US Edition‘It Was a Different Time’: Why an Exposé Says the Excuse Fails 'America’s Next Top Model'
The docuseries features interviews with former contestants and judges and addresses sexual assault allegations, blackface, and on-air controversies, streaming now on Netflix.
- On February 16, 2026, Netflix premiered Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, a three one-hour episode series featuring Tyra Banks, judges J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, and Nigel Barker that examines ANTM's most controversial moments.
- Banks created Top Model, citing her negative industry experiences, and the series ran for 24 seasons with Banks producing eight cycles.
- The documentary shows Shandi Sullivan, Cycle 2 finalist, recounting sexual assault during a group trip to Italy filmed by camera crew and aired despite objections, plus instances of blackface and contestants like Tiffany Richardson and Ebony Haith facing public ridicule.
- Since the February 16 premiere, several contestants shared reactions, Adrianne Curry declined participation and criticized the show, and TheWrap reported Banks had no editorial control or final cut access.
- The series is prompting debate as Reality Check reshapes ANTM perception, while Dirty Rotten Scandal airs March 11, 2026; co-directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy said the Netflix doc proceeded regardless of Banks' participation.
24 Articles
24 Articles
ANTM Winner Sophie Sumner: Show Went Extreme as Ratings Fell
She stood on top of a 338-metre tower in a rainstorm, the wind picking up, the camera still rolling. Production already knew about her fear of heights. They put her up there anyway. Sophie Sumner laughs when she recalls it now, but the laugh has an edge to it. Sumner, 35, is the only international contestant ever to win America's Next Top Model. She took the Cycle 18 title in 2012 as part of the show's 'British Invasion' format, pitting seven Am…
Girl Bye! 'ANTM' Alum Tiffany Richardson Claps Back At JT For Defending Tyra Banks Amid Documentary Backlash
Whew! Sometimes the past just won’t stay buried — and no one’s safe. Former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ contestant Tiffany Richardson and rapper JT are back in the spotlight, and Tyra Banks’ legacy is right at the center of the conversation. Now, fans are buzzing as old cast dynamics collide with fresh social media energy. And let’s just say… it’s messy.RELATED: Miss J. Alexander Reveals Where Things Stand With Tyra Banks After 2022 Stroke Amid R…
Tyra Banks, the creator of Next Top Model, appears cold and calculating in a new Netflix documentary series.
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