Renee Alway was another young contestant on Cycle 8 of ANTM and then a finalist on Banks' spinoff, Modelville, but when the cameras stopped rolling, so too did her success.
Alway became addicted to painkillers, then heroin. She lost her home and custody of her three children. Her most publicized post-show spread was a mugshot after her arrest in Palm Springs in 2013. According to ABC News, Alway pled guilty to felony counts of burglary, vehicle theft, and possession of a firearm and a misdemeanor count of identify theft. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In hopes of deterring others from following in her footsteps, Alway conducted an interview from prison with ABC affiliate KESQ. Sporting a standard-issue jumpsuit and shaved head, she spoke about her post-show destruction. "It was just closed door, after closed door, after closed door," she said. "I felt like a failure because I couldn't get past the reality TV stigma that had been put on me." Though Alway connects her downfall to the shows, she also assumes responsibility for her decisions. "There are plenty of girls who were eliminated and they're doing just fine so, obviously, I made choices that brought me here as well."
