [[1990]], [[Hispanics]] comprised 50% of Sunset Park's population, rehabilitating property values and developing a thriving community. More recently, the neighborhood has attracted many [[Asian American|East Asian]] immigrants, centered on an area now known as "Brooklyn [[Chinatown]]", along 8th Avenue from 42nd to 62nd Street, where the city's third-largest [[Chinese American|Chinese]] community can be found.

The second season also spawned a clear-cut "hated" character in the form of Camille McDonald. While it is not uncommon for a "bad" character to emerge on a reality show, Camille's race came into play when it was pointed out by critics and the [[NAACP]] that many reality shows airing at this time seemed to peg the black female character as the one to dislike. Camille did make it into the final five, however, and in so doing ousting other more promising model hopefuls, including Catie and the Muslim-originated Sara. The second season also featured Mercedes Scelba-Shorte, a young woman whose struggle with [[lupus erythematosus|lupus]] was detailed on the show. She fought against it to become one of the last two finalists.

The [[2000]] [[U.S. Census|Census]] for Sunset Park shows that there were 120,441 people living in the neighborhood, 27% of residents were [[children]] (0-17 years), 65% were [[adults]] (18-64 years), and 9% were [[senior citizens]] (65 or older). This shows that people in Sunset Park are slightly younger than the [[New York City]] average. Roughly 53% of residents were [[Hispanic]], 23% were "[[whites|white]]" or [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]], 17% were [[Asian]], 4% were "[[blacks|black]]" or [[African-American]].

Another contestant of note was [[Shandi Sullivan]], a lithe, blonde cashier from [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. Shandi began the show as a very mousy and poorly dressed girl in glasses with absolutely no flare at all for the catwalk, but by the end she had transformed into an extremely skilled model and ravishing beauty. Shandi provided an infamous moment when in one episode she cheated on her boyfriend, Eric, while in [[Italy]]. The scene when she called her boyfriend to inform him of her infidelity was shown on various other programs. She made it into the top three.

== Transportation ==

The winner of the cycle was [[Yoanna House]], a fashionista who had lost 40 pounds (18 kg) in order to realise her dreams of being a model. Yoanna proved that one with physical disadvantages (she was overweight and had a slightly limp shoulder) need not bow down to outside contention should you believe in yourself.

Sunset Park is served extensively by [[road]], [[rail]], and [[ferry]] service. Sunset Park has access to three [[expressways]]; the [[Gowanus Expressway]]/I-278, the [[Prospect Expressway]]/NY-27 and the [[Belt Parkway]] ([[Parkway]]s do not get numerical designations, although the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] in [[Manhattan]] carries a NY-9A shield).

== Season 3 ==

6 MTA Bus lines serve Sunset Park, they include; B9, B11, B35, B37, B63, B70.

The third season of the show debuted in fall 2004 and was criticized by some for focusing far more on "drama" than on modeling ability. Amanda Swafford, who was legally blind, broke ground by making it to the final three due to her stunning photos produced consistently week after week. However, the final two were Yaya Da Costa Johnson and [[Eva Pigford]], who went head-to-head in a very elegant Japanese fashion show. Both women were African-American, while no black woman had previously won (Mercedes, a mixed race competitor (half African-American) had been a finalist in Season 2). Eva was declared the winner.

Three subway lines run through Sunset Park. The 4th Avenue Line is served by the D, M, N and R trains and has stations at Prospect Avenue, 25th Street, 36th Street, 45th Street, 53rd Street and 59th Street. The West End Line is served by the D and M and has a station at 9th Avenue. The Sea Beach Line is served by the N and has a station at 8th Avenue.

Season 3 of the popular reality TV series proved to shatter many ANTM records. Among them was for the inclusion of the first blind contestant (as mentioned above to be Amanda), the contestant who survived the most number of eliminations, that is, to be second to last most numerously (Ann, a total of 4 times) and the contestant who won the most number of reward challenges (Yaya, with a total of 5). It also featured the first openly acclaimed plus-sized model in Toccara, a 180 pound model hoping to break the industry. She made it to an impressive seventh place. Finally, it was the first African-American winner and runner-up pair in the show's history. Furthermore, Eva is the youngest winner of these reality TV shows series at the age of 18 (in fact she was still 17 when she first came for auditions).

Freight trains run on embedded tracks along 1st and 2nd Avenues and on the old LIRR Bay Ridge Branch rails which are adjacent to the BMT Sea Beach Line.

