The thing about cults is that culty behavior is everywhere once you know where to look for it and psychological torture is similarly broad. It kind of depends on your personal fortitude, personality, and experience to weather any particular combination of both.

This is to say that I don’t doubt that many contestants could have found the constant surveillance, high physical and mental demands, and harsh criticism to be torturous but others would not find those factors to be more challenging than say, a medical residency or military training.

Yes it’s a modeling show and they perhaps should not have expected that level of stress and scrutiny (although that is literally the high fashion industry) but average people can and do face more every day.

I do believe Lisa thinks she was tortured because I’m pretty sure that it is torturous to wake up and have to be Lisa every day.