'America's Next Top Model' Winner Says Tyra Banks Threatened To Replace Her If She Revealed Victor
Tyra Banks meant business when she told the contestants of her hit modeling competition series, "America's Next Top Model," to keep their placements a secret until the episodes aired. In fact, the catwalk icon allegedly threatened to reshoot the finale and pick a new winner if they let slip anything.
"ANTM" cycle 23 winner India Gants revealed this bit in a recent TikTok post, telling her 290,000 followers what Banks made clear to her.
"Tyra Banks told me that if I told anybody that I'd won 'America's Next Top Model' before it actually aired on TV, that they would fly me back, reshoot the finale, and have the other girl win," Gants claimed in the video that now has 135,000 likes.
Gants won the competition in 2016 against Tatiana Price. Her prizes included a talent contract with VH1, a modeling contract with NEXT Model Management, a contract with Rimmel London, several magazine spreads and $100,000.
According to the fashion model, Banks made it "very, very clear" that she could not tell a soul. However, after almost eight years, she now reveals that she didn't keep her win a secret for long.
"I think enough time has passed where I can confess who I told ... I ended up telling my dad. Actually, first, I told my boyfriend at the time, and after him, I told my dad," the 27-year-old shared.
She added that it took her a long time before revealing the news to her mom because she "loves to talk and share about her kids ... she would tell everybody."
@indiagants Replying to @Dacia B ♬ original sound - India Gants
Gants' revelations didn't end there. The model posted several more videos about her time on "ANTM", including how contestants used the bathroom and some of the more iconic shoots.
In one post, she shared her family's real-time reaction to her winning the contest. She captioned the video, "brb sobbing."
@indiagants Replying to @Daniel Cusimano ♬ original sound - India Gants
"America's Next Top Model" ran for 24 seasons, airing on three different networks -- seasons 1 to 6 on UPN, seasons 7 to 22 on The CW, and the final two seasons (23 and 24) on VH1.
Banks served as the creator, executive producer, host and main judge of the competition. The series was nominated for several awards during the peak of its popularity, including several Choice TV: Reality Competition nominations in the Teen Choice Awards.
