ANTM Makes Legally Blind Model Walk DARK Runway

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[@cdn0199]

Honestly, at this point, I feel like JigSaw gave his victims more of a chance at winning his games than ANTM did with any of their "challenges".

[@therosiealejandra]

lmao true

[@timdean2810]

Feeeeeerrr suuuurrrree 😂🙌🙊

[@RickiEditsLifeMedia]

OMG that is the best way to describe this show! It’s sad but true!

[@vesperview]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@elchamo8849]

I can picture that perfectly

[@Aleera616]

The way the other girls talked about her legal blindness was absolutely disgusting. Being uninformed is no excuse for being cruel. Ask questions instead of assuming

[@timdean2810]

HUNDO-p 🔥🙌👌

[@charlotte7554]

Honestly, most folks assume blindness always means 100% darkness at all times, still. Just like folks assume using a wheelchair part-time means you're faking a disability. BUT it would've been so easy for producers to just literally inform the cast that a model is legally blind and needs accommodations. Amanda tried, but the other girls mostly ignored her.

[@cheerio2901]

THIS ❤

[@Mourmo12]

Eva saying she is short and didn’t complain. Girl, being short and being legally blind are different. Being legally blind is a disability. I don’t see how Amanda being able to see the runway before is considered special treatment or an advantage. She just wanted to look at it because it was dark and it was a curved runway.

[@roll3886]

I think how Jessica put it was right on point - it wouldn't be an advantage, she'd just be on the same playing field as the other girls

[@musicislovelyforme]

She also said other girls got to like walk by and peek it, but they specifically wouldn't let her look

[@charichari]

@@musicislovelyforme that is so messed up!

[@mercrystals9844]

The way that Amanda’s condition (RP) works is that night vision and peripheral vision are lost first. Over time the field of vision gets progressively narrower in a tunnel vision effect so that only central vision remains. These contestants didn’t bother to try to understand how it works and then decided she was clearly lying about it because she didn’t fit with their internalized stereotypes of how blindness works .

[@PandoraStolen]

And most people don't understand that at least 80% of people who are considered blind have at least some functioning Vision left. Everyone thinks that if you're blind you're completely blind or use the absolutely nothing and that's not always the case. I also learned that if you see a person with a walking cane and it has red on the end it means that that person has some functioning vision. At least in the US anyway. It means different things in different countries

[@coor0kun]

They keep calling it a "stick" but that's a white cane - it's illegal for anyone to carry a white cane unless they are legally blind! Absolutely ridiculous treatment.

[@manwigs]

I know 100% for sure that would never happen in fashion. You always have to do a dress rehearsal so they can practise, show the runway, see how the clothes move, finalise any changes. They pulled out of hair and makeup to do so. I have worked for the biggest fashion show and they always do a rehearsal

[@novu6196]

Even as someone who doesn't know anything about modelling or fashion, that seemed totally unprofessional 😂

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

Oh no! Not this one. 😬 They definitely wanted or hoped for Amanda to fall with this runway. She was the only one that was stopped from seeing the runway. She mentioned it in her Oliver Twixt interview.

[@zangyloveskawaii6003]

She was the only one? Whaaaatt?! What is wrong with people? I agree. Her treatment from the girls and production was horrific and not okay at all. And the girls made me quite disappointed in them, especially Eva. I absolutely cannot stand her in this cycle and apparently she is still like this a little bit to this day.

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

@@zangyloveskawaii6003 I was rather surprised at Yaya for that comment she made in the car. After Toccara said something, she was like, "But then she goes is this a pole?" I'm like REALLY Yaya. 🤨

[@zangyloveskawaii6003]

@@Jalil-wx7rh did Jess react to that episode?

[@PrettiOnePanda]

It was Norelle that fell. Not Amanda

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

@@PrettiOnePanda Right, but at least she saw the runway. Amanda said she was the only one who they didn't let see the runway.

[@binglemarie42]

18:08 Regarding Amanda's ability to model while blind, (1) there can't be many designers who want to show their clothing in the dark, (2) there are blind models now who walk the runway with their canes or their guide dogs. There are models who go down the runway with visible prosthetic legs or in wheelchairs! She can totally be a professional model while blind.

