Former ANTM Contestant Accuses Tyra Banks of Emotional Manipulation
Jeana Turner, a former contestant on America's Next Top Model, has come forward with serious allegations against host Tyra Banks and the show's production team. Turner claims she was deliberately misled before undergoing her infamous head shaving makeover during the show's 24th season in 2018.
Traumatic Experience Revealed
The 32-year-old model, who was diagnosed with alopecia at age 10, spoke exclusively with the Daily Mail following the release of Netflix's documentary series Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. Turner asserts that the three-episode limited series only scratches the surface of what she describes as harsh treatment and emotional manipulation endured by hundreds of models across the show's history.
Turner was 24 when she appeared on 15 episodes of the hit reality competition during its 2018 season. The Nashville-born model, who now runs beauty business Haus Of Anomali specializing in wigs and hair pieces, said she initially believed producers were going to provide her with a deluxe wig during the makeover segment titled Beauty Is a Trademark.
Shocking Revelation During Filming
"What I was told was, 'We know that you lost your hair during your childhood so we're going to replace the hair that you lost,'" Turner revealed. "For me, I'm thinking OK that's exciting because this is America's Next Top Model and I've struggled with wigs my entire life."
Turner described feeling confident she was working with the best people in the beauty industry to finally achieve her hair restoration goals. "I'm like if there's anyone that can do it, it's Tyra Banks and her makeover team, of course - so I got really excited," she said.
The situation took a dramatic turn when stylist Law Roach approached her during filming. Turner recalled Roach standing nearby with "his arms behind his back" in a "very proper" fashion before delivering shocking news about the show's actual plans.
Emotional Impact and Aftermath
"They were like 'Hey Jeana, you know how we told you we were giving you a wig?' And I'm like, 'Yeah.' He said 'Psych,' and he takes out a razor - a regular razor that you would shave your armpits with - and was like 'Psych, we're BIC-ing your head!'" Turner recounted.
The model said she froze in shock, trying to maintain composure while cameras continued rolling. "I'm one of those people that is like so hyper aware of cameras and who's looking at all times," she explained. "I didn't want to, at the time, put myself in a vulnerable position that kind of exposed how raw I actually felt at that time."
As time passed, Turner said anger replaced her initial shock. "They told me I was getting hair to now that they're taking my wig off and also shaving what little bit of hair that I have," she said, noting she was emotionally attached to the hair being shaved since she had been growing it since childhood.
Documentary Falls Short According to Turner
Turner, who boasts more than 205,000 Instagram followers, shared her perspective on the Netflix documentary with the Daily Mail. "My biggest takeaway was that they're still only scratching the surface of what truly happened," she stated.
"The documentary definitely is opening the door, and opening people's eyes, to some of the harsh treatment that happened - which I definitely appreciate. But I still don't think it fully captures how deep the emotional manipulation and the power dynamics really went."
Turner emphasized that television viewers only saw edited versions of events. "What people saw was a version of events, but it wasn't necessarily the whole picture," she said. "At the end of the day, across 24 cycles, I think there's been 400 and something contestants - you know that's 400 and something different experiences from that show - and some a bit more traumatic than others."
Accountability and Future Projects
The former contestant believes Banks and production team members are using the Netflix documentary as a platform to avoid accountability for moments that have aged poorly. "I think that for so long there hasn't been the pressure to own up to their shortcomings and their wrongdoings that they've done," Turner asserted.
Turner is scheduled to appear next month on E!'s Dirty Rotten Scandals: ANTM, which she described as essential for presenting alternative perspectives. "That's exactly why projects like Dirty Rotten Scandals exist," Turner previously said on Instagram about the special debuting March 11. "Because survivors don't get to turn their trauma into a polished redemption arc."
Banks' Perspective and Future Plans
In the Netflix special, Banks defended her approach to the show, stating she aimed to force a cultural sea change in the fashion industry by highlighting women she felt were overlooked. "It was my payback," Banks said of her mindset when pitching the show, pushing back against beauty industry standards of the early 2000s.
Banks continued, "You just have a magazine? I have a TV show - and so many people are gonna see way more of this TV show that is gonna show off way more of this TV show than your magazine that is closing off so many beauties - I'm going to show you what beautiful is."
The former supermodel and television host teased potential future projects during the documentary, revealing she's already brainstorming a reboot of the series. "I feel like my work is not done," Banks said. "You have no idea what we have planned for Cycle 25."
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model is currently available for streaming on Netflix, while the Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Tyra Banks for additional comment on Turner's allegations.
