Netflix Docuseries Examines 'America's Next Top Model' Production and Controversies

"Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model": A Deep Dive into a Reality TV Phenomenon

A new three-part Netflix docuseries, "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model," explores the production and profound impact of the groundbreaking reality competition series, which aired for 24 cycles. Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, the series features candid interviews with creator and host Tyra Banks, executive producer Ken Mok, former judges, and various former contestants. It directly addresses long-standing criticisms regarding the show's practices and portrayal of its participants.

Docuseries Overview

"Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" is a three-part documentary scheduled to premiere on February 16. The series delves into the history of "America's Next Top Model" (ANTM), examining its initial role in promoting diversity as well as recent criticisms. These criticisms focus on judging methods, contestant treatment, and controversial challenges.

Featured participants include Tyra Banks, executive producer Ken Mok, and former judges J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, and Nigel Barker. A host of former contestants also contribute their perspectives, including Whitney Thompson, Shandi Sullivan, Dani Evans, Keenyah Hill, Giselle Samson, and Shannon Stewart.

Notably absent from the docuseries are key figures such as Janice Dickinson and Tiffany Richardson.

Adrianne Curry's Non-Participation

Adrianne Curry, the inaugural winner of "America's Next Top Model," publicly announced on January 26 her decision not to participate in the Netflix docuseries. Having retired from the entertainment industry, Curry cited a profound distrust in producers to accurately represent her statements. She expressed a desire to avoid public scrutiny.

While grateful for her 2003 win, Curry voiced strong objections to re-evaluating the show's past actions through contemporary cultural standards, describing such an analysis as "absurd."

Curry characterized the docuseries as a "cover up fest" and expressed concern for other former contestants, hoping their statements would not be manipulated.

She had previously stated feeling "betrayed and lied to by the show," characterizing the entertainment industry as "cutthroat" and "predatory."

"America's Next Top Model" Background

"America's Next Top Model" first premiered in 2003 and ran for an impressive 24 cycles. At its peak, the show garnered over 100 million global viewers.

The series is widely credited with popularizing terms such as "Smize" and launching the careers of notable individuals including Eva Marcille, Yaya DaCosta, and Winnie Harlow. Creator Tyra Banks stated her initial motivation for creating the show was to challenge the fashion industry's narrow beauty standards and cast diverse women, drawing from her own experiences with racism and body discrimination.

Production Practices and Contestant Accounts

The docuseries meticulously details various behind-the-scenes issues, including serious concerns raised by contestants about their well-being and ethical production practices. Former judges J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, and Nigel Barker offered insights into what they described as manipulated and controlled production methods.

Specific accounts and allegations highlighted in "Reality Check" include:

Banks acknowledged criticisms of past production choices in 2020 through social media. In the docuseries, she further acknowledged that some actions during the show were excessive, stating the intensity was a response to audience demand. She is portrayed as attributing the show's extremes to viewer demand and as expressing gratitude for being prompted to reflect and evolve.

Banks maintained her intention during a 2005 incident with contestant Tiffany Richardson was to "change this woman's life."

However, Banks declined to address specific storylines or production aspects, stating they were "not my territory." Notably, Banks is not credited as a producer on "Reality Check."

Contestants were reportedly weighed on camera and subjected to significant body criticism. Giselle Samson (Cycle 1) vividly recalled overhearing judges make negative comments about her body. In a particularly jarring incident, another contestant was reportedly made to pose as an elephant due to her size in a safari-themed photoshoot.

Dani Evans (Cycle 6 winner) detailed being pressured by Banks in 2006 to close a distinctive gap in her teeth to remain in the competition. This was starkly contrasted with Banks later encouraging a white contestant to widen their own gap in a subsequent cycle. While plus-sized winner Whitney Lee Thompson Forrester (Cycle 10) credited the show with providing opportunities, other contestants faced body shaming, and the show demonstrated limitations in representing diverse body types and appearances.

• Shandi Sullivan (Cycle 2): Stated she experienced trauma from how producers handled a personal incident during a trip to Milan. She recounted a sexual encounter after consuming alcohol, stating she had consumed two bottles of wine and was "blacked out for a lot of it," only being aware that "sex was happening" before losing consciousness. Production reportedly did not intervene, and the event was filmed.

  • Executive producer Ken Mok defended the filming as consistent with the show's "documentary" approach and stated the scene was "scaled back" in post-production.
  • Shandi's requests to leave production were reportedly denied, and she was only allowed to call her boyfriend on the condition that the call was filmed and recorded. The crew later apologized.
  • Banks' response to Shandi's situation involved a group discussion with the women about "relationship mistakes" and "primal desires," which aired in an episode titled "The Girl Who Cheated."

• Keenyah Hill (Cycle 4): Described being dismissed by producers, including Banks, after reporting inappropriate behavior by a male model during a photoshoot.

• Dionne (Cycle 8): Was asked to pose with a bullet wound in her head during a photoshoot, despite her mother having been shot and left paralyzed by an ex-lover. Ken Mok acknowledged the bullet wound photoshoot as "a mistake" but did not express concern for individual suffering.

Many contestants, some from disadvantaged backgrounds, reportedly believed "America's Next Top Model" was a direct pathway to success but later found it detrimental to their careers. The fashion industry was reportedly not influenced by ANTM's elaborate photoshoots, which included themes such as homelessness, murder victims, or portraying ethnicities other than their own. Many contestants expressed distress during filming and reported being manipulated or pressured into participating.

Docuseries' Conclusion

The docuseries concludes by showing former contestants who appear healthier and more reflective about their experiences. It is noted for contributing to a balanced perspective by presenting Banks' apologies and explanations alongside the perspectives of former contestants and colleagues.

However, some commentary has criticized the documentary for framing ANTM as merely a "product of its time" and for its conclusions, with claims it allegedly fails to sufficiently emphasize the distress expressed by contestants at the time.