[@hydrogen3266]

They could pair her with a sighted model too, that could be cool if they did it correctly and the blind model was comfortable. She also doesn’t have to do runway, you can still be a successful model and prioritize photoshoots. I remember when Nyle DiMarco was on this show, there was a comment/complaint about how he always had to be looking at his ASL interpreter for directions, so I really think it’s just ignorance/ableism in this show

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

That is so cool. I did not know that. I want to research that now.

[@SobrietyandSolace]

@@hydrogen3266Walking in tandem with a sighted model is great idea

[@rosyface_]

Eva saying she’s short and her shoe was too small like it’s the same thing as Amanda being legally blind 🤯 I wish people would stop reducing disabilities in their significance. Amanda should absolutely be allowed to look at the runway in advance because her disability places her at a disadvantage and it’s a danger to her and others- what if she’d fallen off the runway onto the people watching? Amanda’s disability has a significant impact on her life, she’s not getting any “special treatment”. She’d be getting an accommodation to bring her closer to the baseline everyone else has by having working eyes. The way they treated her was absolutely disgusting.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

I know people associate “leveling the playing field” as cheating, but in Amanda’s case, that is not it. She is actually making sure she is on the same playing field as the other girls who don’t have her disability. I hate what she said. They are not the same thing as all. Your problem Eva can go away. Amanda’s disability does not.

[@carolinamurtha3102]

Eva being like “I’m short my shoes were small” …. Yeah, but you only need to wear those shoes for a few minutes to walk and then they come off and you’re fine. Amanda can’t do that ever with her eyes. And so what if you short? Those too small high heels can fix that for a moment too. With a degenerative eye disease doesn’t matter what you do, that sight is not coming back.

[@emmshelley]

As someone who works behind the scenes in big shows like that with multiple performers, I can't BELIEVE they wouldn't tell her how many steps were leading up to the runway. We will literally tell them, have it written on the actual stairs, hold your hand to guide you up AND count the steps out loud as you take them. They set those girls up to fail HARD

[@js.3157]

“They’re not gonna put tarantulas on us” that actually happens later this cycle lol.

[@MidwestArtist]

Right, the writers took notes. Lol

[@cmartinez6024]

@@js.3157 Jessica just keeps guessing the challenges in this show

[@rickyo7061]

​@cmartinez6024 lol , Jessica already viewed that one, I believe that's why she said it

[@Pugboy1321]

As a disabled person (not visual impairment) and disability advocate, the way they treated her is absolutely RANCID. The condition she has (RP) is extremely brutal too, even if people don't understand the specifics, mocking or claiming people get special treatment because they're disabled is always dirty. If this were an actual booked job, it's likely that the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) would require the employer to provide reasonable accommodations for her. In my opinion, letting a visually impaired person see the area they'll be working in beforehand definitely falls under reasonable and would pose no hardship to the employer. If anyone is confused about how the glitter helped her, most blind people don't just see black nothingness (and in her case she still has remaining vision at that stage in her disease), but even when they lose most of their vision they still have certain limited perception, for example being able to tell if a room has lights on or not. The glitter reflecting any light in the room plus her remaining night vision was probably enough brightness for her to see her path safely. (Also, just an educational note, the correct term for the stick blind people use is just a cane or a mobility cane :))

[@SobrietyandSolace]

Is that retinitis pigmentosa? I’m a carrier for that

[@Pugboy1321]

@@SobrietyandSolace Yes it is!

[@paws2reflect]

This is blatant disability discrimination.

[@ParentalDiscretionIsAdvised]

And it was 2004! If it wasnt blatantly discriminatory/derogatory, downright obscene and striaght violent, it was aired! And reality tv and competition based shows were essentially a new concept at the time. Up until the 2010s, it was the Wild, Wild West....you can compare it to the progression of KZbin

[@alexa42490]

Let alone very ableist as well.

[@virginiaanndavidson178]

👏 👏 👏 Exactly!!! 👏 👏 👏

[@cindyd4695]

Model: I am blind why weren't there lights? Tyra: As a model you are given peanut a day and need to humble thyself!

[@brookelee9745]

Eva comparing being short to be blind is wild. I remember can’t standing her and now I remember why

[@Racheleah2015]

Rewatching these episodes it’s no wonder we all grew up with body image issues

[@kristianliljegren7614]

On one of the early cycles of Britain's Next Top Model they kept giving the girls dinner parties with free cocktails as the standard reward for winning a challenge. Then they shamed them for being hung over and gaining weight afterwards.

