A new Netflix docuseries, Reality Check, is revisiting the controversial legacy of America's Next Top Model (ANTM), exposing the toxic environment that allegedly existed behind the scenes of the hit reality show. The series features interviews with former contestants and crew, including Jay Manuel, Tyra Banks's former on-screen right-hand man, who claims that the infamous 2005 confrontation between Banks and contestant Tiffany Richardson was far worse than what was broadcast.
Manuel said of the incident, which has been widely memed: 'There was a lot more that was really said. I will probably never repeat the lines that were actually said in the room that day.' The docuseries explores how the show, which aimed to disrupt the fashion industry by promoting diversity, instead became a 'hotbed of toxicity', according to its directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan.
The show, which ran from 2003 to 2018, has faced renewed criticism in recent years, with younger audiences on social media highlighting instances of bodyshaming, racism and problematic behaviour by judges. Banks, who created and hosted the show, initially defended it, but has now agreed to participate in the docuseries. Co-director Loushy said: 'There was a lot of beauty in this show. There was a lot of ugliness in this show. But let's talk about all of it.'
Banks has spoken about her own experiences of racism in the fashion industry, saying: 'I would go home and just feel defeated. I was constantly being told no you can't do this because you're Black.' However, the docuseries argues that while ANTM offered a platform to women of colour, queer and plus-sized contestants, it also perpetuated the same standards it claimed to challenge. 'They started as misfits with very good intentions,' Sivan said. 'They were starting as disruptors but as power grew, they became bullies.'
