Early morning shoppers witnessed quite a show at Union Station on Saturday, March 9. More than 150 women, dressed to impress in heels, and bundled up in jackets to shield them from the cold outside, waited in line with their mothers and friends looking on, hoping to make it on to Cycle 11 of reality TV show “America’s Next Top Model.”
The line of girls started in a historic section of the old train station and stretched past the main entrance and several large banners emblazoned with the phrase “Free to be Fierce” all the way to the food court. Some women drank coffee, others chatted with girls around them or on their phones.
“I got here at 7 a.m., and there were, like, 15 people,” said Ryan, a 23-year-old Top Model hopeful. “I left, and when I came back half an hour later, there was a huge line.”
Hosted by talk-show host and former Victoria’s Secret model Tyra Banks, “America’s Next Top Model” is currently airing Cycle 10, its fourth since moving to the CW from the now debunked UPN network. It has spawned versions in more than 30 countries around the world and currently airs new episodes on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Katie and Alex, two 20-year-old friends who came to the audition together, waited in line next to Ryan, both fashioned in high heels and skinny jeans.
“If you’re not auditioning, you get taken out of the line,” said Alex, indicating family members scattered around the area.
Standing off to the side and up against a store front, Denise Miranda from St. Louis waited for her 18-year old daughter, Sarah.
“She saw the little ad on TV,” Miranda said. “She just wanted to try it.”
Similarly, on the steps by the nearby entrance, a group of boyfriends sat, one toting a pink bag full of his girlfriend’s supplies. Luke, who sat among them in a blue, hooded sweatshirt, said that he arrived at 7:20 a.m. from St. Charles with his girlfriend Shannon.
“Before we were together, she had gone to Miami and tried out with a couple of modeling agencies there, but didn’t have a lot of luck, so she thought she’d give it a shot,” he said. “I don’t know how she even found out about this, but she watches the show religiously, so that’s probably how.”
At about 9:50 a.m., one of the many staffers wearing a green shirt addressed the crowd. All those hoping to audition would have to present three pictures of themselves, and no one less than 5 feet 7 inches while barefoot would be allowed to continue on, the staffer said. To ensure this, women were measured next to a height chart before receiving numbered envelopes that secured their spots. The staffer also said that, after 150 people had auditioned, no one else was guaranteed an audition.
Madeline, another contestant, sat on the floor against a railing, in a black shirt, jeans and heels.
“I came by myself,” she said.
A long-time fan of the show, Madeline said she decided to audition after becoming frustrated with the lack of a fashion industry in St. Louis.
Soon after the staff’s announcement, it was time for the judging to begin. After receiving their numbers, the hopefuls were lined up in order and led to a makeshift judging room, housed within a curtain-draped toy store. A staffer stood guard at the door.
Nearby, two girls slept back-to-back with envelopes in hand, worn out from the early morning and, perhaps, dreaming of making it.