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

I'm glad that Amanda to this day can still see a little bit, and not completely blind. I was hoping for that.

[@Mourmo12]

Me too.

[@therosiealejandra]

aww Thank you, I'm happy to know that

[@raigenhuss7030]

Didn’t they do something similar to Nyle Dimarco (Deaf model)? Making them shoot in the dark so he couldn’t see his interpreter, therefore not receiving any instruction.

[@Challam3ow]

I forgot who it was- it was the creative director- he ended up like hiding and banged on a box that Nyle was standing on so he could feel the signal of when to go.

[@cmartinez6024]

Yes, and placed him at the bottom two as punishment

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

Surprise surprise. Production was behind the missing laundry!!! They stole it.

[@ilovenycsomuch]

How do you know?

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

@@ilovenycsomuch Amanda said it in her interview with Oliver Twixt. She said they kept her laundry and later put them in the kitchen.

[@MissCaraMint]

Yeah it really is suspicious isn’t it. Two girls are having issues with each other and then suddenly stuff goes missing in a way that makes it look like one of those girls took it from the other. I smell setup a mile away. The production want the girls to fight. Makes for better tv.

[@GattlingCombo]

2000s reality tv was so fucked up. The way some of the contestants considered Amanda's disability an "excuse" would get the show cut off air today. Yikes. Also Eva equating her height to Amanda's blindness was interesting because Eva was 5'7. She was taller then most women on average =/ . And it is height, not vision. Gosh this show lol. It hits me on a personal level because I've had art instructors tell me that I wasn't allowed my accommodations for things I dealt with because it wasn't "fair to the other students."

[@melenatorr]

I realize that in the world of modelling, height is a factor, but I give an internal laugh when 5'7" is considered short: I'm a little under 5', so to me, on principle, the concept is funny. An episode of "Project Runway" many seasons back had non professional models wearing the designers' clothing. They do that almost every season, but in this particular episode, the nonprofessionals were being coached by the models. One of the nonprofessionals was a slightly older woman who was under average height. As she proudly and happily rehearsed her runway walk, she announced: "Five foot three is the perfect height for a model!" Her model coach was thrilled, and laughed and said "She's so cool, I just want to put her in my pocket."

[@exquisitebiscuit]

The show is abusive. Thank you for exposing it.

[@alexa42490]

Luxeria's ANTM episode reactions are also everything!

[@OhJasonOh]

Not really

[@Kevinkwame]

15:16 “that’s gonna make you a star” makes me think the designers wanted to “recreate” the iconic Naomi Campbell fall at Vivienne Westwood

[@c.k.mcknight8921]

That would fit Tyra's M.O., that's for sure. I remember the way she ruthlessly eliminated Will (Cycle 21, if I recall correctly) right before the final runway, justifying it by telling him it had happened to her before a show she was doing with Naomi Campbell.

[@PHSDM104]

​@@c.k.mcknight8921 That was Cory in Cycle 20. Will was still competing in his final runway.

[@c.k.mcknight8921]

@@PHSDM104 Ah, gotcha. Yeah, that was the cycle Jourdan won.

[@marymac3572]

This is an OSHA and ADA crossover lawsuit waiting to happen.

[@FrazJJ]

As someone whose siblings are legally blind,their treatment of Amanda pissed me off to no end!

[@rachelbutler3367]

The really crazy thing is that if this wasn't a competition, this might actually be illegal. ADA gives people with disabilities the legal right to "reasonable accommodations" in the workplace.

[@marissar.359]

Sadly in the girls' minds, reasonable accommodation = "special treatment."

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

Amanda advocating for herself is not complaining. As someone with two disabilities, I constantly find the balance between me advocating for the accommodations I need and make it sound like I am not complaining. And it is difficult in job interviews because as soon as you mention your disability, you get the look like yeah, we are not accommodating you. It is tiring. Also, them not following her accommodations is against the American with Disabilities Act. But people rarely enforce it. Like ageism, it is hard to prove that. I had to learn from a very young age that I had to pick my battles. I am so glad there was glitter on the runway. Amanda used something that made the runway accessible for her. She adapted. People with disabilities have to learn to adapt to society because society does not want to adapt to you. Not everyone is bad. Sometimes they just need to know. But some don’t want to accomodate you, sadly.