Many today still consider Yaya as the better competitor, attributed to her profound determination and her amazing consistency throughout the season. Eva was also notoriously noted for her frequent fighting within the loft that the girls stayed in, particularly with Amanda and her self-dubbed "friend" Ann, although Yaya and fellow contestant Norelle didn't really get along very well too.

Ferry Service to Manhattan is available at 59th Street and 1st Avenue.

Mid season, they flew off to Tokyo Japan, where Nicole was first axed due to her inability to master basic Japanese. This was soon followed by Norelle, Ann and Amanda, leaving Yaya and Eva in a closely contested final that even Tyra Banks was tearing when she anounced the winner to be Eva.

== See also ==

* [[Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Brooklyn, New York)|Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help]]

* [[List of Brooklyn, New York neighborhoods]]

== ExternalSeason 4 links==

* [http://web.honorscollege.cuny.edu/student-projects/2005/neighborhoods/14/ Sunset Park ''A New Perspective''] from [[CUNY]] [[Baruch College]]

* [http://www.mta.info MTA Link for transportation]

For the next installment, which ran in spring [[2005]], the ___location was moved from [[New York City]] to [[Los Angeles]], but with the girls living on a set which resembled NYC. One of the most memorable contestants in season four was Tiffany Richardson, who initially had made it into the semifinals in cycle three but had gotten into a fight with a woman who poured beer on her weave in a bar. She was accepted as a finalist for cycle four with a calmer and more mature attitude, though her defeatist outlook caused her to be eliminated from the game. In what was generally considered a lackluster season, one of the most talked-about moments occurred after a double elimination ceremony which removed Tiffany and another contestant, Rebecca Epley. Tiffany laughed and joked on her way out, prompting Tyra to scream "BE QUIET!!!!" and have a meltdown over how they had given Tiffany a chance and she had let them down.

[[Category:Brooklyn neighborhoods]]

Rebecca too gave the judges a scare a couple of episodes earlier. During evaluation, she collapsed and literally fainted right before the judges. It was due to a childhood medical relapse, and although not life threatening, it was inconvenient. The judges admired her courage to come back for evaluation after her discharge and she made it to the next round.

The season also included Michelle Deighton, a [[bisexuality|bisexual]] wrestler who was considered by some to be awkward and masculine in person, but who nevertheless turned out to be one of the most versatile and photogenic contestants. During the show she contracted [[impetigo]], which at one point was mistaken to be a flesh-eating virus by several of the other girls (partly upon "confirmation" from fellow contestant Noelle's mom that it would cause certain death). She managed to make it into the sixth place before being eliminated.

Another memorable character was janitor turn model Lluvy. In the fourth episode, where the final twelve remaining girls had to take a Zodiac calendar spread, Lluvy's Pisces shot was commented by Tyra as "the worst photo in the history of America's Next Top Model". Expectedly, Lluvy was very distressed by this, but she still managed to hang on as Brandy was eliminated due to her bad attitude. (In fact, Lluvy holds the record for the girl who appeared the most times consecutively in the bottom 2, a total of three times in a row!)

Other interesting characters included Brittany, a tomboyish, sometimes overly alcoholic, model who was best friends with fellow contestant Keenyah for most of the whole show, until the former got fed up with the latter's "hypocritical" attitude in South Africa. This led to a complete argument explosion whereby Brittany yelled a loud and shocking "SHUT UP!" into Keenyah's face. The quarrel spread all the way back to the loft when Keenyah further provoked Naima. Brittany was eliminated the next day as the quarrel clearly took its toll in the pre-evaluation contest.

Christina, another contestant who made it to fifth place, was a very strong contender, whom the judges commented as the girl who took some of the best pictures in the season (this was said too for Kahlen and Michelle). However, Christina just couldn't get past her "cold" persona and was ousted as such.

In the season finale of Cycle 4, which was located in [[South Africa]], Keenyah, Kahlen, and Naima competed to win the top spot. Keenyah was the first to go because the judges felt Kahlen was a stronger model. Kahlen and Naima faced off in the final runway walk in which the runway was partially under water. The judges had a hard time choosing between the two potentials. They explained that Kahlen's pictures had been stronger during the competition, but Naima had a better and stronger finish in the final stretch. In the end of what was supposedly the longest deliberation ever, the judges chose Naima as America's Next Top Model.

Especially the third and fourth seasons of the shows have been criticised for having contestants chosen more for their potential to be reality TV personalities than actual modelling abilities. The show has constantly featured contestants that would generally be too old to start out in the modeling business or not tall or thin enough to do [[runway]] work. The later seasons have also been criticised for deviating further from high fashion into a more [[commercial]] territory. Nevertheless, the show remains one of the highest rated shows on UPN and a fifth and a sixth season have been commissioned.

