Desperate times: A bedlam of beauties at 'America's Next Top Model' auditions
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Wealth
On Saturday in New York City, girls starving to be plucked from their lives of obscurity caused a riot at Midtown's Park Central hotel, where preliminary auditions for the CW's America's Next Top Model were being held. I was at the scene as 55th Street flooded with cops barking orders into megaphones, triple-parked ambulances, and barricades.
So desperate were thousands of young women to be discovered -- and win the TV competition's modeling contract and $100,000 prize -- that the swarm of models stampeded, hospitalized people, and forced the police to intervene.
Apparently this is what happened: Fortune-seekers started camping out to stake spot in line for the tryouts on Friday night. Producers showed up and started the process at 7a.m., but the crowds swelled far beyond expectations. By late afternoon, it was becoming clear that hundreds of the pretty young girls (none of whom were allowed to leave the line to use the bathroom after nine hours or longer) were not likely to be seen, and throngs began pressing in around the doorway. Crowd control was scandalously inadequate, with some witnesses saying cops didn't put out barricades until 2 p.m., and all hell broke loose.
As with so many instances of mass hysteria, the retelling of the event was different from person to person. I heard one person complain that it happened because only the girls at the sides of the doorway seemed to be getting in. Line-jumping ensued, and the crowd got frustrated. A car overheated, and the rabble overreacted. I heard someone say he heard someone shout the word "gun." Another said she heard "fire."
Here's a video that someone shot from overhead and annotated:
Bedlam ensued as the wannabe models fought for their slice of the American Dream. Girls were trampled, people scrambled over nearby cars, luggage carts were toppled, and at least six people were hurt and three people were arrested. Afterward, the scene outside was chaos: Girls weeping over their shattered dreams, their boyfriends telling the tale to their buds on their mobile phones ("I've never seen anything like it in my life, yo!"), and the cops already shoving the blame elsewhere ("This is the TV people's fault," I heard one complain, despite the fact witnesses said police weren't doing anything to contain the girls.) The producers remained hidden inside the hotel, unable to leave.
I spoke to someone close to the casting of the show, and I was told that even though it's going on its thirteenth season, this one is different. For one, Tyra Banks, who produces and judges, has opened up casting to girls who are under 5'7", which is shorter than the standard requirement in the modeling industry. Banks wants to perhaps locate a Kate Moss type, but the looser height standard probably had the effect of multiplying the number of aspirants.
There's also the recession. With so many of these girls anxious to break out of their current situations, far more people than expected showed up. It's estimated that some 8,000 girls came to show off their superior beauty. Recently, the Washington, D.C. auditions brought out 4,000. In Manhattan, both the police and the producers were overwhelmed.
Even as the dust settled, the girls were still so anxious to be discovered they were behaving recklessly. A hefty guy in a black stocking cap threaded his way through the shell-shocked crowed with an open cardboard box. Once a few headshots and résumés got tossed into his box, dozens more girls chased him down, not even asking him who he was or if he was with the show, to add their own envelopes and folders to the pile. Even after the shock of the chaos, desperation reigned. This nameless guy was swamped with stacks of their personal information (including address, Social Security number, and photos), and when he was asked by news crews if he worked for the show, he said, "Nope, I'm just a regular guy," and made his escape, with the private information, into a side door of the hotel. The police let him pass.
On the bright side, the melée meant some of the girls got to appear on camera, like they always wanted. They got to tell their story to the news. ("It was hardly 'model behavior,'" quipped New York's local news anchor in covering the mayhem.)
In the Great Depression, desperate people pushed their bodies to the limit during dance marathons. In our age, we have Tyra Banks to thank for shameless degradation.
Apparently this is what happened: Fortune-seekers started camping out to stake spot in line for the tryouts on Friday night. Producers showed up and started the process at 7a.m., but the crowds swelled far beyond expectations. By late afternoon, it was becoming clear that hundreds of the pretty young girls (none of whom were allowed to leave the line to use the bathroom after nine hours or longer) were not likely to be seen, and throngs began pressing in around the doorway. Crowd control was scandalously inadequate, with some witnesses saying cops didn't put out barricades until 2 p.m., and all hell broke loose.
As with so many instances of mass hysteria, the retelling of the event was different from person to person. I heard one person complain that it happened because only the girls at the sides of the doorway seemed to be getting in. Line-jumping ensued, and the crowd got frustrated. A car overheated, and the rabble overreacted. I heard someone say he heard someone shout the word "gun." Another said she heard "fire."