[@avonee1976]

This is pure violation of the ADA! I am so shocked they got away with that! She could’ve sued them! I loved Amanda. I wanted her to win so badly.

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

Don't worry Jess. I think ANTM is permanently laid to rest for future episodes.😂

[@cdn0199]

When even jokes are reality with this show.... "You have to run from a dragon while looking fabulous"..... meanwhile they actually did do a photoshoot where they were on treadmills running from a witch-y Miss Jay.

[@elchamo8849]

Watching this runway it was pretty obvious that it was set up for Amanda to fall off due to her being legally blind, which clearly shows the ableism on America’s Next Top Model. They did the same with poor Heather from Cycle 9 during the go-see’s, which I recommend you to watch Jessica and let us know your thoughts about it. Also Eva comparing her height with Amanda’s impediment isn’t the same thing that shouldn’t even be compared. Amanda wasn’t trying to get an advantage, at least that’s how I see it Edit: Miss J saying he didn’t know about Amanda being legally blind can be genuine or not, but I think that he’s not around the girls as much as long as it’s for runway coaching or panels

[@earl.c]

Miss J was there (episode 1) when Amanda told the semifinalists about her condition

[@CKsenior]

4:35 Jessica : thank god, they not gonna put a tarantula on us, or they not gonna sprinkle us with cockroaches. ANTM 3 : well, coughepisode8cough ANTM 6 : well, coughepisode4cought

[@sstjohn96]

I've been disabled all my life, and the show referring to accommodations as an "advantage" is disgusting. It doesn't even give us an equal advantage, we're still disabled. That excuse is why I was denied some accommodations in school (even in college). When I do excel, I was accused of making up my disability and getting an "unfair advantage" and even now as a grown adult am told "you aren't actually /that/ disabled". This last line was said to me recently by my own employer.

[@sarumatsu3698]

I know about the pinhole vision & blindness thing because of Matthew & Paul,, It's so triggering & so sad that they would do this to Amanda.. You never exaggerate Jessica,, you are voicing our opinions on the show.. This show was abusive to young girls and tried curshing their dreams and souls bit by bit..

[@IzzysTravelDiaries]

Most people who are legally blind have some sort of limited vision. On TikTok I'm actually following a blind illustrator and he and his partner made a video on how he does illustration. He's basically looking at the world through a tiny window. I really love following people with disabilities on TikTok, because I'm learning so much and knowledge makes the world a better place.

[@monicastamant]

Paul and Matthew - they are on KZbin too. Paul also has Retinitis Pigmentosa and he’s written and illustrated two books! He has a cane and a guide dog, Mr. Maple ❤

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

Heatherette loves Norelle right back. 😆❤️ I hope she did get a chance to walk for them after the show.

[@emdraws95]

The Heatherette gays were 100% into Norelle falling, they were genuinely supportive and loved that it was memorable

[@LazyPantsAdventures]

Speaking as an accessibility and disability consultant and advocate, and someone who used to teach acting in the early 00s she ABSOLUTELY should have been able to walk the runway in advance so she at least had an idea of what to expect. Even by early 00s standards they failed miserably (who's surprised tho really?🙄) Being able to walk the runway first is standard. No being vision impaired doesn't prevent her from being a runway model. Most situations that she will come across can be handled by simple accommodations that don't cost anything aside from someone else's time to make sure she understands the layout and knows where stairs and any potential obstacles are. Since she is experiencing gradual vision loss, she has more context on the environments as well as a pretty good idea as to her needs. I would imagine the biggest issues would be backstage, where people, clothes, and cables might be tossed everywhere and potentially blocking pathways that could cause trip hazards. As for Ms J... Maybe they didn't know if production intentionally hid it from them, it's not like they spent a lot of time with the model while she was actively using her mobility aid, and blindness - especially as she's experiencing it - is an invisible illness (i.e. you wouldn't necessarily know just by looking at them). So I might be willing to give Ms J a pass on that, except for the BS that advanced knowledge of the runway gave her an unfair advantage over the other models. If anything, it would have leveled the playing field. Disability Rights still has a long way to go, but even by the standards of their time, ANTM failed miserably

[@drewettgreen3688]

They did something similar in the later cycle they had a photoshoot in the dark where the models were depending on spoken instructions and one of the models (Nyle) was deaf. They just do it on purpose

[@courtneyr214]

Jess please don't listen to the comments! You can't make everyone happy and there will ALWAYS be contrarians. You're opinion is just that - YOUR opinion. Please don't let others opinions shape your content.

