The real winner, after all, was not each season’s winner (most of them went precisely nowhere), but the host, Tyra Banks, who succeeded in branding not only herself but an entire lexicon thanks to her constant use of such phrases as “Tyra mail” and “Ty tips” and “Ty-over.” Her attitude and ability to simultaneously castigate and praise her students/contestants gave her a viral reach far beyond her fashion career.

It propelled Ms. Banks into a simultaneous, if briefer, five-year run as the host of an eponymous chat show, as well as an even briefer recent talk-show venture, “FABLife,” which she began in September and will leave this month (proving that while model-empowerment has its limits, the hope for another “ANTM” springs eternal). It paved the way for peer reality-show hosts Heidi Klum and Padma Lakshmi, not to mention Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurková. And it created opportunities to fellow catwalkers like Janice Dickinson, Twiggy and Paulina Porizkova, all of whom spent a few cycles as judges on “ANTM.”

Given Tyra as a role model and coach, and the fact that personality (and the story of the ugly duckling turned swan) plays on TV better than, say, the robotic runway strut that characterizes the models of choice for many catwalk shows, it’s probably not a coincidence that the most successful alumnae — like Analeigh Tipton (who came in third during Cycle 11) and Yaya DaCosta (second in Cycle 3) — made their names post-show not in modeling, but in acting. Fatima Siad, third in Cycle 10 (“cycle” being the show’s term for each season), was one of the few to make the leap to the ready-to-wear catwalks, working for names like Dries Van Noten and Ralph Lauren, but in general the message was masstige at best.

Which, while often cited as one of the show’s flaws, itself proved a fashion world truth: There is a gap between “accessible” models (who appeal to brands like Old Navy, Target and Guess, all of which booked “ANTM” alumnae) and high-fashion models, who often look weird in real life. The pecking order of style places a premium on the undiscovered, the unusual and the unpopular. For 22 cycles, the show proved it. Learn it now or forever hold your peace.

Indeed, as nutty as it often seemed, and as desperate as some of the recent themes sounded — Brits vs. Americans! Models under 5-foot-7! Models who go to college! — in many ways it proved oddly prescient about fashion-world modeling trends.

It showcased a transgender model, Isis King (Cycle 11 and All-Star 17) before Andreja Pejic became a runway favorite; has been determinedly diverse before runway diversity became a part of the conversation; and featured buzz-cut Bianca Golden (Cycle 9) before Ruth Bell took the last ready-to-wear season by storm.