Top 10 Weirdest America's Next Top Model Photoshoots

In cycle 17, the competing models had to create and then model their own hot dogs. The entire concept was strange, and the results were as well. Creating a hot dog doesn’t have much to do with high fashion modelling, and posing in haute couture with said hot dogs is even more off-putting. Do models even eat hot dogs? The girls gave it their all, as always, making the best of a bizarre situation. However, we could have done without the “see-food”, which made an unfortunate appearance in one or two shots.

You know those videos of men with large, terrifying bee beards? The poor models on ANTM had to do something eerily similar. Cycle 16 graced us with the bee photoshoot, in which models had to pose and look beautiful while donning a face or body full of bees. The models wore jewelry dipped in bee-attracting pheromones, had cotton up their noses and in their ears, and were expected to “sell” the accessories. One of the models, Jaclyn, claimed she was allergic to bees, but went on to say she was more concerned with taking a good picture. That’s dedication.

What’s the best way to advertise cosmetic foundation? If you said “wind tunnel”, you’d be correct, according to ANTM. In cycle 7, the girls were driven to a skydive training facility, in which they had to pose while in a wind tunnel while reaching out for some CoverGirl cosmetics. The poor models flailed around, trying to find some way to pose appropriately while being thrown about by wild wind forces. Going through all this effort didn’t even seem worth it, as the resulting photos were cheaply photoshopped onto an outer space background, with the foundation floating just out of reach of the struggling models. What were they thinking?

There are many materials one can use to make a dress… fine silks, soft cotton blends, human hair… You heard that right: human hair… well, at least we think it’s from a human. In a cycle 14 photoshoot, the models had to pose in elaborate dresses made of the flowing locks of some stranger’s hair. The resulting photos are nice, and the models definitely gave it all they had, but the creepy meter is high on this one. Whose hair are they wearing? Why wasn’t this hair used to make wigs? Is it shampooed? This shoot raises more than an eyebrow: it raises an entire head of voluminous hair.

In cycle 18, the girls had a surprise guest in Kris Jenner. The latter was in their photoshoot as their “mother”, while the models posed as her toddlers. The shoot was described as “surreal” and “avant-garde” by Jay Manuel, upon the girls’ arrival. Surreal might describe the entire thing, but avant-garde? Even the models looked confused. Though they were meant to be toddlers, the models came off as… well, models. They were dressed in flimsy nightdresses, wearing jewelry and were coiffed. It was all quite bizarre, and maybe just a tad inappropriate.

Got arachnophobia? You might want to close your eyes for this one. In a cycle 3 photoshoot, the girls had to pose with diamonds… AND tarantulas. However, the girls aren’t initially told they’ll be posing with the 8-legged creatures; instead Jay Manuel tells one model that she should be practising her face and to “trust [him].” Once the hairy spiders are revealed, the models understandably shocked and scared - especially after being reassured that Emergency Medical Services are on hand. Despite her tears, model Eva Marcille gets through it and ends up with 1 of the best photos. So when the theme’s brought back in Cycle 24, so is Cycle 3 champ Eva, who poses with a new set of fearful but motivated contestants. (xref)

There are, as you can see, many strange ANTM photoshoots. But this one takes the steak. The models were taken to a warehouse, and posed in a refrigerated meat locker while wearing meat. That’s right: dead animals and accessories. One of the models was given the unfortunate direction of sitting on a barrel of what appeared to be fat scraps. Contestant Whitney lamented her having to wear “beef panties”. It’s all just kind of gruesome and presumably stinky, not to mention wasteful. Thankfully, none of the girls mentioned being vegetarian.

Remember those 1980s romance novels your older aunt used to read? Neither do we.... ANTM brought in veteran romance male model Fabio to pose with the girls in cycle 7. The result was a collection of cheesy book covers, all “authored” by Tyra Banks. What made this one strange was the timing: Fabio hasn’t been relevant in quite some time, and we can only assume that ANTM’s fan base wasn’t too savvy on who he is. Once again, the girls made the best of it, despite the extra helping of cheese.

We like a Greek salad as much as the next guy, but we never wanted to do a bikini photoshoot in one. In cycle 17, the models were treated to a trip to Greece. What better way to celebrate than by posing in a giant bowl of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and feta? Oh, and let us not forget the bottle of olive oil poured directly on the model herself. This just feels unsanitary, and there must be something more representative of an entire country than a salad. Unfortunately, this was the only thing producers seemed to be able to come up with to introduce the girls to Greece… Opa!

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

Hanging from the Ceiling of an Damaged Warehouse

Large, Wet Mylar Sheet

Circus Freaks

“Fashion Victims” on Treadmills

Perhaps ANTM’s most inappropriate photoshoot, cycle 13’s “bi-racial beauties” theme was an interesting idea… in theory. What made it problematic was the fact that the girls were essentially in blackface. Even more problematic was the fact that the photos were taken in a sugarcane field. The shoot was intended to represent women of mixed races, however the entire thing seemed vastly ill-conceived. The shoot caused understandable controversy amongst viewers, as the models were darkened in skin tone and wore stereotypical garments from the nationalities they represented. Again… what were they thinking?