HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—America's Next Top Model, hosted by top model herself Tyra Banks, has been on The CW Network for over 11 years, but back in 2011, Angelea Preston made it to Cycle 17's final round—but was summarily disqualified from the grand prize, which included a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics worth an estimated $100,000, photo spreads in Vogue Italia and Beauty in Vogue magazines, a fashion campaign in magazine Express, a role as a guest correspondent on the TV show Extra, and the chance to be the "face" of a new perfume.
Why? Because the show's producers found out that before becoming a contestant on the show, Preston had been working as an escort.
Preston originally appeared on America's Next Top Model (ANTM) in its 14th "cycle," but was eliminated in the 11th episode. However, Cycle 17 featured 14 previously non-winning contestants for a competition among themselves, and this time, Preston was named the winner of the competition. However, the producers, citing a "moral turpitude" clause of the contract she signed, refused to award Preston the grand prize.
That clause reads, in pertinent part, "I further acknowledge and agree that if I am selected and/or announced as the winner and at any point before or after I am announced as the winner on the program I am caught or exposed committing any act which results in any public disgrace, outrage or other embarrassing act or any act that constitutes an act of moral turpitude (for example, if I am arrested, charged and/or convicted of a crime or appear in any sexually explicit material), then: Producers shall have the right at any time to strip me of and/or require me to return any and all prizes and the title of 'The Winner of America's Next Top Model,' as well as the benefits deriving from such prizes and title including, without limitation, any part of the grand prize."
Preston argues in her complaint that she could only be disqualified if she were caught committing a disgraceful act after she had been selected as the winner, but that the show's producers "wrongly attempted to terminate" her for allegedly being an escort before she began competing in Cycle 17—and furthermore, she charges that the producers—and particularly casting director Michelle Mock—knew about her escorting activities even before she was cast to appear in Cycle 17, having allegedly been informed of such activities by another contestant, Crystal White.
So Preston's suing the show, its host and producers for $3 million—and part of her complaint, which can be read here, is that the show violated fair labor practices by, among other things, forcing Preston and other contestants to work 16-hour days, sometimes without a meal break, and by keeping the contestants in isolation ("put on ice") for five to six hours at a time, also without food or water. Preston also claims that the show's staff failed to provide her with proper medical attention when she suffered a panic attack during filming, and that she wasn't paid a legal hourly wage for her work, nor overtime wages for overtime.
Suit was filed just last week, so no trial date has yet been set—and since Preston apparently has never been arrested for any activities relating to escorting, it'll probably be an interesting trial.
