America’s Next Top Model Winner Has Something No Other Winner Ever Had — Can You Guess What It Is?
The latest winner of America’s Top Model — in the show’s 21st cycle since debuting on the former UPN network back in 2003 — possesses one important physical attribute that none of the 20 previous winners can claim to have.
Well, actually, the America’s Next Top Model Cycle 21 victor, crowned in the Friday’s finale episode, is different from the other 20 winners in quite a number of ways. But there is one thing that sets this model apart from the rest. And that thing is…
A “Y” chromosome.
Yes, for the first time, America’s Next Top Model is male. The show hosted by former supermodel Tyra Banks was reserved exclusively for women for its first 19 cycles, but in Cycle 20, Banks let male models compete against their female counterparts for the first time.
But when cycle 20 came down to the final two of Marvin Cortes and Jourdan Miller, the judges gave the nod to the lady. But that’s not what happened this time around as former Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants practice squad wide receiver Keith Cortes — who remains, officially, an NFL free agent looking for a new team — emerged on top from a three-man, one woman final four.
Cortes may now consider leaving the NFL behind as his modeling career appears likely to skyrocket.
At age 26, in addition to becoming the first male America’s Next Top Model, Cortes becomes the oldest winner of the TV reality show competition as well.
“I’m bringing mature back,” Cortes joked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, following his triumph which saw him come back from a couple of weeks ranked at the bottom of the group.
Cortes told EW his football experience helped him through the setbacks.
“I correlate everything to football because that’s where I learned a lot about dealing with the ups and downs,” he said. “I just knew I had to take the critiques and apply them. I knew that I would be okay as long as I kept my challenge scores high and gave an okay-to-stellar performance at my photo shoot. It was just a game of numbers.”
As the winner of America’s Next Top Model, Carlos will now be the subject of a Nylon Magazine photo spread and wins representation from the Next modeling agency — and last, but definitely not least, pockets $100,000 in cash.
America’s Next Top Model has aired on the CW Network since 2006, when the WB and UPN networks merged, and CW has already renewed the show for its 22nd cycle next year.
