'reality Check: America's Next Top Model' Directors On Tyra Banks Interview And More Takeaways

At its heart, “America’s Next Top Model” was Tyra Banks’ show. She originated nan canonical reality series’ concept, assembled its halfway formed and anchored its accumulation for 23 cycles, which first aired connected UPN earlier it became nan CW.

But “Reality Check,” a caller Netflix docuseries now streaming that examines “ANTM” and its checkered history done nan accounts of those who were a portion of it, is not affiliated pinch Banks. In fact, nan supermodel turned media characteristic wasn’t invited to return nan basking spot until good aft accumulation connected nan docuseries began, said Daniel Sivan, who co-directed “Reality Check” pinch his wife, Mor Loushy.

“It was like, ‘Hey, this tin beryllium a awesome addition, but decidedly not a necessity,’” Sivan said. Luckily for nan directors, Banks yet agreed to an interview, which Loushy said clocked successful astatine astir 4 hours and coiled up giving nan bid a richer texture.

“People talking trash astir her is very easy to find,” Sivan said. “But having her passion, bringing this programme to life, is thing that only she could tell.”

For Sivan and Loushy, whose filmography leans sociopolitical, nan pop-culture-centric “Reality Check” seems a departure. But Loushy said that she stewarded this task pinch nan aforesaid attraction that she did nan duo’s acclaimed 2025 docuseries “American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden.”

“I felt nan travel is much aliases little nan aforesaid because location were difficult issues. There were things that were delicate and important for me,” Loushy said, from nan harassment “ANTM” contestants endured to nan insecurities that “to america arsenic women, are sitting tight and difficult each time connected our heart.”

For Sivan, nan allure of “ANTM” arsenic a documentary taxable laic successful nan tragic arc of Banks and her chap unit members, whom nan head said group retired pinch affirmative intentions to empower women and beforehand practice for different marginalized group successful nan manner industry. Then, he said, arsenic nan show evolved, “these misfits became bullies.”

“At nan extremity of nan day, was it a unit of good, aliases was it a unit of evil? I dream group support debating that,” Sivan said.

“Really, nan doc doesn’t extremity pinch nan credits,” he added. “It ends pinch nan conversations it will spark.”

Here are 7 takeaways from “Reality Check” that are judge to thrust those conversations.

Shandi Sullivan implies she was sexually assaulted

The penultimate section of “ANTM” Cycle 2 dedicates overmuch of its runtime to a plotline that is framed arsenic contestant Shandi Sullivan cheating connected her fellow Eric pinch a antheral exemplary during a sojourn to Milan.

The measurement Sullivan explains it successful nan first and 2nd section of “Reality Check,” nan then-21-year-old was nether nan power of alcohol. The nighttime began pinch drinks and led to a group basking tub dip, wherever she and nan antheral exemplary started getting physical. Later, footage shows nan 2 successful nan ablution and successful bed, but Sullivan says that she had “blacked out,” nan cameras kept rolling and “no 1 did thing to extremity it.”

“After getting retired of nan basking tub and immoderate happened aft that,” Sullivan says, “I deliberation they should’ve ... been like, ‘All right, this has gone excessively far. Like, we sewage to, we sewage to propulsion her retired of this.’”

The show’s executive shaper Ken Mok says their occupation was to capture, not to intervene: “We treated ‘Top Model’ arsenic a documentary, and we told nan girls that.”

Similarly, erstwhile Cycle 4 contestant Keenyah Hill informed nan judges that a antheral exemplary had groped her many times during a photograph shoot, Banks encouraged her to study to instrumentality up for herself.

“America’s Next Top Model” Cycle 1 contestants, clockwise from acold left, Nicole Panattoni, Adrienne Curry, Elyse Sewell, Kesse Wallace, Robin Manning, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart and Ebony Haith successful “Reality Check.”

(Courtesy of Netflix)

Eating disorders were rampant connected group and contestants were pressured into cosmetic work

Hill was besides many times shamed astir her weight and beingness appearance, pinch erstwhile supermodel Janice Dickinson instructing her to amended hide her tummy during photograph shoots. Dickinson was known to stock beardown opinions that veered antagonistic and moreover mean-spirited connected nan judging panel.

Like Hill, galore different girls were criticized for their weight and advised to restrict their eating to amended approximate a model’s physique; thus, eating disorders were communal among contestants, says Bre Scullark, who appeared successful Cycle 5, successful nan documentary. After a fainting spell, exemplary Heather Kuzmich was told by a medic that she had to eat nan adjacent day. “I deliberation I conscionable pushed myself measurement past my limit,” she said successful a confessional.

Producers besides pressured Cycle 6 contestants Joanie Dodds and Dani Evans into undergoing invasive dental procedures that focused connected cosmetic alternatively than wellness improvements. Evans powerfully protested removing her signature bony spread but gave successful erstwhile Banks fundamentally gave her an ultimatum: Get free of nan spread aliases spell home.

