Where Are They Now?
Where are Tyra’s models now?
Kimora Lee Simmons, Judge: Cycle 1
Originally, Kimora sat with Janice Dickinson and Tyra Banks as “Model’s” oh-so-gorgeous judges. But tensions ran high between Kimora and Janice, and the former left the show at the end of the first season. The move didn’t harm Simmons’ fashion career any. She continues to run the Baby Phat clothing label with her ex-husband
(music mogul Russell Simmons), has her own reality show on the Style Network (”Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane“), and spends a lot of time just looking good alongside her Oscar-nominated actor boyfriend Djimon Hounsou, with whom she is expecting their first child.
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Janice Dickinson, Judge: Cycles 1 through 4
When Janice Dickinson, “Model’s” resident Simon Cowell, left the show after four seasons, she initially said she was moving on to VH1’s “The Surreal Life.” That sounded like a lame career choice and a bad cover-up. Turns out it was. The outspoken Dickinson later revealed that she had, in fact, been fired by Tyra. Always wanting to get the last word, she said of Banks, “Tyra’s no walk in the park. Tyra’s really righteous.” Crazy as she is, Janice has done just fine. After “The Surreal Life,” she decided to give Tyra a run for her money with her own runway reality shows, “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” and “Abbey & Janice: Beauty & the Beast.” Most recently she came in second in the British version of “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” and will join the American cast of the series when it returns in June.
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Danielle Evans: Cycle 6 Winner (2006)
During Cycle 6, the judges debated Evans’ possibly career-damaging Southern drawl. After all, she’d have to shoot CoverGirl commercials. But her strong portfolio and killer walk won her the prize. Turns out all the worrying about her accent was a waste of time. Since winning “Top Model,” Danielle has not only done print and runway work, but she’s also starred in several CoverGirl commercials, including a series called “My Life as a Cover Girl,” which ran on the CW during the fall of 2006.
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Jaslene Gonzalez: Cycle 8 Winner (2007)
The Puerto Rican-born Gonzalez was a solid Cycle 8 contender, so her title victory isn’t surprising. She’s rounded out her portfolio of magazine and catwalk work with international Spanish-language CoverGirl commercials. As a former survivor of domestic violence, she became part of the “Love Is Not Abuse” campaign that focuses on teen-dating violence. And in true supermodel fashion, she’s appeared in a music video, for Ryan Leslie’s “Addiction.” One of “ANTM’s” most popular contestants, Gonzalez was up for one other prize in 2007: the Teen Choice Award for “Female Reality/Variety Star.” This time she lost, to Lauren Conrad of “The Hills.”
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Saleisha Stowers: Cycle 9 Winner (2007)
Controversy surrounded Stowers’ participation. According to the rules, contestants cannot have modeled in national ad campaigns for five years prior to their series stint. Saleisha had been in a Wendy’s commercial, but the producers deemed that it wasn’t technically modeling experience, so she was cleared. But plenty of fans called foul anyway, especially when they learned that Saleisha had gone to Tyra’s Camp T-Zone and made appearances on “The Tyra Banks Show,” as well as Cycle 6 of “America’s Next Top Model.” Was she a legitimate contestant or a plant from Tyra’s team? Who knows? Regardless, Saleisha won Cycle 9 and embarked on a solid magazine and runway career.
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Naima Mora: Cycle 4 Winner (2005)
Not your typical top model, the shy girl with the Mohawk compensated for a lackluster season with a killer performance in her “final exam” (the runway show), according to Tyra Banks. Mora graduated to working-model status in print for Radar, Fuego, and Teen People magazines, and on the runway for Christopher Deane, Carlos Miele, and Walmart. She’s also done shoots with her sisters (including her twin, Nia). And since reality show stars often collide these days, it seemed inevitable that Naima would hit the catwalk for “Project Runway” designer Joe Farris in 2008. Proving she’s more than just a pretty face, Naima fronts the band Chewing Pics, which released the “Tarantula” EP in 2008.
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Eva Pigford: Cycle 3 Winner (2004)
Eva did NOT steal fellow competitor Amanda Swafford’s crystals, but she DID steal “Model’s” Cycle 3. Having built an impressive portfolio with such companies as CoverGirl and Avon and booking spreads in Elle and In Touch magazines, Eva did what any ascending supermodel would do. She fired her managers (in this case, Tyra Banks and her partner, Benny Medina) and changed her name from Eva Pigford to Eva Marcille, her middle name. OK, we get the name change on an emotional level, but her reasons behind it seem more super-ego than supermodel. Apparently, she didn’t want her industry success to influence her ability to find acting gigs. She wanted to earn her roles on talent not fame. To which we ask, “How many people really know who Eva Pigford the model is?” Oddly, the move might have worked. After a string of bit parts, Eva joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” and was made a series regular, playing, coincidentally, a character named Tyra.







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