Top 10 America's Next Top Model Winners: Where Are They Now?
#10: Laura James
Laura James has modeling in her blood, as her mother was the second runner-up in the Miss World 1978 pageant. After winning Cycle 19, James immediately signed with both New York Model Management and L.A. Models. She has since made the transition to TV and movies, and her first credited role came in 2014. She played Ashleigh in a feature-length special of Stephen Merchant’s “Hello Ladies.” 2018 was a very busy year for the young model, having starred in episodes of “The Young and the Restless” and “American Woman.” She also began her work as Molly on the CBS drama “S.W.A.T.” She has been credited for nine episodes, the most recent of which aired in January 2020.
#9: Ann Ward
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Ward claims that she was bullied in school for her figure and height, as she stands at a pretty darned tall 6’2’’. But she won Cycle 15 and is now a fashion model, so who got the last laugh? Ward traveled the world after winning “ANTM,” walking fashion shows in Europe, Asia, and Africa. She also received a seven-page spread in Vogue Italia in March of 2011. And while she still does the occasional ad campaign, Ward is primarily now concerned with...art. Yep, according to Ward’s Instagram, she identifies as a “concept artist/character designer/animator.” She also has her own website - annwardportfolio.com.
#8: Nicole Linkletter
We’re going all the way back to Cycle 5 for Nicole Linkletter, who auditioned for the show at Minnesota’s Mall of America. The show did wonders for Linkletter’s career and she signed to numerous modeling agencies, including agencies in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Singapore. She also modeled for companies like Marie Claire, Forever 21, and CoverGirl. Linkletter married Adam Nathanson in 2013 and has since given birth to two children. Her Instagram is filled with loving photos of her family, where it also states that she works with Court Appointed Special Advocates, a non-profit that provides permanent homes to neglected children.
#7: Sal Stowers
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Stowers worked as a receptionist before auditioning for “America’s Next Top Model.” She proceeded to win Cycle 9 and became...well, a model. She was signed to Elite and L.A. Model Management and appeared in magazines like InTouch and Essence. Like Laura James, Stowers also took to acting - with an emphasis on soap operas. In 2013 she played Cassandra Foster in “All My Children” and landed the role of Lani Price on “Days of Our Lives” in 2015. According to IMDb, Stowers has been credited for 241 episodes of the show. She is also credited as Josie Miller in an upcoming TV series entitled “Beyond Therapy.”
#6: Brittani Kline
Kline is a bit of a controversial “ANTM” contestant owing to her verbal exchange with Alexandria Everett. She landed in the bottom two due to her antics, and Tyra Banks even wanted to vote her out of the competition. However, the other judges kept her around and she eventually went on to win Cycle 16. Kline went back to school in the mid 2010s to study Spanish and writing and graduated from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania with honors. Kline continues to model, and her portfolio can be found over on her website, brittkline.com. She also gave birth to her first child, a son named Rowan, on August 25, 2017.
#5: Keith Carlos
Carlos made history in December 2014 by becoming the first male to win “America’s Next Top Model.” Before that, Carlos was a professional football player. He had been signed to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants but was unfortunately waived in August 2013, forcing him into an early retirement. He decided to try out for “ANTM” and famously won the 21st Cycle. He earned a contract with NEXT Model Management, and in 2018 he appeared in the music video for Cardi B’s Be Careful. And, like many “ANTM” winners, Carlos has ventured into the art of the soap opera. Throughout 2018 and 2019, he played Danny, Bikini Bartender in 23 episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
#4: Naima Mora
Mora was the winner of Cycle 4, all the way back in May of 2005. She signed to Ford, Basic, and 301 Model Management and modeled for companies like CoverGirl, Us Weekly, and In Touch. Following years of work, Mora published a book titled “Model Behavior,” which “inspire[s] others to recognize their true limitless potential.” She also has an eponymous YouTube channel that hosts videos of runway performances and her music. She has released two songs through the channel - “Need It” in August 2018 and “Have You Ever” the following November.
#3: Nyle DiMarco
DiMarco is a very notable “ANTM” contestant, serving as the first deaf model to win the competition. He was also the second man to win, following Keith Carlos. Just three months after his win in Cycle 22, DiMarco appeared on “Dancing with the Stars.” He eventually took home the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy with his partner, Peta Murgatroyd. Unlike “ANTM,” he was not the first deaf contestant to participate in “Dancing with the Stars” - that distinction goes to Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin. In 2016, he started The Nyle DiMarco Foundation, a non-profit meant to help deaf children. DiMarco continues to act, and in 2019 he appeared in one episode of “Station 19” and a few episodes of Sundance TV’s “This Close.”
#2: Jaslene Gonzalez
Gonzalez worked as a college admissions advisor before trying out for Cycle 7 of “America’s Next Top Model.” However, she only made it to the semifinals. Not one to give up, she returned to audition for Cycle 8 - the very Cycle she would go on to win. Gonzalez has done some acting work in the intervening years, appearing in 2018’s “Death Wish” and an episode of “Chicago Fire.” She also runs On Set with Jaslene, which, according to its Instagram page, is “an empowerment course aimed to promote inner beauty while offering the professional experience of a hands-on photo shoot.” Gonzalez would know a thing or two about that.
#1: Eva Pigford
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Eva Pigford, now Eva Marcille, beat out Yaya DaCosta to win Cycle 3 of “America’s Next Top Model” back in December 2004. After leaving her manager Tyra Banks in 2006, Pigford changed her name to Eva Marcille and pursued an acting career. She landed the role of Tyra Hamilton on the famous soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” which she was on between 2008 and 2009. In 2017, she both produced and starred in a movie called “Miss Me This Christmas.” But perhaps her biggest claim to fame in recent days is “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” - Marcille has been a regular cast member on the show since 2018.