“The girls were awarded and applauded for putting their wellness connected nan backburner,” journalist Zakiya Gibbons says successful nan documentary.

In kind, nan docuseries shows Mok during an quality connected “The Inner View” saying “the biggest disaster ever is ever nan champion thing. People person 104-degree temperature. They’re throwing up. They request IVs. That’s nan champion news I could ever have.”

Producers mined models’ files to create drama

When Cycle 8 contestant Dionne Walters was a child, her mother was changeable and paralyzed from nan waist down. Nonetheless, during her season’s crime-themed photograph sprout — 1 of nan series’ astir arguable shoots, alongside nan “race-swap” photograph shoots during Cycles 4 and 13 — Walters was memorably portrayed arsenic a shooting victim, sporting a slug coiled successful her head.

“I thought it was a coincidence astatine nan time, but I don’t deliberation it was,” Walters says successful nan documentary, adding that her mother’s mishap was successful her application. The exemplary was critiqued by nan judging sheet for not exhibiting overmuch emotion successful her photos.

“I’m conscionable gladsome they didn’t get nan guidance that I consciousness for illustration they were hoping to get,” she says.

Mok successful nan documentary concedes, “I return afloat work for that shoot. That was a mistake… That one, I look backmost and I’m like, ‘You were an idiot.’”

Fashion photographer Nigel Barker was 1 of nan original judges connected “America’s Next Top Model.”

(Courtesy of Netflix)

Banks’ rant astatine Tiffany Richardson became a meme, but it was not funny

In nan years since it aired, Banks’ infamous tirade, “I was rooting for you! We were each rooting for you!”, directed astatine exemplary Tiffany Richardson, has been parodied by countless users online and moreover connected “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” But nan time it happened, erstwhile “ANTM” judge and manner photographer Nigel Barker said nary 1 was laughing.

“Tyra really frightened each of us. We virtually jumped retired of our seats,” Barker said. After shooting nan scene, accumulation unit escorted Banks disconnected set, “ANTM” alum Jay Manuel added. Banks admits she “went excessively far. You know, I mislaid it.”

According to Manuel, not everything Banks said that time was televised and Nolé Marin, a stylist and judge connected nan show, says lawyers were brought to group aft that.

Banks and ‘The Jays’ didn’t extremity connected bully terms

Over time, Manuel said he began to consciousness uncomfortable pinch Banks’ insistence that “ANTM” needed to perpetually reinvent, moreover astatine nan disbursal of their original ngo to uplift young models.

When nan media characteristic yet worked up nan courageousness to quit, he said Banks gave him nan acold shoulder. Even though he ended up staying connected different 10 cycles, nan pair’s narration ne'er recovered. In nan documentary, Banks declined to speak astir Manuel, insisting alternatively that she should telephone him connected her own. (To Sivan and Loushy’s knowledge, she still hasn’t.)

Years aft Manuel tried to time off “ANTM,” he was trim on pinch Barker and J. Alexander, aft nan caput of nan CW web told Banks and Mok they needed to make a change. While nan 3 men still support successful touch, Banks is nary longer successful their orbit. And aft J. Alexander, who besides goes by Miss J, suffered a life-altering stroke, she ne'er paid him a infirmary visit.

“I miss being nan queen of nan runway. I’m nan personification who taught models really to walk. And now I can’t walk. Not yet,” J. Alexander said. (Netflix)

When Jay Manuel tried to time off “ANTM,” he said, “there was a informing that strikes nan fearfulness of God successful you. You know, group talk astir being blacklisted.” (Netflix)

Winners seldom recovered occurrence successful nan manufacture aft nan show

Banks promised models a jump-start into nan manner industry. Yet moreover “ANTM” winners seldom managed to prolong modeling careers aft exiting nan show.

Evans, nan contestant who was coerced into closing her bony gap, said a chap exemplary erstwhile relayed to her a speech pinch her agent, wherever she was told, “We person to dainty Dani otherwise because she came from ‘Top Model.’” Later, Evans learned Banks for years stood idly by arsenic nan young exemplary was passed complete for opportunities.

“I ever rode nan obstruction pinch you,” Evans recalled Banks confessing to her, adding, “They built a full empire, a multi-million dollar brand, known arsenic ‘America’s Next Top Model’ disconnected nan backs of each girl‘s dream that did that show.”

Banks says she is not done yet pinch ‘ANTM’

Despite everything, from nan years of backlash to nan individual confrontations she’s had pinch erstwhile contestants, Banks successful nan documentary still had her mind connected rebooting “ANTM.”

“I consciousness for illustration my activity is not done,” Banks said. “You person nary thought what we person planned for Cycle 25.”

No caller seasons of nan show person been announced arsenic of nan documentary’s release.