A free-to-air South African TV station, e.tv, has said that last Tuesday’s invitation for applicants for contestants on the first season of Tyra Bank’s Africa’s Next Top Model, is a scam.
The TV station made the accusation after South African businessman Tom Kelly said that Africa’s Next Top Model would be screened in mid-April by the station and that he and Tyra Banks the owner of the US franchise of the TV show, would search for models for the show.
Vasili Vass, e.tv’s spokesman, said: “The station is not associated with the show. We suspect that this whole thing is a scam, as they want people to pay R400 (Sh 3,350) into an account.”
Kelly later dismissed Vasili terming it as sour grapes because the channel had lost its rights to host the show. Young women from Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Cape Verde Islands will compete for the prestigious title of Africa’s Next Top Model 2009. The first 100 contestants selected on March 29 will go through an elimination process, which will take place on April 10 in Johannesburg.
The winner will walk away with a $100,000 (Sh8 million) modelling contract with IMG Models, a six-month contract as the face of Louis Vuitton as well as the chance to co-present on The Tyra Banks Show.
