Official CW synopsis The hit reality series "America's Next Top Model" features Tyra Banks and gives real people an opportunity to prove that they can make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of supermodeling. The series follows a group of young women of various backgrounds, shapes and sizes, who live together and vie for a modeling contract.

Why They Make the Models Live Together Because when a group of girls is together 24/7 for an extended period of time, they're bound to bitch at each other a lot, walk around in their underwear and, in the producers' greatest wish of all, hook up with one another. Who doesn't want to see that?

Why They Call It a "Cycle" Instead of a "Season" Probably because they think "cycle" sounds more fierce.

The panel currently consists of gender-ambiguous and thoroughly-annoying-except-in-small-doses runway trainer J. Alexander; increasingly lecherous British photographer Nigel Barker; and still-stunning '80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova. Oh, yes, and Tyra Banks, whose vote counts for 17 as compared with all of the other judges' 0.33333. In addition to the four regular judges, there is a rotating guest slot for a person who has appeared in some capacity on the show that week. This has ranged from former supermodel Beverly Johnson to the miscellaneous UPN hot actor of the week (back when UPN still existed). Top Model has gone through some other judges in its time, the most fabulous being plastic surgery advocate/self-proclaimed world's first supermodel Janice Dickinson, whose hilarious boozy insults just made the occasional glimpse of a softer side that much more endearing.

Why Janice Left
She was allegedly fired. She went on to appear on VH1's The Surreal Life, where she was so horrible that we've tried as hard as we can to repress the memories. She has now started up her own "modeling agency" complete with a companion reality show on Oxygen that presented us with a whole lot of partly-naked models, and proof that Janice is still sometimes all wacky on the 'luudes.

Cycle 1 winner Adrienne Curry surprised the world when her seemingly ill-advised decision to go on The Surreal Life resulted in a bit of a career renaissance (not to mention marriage to a Brady).

Cycle 1's third-place contestant, Elyse Sewell, has made a living modeling in Asia and in other exotic foreign locales.

Cycle 2 runner up Mercedes Scelba-Shorte (now going by "Mercedes Yvette") has had some commercial and editorial work stateside.

Cycle 2 winner Yoanna House has appeared in a toothpaste ad and on the cover of Psychology Today, and replaced Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck on the Style Network show, The Look for Less.

Cycle 3 winner Eva Pigford landed a short-term gig for Nelly's Applebottom Jeans line (despite being nearly assless herself), had a recurring gig on the cancelled UPN show Kevin Hill, and became really, really, really "good friends" with Missy Elliot and reportedly dated her own doppelganger, actor Terrence Howard.

Evil Cycle 3 runner-up Yaya DaCosta is featured in the movie Take The Lead, starring Antonio Banderas.

Why These So-Called Top Models Are Never in Vogue
They're too busy walking the runway in the pits of former reality-show contestant hell.

Season 10
10-1 Welcome to Top Model Prep (02.20.08)
10-2 New York City, Here We Come (02.27.08)
10-3 Top Model Makeovers (03.05.08)
10-4 Where's the Beef? (03.12.08)
10-5 Top Model Takes It to the Streets (03.19.08)
10-6 House of Pain (03.26.08)
10-7 If You Can't Make It Here, You Can't Make It Anywhere (04.02.08)
S-8 TOP MODEL 10 Confidential (4.9.08)
10-9 For Those About To Walk, We Salute You (4.16.08)
10-10 VIVA ITALIA! (4.23.08)
10-11 We are Spartans! (4.30.08)
10-12 Ready For My Close-Up (5.7.08)
10-13 And The Winner Is… (5.14.08)

Tyra Banks (host)
J. Alexander (judge)
Nigel Barker (judge)
Paulina Porizkova (judge)
Jay Manuel (tiny orange man)

Season 10
Aimee (18, Spanway, WA)
Allison (19, Waunakee, WI)
Amis (20, Bartlesville, OK)
Anya (19, Honolulu, HI)
Atalya (18, Brooklyn, NY)
Claire (24, New York, NY)
Dominique (23, Columbus, OH)
Fatima (22, Boston, MA)
Katarzyna (22, Roslyn, NY)
Kimberly (20, Worcester, MA)
Lauren (22, Brooklyn, NY)
Marvita (23, San Francisco, CA)
Stacy Ann (22, Miami, FL)