Australia's Next Top Model
Australia's Next Top Model is an Australian reality television show that is broadcast of the Australian subscription television channel FOX8, carried by Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar.
Hosted by model/presenter Erika Heynatz, Australia's Next Top Model is based on the top-rating series America's Next Top Model created and co-produced by supermodel Tyra Banks. The Australian version has been produced by Granada Productions, who have been behind other hit shows such as Dancing With The Stars and Merrick And Rosso Unplanned.
Over nine weeks on air, Australia's Next Top Model charted the transformation of 10 hopefuls chosen from a nationwide search in August 2004. The brief was to find raw talent to be transformed from good looking girls-next-door into potential top models and follow them as they navigated their through weekly modelling assignment and tasks.
The 10 finalists spent two months living together in a penthouse in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Darling Point while filming the series in late 2004. Aside from the stress of learning the ropes of the business, the finalists had to deal with the ups and downs of "model house" life: tears and tantrums, accusations of fake breats and allegations of theft.
In each episode, the programme's panel of judges, leading fashion designer and former model booker Alex Perry, celebrity fashion stylist Ken Thompson and former US Harper's Bazaar Managing Editor Marguerite Kramer, assessed task performance and potential. After each critique, one girl was eliminated and sent home.
The 10 finalist for 2005 were:
- Naomi Thompson - Townsville, Queensland, 22, Eliminated Week 1
- Nicole Fraser - Albury, New South Wales, 19, Eliminated Week 2
- Atong Tulba Mulual - Sydney, New South Wales, 19, Eliminated Week 3
- Allana Ridge - Sydney, New South Wales, 20, Left Week 4
- Zoe McDonald - Gold Coast, Queensland, 20, Eliminated Week 5
- Simmone Duckmanton - Melbourne, Victoria, 19, Eliminated Week 6
- Samantha Morley - Gold Coast, Queensland, 20, Eliminated Week 7
- Shannon McGuire - Perth, Western Australia, 20, Eliminated Week 8
- Chloe Wilson - Adelaide, South Australia, 19, Runnerup
- Gemma Sanderson - Newcastle, New South Wales, 22, Winner
Gemma's prize for winning the first series of Australia's Next Top Model was a contract with Chic Model Management, an all expenses paid trip to Milan to meet with Fashion (one of Italy's top model agencies), an eight page editorial in Cleo magazine and she will front a national campaign for Napoleon cosmetics.
Auditions for series two will start later this year, with the show being screened on FOX8 in January 2006.