“You wanna be on top?”
Viewers will once again get the chance to find out who a panel of judges will choose as America’s next top model. On Feb. 23, it was announced that cable channel VH1 would be rebooting America’s Next Top Model, which aired its last episode in December 2015 on The CW.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Tyra Banks will be credited as an executive producer but won’t be a judge on the show.
“After creating an incredible, global brand, I am beyond excited to have the show reborn,” said Banks in a statement. “I will continue as executive producer, but must turn my attention to new business endeavors, so I want to find a new host. I’m pumped to identify that person and bring back the show. Top Model fans, you demanded that the show come back, and VH1 answered the call. Get ready for a fierce-a-fied rebirth!”
It is also likely that the show will have a new panel of judges to go along with the rebooted show. The show has gone through a different number of judges through the seasons, with Banks being the only judge who has served for all 22 cycles the show has aired. Other judges include Nigel Barker, Janice Dickinson, Twiggy and Paulina Porizkova.
Former winners of the show include Adrianne Curry, Eva Pigford, CariDee English and Whitney Thompson, who was the first plus-sized model to win the competition when she competed in the 10th cycle.
The show first premiered on the UPN network, where it aired from 2003 until 2006. After UPN and The WB merged to form The CW in 2006, the show finished its original run on the channel, when it was announced in October 2015 that the 22nd cycle it was on would be its last. The show was the last show from the UPN-era to be on The CW.
Throughout the show, there has been some controversy about who has won the seasons, especially when it came to cycle nine winner Saleisha Stowers and Lisa D’Amato and Angelea Preston in cycle 17, the All-Star cycle.
In cycle nine, Saleisha Stowers won over Chantal Jones. While some were sad that Jones lost, many more were upset that Stowers had a professional relationship with Banks before, when Stowers went to Banks’ T-Zone camp and even modeled on Banks’ talk show, according to BuddyTV.
Stowers currently is an actress on Days of our Lives.
In cycle 17, Lisa D’Amato was ultimately declared the winner after the original winner, Angelea Preston, was disqualified from the show. In September 2014, she filed a lawsuit against Tyra Banks, saying she should have won the show and was upset that her title was taken away from her because she was an escort in between the times she was on the show, according to Cosmopolitian.