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Since I haven't ranked anything in a while, I decided to rank (and by "rank," I mean list from my least favorite to favorite) all the ANTM contestants by cycle (Yay!). Although it is not exactly an original ranking thread (as Jenny du Jour and khnum have already started to make similar lists), hopefully this list won't be completely boring. Don't worry, though: there will be controversial rankings for sure, as many fan favorites are eliminated early. So who will be on top (or more importantly on bottom, given that this is a countdown)?

I'll start off with Cycle 1:


AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, CYCLE 1

10. Tessa Carlson (10^th Place)

Unlike other first boots of an entire series, Tessa is perhaps one of the most forgettable contestants in ANTM history. All I basically remember about her was that she was Adrianne's smoking buddy. From what else I can remember of her, I didn't like. There was just something about her that annoyed me to no end. She was the first contestant booted for her personality over modeling potential, which was indicative of the direction ANTM was going to take. Although I technically dislike characters further up in this list more, they were at least entertaining, which is more than I can say for her…

9. Giselle Samson (6^th Place)

My first impression of Giselle: God is she girl annoying! Giselle was a complete trainwreck and not even an entertaining one. Whether it be her laziness, her unbelievably low self-esteem, or her general incompetence, Giselle had a way of making my next entry seem not that bad. But it wasn't Giselle's constant search for compliments and boosts in self-esteem that made me dislike her so much: it was the way she could take a critique from the judges and make the criticism into a readymade excuse for a poor performance. Thinking she had not done so well, Giselle commented that she worried about seeming "too dancer" (a comment which would come back to haunt her as the judges used it as an excuse for eliminating her). It is not necessarily that her comment was wrong, it was just that she had come up with an excuse before even seeing the end result. Oh well, I'm sure she was nice, but she just needed a little self-confidence. Having rewatched Cycle 1 recently, I really do not hate her so much as find her pathetic. Still, her obnoxiousness can't keep her from staying toward the bottom of this list.

8. Elyse Sewell (3^rd Place)

I know I am one of the few, but I cannot stand Elyse. Sure, she was a great, competent model, but I just couldn't get past her personality. To me, she was nothing more than an arrogant, snotty bitch who vastly overestimated her own intelligence. Her rant, although entertaining, was completely absurd and only served to show just how completely cocky and overconfident she was with her own self-worth. Although Elyse was robbed from a modeling standpoint, she couldn't have left soon enough for me based on her personality alone. After watching Cycle 1 a few more times, Elyse has grown on me a little, but not by much. She outranks Giselle and Tessa for the sheer fact that she was a fantastic model, who could also be very entertaining!

7. Nicole Panattoni (8^th Place)

The whiney, insecure bitch who didn't want to get rid of her extensions, Nicole was perhaps the first disaster contestant in ANTM history (well, at least the first one to be eliminated). Not only did she get upset at having to get rid of her extensions, but she also declined a reward challenge because she missed her boyfriend. Although she deserved to leave, I would have much rather seen Giselle or Elyse go before her, which is why she ranks higher than them. While I hated Giselle and Nicole, I only found Nicole slightly annoying.

6. Katie Cleary (9^th Place)

I never got the Katie hate I have heard expressed by others I have talked to about ANTM (most often, people's responses are 1) "Who?" and 2) "Oh yeah, she was a bitch!"). Yeah, she seemed a little fake and bitchy, but really I think she had the potential to be a great character. Maybe I wouldn't rank her so high if she weren't on Deal or No Deal as Case #11, a small bit of trivia that is always fun to point out while watching the show (even if the person I am watching it with has already heard me say it before!). Not completely annoying, yet not particularly entertaining either, Katie finds a spot around the middle of this list!

5. Kesse Wallace (5^th Place)

I've got nothing on Kessie. She was nice and sweet (she must have been, seeing as how everyone was crying when she was eliminated), but somewhat forgettable. She was the original Baby-Tyra, which contributed to the shock of her getting eliminated only slightly past the halfway point, barely missing out on the Top 4 (which she does again in this list!). Still, she was pretty boring, which leaves her behind objectionable, yet more entertaining competitors.

4. Shannon Stewart (2^nd Place)

Shannon's place this high up on the list is more by default than her being particularly likeable or entertaining. Sure, she was nice, but not that great of a character. Personality-wise, Shannon is completely forgettable and only memorable for her religious beliefs and her refusal to participate in the nude photoshoot. But although she didn't have a personality to light up a room, Shannon was still charming in her own way. There was something innocent and cute about her that made her less offensive than her religious buddy, Robyn. Because of this, Shannon is often considered Robyn's tagalong, which is not exactly warranted. Still, Shannon simply cannot top Robyn (or Ebony and Adrianne) on a purely entertainment level, which prevents her from making it farther on the list.

3. Ebony Haith (7^th Place)

Ebony is a contestant I cannot exactly decide how I feel about her: I find her entertaining and I like her, but I also find her slightly annoying. The drama surrounding her being a lesbian was pretty entertaining, but I think that was more a product of Robynne's reactions than anything done by Ebony. Still, Ebony had her own entertaining moments, including her constant application of moisturizer, her eyerolling at the prayer circle, and her rant where everyone walked away. I also thought her interaction with her girlfriend was sweet and that their relationship was fun to watch. Although I thought she was very nice, however, I could not understand why she was in the competition, as she clearly looked too old and too unmodelesque to be seriously considered a contender (although, Giselle was much worse). Also, although I can't really explain, there was just something about her personality that seemed like it would grate on my nerves if I had to put up with her: like the person you knew was nice and that you like, but you can only take in small doses.

2. Robin Manning (4^th Place)

Robin is exactly what every reality TV contestant should strive to be. From her religious tirades, to her bribing of a Parisian man to escort her around his city, to her dramatic elimination, Robin was a constant source of entertainment. As such a controversial character who was utterly blinded by her own delusions, Robin was able to get under the other girls' skins, all while remaining completely unphased by any possible retorts. For Robin, however, being wildly entertaining was not enough to top the list. Although she is certainly one of the most memorable characters to ever appear on ANTM, Robin is not the most likable of characters. Her crazy antics, while entertaining for the viewers, are something that would get old really fast if one had to actually experience it (what can I say: I like conflict as long as I am not around). Also, unlike Robin, my favorite Cycle 1 model was able to be memorable and entertaining without being a complete crazy!

1. Adrianne Curry (1^st Place)

Adrianne Curry is far and away my favorite contestant from the first cycle of America's Next Top Model. Sure, she wasn't as controversial or confrontational as Robin, but she was still a very entertaining character. The original tomboy contestant, Adrianne was a fresh variation of a common character. As proven in her confessionals, Adrianne was not only funny and charismatic, but relatively levelheaded and down-to-earth, especially in comparison to her overly dramatic competitors. Although many say that Elyse was robbed and often regard Adrianne's win as nothing more than Tyra's desire for a Cinderella story, I feel that Adrianne was one of the best winners the show has seen. Was she as good as Elyse, modeling-wise? Probably not. Should she have won? I would argue that, given Adrianne's performance and Elyse's stank attitude, Adrianne was more than deserving of winning America's Next Top Model. Since the show, Adrianne has made headlines, not for a successful modeling career, but for being an obnoxious reality TV whore along side her husband, Christopher Knight. However, it is her feud with Tyra over her prizes and Tyra's subsequent refusal to acknowledge her existence are perhaps what Adrianne is most known for among Top Model fanatics. Even after five years, Adrianne manages to still be one of the most memorable characters the show has seen. And to think, she didn't even need to be a zealot or an extreme bitch!