The first season of Germany's Next Topmodel (often abbreviated to GNTM) aired on German television network ProSieben from 25 January 2006 to 29 March 2006, with twelve girls in the competition.

For the next challenge, the 20 remaining models were taken by bus to the Zeche Walsum, a coal mine in Duisburg, where they had to walk down a runway for an audience of miners.

The first photo shoot took place on the rooftop of a skyscraper, where the girls were shot by Russell James in Victoria's Secret lingerie.

Back at the loft, the girls were given a runway lesson by Bruce, in which they had to balance a book on their heads while walking.

Her and Charlotte completed the task best and as a grand price they were invited to the "Night of the Proms" in Rotterdam by Heidi Klum's husband Seal, whom they also got to meet backstage.

There was a bulletproof glass basin filled with 12.000 liters of water which weighs 30 tons, in which the girls have to pose underwater wearing evening gowns.

The casting is only a test which the girls however do not know and Heidi pushes them to be absolutely pitch perfect with their walk and their presentation.

The purpose is to determine which one of the six girls would be able and ready to be cast by a world-famous fashion label and actually be considered for the job.

The girls are asked to put on different Escada outfits and accessories and have to strike a pose as well as do a short runway walk for Brian Rennie.

Her and Janina are the best and may for one evening and one night go to Paris where they meet Peyman Amin from IMG models who takes them out clubbing.

While Lena and Janina are still travelling back to Germany from Paris the other girls are already on location for their photo shoot in a theater in Cologne.

Their task is to use the moves they have learned from Georgia in order to deliver a really cool photo with a lot of movement and expression.

Lena G. and Janina are tired after only one hour of sleep, however they pull themselves together and after a short "warming up" they take good photos.

The next morning body painting artist Joanne Gair arrives from New Zealand and wants to get to know the girls before the shoot in person.

The body painting will be an animal print winding around the shoulders, legs, breasts and stomach with long hair extensions and a dark but warm background and lighting.

She has done the famous cover of Vanity Fair with a pregnant Demi Moore and she did some amazing Body Painting shoots with Heidi for Sports Illustrated.

Jennifer poses second and Joanne is very respectful and kind and creates an atmosphere so the girls forget they have nothing on except color on their body.

Heidi respects Lena for not taking her clothes off immediately, but thinking it through and making sure that she feels comfortable with the people on the set.

After taking a vacation at home for one week the girls meet at Munich airport without knowing their destination.

Next runway training takes place at the Santa Monica Pier, one of the most famous beach promenades in the world.

With a lot of time pressure they must match their make-up to the outfit and express their style on the runway using one of the different walking techniques taught by Bruce.

Janina takes it very hard and she talks badly about Jennifer who she feels does not even want to be a model and she would have deserved to stay on the show instead of her.

They must convince the Casting Director AND prove Heidi thereby that they would be as top models able, to slip before the camera into a strange role.

Still do not know Lena, Jennifer and Yvonne that morning will become a completely special day for it: at 7 o'clock of morning starts the photo shoot with the chief talking document urine of the German Cosmopolitan, Petra Gessulat and star photographer Pavel Havlicek.

The small show in the club in LA, training with Bruce - everything served the preparation on a completely special moment!

In February 2023, the Berliner Zeitung published an article about the show with the headline: "Why isn't Germany’s Next Topmodel actually canceled?

[10][11] In March 2023 BILD published the following message: "If the contestants get along too well, they will receive instructions from the crew to argue and produce beef."

[12] In April 2023, Heidi Klum said about everything that happens at Germany's Next Topmodel: "At the end of the day I'm the boss and I make the rules!

The makers of the documentary admitted that they are familiar with difficult investigations, but they have never experienced it before that so many people were afraid to talk about what happened as these former participants and employees of Germany's Next Topmodel.

A crew member of the show who wished to remain anonymous is quoted as saying: "If you film a young woman from morning to night, you'll get every sectional image you want.