Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with an advanced readers copy of Wanna Be On Top? As someone who spent their childhood glued to the TV and watching an unhealthy amount of reality television shows, I had to get my hands on this book! My sister and I have watched probably every season of ANTM together. While watching the show you know that the experience cannot be as magical as it seems on TV. However, you never picture the contestants being held in windowless rooms for hours unable to speak to each other, passing out while filming because they have been standing on their feet for hours, or being denied bathroom breaks.

Sarah Hartshorne's story tells of the exploitation of reality TV and the damage it has on the mental and physical health of its contestants. Especially those who do not fit into a certain mold. This a book you do not want to miss!

For anyone who peaked in the early aughts and was glued to the TV for every season of this show, this was a fun read. While much of the cringey and possibly illegal/unethical practices of early reality television, and specifically this show have long been brought to light, I did find Sarah's perspective as the "plus size" model on her season to be unique and interesting. I also like hearing a little bit about whether or not she continued to pursue modeling after the show.

4.5 STARS

As a child that was often left to their own devices (including unrestricted internet and television access), “America’s Next Top Model” was in frequent rotation, contributing to some hefty body dysmorphia and pre-pubescent brain rot. “ANTM” was such a big thing in my elementary years, it became a game commonly played on the playground, sleepovers, or at birthday parties. Being a little chubbier, I was often the photographer, pretending to snap photos of my twin and friends as they strut the “runway.” This was a feat I didn’t mind because it was the root of a lot of my creativity that would bloom later in life.

Anyone who has seen the show can acknowledge how intense of an impact it had on young people. Judges brutally analyzed the bodies of men and women in a way that former-viewers are still realizing left a major impact on them today. But… what was it like from the perspective of a contestant, themself? We’ve all heard reality TV horror-stories, but never as in-depth as this. Grab your Motorola Razr and heels! Let’s dive into “ANTM” Cycle 9!

Sarah Hartshorne bluntly shares her experience in “You Wanna Be On Top?” She knows what you came here for and she delivers. This is NOT an “ANTM” namedrop/cash-grab secretly bound by an NDA and actually discussing everything besides the show. Hartshorne gets into the nitty gritty starting right when she decided to do the show and ending with her finishing up post-production with the show. The book’s only focus is on Hartshorne and the show, very little of her personal life is discussed outside of it. So, if you haven’t seen an episode of the show, you might be a little lost at times.

I appreciated how concise the book was and only focused on the events surrounding the show. It wasn’t flowery, but don’t be fooled, there was still plenty humor and depth found in this book. Hartshorne tackles things such as mistreatment and manipulation of the contestants, being a “plus-size model” as a person who is not plus-sized, and so much more. It was a fascinating (albeit heartbreaking) glimpse into an “ANTM” cycle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Grateful a book that exposes ANTM exists as someone who grew up watching it and experienced disordered eating and body dysmorphia from it at eight years old. The book ties the line between a juicy tell all and heartfelt recount perfectly. Hartshorne knows how to balance humor and sincerity without it feeling cringy or gimmicky. I only wish we had more of it!

I would like to start by thanking netgalley for the arc of this book.

I (shamefully now) watched all seasons of americas next top model and I absolutely love all reality tv. Being able to pull back the curtain and see what is behind the glamour and fashion of ANTM Hartshorne brings to light what really happened as a contestant. Not only is Harsthone extremely funny and witty she is also down to earth and relatable. Struggling with body dysmorphia is something that many young girls of our generation have to deal with and Harsthorne shows us we are not alone and it even happens to beautiful models. Bringing in quotes form books such as cultish and words from Mr and Ms Jay also help to drive home the point of what was really going on in ANTM. I demolished this book in a day and I just want to say that this book was so fun to read and as much as I cringed at what was going on to her I was also rooting for her so many years later. I laughed out loud at some of her jokes and loved all her sea life facts that brought home that behind all the models are a real person.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! There were a couple of spots that meandered or were repetitive, so I think it could’ve been tightened up a bit. However, I couldn’t put it down and I appreciated how vulnerable Sarah was, especially in the chapter about her sexual identity.

It made me sad to find out about the horrible work conditions for the women on the show. I watched ANTM as a teenager and it never occurred to me that the women weren’t being paid or that at times, they were deprived of sleep, food, and access to the bathroom. I’m glad that Sarah is shining a light on the dark side of reality TV and I hope this helps improve conditions for others.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I have always wondered what it was like behind the scenes of a show like this, and that’s exactly what I learned from this book. A very honest memoir, I found myself really enjoying the humorous parts and gasping at some of the happenings I never knew about in this world of reality tv. Sarah did a great job giving us the answers we’ve always wanted while also putting ourself in her shoes so we were along for the ride of her life.

For millennials who grew up glued to the latest episodes of “America’s Next Top Model”, “You Wanna Be on Top”, the first tell-all from a contestant, is going to be a must read this summer.

