I don't know if it's poor preparation on the show's part, or if the girls they choose for the shows just don't have the right look at the right time. Plenty of farm girls from the middle of nowhere become successful models; I think the ropes of the business are something you learn, and as with everything else, only the strong survive. For ANTM, I think a lot of it has to do with the "look"; a large number of the contestants are black, which is always an unfortunately tough sell in the fashion industry, and a significant portion of them have a sort of midwestern look that just isn't popular right now. Add that to the biases against industry professionals for TV show girls, and you've got some serious odds against your success.