Australia's Next Top Model is coming to America.

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VH1 has announced that Australia's Next Top Model will make its American debut on Monday, March 5 at 10PM ET/PT when the cable network premieres the show's first season.  Based on The CW's America's Next Top Model -- which was co-created by supermodel Tyra Banks -- the Australian version of the reality competition series followed 10 young women as they spent two months living together in Sydney and competing for the foreign editon's own Top Model title.  Filmed in late 2004, the series originally aired in Australia in January 2005.

Australia's Next Top Model's eight-episode first season was hosted by model Erika Heynatz.  Judges for the first season of Australia's Next Top Model included fashion designer and former model booker Alex Perry; celebrity fashion stylist Ken Thompson; former Harper's Bazaar managing editor Marguerite Kramer; fashion photographer Georges Antoni; and fashion industry guru Victoria Fisher.  The winner of the first season of Australia's Next Top Model received an eight-page spread in Cleo magazine, a Napoleon cosmetic campaign, representation from CHIC Model Management, and a trip to Milan -- where she met with the renowned Fashion agency.

In June 2005, VH1 acquired exclusive syndication rights to America's Next Top Model first four seasons, and the deal also included the rights to the show's upcoming fifth and sixth editions, as well as options for any additional editions of the series that may be produced. 

Australia's Next Top Model since filmed two additional seasons since its first edition debuted down under in January 2005.  The third season of the series is scheduled to premiere on March 27 in Australia.

VH1 has actually acquired the rights to both of Australia's Next Top Model's first two editions, however it is currently unknown when -- or presumably "if," given that it's unclear what level of interest the two-year old foreign edition will attract among American Top Model viewers -- the network will broadcast the Australian show's second season.  "[We are] only airing the first season at this time," a VH1 spokesperson told Reality TV World on Wednesday.

The 10 finalists featured on the first season of Australia's Next Top Model -- and their ages and occupations at the time of their 2004 participation -- are:

- Simmone Duckmanton, a 19-year-old pizza shop worker from Melbourne, Victoria

- Nicole Fraser, a 19-year-old waitress from Albury, New South Wales

- Zoe McDonald, a 20-year-old hairdresser from Gold Coast, Queensland

- Shannon McGuire, a 20-year-old receptionist from Perth, Western Australia

- Samantha Morley, a 20-year-old student from Gold Coast, Queensland

- Atong Tulba Mulual, a 19-year-old fashion retail assistant from Sydney, New South Wales

- Allana Ridge, a 20-year-old professional dancer and cheerleader from Sydney, New South Wales

- Gemma Sanderson, a 22-year-old student from Newcastle, New South Wales

- Naomi Thompson, a 22-year-old accounts clerk from Townsville, Queensland

- Chloe Wilson, a 19-year-old waitress fromAdelaide, South Australia


About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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