== America's Next Top Model Records ==

Cycle 1 Champion: Adrianne Curry

Cycle 2 Champion: Yoanna House

Cycle 3 Champion: Eva Pigford

Cycle 4 Champion: Naima Mora

First White Winner: Adrianne (Cycle 1)

First Black Winner: Eva (Cycle 3)

First Mixed-Parentage Winner: Naima (Cycle 4 - Black-Irish & Black-Mexican Indian)

First White Runner-Up: Shannon (Cycle 1)

First Black Runner-Up: Mercedes (Cycle 2)

Furthest Advancing Asian: April (Cycle 2 - 4th Place)

Furthest Advancing Black-Black Pair: Eva & Yaya (Cycle 3 - 1st & 2nd Place)

Oldest Champion: Yoanna (Cycle 2 - 23 years)

Youngest Champion: Eva (Cycle 3 - 19 years)

Shortest Champion: Eva (Cycle 3 - 5'7")

Tallest Champion: Yoanna (Cycle 2 - 5'11")

Oldest Contestant: Robin (Cycle 1 - 28 years)

Youngest Contestants: Heather(Cycle 2) and Ebony (Cycle 5) (both were right out of highschool during their seasons

First Disabled Contestant: Amanda (Cycle 3 - Legally Blind (Retinitis Pigmentosa)/Night Blindness)

Most Asian-Originated Contestants: April(Japan), Jenascia(Philippines) & Sarah(Iran) (all from Cycle 2)

Most African-American Contestants: Eva, Yaya, Toccara and Kelle (all from Cycle 3)

First Latin-American Originated Contestant: Giselle (Cycle 1)

First European-Originated Contestant: Brita Petersens (Cycle 4)

Heaviest Contestant: Toccara (Cycle 3 - 180 pounds)

Lightest Contestants: Elyse (Cycle 1), Amanda & Magdalena (Cycle 3) & Shandi (Cycle 2), all 115 pounds

Shortest Contestants: Eva (Cycle 3), Jenascia (Cycle 2) & Cassandra (Cycle 5) all 5'7"

Tallest Contestants: Ann, Kelle (Cycle 3), Xiomara, Yoanna (Cycle 2), Brittany, Keenyah (Cycle 4) & Diane (Cycle 5), all 5'11"

Most Reward Challenges Won: Yaya (Cycle 3 - 5 in total)

Most Reward Challenges Won Consecutively: Yaya (Cycle 3 - 5 times in a row)

First contestant to ever win CoverGirl of the Week from start to finish: Naima (Cycle 4 winner of ANTM)

Total Escapes From Elimination: Ann (Cycle 3 - 4 times in bottom 2 without getting ousted)

Consecutive Bottom 2 Appearances: Lluvy (Cycle 4 - 3 times in a row)

Worst Photo In History: Lluvy (Cycle 4 - Pisces Photo)

Most "First Called Out For Safety": Amanda (Cycle 3 - 4 times in total)

First Contestant To Quit The Game: Cassandra (Cycle 5)

First Publicly Announced Lesbian Contestant: Ebony (Cycle 1)

First Publicly Announced Bisexual Contestant: Michelle (Cycle 4)

First Contestant To Contract Disease During The Show: Michelle (Cycle 4 - she came down with impetigo)

First Contestant Who Tyra Banks Shouted At: Tiffany (Cycle 4)

First Double Elimination: Rebecca & Tiffany (Cycle 4)

First Contestant To Faint In The Show: Rebecca (Cycle 4 - before the panel of judges)

First Contestant Whose Loved One Died While Filming: Kahlen (Cycle 4 - her best friend from high school died)

First Contestant To Refuse Taking A Photo Shoot: Robin & Shannon (Cycle 1)

First Contestant To Arrive Late For A Photo Shoot: Jenascia (Cycle 2)

First Contestant To Verbally Request To Leave Competition: Nicole (Cycle 1)

Most Frequently Appeared Name For Contestants: Nicole (Cycles 1, 3 & 5) and Sarah (Cycles 2, 4 & 5)

Most diverse racial mix: Cycle 2 (Whites: Other Races = 6:6)

First fake double elimination/time no contestant was eliminated in a regular episode - Episode 8, Cycle 5 (Nicole and Jayla)

Unique Parentage:

1) Giselle (Cycle 1 - Mexican)

2) Yoanna (Cycle 2 - Canadian American/Mexican)

