Holland's Next Top Model

Holland's Next Top Model (often abbreviated as HNTM) is a Dutch reality television show hosted by writer and former model Daphne Deckers, who also serves as the lead judge. The first "cycle" premiered in September 2006 and was one of RTL5's highest rated shows, which is based on the series America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks.

Show format

Each season of Holland's Next Top Model has from 8-10 episodes and starts with 10-12 contestants. Each episode, one contestant is eliminated, though there have been cases of a double elimination by consensus of the judging panel. Makeovers are administered to contestants early in the season (usually after the first or second elimination in the finals), and a trip to an international destination is scheduled at about two-thirds of the way through the season (usually with five or six contestants remaining).

Each episode covers the events of roughly a week of real time (however, while overseas, an episode roughly covers three to four days, totaling two weeks of filming abroad), and features a fashion challenge, photo shoot or commercial, judging, and critique of each contestant and her performance by the judging panel led by Daphne Deckers, and the elimination of one or more contestants. The current panel includes Australian photographer Philip Riches, runway coach Mariana Verkerk, former model and Miss Rosalie van Breemen and publisher of Grazia magazine Hilmar Mulder. Previous judges included the topmodel Yfke Sturm, photographer Carli Hermès, stylist Ruud van der Peijl, and publisher of Glamour magazine Karin Swerink. Usually, an additional guest judge will sit in on the panel every week. Each episode is usually associated with a theme in the world of modeling, such as dealing with the press in interviews, selling a commercial product, appearing in a runway show or going on "go sees".

An episode usually begins with the contestants receiving training in an area concurrent with the week's theme. For example, contestants may get coached in runway walking, improvisational acting, or applying make-up to suit various occasions. A related challenge soon follows, such as a mock runway show or interview, and a winner is chosen by a judge. She receives some prize, such as clothing, a night out, or an advantage at the next photo shoot, and she is usually allowed to share the benefits with a certain number of other contestants of her choice.

The next segment is a photo shoot, and each contestant's performance will reflect heavily on her judging for that week. Each season features photo shoots such as bikini or lingerie shots, beauty shots, posing nude or semi-nude, posing with a male model, and posing with animal(s). Usually one photo shoot per season is replaced with a commercial shoot.

The final segment of each episode is judging. Each contestant's photo is then shown and evaluated by the judging panel. After all photos have been evaluated, the contestants leave the room as the judges deliberate. The elimination process is ceremonious, as Daphne reveals and hands out the photos of the contestants that have not been eliminated one-by-one, in order of merit. The last two contestants who have not received their photos are brought up as "the bottom two", and Daphne critiques each one before revealing which of the two has been eliminated. However, there have been three exceptions, as Cycle 1 had an elimination, where the girl who was eliminated called as first and Cycles 2 & 3 had a double-elimination.

The format varies slightly when only three contestants remain. With the exception of Cycle 1 where there wasn't a live show, the three remaining contestants compete in a runway show in front of the judges and a live audience. After the runway show, the judges and the public voters may vote on their favourite contestant and the results will declare a winner.

Criticism

After the second cycle of the show, RTL wanted to portray the show more like the original show, America's Next Top Model, they wanted to be more extreme and edgy. After two seasons, host Yfke Sturm wanted to focus on her international modeling career and was replaced by former model Daphne Deckers. 'King of Style' Ruud van der Peijl was also replaced by 'über-stylist' Bastiaan van Schaik.

Many viewers of the show thought that the third cycle failed in the representation of showing how to be a top model. The judges did not give any advice to the girls, only criticism. The viewers felt that the circumstances were far beyond about being a top model. Some photo shoots (bungee jumping and nude shoot) were disliked by most of the viewers and did not give the fashion feeling, which it should have been about. Many viewers also thought that the show was more an advertising show rather than a top model contest.^[1]

Just a day before the live finale of the fourth cycle, it was confirmed that contestant Patricia van der Vliet would be a finalist, after being in the hospital, suffering from Crohn's disease.^[2] The Dutch viewers could vote for their favorite model during two weeks before the finale. But people where unsure if van der Vliet would be a finalist, so they probably would not vote for her. In the episode, van der Vliet was eliminated, due to having the least votes of the viewers among the other finalists; the judges were shocked and disagreed with the viewers. The finale was criticized by most of the viewers.^[3][4]

Cycles

References

External links

• Official site