America's Next Top Model: helping average women live a pipe dream

Tyra Banks is super-irritating.

After her modeling competition show "America's Next Top Model" hit it big with the CW crowd, multiple cycles (not "seasons") of the show were ordered. Someone also thought it was a good idea to give Tyra her own talk show, which "The Soup" on E! makes fun of in pretty much every episode.

I like to think of Tyra as Oprah Lite. She attempts to be inspirational, telling her models in training (really, they should call the show "America's Next Cover Girl Contractually-Obligated Model", but I digress) stories of her hardships of not feeling attractive. I doubt her sincerity, but I'm also highly cynical.

Anyways.

"America's Next Top Model" attempts to involve viewers via their CW website though something they call the "America's Next Top Model VIP Lounge". Once a member, you can chat with others in the VIP Lounge and post your own model photos. A lot of the photos are more than embarrassing, nothing like the professional quality (or attractiveness) of what the actual ANTM contestants achieve. I guess it's nice that they can pretend for a second that they're professional models, or vying for the show's Cover Girl contract, but I don't see it as adding any worth to the actual ANTM show.

I assume that all of this social networking stuff being tied in to television shows are networks attempting to retain viewers as streaming content (or downloading it for free) becomes the norm.