Murder, jail and prostitution: the dark side of ‘America’s Next Top Model’
“America’s Next Top Model” is the glitzy talent show which should propel its gorgeous contestants to a life of lucrative jobs and mixing with celebrity friends.
But life after Tyra Banks’ signature show can be a downward spiral, as these former stars soon realized.
From murder to addiction and working as an escort, some of these “ANTM” stars managed to turn things around again – but others weren’t quite so lucky.
Murdered at home
Teenager Mirjana Puhar took part in Cycle 21 of “ANTM,” back in 2014 – and made it to week 10 of the competition.
Less than a year later, the 19-year-old was shot dead after opening the door to two men at her boyfriend’s North Carolina home.
Her boyfriend, Jonathan Alvarado, 23, and his roommate, Jusmar Gonzaga-Garcia, 21, were also killed.
Police found drugs, two knives, seven rounds of 9mm ammunition, a safety deposit box, and several mobile phones at the property – leading them to believe it may have been a drug den.
Police arrested and charged Emmanuel Jesus Rangel, 19, with triple-murder and the case is being treated as “drug related.”
12 years in prison
Hawaii’s Renee Alway imagined a bright future when she made it to the final of Cycle Eight of “ANTM,” back in 2007.
She was a runner-up in Banks’ spin-off show “Modelville,” appeared in commercials, and graced the pages of top magazines.
But the work soon dried up – with Alway was seeing “closed door, after closed door, after closed door, and it was just really hard to take.”
Alway, now 30, was jailed for 12 years and forced to give up custody of her three kids in 2013.
She was arrested in Palm Springs after a six-hour armed standoff with police and a SWAT team.
She later pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary, one count of vehicle theft, one count of being in possession of a firearm, and one count of identity theft.
In addition to her prison sentence, Alway was ordered to pay $59,000 in damages to her victims.
Disqualified for working as an escort
Angelea Preston made it to the final four in Cycle 14 of “ANTM,” in 2010, and returned for the All-Stars the following year.
She made it to the final three of the show, but was then thrown off the show after producers revealed that she had been working as a paid escort prior to filming.
Preston argued that she wrongly disqualified and should have won. In 2015, she attempted to sue Tyra for $3 million for depriving her of the prize.
Rehab for class A drug addiction
When Preston was disqualified from ANTM All Stars, Lisa D’Amato stepped up to win the crown in 2011.
D’Amato also had a troubled past. She previously appeared on Cycle 5 of the show and fell into drug addiction after it ended.
Happily, D’Amato managed to turn her life around after she appeared on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s reality show because of her addiction to alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and magic mushrooms.
Dr. Drew labeled the model an “addict in denial” but she soon cleaned up her act – getting married and having a baby boy called Daxel Vaughn in September 2013.
Addiction, however, wasn’t D’Amato’s only public drama.
In 2013, a freak accident saw her break her nose in several places, as well as suffering deep lacerations on her forehead, lips, and chin.
D’Amato was doing a handstand while “monkeying around” on set for the indie movie “Cowboys and Indians,” when she fell and injured her money-making face.
However, she saw the silver lining and joked that it gave her an opportunity to get a nose job.
Homeless in LA
Jael Strauss, now 32, was a finalist during Cycle Eight of “ANTM,” in 2007, but an addiction to crystal meth ravaged her once stunning looks.
Things spiraled out of control for Strauss when a close friend died while she was in the competition, but she was determined to carry on and attempt to win the show.
A public intervention by TV’s Dr. Phil, in 2012, brought her troubles into the public eye – and Strauss is now three years clean and working at a recovery center in Texas.