Here's a video that someone shot from overhead and annotated:
Bedlam ensued as the wannabe models fought for their slice of the American Dream. Girls were trampled, people scrambled over nearby cars, luggage carts were toppled, and at least six people were hurt and three people were arrested. Afterward, the scene outside was chaos: Girls weeping over their shattered dreams, their boyfriends telling the tale to their buds on their mobile phones ("I've never seen anything like it in my life, yo!"), and the cops already shoving the blame elsewhere ("This is the TV people's fault," I heard one complain, despite the fact witnesses said police weren't doing anything to contain the girls.) The producers remained hidden inside the hotel, unable to leave.
I spoke to someone close to the casting of the show, and I was told that even though it's going on its thirteenth season, this one is different. For one, Tyra Banks, who produces and judges, has opened up casting to girls who are under 5'7", which is shorter than the standard requirement in the modeling industry. Banks wants to perhaps locate a Kate Moss type, but the looser height standard probably had the effect of multiplying the number of aspirants.
There's also the recession. With so many of these girls anxious to break out of their current situations, far more people than expected showed up. It's estimated that some 8,000 girls came to show off their superior beauty. Recently, the Washington, D.C. auditions brought out 4,000. In Manhattan, both the police and the producers were overwhelmed.
Even as the dust settled, the girls were still so anxious to be discovered they were behaving recklessly. A hefty guy in a black stocking cap threaded his way through the shell-shocked crowed with an open cardboard box. Once a few headshots and résumés got tossed into his box, dozens more girls chased him down, not even asking him who he was or if he was with the show, to add their own envelopes and folders to the pile. Even after the shock of the chaos, desperation reigned. This nameless guy was swamped with stacks of their personal information (including address, Social Security number, and photos), and when he was asked by news crews if he worked for the show, he said, "Nope, I'm just a regular guy," and made his escape, with the private information, into a side door of the hotel. The police let him pass.
On the bright side, the melée meant some of the girls got to appear on camera, like they always wanted. They got to tell their story to the news. ("It was hardly 'model behavior,'" quipped New York's local news anchor in covering the mayhem.)
In the Great Depression, desperate people pushed their bodies to the limit during dance marathons. In our age, we have Tyra Banks to thank for shameless degradation.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
3-16-2009 @ 2:25PM
Roxanne Grohskopf said...
Really? You say Tyra Banks is to blame for the stupidity of these young people. Let us go one step farther...their parents are to blame for creating empty-headed offspring who have no sense of personal value or self-worth.
Reply
3-17-2009 @ 6:40PM
Marie said...
I agree Roxanne, Tyra is not to blame. People should take reponsibilty for their actions. Tyra was not out there yelling fire or it's a gun! This is a set up for someone to be sued ... we know that is coming but there was no way for anyone to know that insane people would show up and cause this much damage and pain. This is a sign of the time desparate people do desparate things. Crazy people do crazy things and that's whats going on in our society.
Thanks for using you your brain! lol
3-16-2009 @ 2:17PM
Sierra said...
glad i was in denver, crazy pageant girls
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 2:25PM
bnfox1957 said...
What did they think was going to happen when you get thousands of petulant little princesses together???
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 2:46PM
kaci said...
this is why their standards should be higher. Lots of gals are under 5'7" - but very few are over 5' 10" which is what sells in the modeling industry. Fewer people = less mayhem. Also the cops should have done more crowd control, this is insanity. Why aren't those girls aspiring to become scientists or mathemeticians or use their brains, instead of just their bodies? What does this say about our society?....
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 2:51PM
LISA said...
it just goes to show that people EVERYWHERE do NOT know how to act! especially when a bunch of bitchy girls get together to compete for the same thing! And by the way.......NOBODY is to blame for your behavior except YOURSELF!!!!!
NO EXCUSES! not even ALCOHOL!
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:13PM
Al said...
Yes, the show is the blame. This could have been held in an auditorium, with seating, and bathrooms, and most important, order. American Idol doesn't have this problem. If you want to look at hundreds or even thousands of people, why not have a place for them to sit and have bathrooms. Common sense lets you know this will take many hours, why make them stand. This was ridiculous, and the show is the blame.
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:15PM
Collin0_7 said...
DMZ was there live and only got 4 pictures?
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:24PM
Kelly said...
I was at the competition preliminary audition where thousands of beautiful young women waited their turn just to be seen. Some women who were in the "front of the line" at a sign that said America's Next top model form here, had been there since 6pm Friday evening.. There was no crowd control and only one security guard until Saturday mid afternoon.
