America's Next Top Model Finale Ends in Controversy

 

Lisa D'Amato (left) and Angelea Preston

America's Next Top Model crowned a winner Wednesday night in its all-stars cycle, but not before a shocking and largely unexplained disqualification of one of the final three contestants.

Lisa D'Amato, Allison Harvard, and Angelea Preston were battling for the crown, but after an unusual panel, the judges declared that Preston was disqualified – without saying exactly why – and that D'Amato and Harvard would square off for the title.

Eventually, D'Amato was named the winner, but the buzz around the Internet continued to focus on the nature of Preston's dismissal.

In a statement, the CW said it had learned information about Preston after the show wrapped that disqualified her, and actually re-shot scenes, suggesting Preston might have been declared the winner the first time around.

The network said: "After production wrapped on the current cycle of America's Next Top Model, we learned information that made Angelea ineligible and she was subsequently disqualified from the competition. As a result, new scenes were filmed to address this for the audience during the finale."

There has been speculation, not confirmed, that Preston might have bragged about her victory on her Facebook page before the finale, thus breaking the rules of the competition.

Tyra Banks