When America's Next Top Model premiered, model as a celebrity was pretty much dead. One day I happened to catch the show, and like a lot of other people I thought, Why would they do a show about models? It turns out the show is great, and that models are very fun to watch.

Now heading into it's fourth season, a slew of ripoffs have arrived. All trying to be the best, but they still suck. Here are a few I've noticed, feel free to add to the list/discuss the ones I have. :)

Manhunt - Pretty much a male version of Top Model. It even uses IMG Models which used to represent the Top Model winners. Difference is, it's horrible. These men are more catty than the women. As far as modelling goes, they were also pretty mediocre. Eliminations weren't based on modelling talent, but things like, "Oh you're to tall" and "You don't look like a stereotypical male model." This leads me to wonder why these people were cast in the first place? And yes, in the end they did get a very stereotypical model who can't do anything good.

SI's Swimsuit Model Search - This ridiculous show recently started on NBC. It's pure NBC too, every episode features some kind of dramatic stunt than doesn't live up to the promise. As far as modelling goes, the girls are well, lacking. Out of over 10 girls, we have maybe one or two actual models. They don't take it seriously, the photoshoots suck. What's to like? The drama. This is all I find myself watching for.

Australia's Next Top Model - I believe this is our very first local remake and from the looks of it's website, it's probably pretty good. The pictures I've seen are really good (can rival the American show) and the models overall seem to have a good modelling look. Hopefully they'll find a way to air this in America. Maybe on Trio or something.

So what does everybody think of all the model copycats we're getting these days? Do you think any will actually overtake Top Model for the modelling show?

I think the girls from the "SI's Swimsuit Model Search " look more model like than the hamsters. But ANTM is a lot more entertaining, probably because the girls are so regular.

They are making a UK version of ANTM this year as well. Should be interesting, but I doubt it will come close to the US version.

We did have a modelling show in England years ago (just like ANTM), before ANTM was made in the US which was pretty good.

Next week the Scandinavian Top Model starts here in Sweden. Basically, Sweden, Norway and Denmark are all gonna have their own shows and "winner", but in the finale all three winners meet for the judges to decide which country gets "the honor". It could end up just soooo bad, just like the Scandi Real World, because the only famous Swedish model is Emma Sjögren and she's not going anywhere near the production. I'm dreading to see who the judges are.
But first, the 3rd Season finale of America's Top Model is on tomorrow.

Apparently there's going to be Toronto's Next Top Model...which I don't understand. Why not just do all of Canada? Are the rest of us really that ugly? Damn you, Toronto! We can't all be blessed with good genes!

Aside from other country's versions of ANTM, it's Starlet that seems the cloniest of the clones to me, from the promo they're showing at least. It practically looks like the promo for ANTM's acting episodes.

On the website for er, 'Torontos Next Top Model' the silouette picture - isn't that Yaya's second shot (used as the thumbnail shot for her)? The one where she looks more like a popstar as opposed to a model?

I agree neapeaike. Doesn't sound like the odds are any good. There are only a few places I think it really works. Is there any talk of one in Brazil?

The small but devoted group of British ANTM fans are getting excited because Britain's Next Top Model starts this week. You can have a look at the contestants here if you're interested, although I have to say several of them are a bit on the "homely" side.

I'm really not up to speed on who our judges are, either; Marie Helvin's name I recognise, but I've never heard of Lisa Butcher.

Late Lamented - I am a Bristish ANTM fan and I must agree. When 'Lisa Butcher' came to appear, I didn't even blink an eye. Here's to hoping it'll be better than Model Behaviour and Make Me a Supermodel (that show was so ghastly it was unbelievable. In ANTM, they do the judging process in this real big room with gold drapes. On MMaS, they congregated on the stair landing and those that were through got to go stand in the corridor).

I think Edwina is lovely, though the picture on the website is frankly scary.

Make Me A Supermodel made me fear for life here on Britain.
Since when has Rachel Hunter ever been considered as a supermodel?

ETA: One of the hamsters actually lists 'Charmed' as her favourite show. Poor deluded girl. And yet, I'm about to go and check the Charmed board...

deleted

Australia's Next Top Model is by far waaaay better than anything else I've ever seen. The girls, in my opinion, are much more real and you get to know their personalities much better than on America's.. The Tyra, Erika is some Australian super model and I loved her so much!!! She's got such a sense of humor and is much more present in the model's every day lives (unlike Tyra's little unexpected pop-ups). Anyways the show was way more fun than any ANTM season I've seen. Look out for the girl Sam, she's awesome, and look out for the nude shoot.. it's seriously some of the nicest pictures I've seen!!!!

I agree, I've been watching it all weekend, putting it on tape for memorabilia's sake

I despair for 'Britain's NTM'. They're either 5 years too old or 3-5 inches too short.

Or fugly.

But yeah, i'll be watching it *sigh* I guess it can't be any worse than 'Make Me A Supermodel' with the hideous Rachel Hunter. I'd even prefer a re-run of the Model Behaviour show, with actual 16! year olds. Actually, i'd quite like to see what happened with the girls that were entered in that.

I also heard Germany's doing a Gremany's Next Top Model with Heidi as the host.

deleted

I saw the Australian one a while ago, and now watching it again, the same thing occured to me. Why DID they pick Gemma over Chloe. They seemed to think more of Chloe as a model and they certainly seemed to hate Gemma at times. I guess her crying and tantrums peed everyone off, and hostylady looked about ready to slap her half the time. Even when she was announced as the winner, the judges were all strangely low key about it.

And those last shots of the 3, with the one big light on them? Were AWFUL. A first year photography student could come up with better than that. All three of them looked terrible. I think one of the judges even commented that they did the girls no favours. However the underwear shots in duos they took, or the gold leaf shots were fantastic, and actually looked like professional ad campaigns (Were you watching, Tyra?).

Zoe was totally my favourite at the start, so it was a shame to see she was kind of a cow with no real drive for it. Sam was awesome, huge opinion of herself, but knew what she was there for and knew when to draw the line, unlike Alana.


Aja - the 12 or so finalist have been announced. They're up on the website. There's a couple on there that are promising. But just from those photos, who knows. Roll on Wednesday!

Reading the recaps of Australia's Next Top Model on the official site made me stop in my tracks when I realised how strange "Erika Mail" sounded instead of "Tyra Mail". I wonder if Britain's Next Top Model is going to have "Lisa Mail"?

Is Tyra's company producing all these other shows as well? The title font and format is identical, so I'm assuming she (and/or Baby TyTy productions) is involved in the franchise (for lack of a better word). If so, rock it with your home weave, Raggedy Ann!