The fourth season of Germany's Next Topmodel (GNTM) aired on the German television network ProSieben from 12 February 2009 to 21 May 2009.
[1] Also the winner of the first cycle of Austria's Next Topmodel, Larissa Marolt was automatically secured a place among the top 20 finalists who will be chosen out of the semifinalists from the different audition cities and the written applications.
The international destinations for this cycle were set in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City and Singapore.
The editors of Germany's Next Topmodel tried to make her cry because of her illness and she also reveals: "I found out years later that Samsung would have liked to book me, but from the production side it wasn't allowed".
[5] In September 2022, the winner of the 4th season, Sara Nuru, joined the criticism of the show as she said: "I was not aware of how blatantly young women were treated there.
"[8][9] In February 2023 Der Spiegel gives a glimpse into the notorious gag contracts that candidates have to sign in order to be able to take part in the Heidi Klum show.
Germany's Next Topmodel can thus stylize people like Tessa Bergmeier (Season 4) as "bitches" without them being able to defend themselves effectively afterwards.
[10][11] In February 2023, the Berliner Zeitung published an article about the show with the headline: "Why isn't Germany’s Next Topmodel actually canceled?
"[12] In February 2023 at the beginning of the 18th season, Heidi Klum gave a 10-minute speech in which she denied all allegations against her and the show and blamed the candidates themselves.
On the other hand, because in the show very young girls in absolutely exceptional and stressful situations meet experienced editors who know exactly what the viewers later want to see on television.
[18] Frankfurter Allgemeine headlined: "This woman only has dollar signs in her eyes" and also assumed that Heidi Klum was doing a perpetrator-victim reversal.
[21][22] 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."
[23] 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.