Sarah Hartshorne was a “plus size” model on season nine which filmed 18 years ago. I say “plus size” because that’s what the show called her, but most people who would look at photos of her at the time would disagree. So unsurprisingly she shares a lot about how the show impacted her body image. One of my favorite revelations from the book was the information that the doctor who was brought in during the filming of one episode to help the girls with their body image issues was a dermatologist, not a psychologist or therapist or nutritionist or anyone with any relevant training.

Anyway, aside from talking about her own personal journey, Hartshorne shares a lot of behind-the-scenes tea. You won’t learn anything revolutionary in this book but it’s well written, tight, and not trying to be anything it’s not. A great in-one-sitting read for anyone who was ever obsessed with “America’s Next Top Model”.

I loved ANTM growing up. It was really cool to read about behind the scenes. But there was so much I didn’t know about. I didn’t know how poorly they were treated. Women and body image was also different in the 2000s.

I watched ANTM religiously when I was younger, and I was really excited to see a book from the contestants POV. Sarah was a contestant from Season 9, and considered plus size. While some of her story is kind of traumatic and harrowing, I think most readers will revel in the juicy bits and the nostalgia of a show that really embodied an era of reality TV.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for thw ARC ecopy.

This was a dishy, nostalgic, funny look back at Sarah's cycle of ANTM. She compares the mind-control experience of reality tv production to a cult which I thought was super interesting. Some parts of the book felt kind of inside baseball. But overall it was a quick, enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought that Sarah did an excellent job balancing her negative and somewhat creepy experiences with things about the show that she thought were positives. While the show has been since revealed to be problematic, I do believe that Tyra Banks did good things for representation in modeling and gave some people opportunities who did not have it before. Sarah says in her book that she believed that the show started with good intentions, but over time needed to keep excitement and ratings and so ballooned into the monstrosity we all know, and my opinion matches this. Yes, it's problematic, but that doesn't stop me from still streaming it. Also, some of the one-off things Sarah said in her book also indicates that many of the regular judges and mentors on the show also has issues with where things were going. TV is a wild place, especially reality TV in the early 2000s.

I came for the juicy gossip and some behind the scenes dish. But a frank, honest discussion about how her time on the show felt like a cult was unexpected and made for an interesting read. This was even better considering that Sarah's season is one of those that I remember well, with many of the moments that pop into my head when I think of show having happened that cycle. Sarah also included some comments around what happened with her career after she left from the show, which I always wondered how many contestants went on to continue to be models and weather having been on ANTM helped or hurt them. According to Sarah, it seems like it was kind of both.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was a teen when ANTM was airing so I was all over this book when I saw it come up here on netgalley. I don’t want to spoil too much but I love how many former contestants are speaking out about their experiences on this show. Tyra was a menace and production wasn’t much better. This is a great glimpse into an era of tv you had to see to believe. I hope this is just the first memoir of many from people from this show.

This isn't America's Next Top Best Friend. You had SEX!? What you see is what you get, don’t judge a book by its cover. This is my signature walk and this is the walk that’s going to make me famous.

And the classic: Be quiet, Tiffany. Be quiet! What is wrong with you? STOP IT," the supermodel shouted. "I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this. When my mother yells like this it's because she loves me. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you.

Look, I like garbage tv and movies. The dumber the better. Sarah Hartshorne has written a book targeted at people like me. As much as she can, NDAs etc, she tells the behind-the-scenes stories of her time at America's Next Top Model.

She breaks it all down, from being "plus-sized" when she wasn't truly plus-sized to interviews about her weight and body, and the lack of bathroom breaks. All the ugly details and stories are there. We've all read accounts from other former contestants but Sarah's writing has something special behind it.

Shows like America's Next Top Model, The Swan, The Biggest Loser....exploration and I'm glad Sarah has survived and thrived afterwards.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this memoir. I am a huge fan of reality TV shows and even though I have not seen America's Next Top Model this still followed the same format most competition shows have, however, Sarah details the length of abusive behaviour that goes on behind the scenes and it was unexpected to say the least.

I greatly enjoyed learning about the casting, filming and exit process for reality TV shows and the expectations involved with being cast. Even from the beginning you could sense a level of mistreatment but it only became more obvious as the book/show progressed on. A noteable moment, is when one of the girls gets eliminated and Tyra demands she leave, only for production to tell her to come back so they can film her running out again...yikes.

The commodification and objectification of the women on the show was astonishing in the way they literally treated them like an object - you don't have to feed it, care for it, or treat it with respect. The lack of empathy from anyone on the production team felt very dystopian.

A huge theme for the novel was that Sarah was plus sized and production would jab her with loaded questions. At first, I felt, "oh she's like me" but the more I read, she was actually mid-sized. It felt a little jarring, because I do no consider someone who is a size 12 plus sized, but in the industry, any women not a size 2 was plus sized. My only suggestion is to be a bit more forthcoming with this, or maybe I missed the part at the beginning where it was mentioned, because it felt like a secret was revealed at the end - "she's not actually plus sized?". The way that cast members openly spoke about her being plus sized, considering this fact, was very disturbing.