3) April (Cycle 2 - German/Japanese-Irish/Welsh)

4) Camille (Cycle 2 - Jamaican)

5) Sara (Cycle 2 - Iranian[Persian])

6) Jenascia (Cycle 2 - Filipino/Greek/Cherokee Indian/English/Irish/Possibly German)

7) Yaya (Cycle 3 - Caribbean Origins)

8) Norelle (Cycle 3 - Irish American)

9) Julie (Cycle 3 - Indian)

10) Magdalena (Cycle 3 - Panamanian Origins)

11) Naima (Cycle 4 - Black/Irish/Mexican-Black/Welsh)

12) Noelle (Cycle 4 - Black-White)

13) Jayla (Cycle 5 - Italian)

14) Lisa (Cycle 5 - Distant European Origins)

15) Most Successful Modeling Career After Show: Elyse Sewell

16) Only Two Former Strippers: Cassie Grisham (Cycle 3) and Tiffany Richardson (Cycle 4)

17) Homosexual/Bisexual Contestants: Ebony Haith (Cycle 1), Adrianne Curry (Cycle 1), Michelle Deighton (Cycle 4) and Kim Stolz (Cycle 5)

== Contestants ==

Cycle 1 contestants (in order of elimination)

*Tessa Carlson

*Katie Cleary

*Heather Panattoni

*Ebony Haith

*[[Giselle Samson]]

*Kesse Wallace

*Robin Manning

*[[Elyse Sewell]]

*[[Shannon Niquette Stewart]]

*[[Adrianne Curry]]

Cycle 2 contestants (in order of elimination)

*Anna Bradfield

*Bethany Harrison

*Heather Blumberg

*Jenascia Chakos

*Xiomara Frans

*Catie Anderson

*Sara Racey-Tabrizi

*Camille McDonald

*April Wilkner

*[[Shandi Sullivan]]

*[[Mercedes Scelba-Shorte]] (Mercedes Yvette)

*[[Yoanna House]]

Cycle 3 contestants (in order of elimination)

*Magdalena Rivas

*Leah Darrow

*Julie Titus

*Laura Gromment (Kristi)

*Jennipher Frost

*Kelle Jacob

*Cassie Grisham

*[[Toccara Jones]]

*Nicole Borud

*Norelle Van Herk

*Ann Markley

*[[Amanda Swafford]]

*[[Camara Da Costa Johnson]] (YaYa)

*[[Eva Pigford]]

Cycle 4 contestants (in order of elimination)

*[[Brita Petersons]]

*[[Sarah Dankleman]]

*[[Brandy Rusher]]

*[[Noelle Staggers]]

*[[Lluvy Gomez]]

*[[Tiffany Richardson]]/[[Rebecca Epley]] (double elimination)

*Tatiana Dante

*Michelle Deighton

*Christina Murphy

*Brittany Brower

*Keenyah Hill

*[[Kahlen Rondot]]

*[[Naima Mora]]

Cycle 5 contestants (not in order of elimination, some last names not available yet)

{{spoilers}}

*Ashley Black (eliminated 1st)

*Ebony Taylor (eliminated 2nd)

*Cassandra Whitehead (quit - Episode 3)

*Sarah Rhoades (eliminated 3rd)

*Diane Hernandez (eliminated 4th)

*Coryn Woitel (eliminated 5th)

*Kyle Kavanagh (eliminated 6th)

*Bre

*Jayla

*Kim Stolz

*Lisa

*Nicole Linkletter

*Nik

== International versions ==

An Australian version of the show called ''[[Australia's Next Top Model]]'' was broadcast in [[January 2005]]. A second series will be aired early next year. The format was also used for British show ''Make Me A Supermodel'', the first series of which was broadcast in 2005. [[Thailand]] also used this format in a show broadcast in mid-[[2005]] There have been many spin-offs in many countries, mostly European. These countries include Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Thailand, Israel, Australia, Germany, Britain, and more. Most recently, supermodel [[Heidi Klum]] is set to host Germany's Next Top Model.

== External link ==

*[http://www.upn.com/shows/top_model/ Official site]

*[http://imdb.com/title/tt0363307/ ''America's Next Top Model''] at the '''[[Internet Movie Database]]'''

*[http://www.realitytvworld.com/americasnexttopmodel/ ''America's Next Top Model''] at '''[[Reality TV World]]'''

*[http://fansofrealitytv.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=195/ America's Next Top Model Forum] at Fans Of Reality TV

[[Category:Reality television series]]

[[Category:2000s TV shows in the United States]]

[[Category:UPN network shows]]