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If you’ve been scrolling social lately you’ll probably have seen America’s Next Top Model trending like mad. That newer Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is unpacking the show’s legacy, the industry’s highs and lows, drama behind the scenes and how it changed reality TV culture forever. It’s got contestants and judges spilling stories about their experiences, and the series is sparking a fresh wave of enthusiasm from old fans and curious newbies alike.
But did you know that before Netflix’s spotlight on the ANTM legacy, there was a moment in the original series that gave cruise lovers a reason to sit up and watch.
If you’re watching the new Netflix series, then at the 11 minute mark on Episode 3, you might spot a familiar face… Adventure of the Seas!
ANTM Season 9 Sets Sail in Style
Way back in 2007, Season 9 Episode 1 of America’s Next Top Model kicked off with an unforgettable twist. Instead of a usual casting room or runway studio, the producers surprised 33 aspiring models with their next stage of the competition aboard Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas.
The episode, appropriately titled “The Girls Go Cruisin’”, throws the semis straight into a cruising adventure in the Caribbean. With a tropical backdrop of crystal water and deck views, the models find themselves juggling the glamour of modelling with life on a cruise ship.
Once on board, the models aren’t sipping cocktails and sunbathing (well not just yet). They face their first challenge instantly.
Life Jacket Runway Walk
It’s deckside, it’s fun and bizarre, and it sets the tone. The girls strut across the outdoor deck in their life jackets under the watchful eye of J. Alexander, testing balance and presence while on the high seas. It’s seriously playful, quietly nerve-wracking and gives this episode a vibe that’s totally different from your typical studio catwalk.
Beach Photo Shoot
The competition doesn’t stop at the ship’s rails. The group heads ashore for a beach shoot that doubles as a casting moment. Shot against warm sands and sunlit waves, this challenge starts to separate confident posing from shaky stances, with the looming pressure of who will make it forward.
At the end of the episode Tyra Banks and the judges deliberate and cut the group from 33 contenders down to just 13 finalists ready to move into the next action-packed stage of the season.
The New Netflix Spin
Today’s Netflix revival of the ANTM story is less about champagne wishes and catwalk dreams and more about diving into what really happened behind the scenes. From coming-of-age struggles to emotional pressures, the docuseries reflects on the show’s cultural impact and controversies while stirring up discussion in the modelling and TV world again.
So for old-school fans or curious cruisers who are now discovering ANTM through Netflix, popping Season 9’s “The Girls Go Cruisin’” on your watchlist is a fun way to see one of the most unusual and memorable first episodes in the show’s long run.
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