[1][2][3] Contestants who have previously participated in another Top Model franchise can still apply for the competition as long as they were not the winner, and are not currently under contractual obligations with an agency or endorsing any product or brand.

[1][2][3] In contrast the American version, the contestants receive instruction from a mentor who helps coach them in various aspects of the modelling industry and acts as a general assistant during photo shoots and challenges.

Indonesian supermodel and actress, Luna Maya, and former mentalist, Deddy Corbuzier, were added to the original panel as the host and creative consultant of the show respectively, while fashion model, Patricia Gouw, and fashion choreographer, Panca Makmun, were added to the original panel as judge, catwalk coach, and main model mentor.

Videos of their remarks went viral on social media, in which many took to Twitter and Instagram to express their disapproval and also sympathy for Ilene,[12][13] including psychiatrists and celebrities, also the former Asia's Next Top Model host Nadya Hutagalung.

[17][18] Those remarks subsequently were edited out from the episode in the show's official YouTube channel in response to the backlash.

Not long after the episode aired, Luna posted a vlog on YouTube where toward the end of it, she called Shynka bego (very stupid) and mocked her decision to quit.

[22][23][24][25] Luna then received a lot of criticism for her remarks towards Shynka in the comments section and those statements were eventually edited out from the video.

[26] Viewers were seen debating on whether Shynka's decision to quit the competition was unreasonable enough to warrant such response.