Sounds Like A Cult8 Jul 2025

The Cult of America's Next Top Model

This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and guest Sarah Hartshorne (@sarahbhartshorne) dig into the high-gloss, high-drama, and disturbingly high-control world of America’s Next Top Model. Once hailed as a launchpad for aspiring models, the long-running franchise masked emotional manipulation and identity erasure beneath a veneer of empowerment and fashion fantasy. From Tyra Banks’ god-like authority to the cultish language of “smize” and “booty tooch,” we explore how ANTM built a reality TV empire on forced makeovers, psychological pressure, and spectacle disguised as self-improvement. Sarah, who rose to fame as the only plus-size contestant on Cycle 9, joins us to expose what really went down behind the catwalk, drawing from her upcoming memoir You Wanna Be On Top? Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Start paying rent through Bilt and take advantage of your Neighborhood Benefits™ by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Right now save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy at https://PrettyLitter.com/CULT Please consider donating to those affected by ICE activity in the LA Area. Team SLAC are donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an LA-based immigrant rights organization providing legal services, policy advocacy, and direct aid to those most impacted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episoder(231)

The Cult of Dark Tourism

This week, Amanda is joined by author and travel writer Sheila Yasmin Marikar (@sheilaym) to descend into The Cult of Dark Tourism, the booming travel industry built around vacationing where very, ver...

18 Aug 1h 5min

The Cult of Lush

Prepare to be love bombed by a bath bomb. This week, Iman follows her nose into the aggressively fragrant Cult of Lush with the Scam Goddess herself, Laci Mosley (@divalaci) . Beneath the glitter, nak...

11 Aug 52min

The Cult of Sister Wives

This week, Chelsea, Reese, and Iman dive into The Cult of Sister Wives. Join us as we entice you with a little TLC chatter, before diving a bit deeper into the actual belief system that inspired it. W...

4 Aug 48min

The Cult of Y2K

Grab your flip phone, frost those lips, and feed your Tamagotchi. This week, Amanda, Reese, and Iman are (be kind) rewinding to The Cult of Y2K with PEN15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle (@annaryankon...

28 Jul 1h 1min

The Cult of Charity Scams

If you've ever donated to a GoFundMe after reading one heartbreaking Instagram caption... this episode is for you. This week, Chelsea and Iman are joined by bestselling author, speaker, and advocate M...

21 Jul 1h 2min

The Cult of Conversion Therapy

If you thought conversion therapy disappeared sometime around low-rise jeans and flip phones, you'd be very, very wrong. This week, Amanda and Reese are joined by Timothy S. Rodriguez (@timothy.s.rodr...

14 Jul 51min

The Cult of Women for Trump

She's blonde. She's patriotic. She's wearing a Bible verse on her T-shirt while telling immigrants to go back where they came from. She's voting for Trump. This week we're revisiting our episode on Th...

7 Jul 1h 2min

The Cult of Gooning

Today's episode is brought to you by Incognito Mode. This week, Amanda, Reese, and Iman descend into one of the internet's strangest corners: The Cult of Gooning. Joined by journalist Daniel Kolitz (@...

30 Jun 56min