[@HurricanePony]

I think this should fall under ADA, and she was legally entitled to have a reasonable accommodation… knowing the layout of the runaway seems incredibly reasonable

[@swimgirl24]

That was my first thought too. What a horrible show

[@malinblitz]

"she was complaining about not seeing but she was doing all of this" blind people can dance, toccara

[@mya1207]

I honestly don’t think Ms J knew, I think producers pull strings and go out of their way to inhibit and humiliate these girls so I would not be surprised if that information was not given to J.

[@monie2193]

I think Jay Manuel had spoken out about that after he left the show.

[@kapru909]

ANTM: we’re ableist too!

[@OhJasonOh]

Not really, if they were ableist then Amanda probably wouldn’t have gotten casted to begin with

[@NellyNutmeg]

The modeling world is so weird that 5'7" is considered short for a woman lol

[@hydrogen3266]

And size 6 is “plus size”

[@tj2375]

What surprises me is that nobody died in that reality show. They did so many irresponsible dangerous stuff. Of course a blind model has to be accommodated for the blindness. In most countries there are mandatory accommodations by law. America is alone in the world not giving a crap. I don't know if people realize how alone America is in the world treating everyone like crap and impaired people even crappier.

[@aliaelle322]

I was recently in Scotland and London and I’m physically disabled. They were so much better in every way than the U.S. is with accommodating disabilities.

[@OhJasonOh]

@@aliaelle322how would they die? It’s not like they were doing anything truly dangerous

[@ColorfulBallerina]

Federal law requires that people with disabilities be given special accommodations. Their behavior and ignorant words are inexcusable!

[@ericdanforth3362]

I have the same eye disease as Amanda and people don't get that when we go to new places that aren't well lit we have to research the entire place to see if we can even enter

[@meganh4011]

This episode broke my heart the first time as I have vision problems.😢

[@mandysaied]

Not only are those heels ridiculously high but they’re mules! The hardest shoe to walk in!! They practiced in Mary Jane style shoes which stay on your foot without any effort. Mules do not!

[@lindseymassie9067]

Sometimes I’m like where does all the body dysmorphia j have come from and then I remember I grew up watching stuff like this. “Suck your gut in. It looks nasty”! Wtf!

[@jazbarry13]

Wherever there's ANTM, there's always Jigsaw in the background.

[@guido7316]

Can you please react to cycle 9 first photo shoot? The negative sides of smoking. In one set of frames, they looked glamorous while smoking. In the second set, they were shown how smoking had affected them.

[@silverhoney6969]

I remember this season and Amanda was such a stunning and gracious person. She deserved a contract somewhere in the world. This show purposefully does mean things for the views

[@PatisinCom]

I was booked for a job once and let him know that I have adhd, just idk to be transparent I guess at the end he said "well the fact that the project went well is literally the best proof of you not having adhd..." why do people always wanna proof you wrong, esp when it comes to our own body or health in generell

[@jeanams07]

It is absolutely insane! Especially nowadays they have no excuse to not use the literal encyclopedia of knowledge that they have in their hand 24/7, to look up what it really means for us. And in your case, if this person who booked you for the job had done any sort of research he would have figured out that your ADHD can be why you do fantastic a lot of the time, but might do absolutely horrible some of the time. And depending on what other stressors or distractions you may have going on (whether professional or personal), your external environment at that time, and so on you can't necessarily control which it will be for that day, week, and sometimes even that month. It so ignorant for them to think that just because we don't present the way they stereotypically believe someone with our mental or physical disability should, than it can't be possible that we have it. Holy crap, I thought we had come futher than that as a society as a whole 🤣🤦‍♀️😒😢.

[@nellrose4699]

Because so many of you claim to have these conditions when you actually don't.