Things started getting chaotic when they allowed the line to wrap around the building three times without barracades. It was the most unorganized casting call that I have ever seen. It truly displayed the lack of care and respect that the show officials have for human beings and their integrity.
Where the front of the line was suppost to start ended up being the back of the line so the young women who were there for 18+ hours where never seen. A show with so much popularity shoud have been much more organized. The young women were not desperate they were there under false pretences that they would have an equal opportunity to audition for the show.. It was HORRIBLE!!!!
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:26PM
Sara said...
wow..
if there is someone to blame.(cant tell..wasnt there)
it would probably be the police.
you put girls trying to be notice and u stick them in one spot
with cameras and celeberties..wat do u excpect?
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:29PM
LL said...
Cuz we are living in a material world and living as material girls....
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:39PM
Sarah said...
Doesn't everyone know that if Tyra Banks is involved it will be a mess...She believes in fighting with whatever necessary to get what she wants. This time it was publicity and she got it...
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 3:56PM
formyson said...
ANTM has had issues like this since it's 2nd season!! They are NOT prepared like say,, American Idol nor do they care enough to be. Fact is, those producing this show SHOULD be held responisible for what happened, INCLUDING TYRA BANKS!! In fact, she should be held most responsible because this show came from her so called "creative mind", which that in itself is laughable. I wonder how Ms Banks would have felt had she been one of those thousands of young girls? Not allowed to use the restroom. Now that's bad. I guess the lesson here is.. Once you've made it, you can do whatever you want, you can treat people however you want and then get away with it!! Word of advice girls... go find a REAL agency if you want to be taken seriously. Don't go through what other girls have gone through during this show seasons. Losing your self-worth, self-esteem just isn't worth it and know that Tyra may say one thing but she could care less about you. Remember this... it's ALWAYS about the ratings. Ratings = MONEY and that's all Tyra and the other producers care about.. Peace
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:02PM
Wadi said...
The people of New York are sooo obnoxious. I am not surprised this happened.
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:03PM
Mr Macho said...
So many women, so little time.... I bet the COPS [New York's finest] had a "feel" day!
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:09PM
formyson said...
Let me clarify one thing. I know my 1st post was harsh but it's the truth as I see it. What I want to clarify is.. I don't know anyone who has applied to be on ANTM. I know it may sound that way from my 1st post but it's not a fact. The facts are.. I never watched this show until several weeks ago when I saw that they were running past episodes on OXGN. After viewing one of the episodes, I have to admit, I was shocked to some degree but I thought, "I'll give it a chance". Well, I've seen about 6 seasons now and I have to say.. I should have went with my first impression. The way these girls are treated, made fun of, etc. it's just plain wrong. I never and still don't understand why these young girls go on that show and put themselves through all of it! My biggest problem with that show is Tyra herself. She says in one breathe that she wants to treat them with dignity and respect but the next thing you see is her and her posse making fun of the contestants, sometimes to their faces! It's shameful. That's why I posted.. go find a REAL agency to fullfill your dreams because NO ONE deserves the crap that Tyra and her show puts on.. PERIOD!! Some past constants now know that (what on the E channel the documentary of the show). Thanks for hearing me out.. Peace
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:15PM
Jenn said...
0-0
woah. thats... wow. girls should be doing other things than just focusing on getting 'discovered' by an agency. besides, with the decreasing economy people aren't going to be buying clothes all the time when they don't have as much money to spend... i bet that the fashion industry is losing a lot of money right now...
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:19PM
JJ said...
It's obvious that young women are sadly misled by the throng of reality shows and media hype on television. I'm sure a very small percent of girls at this audition would even be considered for a spot on the 'top model' show. However, in their defense, I can see why they make an effort to seek celebrity status. A lot of the people that are on television today are very average looking (sometimes plain ugly), and have little to no talent whatsoever. Let's also consider the fact that the people given the label of 'most beautiful', 'best artist', etc., is totally opinionated and driven by popularity and what sells in this naive and easily entertained society. Good luck America!!!
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 4:14PM
Sense said...
If women had more opportunities in this country to make an actual living, rather than minimum wage or ten bucks an hour at best and at servant oriented job, they wouldn't stampede some ridiculous show like this. They figured what did they have to lose. People would probably be shocked at the girls who were in that crowd thinking they had a chance to model, they didn't care, they're hungry, and it's only going to get worse.
Reply
3-16-2009 @ 10:43PM
choppie said...
Women in this country have a great chance if they go to school and use their brains. A body only lasts a few years at mosts, an education lasts a lifetime!