Side note, I LOVEEEDDDD that Raja (Sultan) was featured in this book and described in the regal way which we all recognize them for. It was a great touchpoint but they were also the force that brought us down to earth while reading about such an competitive industry.

I am honoured that Sarah felt comfortable enough in her experiences to share with the world but openly talk about such a traumatizing time in her life. There is still so much I could say about this book without getting redundant, but if you love reality TV, competition shows and Hollywood, this is a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Sarah Hartshorne writing about her experience on America's Next Top Model Cycle 9 and as a not-quite plus sized model scratches the brain of all the 30 somethings who sat fixated in front of the show for the first couple of years- you know, before the extra problematic scenes or before it wasn’t something we all just watched in horror.
I enjoyed how Sarah spoke with a real appreciation for what the show gave her, while also realizing the parts of it that were hard to process and deal with. The fixation on her weight and constantly feeling pitted against the people in her cycle were exactly what we wanted to hear from the book.
I loved the background into the judges- how they were spun to be positive and supportive coaches but in hindsight, their feedback was often problematic as hell- particularly Twiggy.
This was a quick read and quite nostalgic.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced e-arc!

You Wanna Be On Top? was an eye opening read! I remember watching all of the cycles of ANTM years ago, but had NO IDEA that any of this was happening at the time. I feel awful for all of the contestants who had to endure this treatment as what was portrayed to viewers was so far from the truth. Any fan of reality TV and/or specifically America's Not Top Model must read this behind the scenes look!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7455092535

You Wanna Be On Top? By Sarah Hartshorne is the story of what has deemed a plus size model on the popular show America’s Next Top Model. Sarah tries out and makes it through many rounds to get on the show. She’s very pretty and is not plus size by regular standards and that seems to be one of the issues she faces on the show. She is grilled on how she feels about being the only plus sized woman being represented. This is so ridiculous but is a symptom of some’s view of beauty. The contestants are unable to speak to each other, have access to the outside world or even have a book to read. They are followed nearly everywhere in the house so that sound bites can be edited together to fit the theme of the show. The contestants are made up, dressed up and photographed in order to progress to the next round. I’ve never watched the show but have seen other reality based shows and they just seem to breed unnecessary hostility among contestants. I can’t say that this is what happened in this book but I found the description of living conditions ridiculous. This is definitely an interesting book if you are interested in good and bad of modeling. Despite all of the pro/cons of America’s Next Top Model, it appears from follow-up that Hartshorne has found her niche in writing and comedy, Perhaps being eliminated was the best for her life.

When I came across a book about America’s Next Top Model, I was immediately intrigued. Having watched the show over the years and knowing the fate of some of the contestants, I was eager to read Sarah Hartshorne’s account of her experience on the show. Sarah candidly shares her story, questioning whether reality TV lives up to its perceived glamour and whether modeling truly is as glamorous as it appears. I highly recommend reading Sarah’s book to form your own opinion.

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was NUTS 😨 and so damaging to so many women and young girls.

Sarah, a queer former contestant from Season 9, shares her raw and devastating experience with ANTM and I am truly disgusted in the producers, other crew members, and Tyra for treating those women.. those HUMANS.. the way they did. And have, for SO many seasons. I don’t understand how this has been allowed…

The requirements of these girls before the actual show is mind boggling. They had to write all of their traumas on paper and provide to producers for the show. They were gaslit, brainwashed, and manipulated- to where some women lost their identities completely..They had to have an actual psychological evaluation. They had to submit to hair, urine, and BLOOD samples being taken. They had to provide very detailed financial information and that of their FAMILY’S!! Amongst a number of interviews and harsh criticism. Once they were ON the show, they each had a “wrangler” who was essentially an adult babysitter. The girls were always transported to UNDISCLOSED places and were forced to wear blind folds during the boat, plane, car rides (and/or the windows were always blacked out on the inside). They were never told where they were going or what was happening. Their iPods, books, ID’s, phones, etc were stripped of them instantly and used as pawns to get the girls to behave how they want. The girls were absolutely NOT allowed to talk to each other ANY time they were not on camera or hooked up to mics -EVER- or would suffer consequences, including the withholding of food and water, threats, slander, and blackmail. The girls were always in windowless rooms, never allowed to look outside. The abuse of power and control.. these girls were physically, emotionally, and mentally tortured and controlled. So, so tragically sad to me.

Sad to think I grew up watching this show, seeing Tyra Banks (and the judges) as a fashion icon(s), even wishing I could be one of the models on her show “when I’m older”. This was upsetting, but needs to be talked about and brought to the light. This is a serious problem.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Published for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!