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NEED TO KNOW
Shandi Sullivan came in third on cycle 2 of America's Next Top Model
She later left modeling and pursued a career as a jewelry store owner and podcast host
During the 2026 Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Sullivan claimed she was sexually assaulted on-camera
Shandi Sullivanis reflecting on her time in the hit competition seriesAmerica's Next Top Model.
The Walgreens clerk-turned-aspiring model finished third in the show's second cycle. Though Sullivan — who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns — impressed judgesTyra Banks,Janice Dickinson,Nigel Barkerand J. Alexander with their dramatic makeover and high-fashion potential, their run became most remembered for a highly publicized incident during an overseas trip to Milan, Italy.
In the 2026NetflixdocuseriesReality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Sullivan claimed thatAmerica's Next Top Modelproduction shaped a narrative around her cheating on her boyfriend with a Vespa driver. But the former model described their encounter as sexual assault.
"I remember him on top of me," Sullivan told filmmakers, noting that she was "hammered" at the time. "I was blacked out. No one did anything to stop it. And it all got filmed, all of it."
Executive producer Ken Mok said in the docuseries that editors scaled back that scene "significantly," but that it "was, for good or bad, one of the most memorable moments inTop Model."
So, where is Shandi Sullivan now? Here's everything to know about the formerAmerica's Next Top Modelcontestant's life today.
Sullivan was on season 2 ofAmerica's Next Top Model
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When season 2 — also called "cycles" inAmerica's Next Top Model— aired in 2004, Sullivan instantly became a fan favorite. The Kansas City, Mo., native went from working at Walgreens to being photographed in some of the most iconic images on the show — including their pink-frocked Italian colosseum portrait shot for a mock eyewear campaign.
The image was so iconic that New York City artists Tanner Abel and Nicholas Needham recreated it with Sullivan on the 20th anniversary of its TV airing. Shandi's Italian colosseum photo from 2004 was undoubtedly her superstar moment of the cycle and, personally, may be my favorite photo inTop Modelhistory," Abel toldEntertainment Weeklyin March 2024.
Though Sullivan said inReality Checkthat she initially wanted to winAmerica's Next Top Model, she "didn't care" after what happened in Milan.
She claimed production framed her alleged sexual assault as a cheating storyline
Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMAPRESS.com via Alamy
In the Netflix docuseries, Sullivan recounted what happened between her and the Vespa driver in Milan. After a long day of "go-sees," one of the cast members invited the drivers over for dinner and drinks. The former model said they were "pretty drunk" after the group entered the hot tub.
"I was hammered," they said onReality Check. They went on to claim, "I think I had two bottles of wine by myself. I just remember, like, little bits and pieces. He threw me in the shower and then just sitting in the shower. And then we're in the bed. I was blacked out for a lot of it. I didn't even feel sex happening. I just knew it was happening. And then I passed out."
Footage of the following morning showed Sullivan hysterical and saying, "I just want to die." She was also filmed telling her boyfriend, Eric, about what happened and asking the driver if he had any sexually transmitted diseases. In the docuseries, Sullivan said that two camera operators later apologized for filming their phone call with Eric.
Sullivan toldReality Checkthat she believes production should have stopped the incident. "I think after getting out of the hot tub, I think they should have f---ing been like, 'Alright, this has gone too far. We get it. We gotta pull her out of this,' " she said.
The former model has repeated that sentiment in the past. "If I would've seen me out with that dude in [public], I would've been like, 'Okay, grab [her], you're way too drunk to even know what's going on,' Sullivan toldEntertainment Weeklyin March 2023.
InReality Check, Mok andJay Manuelcited the documentary-style nature of the show as a reason for filming the incident.
Banks said in the docuseries that she was not a part of production, and a spokesperson for the supermodel toldEntertainment Weeklythat she "played no role in the events that occurred this night. Everyone, including production, was surprised to find out what had transpired."
Sullivan appeared on Banks' talk show in 2005
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AfterAmerica's Next Top Model, Sullivan toldReality Checkthat they went back to working at Walgreens and "felt really broken."
Banks later invited her and other former contestants toThe Tyra Banks Showfor a reunion a year later. Though she claims she asked Banks off-camera not to play the clip from the Milan incident, since she'd never seen it, she alleges that the supermodel aired it in front of her anyway.
Banks' spokesperson toldEntertainment Weeklythat she denied that she deliberately aired the clip as it "goes against her beliefs."
Sullivan also said in the docuseries that she and Eric continued to date after the show but eventually broke up due to the negative attention she gained from being on the show.
"I'd be walking with Eric down the street and somebody would recognize me and call me a slut to my face," Sullivan said onReality Check. "It made me hate myself."
She stopped modeling in 2014
SBM / PictureLux via Alamy
When Sullivan recreated their Italian colosseum portrait in 2024, it was their first professional shoot in 10 years.
"I wanted to nod to this image to showcase that Shandi still has that magic and beauty within her no matter how much time has passed or what her current career is, while also taking the opportunity to create a fresh 2024 interpretation of her through my eyes," Abel toldEntertainment Weeklyat the time.
Where is Sullivan now?
In 2023,Entertainment Weeklyreported that Sullivan was running a Brooklyn-based jewelry business called Dream Meow Corner. They wrote in a December 2023Instagrampost that they also make "pet portraits, earrings, blobs, candle holders ... whatever I am interested in at the moment."
The formerAmerica's Next Top Modelcontestant also launched the podcastUrn Fulla Popcornin September 2024, where she discusses various horror films. In anInstagrampost announcing the new project, she wrote that she'd be co-hosting the show with Timmy Williams ofThe Whitest Kids U'Know.
Sullivan addressed the release of theReality Checkdocuseries in a January 2026Instagrampost, writing viewers will see if those in charge ofAmerica's Next Top Model"finally take responsibility for the part they played."
They continued, "Because if you truly are placing the blame on the fans for continuing to abuse, manipulate, and extort the contestants on the show that bares your name; I don't think they ever will and that's a damn shame."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
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