Top 10 Best America's Next Top Model Seasons

This cycle had great, high-fashion photo concepts and some surprisingly good acting challenges, but the models' personal drama overshadowed the season's fashion elements. Alexandria remains one of the show’s most polarizing contestants. She was blunt and controlling, and boy did her fellow models detest her. Everything came to a head during her confrontation with Brittani, and soon, even the judges got involved with Brittani and Alexandria's feud. Fingers were pointed, and accusations were thrown around, but, at the end of the day, Alexandria stayed while Brittani's emotional outburst was criticized.

Although this wasn’t the first cycle to include male models, it’s undoubtedly the most memorable of the three mixed-gender cycles. Emotions were running high inside the model home, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that each episode was packed with action. From frat boy Adam’s fight with Romeo to Chantelle calling Yu Tsai out for referring to her as a “panda” because of her skin condition. All of that aside, we did get to see some fresh faces and Chantelle, who now professionally goes by Winnie Harlow, has become one of the most successful contestants to date.

As soon as Natasha uttered the words “I just want to tell you that some people have war in their countries” to a distraught and crying Brittany, we knew this cycle would hold a special place in “America’s Next Top Model” history. The photoshoots were a bit strange and almost veered into tacky, and the makeovers were truly questionable, but the highlight of this cycle wasn’t the fashion, it was the models’ personalities. We had Natasha, a sweet girl with a much older husband, and then Kathleen, who just didn’t get it.

Although this cycle was full of questionable remarks from the judges, the cast's diversity was refreshing and much-needed. For a cycle that premiered in 2008, it was surprisingly progressive and introduced the world to Isis King, the first transgender woman to ever compete on "America's Next Top Model." Unlike previous years, cycle 11 touched much more profound social issues and explored questions of ethnicity and identity. Because of this, the fighting felt much less trivial than usual. Although, that's not to say this cycle lacked humor. Nikeysha's elimination, in particular, stands out because she wouldn't stop talking, to the point where the credits started rolling while she was mid-speech.

Even if you've never intentionally sought out an episode of "America's Next Top Model" before, you've probably seen a clip from Cycle 4. The clip in question being, of course, Tyra's tirade against Tiffany. We're not condoning Tyra's behaviour here because her reaction was totally uncalled for, but the line "we were all rooting for you!" has undoubtedly become deeply embedded in pop culture. Even aside from this, the cycle was full of drama and humor from start to finish. Who could ever forget Rebecca fainting in front of the judges? Or Michelle's skin infection? Not to mention the disastrous teleprompter scene.

Sending the girls to Japan took this cycle from good to great, because it resulted in ridiculous but insanely entertaining challenges. Whose idea was it to get American models to do an ad for Campbell's soup in Japanese? Or an ad for umeboshi, a food that none of them had ever tasted before? Aside from the shenanigans that took place overseas, the cycle overall had one of the strongest cohorts of models ever; it felt like every model was bringing their A-game. This cycle also produced some of the best beauty photoshoots in the show's history.

Out of the earlier cycles, cycle 2 reigns supreme for its sheer entertainment value. Shandi’s growth throughout the episodes was basically a Cinderella story, as she went from a small-town girl who consistently landed in the bottom tier, to one of the top three finalists. Her good-girl persona made her cheating on her long-time boyfriend, with a model from Milan, all the more shocking. Her phone call confession to her boyfriend back home remains the stuff of TV legend. The other girls also had their memorable quirks, from Catie’s constant crying to Xiomara’s unique walk. Overall, the storyline of the episodes was impeccable.

The show might be called America’s next top model, but after 17 cycles, a British invasion felt like an excellent way to spice things up. The British models brought their fresh sense of humor and amped up the competition. Pitting the Americans against the British brought out some unforgettable photoshoots like the US vs UK music videos. I mean, who wouldn’t crack a smile watching a music video with lyrics like,“Our British tooch is major”? This cycle also gave us Ashley’s toilet paper ad and Louise’s feud with Kelly Cutrone.

At the end of the day, "America's Next Top Model" is a fashion-centric show, and this season upped the ante on the fashion front. For the first time, the prize fashion spread was for Vogue Italia, which spoke to this cycle's overall high fashion vibe. This was backed up by the impressive and extensive lineup of guest judges, including Zac Posen, Margherita Missoni, Dianne Von Furstenberg, and more. Everything about this cycle was so put together and well thought out; the concepts were amazing. Watching the girls get advice from real industry pros reminded us why Tyra brought all of these girls together: to discover and cultivate a successful model. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Cycle 20 (2013) The First Season to Introduce Male Contestants Cycle 14 (2010) The Unforgettable André Leon Talley and the Pendulum Runway Cycle 1 (2003) The Cycle That Started Them All Cycle 7 (2006) One of the Craziest Runway Shows Cycle 22 (2015) That “Bootyful” Music Video Is Truly Something to Behold

This cycle is the epitome of what reality TV dreams are made of, it has it all: drama, humour, and arguably the best top three of all time. You can’t talk about Cycle 6 without mentioning Jade, whose confidence was off the charts, but who didn’t always have the goods to back it up. The improvised CoverGirl commercial will go down in history as one of the most hilarious challenges of all time; each girl’s shoot was pure comedy gold. Not to mention the cringe-inducing Wild ‘n Out challenge, which proved that acting isn’t for everyone.