Posted by Bossip Staff

Shut yo mouf, rumor has it that Tyra Banks and the rest of the ANTM fruit medley have us all fooled with these so-called open auditions, because they select who they really want to battle it out for the title in private sessions beforehand.

A throng of hopeful women turned out for Saturday’s “take two” audition for “America’s Next Top Model.” But will host Tyra Banks and her producers take any of them seriously?

Sources tell us that producers choose at least some of their contestants at private tryouts and that the open cattle calls around the country are mostly just publicity stunts.

A rep for The CW network, which airs the show, declined to comment when we asked whether it was true that at least four contestants were chosen before the infamous March 14 incident in Manhattan.

That was the tryout where a panic-induced riot sent six girls to the hospital. Many more went home disappointed when the event was called off.

One source claims the deck was stacked against them.

“The producers had already picked some of the girls they wanted in private meetings,” says the insider. “They had to sign agreements promising not to reveal how they were chosen.”

Dehea Abraham says she flew up from Atlanta for the March 14 open call only to be told by a friend that she didn’t stand a chance. “My friend is a dancer who’s represented by a talent agency that also handles models,” says Abraham. “Someone from the show saw her MySpace page and invited her to a secret pre-audition. My friend doesn’t really want to model. But she figured she’d try it out. She had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

“When I got to New York, she called me and said, ‘Please tell me you’re not in New York City. You’re wasting your time.’”

Dionne Sherrae, who injured her shoulder in the March 14 melee, says she’s “not surprised” to hear that the 13 girls who get into the Top Model House may not all come from cattle calls. “You never hear about people saying, ‘Oh, I stood in line next to that girl.’”

Abraham says she “saw the clues” that the cattle call was mostly about getting a big turnout for the cameras. “They lowered the height requirement, so they get more people. But they also get a lot of high school girls who haven’t developed and don’t have morals. They cut in line. That’s how the trouble started.

“To me, the show is totally different from last year,” says Abraham. “It’s lost its soul. It’s all about ratings.

They don’t really look for new faces. They just look for a girl that fits the image they already have in mind. It’s preordained.”