You remember the drama. It was 2011, and Tyra Banks decided to bring back the "best of the best" for America’s Next Top Model Season 17. They called it All Stars. It should have been a victory lap for the franchise. Instead, it became the most confusing, legally tangled, and debated cycle in the show's entire history.
Honestly, it's been years, and fans still argue about that finale in Crete.
Why did the winner change? Why was the final judging re-shot in a completely different country months later? If you watched it live, you probably felt like you missed a whole episode. You didn't. You just witnessed one of the biggest cover-ups in reality TV.
The Disqualification That Changed Everything
The "official" story we saw on TV was weirdly vague. Right at the finish line, the judges stood in front of Allison Harvard and Lisa D'Amato and announced that Angelea Preston had been disqualified. They didn't really say why. They just mentioned "information that came to light" and moved on like she never existed.
The truth is much darker.
Angelea actually won. She was crowned the winner in Greece. She filmed the celebration, did the "I'm America's Next Top Model" walk, and went home thinking her life had changed. Then, the production team found out about her past. Before the show, during a low point in her life, Angelea had worked as an escort.
Even though she hadn't done it during the show, and even though she’s since claimed producers already knew, they stripped her of the title.
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A Re-shot Mess
Because they couldn't air a winner they’d disqualified, they had to fly Allison and Lisa back out—not to Greece, but to a studio in Los Angeles—to film a brand new "winner" reveal. If you look closely at that final panel, the lighting is different. The hair is different. Allison looks like she’s seen a ghost.
It was awkward. It felt fake.
Who Was Actually on the Roster?
The cast for America's Next Top Model Season 17 was basically a fever dream of mid-2000s reality TV personalities. Tyra didn't just pick the best models; she picked the biggest "characters."
- Lisa D'Amato (Cycle 5): The "wild child" who famously talked to a bush.
- Allison Harvard (Cycle 12): The wide-eyed fan favorite who obsessed over blood.
- Bianca Golden (Cycle 9): Known for her "tell it like it is" attitude.
- Isis King (Cycle 11): The trailblazing first transgender contestant in the series.
- Bre Scullark (Cycle 5): Who could forget the granola bar incident?
- Shannon Stewart (Cycle 1): The OG runner-up who still wouldn't do nude shoots.
- Alexandria Everett (Cycle 16): Fresh off her villain edit from the previous season.
They also brought back Camille McDonald ("Signature Walk"), Sheena Sakai, Brittany Brower, Kayla Ferrel, and Dominique Reighard. It was a powerhouse cast, but the "branding" theme of the season made it feel more like a marketing seminar than a modeling competition.
The Weird Branding Gimmick
Every girl was given a "brand" word. Lisa was "Daring." Allison was "Unique." Angelea was "Persistent."
The challenges were... a lot. They had to write and record their own songs and film music videos with rapper The Game. They had to create "celebrity" fragrances in a bathtub. They had to model while flying on wires like "Pot Ledom" (which is just "Top Model" spelled backward, in case you still haven't recovered from that cringe).
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Basically, the show stopped being about high fashion. It became about becoming a "brand" or a "socialite."
The Music Video Phenomenon
The standout moment for many was Allison Harvard's song "Underwater." It was genuinely good. It went viral before going viral was a science. It showed that the "weird girl" from Cycle 12 actually had a massive, loyal fanbase that Tyra couldn't ignore, even if the judges didn't always "get" her.
Why the Fanbase Still Isn't Over It
If you go on Reddit or Twitter today, you’ll see the same sentiment: Allison Harvard was robbed. Twice.
People felt that if Angelea was out, the win should have naturally gone to Allison, who had a much stronger portfolio and a bigger following. Lisa D'Amato was talented and energetic, sure, but she didn't fit the "Vogue Italia" prize package as well as Allison did.
Lisa has been very vocal about her win over the years. She’s defended it fiercely, often clashing with fans who claim she only won because she was the "safe" backup choice for the sponsors (CoverGirl and Express).
The Legal Fallout
Angelea didn't go down without a fight. In 2014, she filed a $3 million lawsuit against Tyra Banks and the show's producers. She cited breach of contract and labor law violations. She argued that she was a victim of a "wrongful disqualification" and that the show was essentially trying to moralize her past struggles.
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The case dragged on for years. Eventually, in 2018, it was "dismissed by agreement," which usually means an out-of-court settlement was reached.
What Happened to the Stars of Season 17?
Life went on after the "Pot Ledom" chaos.
- Angelea Preston: She didn't let the disqualification break her. She finished her degree in journalism, wrote a book, and has been an advocate for women who have been exploited. She’s found a voice outside of the "scrappy underdog" edit Tyra gave her.
- Lisa D'Amato: She stayed in the spotlight, appearing on Marriage Boot Camp and continuing to work on music and various business ventures. She remains one of the most polarizing figures in the show's history.
- Allison Harvard: She didn't need the crown. She traveled the world, did high-end modeling in Asia, and leaned into her art. She’s stayed remarkably drama-free, which is rare for an All Star.
- Isis King: She has had a massively successful acting career, appearing in projects like When They See Us and With Love. She’s arguably the most successful "model turned actor" from this specific season.
How to Watch It Today
If you want to revisit the madness, America's Next Top Model Season 17 is usually available on streaming platforms like Hulu or for purchase on Amazon.
Watch the finale closely. Notice the "Franken-biting" (when they edit audio together to make it sound like someone is saying something they didn't). Notice how the judges' outfits change slightly between shots. It’s a masterclass in how reality TV can be manipulated when things go wrong behind the scenes.
If you’re doing a rewatch, pay attention to Dominique Reighard. A lot of experts now agree she was actually the strongest model that season and was eliminated way too early.
The best way to appreciate Cycle 17 is to look at it as a time capsule of 2011 celebrity culture. It was the bridge between traditional modeling and the "influencer" era we live in now.
To get the full picture of the Angelea situation, you should check out her interviews from 2022 and 2024, where she finally felt free to speak about the legal gag orders that kept her quiet for a decade. Knowing the "why" behind the disqualification makes the whole season feel completely different.