What happens when the dream of reality TV becomes a nightmare? In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with award-winning journalist and podcast host Bridget Armstrong to talk about her hit investigative series, Curse of: America’s Next Top Model.

Bridget takes us behind the scenes of one of the most iconic and controversial shows of the early 2000s, peeling back the glamorous facade to reveal a world of contracts, control, body-shaming, and emotional manipulation. From interviews with former contestants and producers to questions about Tyra Banks’ role in the show’s legacy, this conversation doesn’t hold back. If you grew up watching ANTM, or just want to understand how entertainment shapes culture, this episode is a must-listen.

• Listen to the podcast:

Curse of: America’s Next Top Model on iHeartRadio

• Learn more about Bridget Armstrong:

Muck Rack Bio

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• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

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ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

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FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

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Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

We Help You Legal

General Store Paso Robles

Daou Vineyards

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Part of our month-long ARTober on Up+Adam series

This week on Up+Adam, Adam welcomes Andrew Sewell, the visionary conductor and Music Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony, for a rich and revealing conversation about the power of music, the art of conducting, and the emotional undercurrent of performance. From the magic of the baton to the subtle skill of knowing when to disappear into the music, Andrew shares what it really takes to lead an orchestra, not with ego, but with empathy.

You’ll hear why the best conductors don’t just keep time, they make moments. Adam also gets a surprise conducting lesson, a front-row breakdown of what musicians actually watch for, and a thoughtful dive into how music carries memory, legacy, and even grief. As part of our ARTober series celebrating arts and culture in San Luis Obispo, this episode offers a backstage pass into a world where timing, trust, and truth come together in sound.

• San Luis Obispo Symphony

slosymphony.org

Explore concerts, events, education programs, and ticket info.

• ARTober in SLO

slocity.org/ARTober

Find live performances, public art installations, studio tours, music, theater, and more.

• Experience ARTober Downtown

downtownslo.com/events/artober

Incentives, pop-ups, and everything happening in the heart of downtown SLO.



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• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

We Help You Legal

General Store Paso Robles

Daou Vineyards

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

She’s been possessed, kidnapped, cloned, and married more times than we can count, and we’ve loved her for every second of it. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with the incomparable Deidre Hall, the woman behind one of television’s most iconic characters: Dr. Marlena Evans of Days of Our Lives.

As Days celebrates its upcoming induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, Deidre reflects on her nearly 50-year journey on the show, how it shaped her, and how she’s shaped it in return. We talk legacy, vulnerability, real-life motherhood through surrogacy, and the emotional moment that made even her stop in her tracks. This isn’t just a conversation. It’s a love letter to daytime, to presence, and to a woman who helped redefine what it means to be a TV legend.

Support Deidre’s causes:

All proceeds from her Days of Our Lives merchandise benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

• deidrehall.com

You can also shop her hand-painted greeting cards, with proceeds going to Wounded Warriors, on the same site.

Follow Deidre Hall on Instagram

• @deidrehall_official

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• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

We Help You Legal

General Store Paso Robles

Daou Vineyards

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com