Measuring Top Model Success

What makes for a successful modeling career? Is it booking lots of fashion shows? Many magazine covers? Doing print ads and magazine spreads? Making television appearances?
Earning the most money?

All of those things are factors of modeling career achievements, but because there are such diverse sorts of careers, choosing who is the most successful is difficult, if not impossible. Just look at the girls from Cycle One of "America's Next Top Model". They have had longer to build careers that subsequent contestants.

Adrianne Curry was the very first winner of ANTM. I've seen her in one commercial, for diamonds. She is far better known as a tv celebrity. While she has acted or made appearances as herself on a number of tv series, she is probably best known for her VH1 reality shows, "The Surreal Life" and "My Fair Brady". Her marriage to "Brady Bunch" actor, Christopher Knight was even televised as part of their show.

The only one of her ANTM co-stars who appeared in her wedding party was Kesse Wallace. She came in fourth place in Cycle One has done a lot of runway and magazine work as well as a commercial for Church's Chicken.

Second place went to Shannon Stewart. She has done a few appearances on later seasons of Top Model and "The Tyra Banks Show". Most of her modeling work has been for magazines.

Katie Cleary was the second person sent home in Cycle One. She was too "men's magazine". That attribute has made her one of the most successful top models. She is a "Deal or No Deal" model, looking after case 11. Currently, she is featured in an AT&T commercial.

I've saved my favorite contestant ever for last. Elyse Sewell came in third, but she seems to be one of the busiest models, doing print and runway work, primarily in Asia. She has shared man of her experiences in her blog and had part of it published as a book, Beauty and The Biz: The International Adventures of America's Third-to-Next Top Model. The book was only available in Hong Kong. She seems to still be going strong.

A number of people have gone on to earn celebrity after starting on ANTM. Everyone has their favorites. I have from just about every season, but sometimes my favs don't go on to careers. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't have some sort of success.