The 8 Biggest 'ANTM' Meltdowns--Plus an Exclusive Look at the Tears on Cycle 23

While most cycles of America’s
Next Top Model have its standout moments -- including Tyra Banks yelling at
Tiffany (4), everything Jade said (6) and the pendulum runway (14) -- they all have
the always epic, always dramatic and always hilarious makeover meltdowns.

Like clockwork, two or three episodes into the cycle, Tyra gathers
the aspiring models around to tell them about their Tyovers.
And what starts with cheers and excitement, usually ends in bitter tears and
resentment. (In the contestants’ defense,
who thought beard weave was a good idea?) And cycle 23 is no different when
host
Rita Ora surprises the girls with their new signature looks.

MORE:
The ‘ANTM’ Glossary You Need to Model ‘H-2-T’

But, of course, not everyone is satisfied with their
transformation. ET has an exclusive first look at Cherish,
who is not ready to let go of her “virgin hair.” But as one of the stylists
puts it: “You won’t be a virgin for long.” Ouch!

The moment certainly ranks high among the makeover meltdowns
seen on the series. And in anticipation of all the drama to come, ET is looking
back on eight biggest makeover meltdowns:

8. Catie, Cycle 2

Pixie cuts definitely lead to the biggest meltdowns, though
it’s still unclear if Catie was crying for attention or if she was truly upset
with her shorter ‘do. While Catie is bitterly complaining about her makeover,
another contestant reveals that she can cry at the drop of a hat. “I look like a
boy!” Catie is then seen crying, to which Tyra replies: “You have to trust me,
OK? … You’re not going to look like a boy, girl. You’ve got some titties. You’ve
got booty.” Still bitter after the makeover, Catie calls her boyfriend,
complaining about her boyish look.

7. Brandy, Cycle 4

First Brandy was upset that she wasn’t going to get a
makeover. Then, after Tyra and J. Alexander took a closer look at her red afro,
they realized her hair had to go. Then Brandy became upset with the change to
her eyebrows. “There are two of you -- and you know who you are -- that pissed
me off,” Tyra proclaimed after the makeovers, referring to Brandy and Keenyah.
Brandy’s bad attitude landed her on the bottom two, but she ultimately survived
another two episodes.

6. Elina, Cycle 11

On cycle 11, Tyra upped the drama by revealing each of the
contestants’ new looks Swan-style,
only letting them see their makeovers in the mirror after it was complete. The
whole situation throws Elina, a self-admitted control freak, into hysterics.
Eventually the tears dry up and she puts on a professional face for the photo
shoot, but Elina is clearly still adjusting. “I’m not angry that I have this
look,” she says. “I just don’t look like myself anymore and letting go of that
is really hard.”

5. Molly, Cycle 16

While there were no tears involved, Molly was not happy with
her makeover -- and she made sure everybody knew it. She put on a stoic face at
the salon, convincing Jay that she could appease Tyra and potential clients
with her ability to adjust to a new look. But in the car ride home, it was
clear that she was not having it. “I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I’m
pissed off,” she said in the Top Model
van, before ranting in the confessional booth: “My hair is disgusting. My whole
head hurts. My ass hurts. I sat in a fucking chair for six fucking hours. In
Molly’s defense, the weave added to her hair was pretty noticeable and like Brittani
said: “It was that horrible.” During
panel, Tyra told her she had a “weave malfunction,” promising to fix it later
on.

4. Jael, Cycle 8

In a somewhat justified meltdown -- and probably a first for
the series -- Jael is brought to tears when she finds out her new makeover isn’t
cutting it. After sitting through eight painful hours of getting weave sewn in,
Jay announces that they don’t like the look. Not only are they going to take
out all the extensions, but they’re going to chop off what real hair she does
have to give her a Rosemary’s Baby
look. (Are you noticing a trend yet?)
“As my hair’s being cut off, I feel kind of traumatized,” Jael says.

3. Natalie, Cycle 12

While there have been plenty of tears over the years, Natalie
upped the fear factor in cycle 12. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” she yells as
the hairstylist tries to take scissors to her head in order to start chopping
off her long locks. “I know it’s going to be extremely short and that’s
something I’m not comfortable with.” Jay simply says, “You’re saying wait to
Tyra,” as Miss J tells the hairstylist to cut her hair. And it’s at that moment
that Natalie dodges out of the way, pissing everybody off. But the joke is on
her, because Tyra actually had no plans to cut her hair -- they just wanted to
teach her an early lesson about modeling. Oh, Tyra!

2. Bre, Cycle 17 

OK, first of all, it’s the All Stars season, so every contestant knows exactly what they’re in
for. However, that didn’t stop Bre from “raging” over her makeover: “I’m not
worried about getting my hair cut until I start getting my hair cut. Everything’s
going wrong. I think my chances of winning just went out the window and it’s
because I just lost my confidence. And I don’t know how to ace a photo shoot
when I don’t even feel good enough about myself to be in front of a mirror, let
alone a camera.” Oof, let it out! Eventually, Bre picks herself up and pushes
on -- but not without threatening to go home at least once.

1. Cassandra, Cycle 5

No meltdown was ever more epic or nasty. When it came to
that cycle’s Tyovers, Tyra wanted Cassandra to shed her beauty pageant locks
for a fierce Mia Farrow-inspired pixie cut. Upset by such a dramatic change,
Cassandra dragged her feet all the way to the salon chair. While she ultimately
went through with the makeover, Cassandra was truly resentful with Jay and Tyra.
Later, the host reveals she’s not happy with the initial cut and demands she
returns to the salon to get a true Mia Farrow pixie cut, sending Cassandra over
the edge. “It was the last straw in them completely trying to change who I
was,” she said before ultimately quitting.  

America’s Next Top Model
airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on VH1. And just for fun, watch a supercut of all the Top Model makeover tears: