Podcasts · Society & Culture · TV & Film

Curse of: Miss America

iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts

20 episodes · in order

Miss America used to be a national icon. At its peak, the pageant was appointment television, drawing TV audiences that rivaled the Superbowl.

More about the show

But now, the crown is slipping.

The organization is at the center of a tabloid courtroom drama. Two people are claiming to be the rightful owner of the Miss America pageant. And the fight is getting ugly.

In one corner, a pageant girl boss. In the other, a self-proclaimed Palm Beach billionaire with a controversial past.

After decades of leadership failures and declining interest, today’s scandal is the only the latest in a long line of controversies in the pageant world.

And yet, thousands of young women continue to compete every year. What keeps drawing contestants to an institution that so many former insiders believe has failed them?

Over the course of 10 episodes, we'll hear directly from former titleholders, participants, and whistleblowers. Hosted by pop culture journalist Bridget Armstrong, Curse of Miss America is an investigation into the unraveling of an American institution.

Episodes

  1. Introducing Curse of: America's Next Top Model

    · 3:51 · Trailer

    When America’s Next Top Model premiered in the early 2000s, it looked like a golden ticket: a glamorous TV show that could catapult aspiring models into fame. But two decades later, many contestants describe its…

  2. The Set-Up | EP 1 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 39 min · S1 E1

    Tyra Banks screamed it, but was she ever really rooting for these girls? In the series opener, host Bridget Armstrong explores one of ANTM’s biggest criticisms—that the show didn’t create any top models. We go back to…

  3. The Blueprint | EP 2 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 51 min · S1 E2

    Cycle 1 was messy, low-rent, and groundbreaking. It was also the blueprint for everything ANTM would become. It introduced us to the larger-than-life personalities that became synonymous with the show. Cycle 1 also…

  4. Tale of Two Winners | EP 3 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 58 min · S1 E3

    We explore one of ANTM’s most infamous controversies. Angelea Preston won the All-Stars season of America’s Next Top Model. Later, she was stripped of the title, and her win was given to Lisa D’Amato. But what really…

  5. Psych Up | EP 4 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 42 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions sexual assault, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Before you could be cast on America’s Next Top Model, you had to pass a psychological evaluation. Contestants were told these…

  6. Psych Out | EP 5 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 44 min · S1 E5 · Explicit

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions sexual assault, suicide, and suicidal ideation. We continue our discussion about the ANTM psychological evaluation. We hear from models who say the traumatic experiences they…

  7. Reality TV vs. Modeling Competition | EP 6 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 55 min · S1 E6

    ANTM was never really about creating top models. It was a reality TV disguised as a modeling competition, and it showed. We break down how photo shoots were designed to create unforgettable moments and reactions on…

  8. Race Swap Card | EP 7 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 1 h 01 min · S1 E7

    ANTM was one of the most racially diverse reality shows of its era. So why did so many of its episodes look so racist? This episode investigates how ANTM represented, performed, and exploited race. We hear from models…

  9. Fierce, Queer, and Flawed | EP 8 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 54 min · S1 E8

    America’s Next Top Model was a pioneer of LGBTQIA+ representation on reality TV. The show gave us iconic queer judges, featured an openly lesbian contestant on season one, and even made groundbreaking decisions to cast…

  10. America’s Next Top Body Shamer| EP 9 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 1 h 01 min · S1 E9

    To this day, Tyra Banks hails ANTM as a champion of body positivity. But in reality, the show was one of the biggest body shaming offenders of our generation. Season after season, ANTM picked apart contestants’ bodies,…

  11. The House That Tyra Built | EP 10 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 1 h 03 min · S1 E10

    No matter who won, Tyra Banks was always the real star of ANTM. But was she a fairy godmother, a villain, or both? On this final episode, we explore Tyra’s on-camera persona and off-camera legacy. We hear from models…

  12. Introducing — Smart Girl Dumb Questions

    · 19 min

    Experiencing “Curse of” withdrawal? We’re bringing you a taste of a show we love: Smart Girl Dumb Questions. In this episode excerpt, host Nayeema Raza asks relationship expert Esther Perel: Why is falling in love…

  13. Reality TV: The Great Experiment | BONUS | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 58 min · S1 E1 · Bonus

    Thanks for listening to this season of Curse of: America’s Next Top Model. As you can imagine, we had to leave a lot on the cutting room floor. In this special bonus episode, we hear more behind-the-scenes details and…

  14. Yeah, Tyra's a Villain | BONUS Pt. 1 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 48 min · S1 E2 · Bonus

    The new Netflix docu-series has everyone talking. “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” features sit-down interviews with Tyra Banks and Ken Mock, plus longtime ANTM judges Miss J, Jay Manuel, and Nigel…

  15. Yeah, Tyra's a Villain | BONUS Pt. 2 | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 40 min · S1 E3 · Bonus

    We’re continuing our conversation about the Netflix docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” In Pt.2, host Bridget Armstrong and editor Monique LaBorde break down Tyra’s disappointing interview in…

  16. Introducing: Love Trapped

    · 1:06 · Trailer

    Former Bachelor Clayton Echard’s casual one-night fling turned into a paternity nightmare. The scandal ignited the internet, attracting hundreds of citizen sleuths who noticed the story didn’t add up. New episodes are…

  17. The Dirty Rotten Scandals of ANTM | BONUS | Curse of America's Next Top Model

    · 49 min · S1 E4 · Bonus

    The ANTM reckoning continues with a new E! docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals America’s Next Top Model. The series premieres on E! tonight March 11th, at 9PM EST / 6PM PT. Lauren Saft, Executive Producer of Dirty…

  18. Introducing: Curse of Miss America

    · 3:32 · Trailer

    A new season of Curse Of launches October 20th. The team investigates the unraveling of the Miss America pageant. We follow the ongoing legal battle over the pageant’s ownership, and the scandals that have been…

  19. Make Miss America Great Again | EP 1 | Curse of Miss America

    · 58 min · S2 E1

    “Curse Of” is back for season two. This time, we’re doing a deep dive on Miss America. We’re talking about the pageant’s history, its impact on our larger culture, and of course, the scandals. Host Bridget Armstrong…

  20. Miss America Has a Problem | EP 2 | Curse of Miss America

    · 41 min · S2 E2

    A controversial Palm Beach billionaire claims to be the rightful owner of the Miss America pageant, and he’s not backing down. On this episode, we talk to the man himself. What’s in it for him? And how did he get…

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.