Let’s be real: 2005 was a wild time for television. Low-rise jeans were everywhere, everyone was obsessed with "The O.C.," and Tyra Banks was at the absolute peak of her "Top Model" madness. If you grew up watching UPN, America's Next Top Model season 5 probably feels like a fever dream of granola bars, "Mia Farrow" haircuts, and some of the most chaotic personalities to ever grace a runway.
Most people remember the big winners like Eva or Nyle, but season 5 is where the show really started leaning into its identity as a high-fashion soap opera. It was messy. It was iconic. And honestly, looking back at it now through a 2026 lens, it’s kinda shocking how much the industry—and the show—got away with back then.
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What Really Happened with the Winner?
There is still a massive debate among fans about the finale. Nicole Linkletter took the crown, but if you spend five minutes on any reality TV forum, you’ll see people screaming that Nik Pace was "robbed."
Nicole was the quintessential "English Rose." She was 19, from North Dakota, and had that doll-like look that was massive in the mid-2000s (think Gemma Ward or Lily Cole). But here’s the thing: Nicole was a bit of a "whiner" on camera. She complained about everything. On the flip side, Nik was this stunning, consistent force who never seemed to take a bad photo.
So why did Nicole win? Basically, it came down to the final runway and the "marketability" factor of the time. Nicole absolutely smashed that final walk in Thailand—yes, they went to London first but finished in Bangkok and Phuket—and she had that "it" factor that CoverGirl was looking for. Whether you love her or hate her, Nicole actually had a very solid career after the show, walking for Alice + Olivia and appearing in Elle Girl. She proved she wasn't just a "pretty face" picked for TV drama.
The Chaos You Probably Forgot
Season 5 wasn't just about the photos; it was about the absolute meltdown of a cast. We have to talk about Lisa D’Amato.
Lisa was... a lot. She was the "older" girl at 24 (which the show treated like she was 80), and she was known for talking to trees and her infamous "Cousin It" moment. She was arguably the best model in the house, but her personality was too "extreme" for the judges at the time. They cut her in sixth place, which felt like a total setup for her eventual win on the All-Stars cycle years later.
Then there was the granola bar incident.
Bre Scullark vs. Nicole.
It sounds ridiculous because it was. Someone (it was Kim) ate Bre’s granola bars, and Bre retaliated by pouring out Nicole’s Red Bull. It was peak reality TV pettiness. Bre was a fan favorite because she was so incredibly beautiful and had a voice like velvet, but that drama definitely clouded her path to the finale.
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Key Moments That Defined the Cycle
- The Haircut: Cassandra Whitehead, the pageant queen, was told she had to cut her hair even shorter to look like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby. She refused and became the first contestant to ever quit the show.
- The International Pivot: The show was supposed to be in London for the whole second half, but they had to move the final production due to the 2005 bombings. They ended up in Thailand, which gave us that stunning "floating" runway.
- The "Secret" Romance: Kim Stolz was the show’s first openly out contestant who really leaned into her identity on screen, and her "flirtation" with Sarah was a huge storyline that felt very ahead of its time for 2005.
Why Season 5 Still Matters
If you’re rewatching America's Next Top Model season 5 today, you’ll notice how much the judges, especially Twiggy (who joined this season) and Nigel Barker, focused on "versatility." This season was the bridge between the early, raw years of the show and the high-budget spectacle it became later on.
It also highlighted the brutal reality of the industry. The way they treated Cassandra over an inch of hair or how they critiqued Lisa’s "wild" personality shows how much the "model mold" has shifted since then. Today, Lisa’s "big" personality would probably make her a social media superstar instantly.
The season also gave us the "Wildboyz" photoshoot, which was... weird? Posing with Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O while they try to distract you is definitely one way to test a model’s focus. It was the kind of high-concept (and slightly low-brow) challenge that made the show a global phenomenon.
How to Apply the "Top Model" Lessons Today
While you might not be trying to win a $100,000 CoverGirl contract, there are actually some weirdly practical takeaways from this season of ANTM.
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- Understand Your Market: Nicole won because she knew exactly who she was selling to. In any career, knowing your "brand" is more important than just being the most skilled person in the room.
- Consistency vs. Peak Performance: Nik was consistent, but Nicole peaked at the exact right moment (the finale). Timing is everything.
- Don't Let the "Granola Bars" Win: The Bre and Nicole drama showed how easily small, petty distractions can derail your professional reputation. Keep your eyes on the prize.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the history of reality TV or the fashion industry of the early 2000s, checking out the post-show interviews with the Season 5 cast is a great place to start. Many of them, like Kim Stolz, went on to have massive careers in completely different fields—Kim ended up as a VP at Goldman Sachs and a successful author. It just goes to show that being "on top" doesn't always mean staying in front of the camera.
Check out the original episodes on streaming platforms to see the "English Rose" and the "Cousin It" antics for yourself. Watching the evolution of the contestants from the Mall of America auditions to the runways of Thailand is still one of the best "zero to hero" arcs in reality history.