[@azuraroycroft2419]

Same, I have ADHD and have worked hard to be able to function normally and have been told by people even close to me it's proof I never had it to begin with, I worked so hard to get here though

[@14olka14]

In Polish TM we have runway coordinator. She takes model before the show and teaches them choreography if it's more complicate. If it's normal she just says what can they improve

[@JamaicanFlava]

Yeah it seems most top models in other countries treat the contestants better in ways.

[@cherrybomb1386]

Miss Jay absolutely knew about her condition it was discussed at her audition he was there

[@kktypescript2137]

Has she done the episode where they had a photoshoot in the dark with a verbal countdown to jump for the shot and one of the contestants was deaf. He couldn’t hear the cue to jump and they literally got mad at him for missing the cue

[@Jalil-wx7rh]

I love Eva, but that comment she made about the shoes and short...Eva, girl, it's not close to the same or even similar. But she wasn't the only one. So singling her out was kinda lame.

[@sagejennings4342]

This show LOVES to go "I know you're plus sized but pretend to be skinny as best you can" "short girl season! Make sure to really elongate your bodies and look tall"

[@morganholman1274]

Luckily most runways seem to be well lit, because they’re trying to sell clothes and people want to be able to see them.

[@mayan-c]

have you seen the season 10 challenge where the models photograph paulina porizkova and are judged on their photography skills & direction? I feel like that would be really fun to hear your commentary

[@zangyloveskawaii6003]

Jess I am loving your reactions and input on these ANTM vids and have been binggiiinnnggg them ❤ You are so relatable Jess 🤣 “You want me to leave the comfort of my home…to a place that has no pizza? No.” Gurl plz. Dont listen to those people in the comments. If they cannot see how ridiculous the way the models are treated in this competition and how their safety is disregarded then they are part of the problem.

[@meg5553]

comment for the algo. gosh X_X i watched this show SO MUCH as a teen, seeing it back is wild how ableist/fatphobic/ -ALL THE THINGS it was

[@gearsandsteam1]

People are out here only being willing to accept disabilities if it meets their expectations of disability! Amanda has a visual impairment that puts her at a disadvantage and impacts her life a lot! She needs things like the walking cane and to see the runway ahead of time for her own safety and so she can function on the same level as abled people

[@steph678]

It's still not an equal playing field no matter the accomidation.

[@christynpolk2855]

I actually believe that Miss J didn’t know about Amanda’s impairment. In the early seasons Miss J was just the runway coach so they didn’t see the girls that often.

[@ericainbloom]

Yes she deserves to be treated appropriately for her impairment as any individual would be in the workplace because it’s illegal discrimination. Fashion is for everyone. EVERYONE.

[@kelseykreiser8363]

They should’ve have let Amanda see the runway before hand and walked with her to let her know where to stop and made sure she was safe. That should’ve been their priority.

[@shelbycaldwell1265]

I think the modeling industry should be more inclusive of disabilities. It would make me happy to see an accommodation like a walking stick on a Runway. I think there should be a place for everyone in modeling and I hope that exists and she can find it.

[@mMonazzzLindozz]

Comparing being short to being legally blind was disgusting

[@momedusa]

The ableism in this episode is so gross, from the challenge itself, to the people purposely not letting her see the runway, to the other girls talking about it with Miss Jay. Accommodations are not "special treatment." They exist SO everyone has a fair shot, and even then they usually don't cover all disabled people's needs or even a fraction. It doesn't inconvenience any able bodied person for disabled people to be properly accommodated, unless they feel disabled people are an inconvenience in general.

[@angeliccow]

Reasonable accommodations would be 1. A chance to see walk and step count the runway prior to show start 2. A count of any steps up or down provided I wonder if there will be designers booking her and letting her use the cane on the runway - certainly would be a step forward

[@TroubledFerretzz]

"How is she blind and doing thiiiiis and thiiiiiiiis" : Fun fact! Your eyes are not actually located in your shoulders, ribs or abdomen!

[@maydoubled]

If you haven't already, you should cover episode 6 of this season. They told Yaya not to do 'dancer' poses (whatever that means) over and over but praised Amanda for doing the same type of poses.

[@Utubuser1818]

Jessica, this is really awesome! A little behind the scenes gossip from the Oliver Twixt Chats! Amanda said that they kept her isolated from the other girls and that she wasn't even allowed to use the toilet for fears of her seeing the runway! Thankfully, as she was about to enter, she asked quickly how many steps to another contestant, thus knowing that, at least, before walking through the runway! You bring such positive, contagious energy! You should watch C5 episode with the Ganola bar 'The girl who retaliates', basically, production stole the bars and made Bre think it was Nicole. Thus, she retaliated, creating the drama that would make producers happy, with lots of issues during the photoshoot, judging, and behind the scenes! The eliminated girl WILL surprise you! It's amazing how production sets everyone up, kinda prompting the girls to fall for the drama!

[@cmartinez6024]

0:53 “suck a gut, anything hanging out looks nasty” what a nasty comment, Sundai was right, Miss Jay is the actual meanest in that show

[@donnakobayashi5587]

It's not a walking stick... it's a white cane. But what professional model would NOT get to see/know a runway before performance?

[@sagejennings4342]

Predicting what they'll say about if she falls for why to put her in the bottom two: "Everyone has obstacles. Everyone has challenges. But we overcome them. We don't let them hold us back. We believe and we push forward and we put in the effort. You could have done that, but you chose to pity yourself." edit: they're gonna say to the other girl "and you're not even blind!"

[@imsunnybaby]

Amanda's look was so amazing too!!!!!!!! the jacket was unbelievable!!!

[@ckilbarger01]

Well we've already hit racist, fat phobia, and an unsafe work environment so adding in ableist just fits with the show

[@KarlaGuevaraWalton]

ANTM is one of those shows that aged horribly. Looking back it is hard to believe it became so popular when the contestants were treated so poorly.

[@GoreChick]

Seriously- F Ms Jay for calling a girl nasty because she's a plus model. That's so messed up. It's sick that he was allowed to treat them like that.

[@relaxandunwind564]

was osha just like "nah" and turned the other way?

[@deadsetondreams1988]

I am 100% legally blind without my glasses, and I used to watch this show when I was a child, I completely forgot about Amanda! My representation!! The best way to describe what I personally see without my glasses is as if you are looking at the world with a Gaussian filter on top of everything. Or as if it has bokeh within a certain range. I can only see things clearly if they are within maybe 6 or so inches in front of my eyes, everything else is blurry. I can kind of make out the general shapes of items but they just look like blobs of color essentially. And it is in fact worse at night. I've had to wear glasses since I was a child and each time I've gotten my eye exams, they have gotten progressively worse. I don't know the name of my exact eye condition though, I just know I'm, as I said 100% legally blind. I just got 2 canes (1 solid cane and a foldable travel cane like Amanda had) and have started to try to learn Braille in case my vision continues to decline as it has been doing. I get tension headaches a lot from looking at screens and from having to wear glasses 24/7. And It's gotten to the point where even with my glasses I have to squint sometimes to see things, everything is constantly blurry. And I have to enlarge everything to see it clearly. Like when I type now I have to make the font 20+ then shrink it back down when I send it. Amanda has Retinitis Pigmentosa which means her eyes get worse and worse and eventually she will be completely blind. The best representation of this Paul from the KZbin channel Matthew and Paul. Paul also has Retinitis Pigmentosa and they have cute prank videos as well as educational videos. Paul is to the point where he has what he describes as a pinhole worth of vision left and the rest is dark and kind of like television static. Our visual impairment aids allow us to function on an equal playing field to those who have 20/20 vision, they don't give us advantages in the way these girls are thinking... Also, thank goodness for the glitter, I feel like it isn't too much to ask to do minor tweaks to allow accessibility assistance. They could easily line the walkway with LED strips or make them have lights underneath so the models can see it better, especially if it's irregular. Or if they don't feel comfortable walking, they can do more photoshoot modeling instead. Allowing them to use wheelchairs/ canes etc. could be cool too. Because the designer could even decorate the cane or chair depending on the fashion they created. As a random example if the theme is fairies and the person is in a wheelchair they could put fact moss on the chair and make it look like the model is in a forest or something. I saw a company designs special wheelchair wheel covers so the designer could design one with their brand on it or have a design that matches the clothes/ theme. There are so many options they can use to be inclusive. The only reason I could think as to why they didn't let her see the runway beforehand was that the crowd was already in the building. But that isn't a difficult ask, had they not left everything to the last freaking minute, preparation-wise. And not telling her how many steps it was to walk up is just ridiculous, it takes a few seconds to count the darn things. I highly recommend watching the channel Matthew and Paul, and Molly Burke who also lost her vision after being sighted. They've been comforting me and helping me get more informed about my own visual impairment issues.

