For more than two decades, America’s Next Top Model defined reality competition television, launching catchphrases, careers and controversies in equal measure. Now, Netflix’s three-part docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model revisits the franchise that changed pop culture, pulling back the curtain on what really happened behind the scenes of the photoshoots, panel eliminations and headline-making moments. Featuring candid interviews with Tyra Banks, former judges, producers and contestants, the documentary doesn’t just relive the highs; it reckons with the fractured relationships and blind spots that still shadow the franchise and its complicated legacy.
Was Tyra Banks involved with ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’?
While Tyra Banks, the creator and longtime host of America’s Next Top Model, appears in the Netflix docuseries, she is not officially tied to the project in any additional capacity beyond being interviewed. Banks answered questions about her role and the show’s legacy, discussing both its impact and criticisms. The series also features insights from original judges and creatives like Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker and Miss J Alexander, who reflect on their experiences and tensions with Banks over the years.
Was Tyra Banks responsible for Jay Manuel, Miss J Alexander and Nigel Barker being fired?
The docuseries revisits the controversial departure of longtime cast members Jay Manuel (creative director), Miss J Alexander (runway coach) and Nigel Barker (photographer and judge) after Cycle 18. According to stories shared in the documentary and news coverage, their exits stemmed from low ratings, production decisions and creative overhauls rather than a singular personal dispute. Banks stated in the documentary that network executives chose not to renew their contracts as part of a shakeup, a choice that blindsided the trio and left lingering feelings of betrayal and strain, especially between Banks and Manuel.
What were some of the shocking revelations in the documentary?
If America’s Next Top Model once thrived on shock value, Reality Check reveals just how much of that shock came at the contestants’ expense. One of the most disturbing disclosures revisits the infamous Milan episode involving contestant Shandi Sullivan. What aired as a dramatic “cheating” scandal is now reframed through Sullivan’s account that she was heavily intoxicated and believes the sexual encounter filmed that night was not consensual. The moment, once packaged as reality TV drama, now reads as something far more troubling. Even more shocking was Banks’ reaction to the incident, saying it would be the production’s responsibility to speak more about it. Executive producer and co-creator Ken Mok, who dealt more with the production side, took some accountability and also confirmed the alleged assault was caught on camera.
The documentary also revisits the franchise’s deeply inconsistent and racially charged beauty standards. In one glaring example, a Black contestant was pressured to close the gap in her teeth to appear more “marketable,” while a white contestant in a different cycle was encouraged to widen hers to look more high-fashion. Former contestant Ebony Haith reflected on being told her dark skin appeared “too ashy” on camera. The series also confronts the controversial race-swapping photoshoots, where contestants were made to embody different ethnicities.
Contestant Keenyah Hill spoke about feeling physically uncomfortable during a photoshoot where a male model crossed boundaries under the guise of creating “chemistry.” In another emotional moment, a contestant describes being forced to reenact a traumatic scenario tied to her mother nearly being killed in an exercise meant to elicit vulnerability for the camera.
Miss J opens up about his health struggles in ‘Reality Check’
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the series comes in Episode 3 when Miss J Alexander reveals he suffered a massive stroke on Dec. 27, 2022. He shares that he was in a coma for five weeks and, upon waking, could neither walk nor talk. For someone whose career was built on movement, performance and presence, the physical and emotional toll was immense.
Miss J speaks candidly about crying through the uncertainty and fighting to regain his mobility, showing a vulnerability viewers rarely saw during his time delivering sharp runway critiques. Miss J was also asked if his former co-workers from the series visited him, and he revealed that both Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel had been in contact and even went to the hospital to visit, while Tyra Banks has yet to visit.
Will there be a Cycle 25 of ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
At the end of the documentary, Banks teased a new chapter for the franchise, hinting that America’s Next Top Model will return for Cycle 25. Miss J Alexander explains that her work on the show “is not done” and suggests that big plans are in the works, though specific details, such as a network pickup or judges, have not yet been announced. Only time will tell whether fans will be willing to entertain a new cycle.
Where can you watch all episodes of ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
Most episodes of the previous seasons of America’s Next Top Model are available to watch on Hulu with a subscription.
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