The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse, suicide, and substance use.
For years, “America’s Next Top Model” was the creme de la creme of reality TV.
Fans couldn’t get enough of Tyra Banks' no-nonsense approach to finding the next superstar of the catwalk.
The intensity of the show and its colorful selection of hopefuls over the years was a cause of controversy.
The revival wouldn’t last though, and the show aired its final season in 2018.
Let’s take a look at these tragic stories.
The hopeful was entertaining to watch, but she didn’t come close to winning the competition.
After the show wrapped, Strauss began to unravel and experienced substance dependency issues.
Thankfully, Strauss did manage to overcome her problems with methamphetamine.
She has just begun chemo, but we do not know how things will play out."
Strauss' condition declined rapidly, and by November she was in a hospice receiving care.
“First night in hospice,” she wrote on herFacebookpage.
“So many things I never knew about life.
So many things.”
Strauss died on December 4th, 2018.
While she didn’t win, she was a memorable contestant thanks to her empowering story and striking looks.
Puhar was just 18 years old when she made a grab for the $100,000 Guess campaign prize.
Sanchez and Rangel knew the victims, as Alvarado was a heroin dealer.
In another tragic twist, the bodies were discovered three days after the events unfolded.
Her charges included four burglary counts, vehicle theft, and possession of a firearm as a felon.
In 2015, she spoke to CBS Local 2 about the circumstances leading up to her arrest, viaKESQ.com.
“It was bad,” she admitted.
“It took a whole SWAT team to take me down.
“That was probably one of the main reasons that I hated myself so much.
He may not have won, but that was still a worthy achievement.
When she tried to protest, McNeer allegedly kicked her in the chest, while also shattering her phone.
McNeer was subsequently arrested and held on bond.
It should’ve been a life-changing moment for Preston.
I just won, and my life is about to start!'”
However, Preston’s joy was short-lived when her title was revoked.
Lisa D’Amato was given the crown and the prizes that should’ve been going to Preston.
“It was going to be our little secret.”
She ultimately dropped the suit in 2018.
“I realized I wasn’t going to win,” Preston told Bustle.
“I didn’t get any money from it.
The only good thing that happened [was that] people knew I was the winner.”
“The real reason was three months before the show, my ex-boyfriend committed suicide.
It was by far the hardest thing I have ever gone through.”
In another sad twist of events, the model suffered the same fate in 2016.
One of them is Lisa D’Amato, the winner of Cycle 17’s “All Stars” edition.
When the show ended, D’Amato turned to drugs like cocaine, magic mushrooms, and marijuana to escape.
To try and get well, D’Amato appeared on “Celebrity Rehab” with Dr. Drew Pinsky in 2010.
She thought it was hers.
As for the victim, she was taken away in an ambulance to receive medical attention.
“Ms. Slater was not the instigator of the incident,” Blitz explained.
“The truth will come out at trial, and she looks forward to clearing her name then.”
The outcome of the case isn’t clear.
However, in 2014, she had a brush with the law that eclipsed her time on the series.
Despite her success on the show, Belen didn’t become a household name.
Elyse Sewell was one of the most prominent cast members thanks to her bad girl attitude.
She even struck up a relationship with a musician, keyboardist Marty Crandall from The Shins.
“[I] escaped from the room through a blitzkrieg of violence,” she wrote, viaNME.
The charges against them both were later dismissed as there wasn’t enough evidence to continue.
Sewell posted on her LiveJournal following the announcement viaNME, “The D.A.
has rejected the case against me.
I wish the same outcome for Marty and have no intention of pursuing any further legal action.
I would not wish entanglement in the widening gyre of the American legal system upon my worst enemy.”
Back in Cycle 19, Rob Evans landed a spot on the panel.
Just five days after his first episode aired, his former housemate, Landry Macedo, pressed charges.
“They charged me for assault with a deadly weapon,” he said on the podcast.
“The deadly weapon was my fist because I had boxed in the past.”
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org.