[@ginnyleedays]

They are required to be ADA approved, and accommodate her disability. If they continue to not abide to laws that are put in place for those with disabilities, they may end up with a Law Suit, and also have to be monitored for their sets, especially since they have been negligent mulitple shows. They will be reported the proof is right before us.

[@anab4359]

Eva was such a bully in that season, i didnt like her, poor Amanda getting bullied. I think thats why Eva won because they liked that about her.

[@fanya2657]

As far as I’m concerned, Amanda’s condition is similar to being a minority: Others may think you’re getting special treatment, when in fact, you’re not given special treatment preference due to Affirmative Action, but you’re not given other any help.

[@jhjjhg1]

She could see the runway because the glitter on the runway reflected light and vision is all about light. She can see a little during the daylight, so the reflectiveness of the glitter made the runway more visible to her, I don't know how this is so hard to understand to the other girls even back when this was filmed. It's so upsetting to see how Amanda was treated. Molly Burke who is completely blind had a similar if not the same degenerative vision disorder, and she as of a few years ago (I haven't watched her in a while) could still see a little light like the reflectiveness of glitter too.

[@Soupy-sl4hr]

Imagine being in a dark room and your eyes first start adjusting to the things in the room. That’s how my Grandma who was legally blind explained it to me. Now imagine that in a room with zero light, and that’s what it like at night

[@TroubledFerretzz]

Another thing to point out is before she ever got on the show there is a superb chance that she had gone through a class provided by the state she lives in called "Orientation and Mobility" where she learned how to walk using her cane. Basically how to navigate. Depending on what her medical visual acuity is which in cases of blindness are usually only getting worse with time.... they would have taught her how to use the feedback (sound, tactical, and direction ) from her cane and memorizing routes as you travel them. A lot of us get so good at navigation and memorization and utilizing all the remaining feed back we have to compensate for a lack of a sense. Its not "Super senses" at all... its just you are forced to pay far more conscious attention to those other senses.

[@LoveliestSunflower95]

They should’ve accommodated for Amanda since they knew she was *LEGALLY* blind. And even worse she had to walk a dark runway

[@racheledmunson7296]

I guess the Americans with disabilities act doesn't apply to Top Model. I used to love this show lol! Now I see the problematic situations. The early 2000s were strange times!

[@charlyblue4174]

I‘m all for inclusion, just allow the stick, make it cool even. Allow her a walk around the runway to count her steps. Is that really too much to ask for?

[@TheRavenShim]

so I wear a lot of very high heels (Pleasers) mostly with platforms, and usually platform heels (like the neon green ones) are easier to walk in than traditional heels, they usually have added support and a stronger base than non-platform heels. obviously still dangerous in this situation lmao but just wanted to mention that platform heels are sometimes more intimidating than they look! also I NEED those green heels they're so gaudy.

[@alexacosta3655]

I think Amanda could sue them for this!! Hope she's doing well in life, always though she was gorgeous but didn't know she had this health issue

[@whitneysmithdevargas402]

You can tell they wanted/expected her to fall based on how focused they were on her behind the scenes. Also, there may have been just enough light to keep her on the runway. This was highly irresponsible of the show. Even if Miss J didn't know about her eyes, everyone else did.

[@zombbae]

Eva is a bully. Such a bad look.

[@batty-bites3185]

it's wild that someone is comparing a disability to having too-small shoes or being short.

[@mkefashion4all]

See this my thing we all have disabilities and sometimes they won't be easy in this world as someone who mentally sometimes we may have good days and bad but still we get it done they all were not understanding and not kind but Amanda still killed it ❤

[@romerpedronphotography7612]

All professional Runway Shows Have a runthrough where all the models literally do a practice walk and see the runway before the show. Everything is usually choreographed.

[@TheFeminineExperiencePodcast]

You missed the entire fight that came after this where Amanda is crying about her stolen crystals and the girls are mad at Eva..

[@PHSDM104]

That whole thing was a mess.

[@keltzy]

The scene that made me fall in love with Kelle.