Top 10 Most Successful America's Next Top Model Winners

Cycle 13 of ANTM was the “petite” edition, where models 5’7” and under could finally compete. At exactly 5’7”, Nicole Fox was one of the tallest girls in the competition, and took home first place. Since then, she has done plenty of print modelling campaigns, working for Forever 21’s sister brand Heritage 1981, Illiterate Magazine, Steve Madden, and House of Harlow. But she has also decided to try her hand at acting, appearing in smaller films like 2013’s “Ashley”, 2014’s “Redlands” and 2014 horror flick “Girl House”. She continues to act, and seems to be focusing on that rather than modelling.

You probably remember this contestant as the first plus-sized model to ever win the competition, despite the judges’ criticisms that her performance was at times too reminiscent of pageant work. Many were surprised by her win because of the many times she found herself in the bottom two, but she has continued to work as a model even after her time on the show wrapped. For the 2009-10 winter season, Thompson modeled for Forever 21’s Faith 21 campaign, as well as working for major brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Converse, JC Penney and appearing in a number of magazine spreads. She also works as an ambassador representing the National Eating Disorders Association.

If you only watched the earlier seasons of “America's Next Top Model”, you probably remember Lisa D'Amato from season five, but she didn’t win, placing 6th in the competition. She was back for cycle 17 though, which was an all-star cycle, and she took home the top prize. She may have been somewhat of a contentious presence on the show, but that hasn’t stopped her from booking jobs since, working as both a model and trying her hand at the music industry. After ANTM, she had a major spread in Vogue Italia and in 2016 actually live streamed the birth of her second child!

This model may be the most memorable winner in the show’s history because she was the very first. Soon after her win, Curry did some runway modelling as well as print campaigns. She famously (and controversially) appeared in Playboy in 2006, and again in 2008. She shifted her focus to other forms of entertainment media however, appearing on several reality TV shows including “The Surreal Life” and “My Fair Brady”. She has also dabbled in acting over the years, and now continues to be in the public eye with her social media presence.

Back in 2004, ANTM was still shiny and new when it aired its second season. Yoanna House came out on top as the winner, consistently showing an enthusiasm and knowledge of the industry that surpassed that of those around her. Since then, she has worked on a number of different projects, hosting a reality show called “Queen Bees” in 2008 and becoming the face of The CW around the time of its launch in 2006. You may also remember her involvement in the Declare Yourself campaign, which encouraged young voters to register to vote at the polls on election day.

Many ANTM winners received contracts with CoverGirl as part of their prize, but most of them didn’t have those contracts renewed at the end of the agreed upon term; Dani Evans was one of the few exceptions. Since winning cycle six, she has worked with major brands like Sephora and Tory Burch and has appeared in publications like Elle, In Touch Weekly, Essence Magazine and The New York Post. You can follow Evans on Instagram at @danievans1, where she posts regularly about her modelling campaigns and also shows snippets of her personal life.

Many contestants enter the competition without much experience to speak of, but Saleisha Stowers was already a working model and actress by the time she found herself on ANTM. She had appeared on “Ugly Betty” and had modeled for “Project Runway”. There was even speculation that she was picked as the winner of the show because she had a prior relationship with Tyra, having attended Tyra's T-ZONE camp and the “Tyra Banks Show”. Despite the naysayers, she has thrived since winning the show’s ninth season, mostly as an actress rather than a model. Since 2015, she plays Lani Price on “Days of Our Lives” and has appeared in a number of other TV shows.

On the show, this model was known as Eva Pigford, but she has since decided to go by Eva Marcille, going by her first and middle name rather than that of her family. After winning the show’s third season, she jumped into a successful modelling career and also made some forays into film and television. She is currently one of the most high profile winners of the show because of her appearances on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”, where as of season eleven, she is a main cast member after previously appearing as a friend of NeNe Leakes’.

In 2014, this model became the first male participant to take home the title of “America’s Next Top Model”, after appearing on cycle 21, which featured contestants of all genders. Before getting into modelling, Keith Carlos was a football player for Perdue University and in 2011 even signed with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Winnie Harlow may have been the breakout star of this season despite not taking home the top prize, but Keith Carlos has found success in his own right. In 2018, he appeared in a video for Cardi B’s song “Be Careful”, playing her love interest. He has a pretty massive social media following, and has also done TV and film acting.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

CariDee English

Krista White

Laura James

Nicole Linkletter

Our number one pick for this list is actually one of the most recent ANTM winners. Participating in cycle 22, Nyle DiMarco became the second male model to win the competition, as well as the first deaf person. Soon after, he went on to win season 22 of “Dancing with the Stars”! He is an advocate for the deaf community and has made a number of public appearances -including a TED Talk- to support the cause. He has also made a career for himself in both acting and modelling, appearing in a number of scripted television series. We can’t wait to see what he gets up to next!