“Germany’s Next Top Model” is entering a new round. The new season of the model casting show with Heidi Klum (50) starts on February 15th. In the 19th season there will be an innovation that many fans of the format have certainly longed for: men who want to fulfill their dream of modeling will also appear on the catwalk. This means that two winners will be chosen at the end for the first time. In the past few seasons, the show has tried to develop further and make changes, sometimes more, sometimes less.
The first season started in 2006. Lena Gercke (35) was crowned the winner in the recorded final. In the fourth season there was a live show for the finale for the first time, in which Sara Nuru (34) won “Germany’s Next Top Model”. In season seven, not only three, as usual, but four candidates made it to the live final for the first time. For the first time, Klum also awarded a wildcard in the 2012 season, which went to a candidate from season six and who had to be eliminated early on.
In the eleventh season, the candidates were divided into teams. The models fought in Team Thomas Hayo (55) or Team Michael Michalsky (56). The two judges coached the young catwalkers, who were accommodated in different accommodations, in different ways.
In season twelve, “Shoot Outs” awaited the young models for the first time. Several times during the season, Klum selected two shaky candidates who could compete in tasks and the respective loser had to leave the show. The following year, something changed about the show’s profits. The winner Toni Dreher-Adenuga (24) was on the cover of “Harper’s Bazaar” instead of “Cosmopolitan”.
Season 14 saw a major change to the format. While Heidi Klum previously had changing jurors at her side, but the same throughout the season, she now resorted to different guest jurors within the season. The change continues to this day. In 2019, for example, the first “GNTM” winner Lena Gercke, model Winnie Harlow (29) and presenter Thomas Gottschalk (73) were there.
Especially since season 16 in 2021, the casting show wants to focus on more diversity. “By now, hopefully the viewers know that ‘GNTM’ doesn’t have to be blonde and blue-eyed. Diversity is very important to me,” explained Heidi Klum before the start of the season. She’s looking for a girl “who has star appeal. A girl who can transform like a chameleon but still remains authentic.” For the first time in 13 years, the winner of the 16th season did not receive a contract with Günther Klum’s (78) modeling agency ONEeins Fab. The artist agency SAM Artists was responsible for marketing the show’s young models. The season was also accompanied by an unwanted but necessary change: Due to the corona pandemic, production remained in Europe and did not film in the USA.
In season 17 the motto “Diversity” continued. There were models with a height of 1.54 to 1.95 meters, with dress sizes from 30 to 54 and with an age range of 18 to 68 years. The latter in particular was a novelty in the show. “Older models are becoming more and more popular. Beauty knows no age,” explained Klum at the start.
In the last season to date, the young models went to Los Angeles in the first episode. So far, the move to the model villa in sunny California has been a reward for models who have already successfully completed several challenges. However, the candidates had to fear new competition at a later date, as six replacements joined in episode eight. Most of them were Best Ager Models. In the end, however, curvy model Vivien Blotzki (22) won.
