From the Associated Press by way of the Wall Street Journal:
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Three people were arrested and six others hurt after bedlam broke out while they waited to audition for “America’s Next Top Model” Saturday, police said.
Police didn’t know what prompted the chaos involving hundreds of people outside the Park Central New York hotel. The panic left the midtown street outside the hotel littered with the would-be models’ shoes and clothing.
[...]
Two women and a man were arrested on disorderly conduct charges, police said. Authorities also shut down the audition, saying it wasn’t properly organized.
Four injured people declined treatment, while two others were taken to a hospital, the fire department said. Their conditions weren’t immediately available.
ANTM producer Tyra Banks is trying to change the stereotypes of models so they are planning a cycle that is only open to women who are less than 5′7″ tall, and the bedlam described above was one of those auditions. I have never watched the show (I’m definitely not in the target demo), but I can’t be the only one who would at least sneak a peek at the show where they show people waiting in line at the auditions and all hell breaks loose. Maybe the CW will find a home for Hopeful Models Attack (each other).
Update: more details. It does appear that had the process for waiting in line at the audition been better organized, all of this could have been avoided.
Here a wannabe model details her experiences of the day (she bailed before the riots) and gives Tyra a piece of her mind at the very end. “Thanks for nothing Tyra!”
Overhead views of the scene (Police throw someone down at around the 2 minute mark):
Yeah, that I’d watch.
lol… that’s just sad
I blame the economy.
This is a by-product of reality television, which glorifies unsavoury and violent behaviour.
I’m sure the producers will include every ugly moment of this mob rioting in a highly promoted episode for the next season of ‘America’s Next Top Model’, and it will probably set some sort of ratings record.
Which will only lead to more ‘riots’ in the future, much the same way that stage brawls became such a fixture on shows like Springer and Maury.
No video on YouTube? I can’t imagine that in a group of people wanting to be models that no one filmed themselves or others.
it’s not great footage, but you can see a.) the total chaos it was and b)the cops putting the beatdown on at ~2:00 minute mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5XCAw61jaI
Thanks for posting the video! This is unbelievable.
WOW. These are America’s Next Top Model wanna-bes?
The ANTM hopeful in the first video says the cops were standing around staring. Really? Hundreds of beautiful women lined up for blocks. What could possibly distract them?
Well they could have solved the problem by just having someone there to look at say the girl in the video and say “go home,” and cut that line down dramatically. I’m sure there were plenty just like her that should have been told “not interested.”
I mean seriously, I bet the vast majority waiting in that line were no where near model caliber. Having a talent scout outside making sure the unworthy were escorted out would have saved the show a lot of time with interviews, etc.
“The panic left the midtown street outside the hotel littered with the would-be models’ shoes and clothing.”
Wow, dreams really do come true.
I’ve wanted to read this sentence since I was 12 years old.
“It does appear that had the process for waiting in line at the audition been better organized, all of this could have been avoided.”
But, what would be the fun in that.
Tyra has paid her dues and is where she is because of persistance and love of her trade. People need to learn to coexist with one another.