On this page
01The take
The VH1 Relaunch.
The relaunch trades the format's editorial identity for social-media metrics — and neither the new host nor the gimmickry fills the gap.
02The shape of the season
A rhythm worth tracking.
Cycle 23 is the weakest season the show produced. The network move to VH1 brings a new host in Rita Ora and a format retool that makes social-media following a competitive criterion alongside photoshoot performance — a structural choice that dilutes what the competition was built to measure. The 10-episode run leaves little room to develop, and staying in Los Angeles removes the location work the format relied on. The relaunch is the show at its lowest ebb.
03Where it sits in the canon
The #24 slot.
Slot #24 of 24 in the America's Next Top Model Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.
No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in