A Look Back At Tyra Banks’ Iconic “We Were All Rooting For You” Speech

by Evan Ross Katz 12/4/2015 After 12 years, 22 cycles and and 300+ contestants, America’s Next Top Model will finally crown its final winner during tonight’s series finale. Related: Queer “Top Model” Contestants Who Brought The LGBT To ANTM It’s the end of an iconic era that brought countless entries to the pantheon of reality television’s greatest moments. Exhibit A: Exhibit B: Exhibit C:

But no moment will go down as more WTF-slash-legendary than Tyra’s infamous “we were all rooting for you” speech. It’s not just the show’s breakout moment, it’s a pop culture staple that, like a fine bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau, only gets better with age. (It’s also Tyra’s best hair system on the series, but that’s arguable… and tangential… and let’s stick to the topic.) The shocking double elimination twist during the show’s 4th cycle will go down in ANTM history as the most dramatic elimination ceremony in the history of the series. Contestant Tiffany Richardson, entirely checked out from the competition, unwisely forgot to emote at the level Tyra expects of her girls when ousted from the competition. As a result, Tyra gave her a verbal whooping. Once Tyra got going,…