“I knew I went too far,” Tyra Banks says in the trailer for the upcoming Netflix documentary series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
The supermodel says she created ANTM to open doors for others, but admits the show at times spiraled out of control.
“I wanted to fight against the fashion industry,” she says. “I haven’t really said much, but now it’s time.”
The three-part Netflix series premieres on Feb. 16, and includes interviews with former ANTM judges and mentors Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel and Jay Alexander; along with executive producer Ken Mok and several former contestants, the streamer announced in a press release on Monday, Jan. 26.
Banks, 52, broke barriers in the fashion world in the 1990s as the first African American woman featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
In 2003, she launched ANTM, which was developed by Ken Mok and Kenya Barris.
The show became a global hit and ran for 24 seasons, first on UPN and later The CW and VH1.
Among the contestants who carved out careers in the entertainment industry were Adrianne Curry (My Fair Brady); Yoanna House (The Look for Less); Winnie Harlow (Eyes of Wakanda); Yaya DaCosta (Chicago Med); CariDee English (Gossip Girl), and Eva Pigford, now known as Eva Marcille (All the Queen’s Men).
Danielle “Dani” Evans, Jaslene Gonzalez, Toccara Jones, and Lisa D’Amato had successful careers on the runway.
“The only reason the door was opened to me was because of Tyra,” a plus size model says in the trailer.
But many other former contestants call out “body-shaming” and intense scrutiny on the show, saying it left them psychologically scarred.
Cycle 6 winner, Dani Evans, gets emotional, saying she experienced “horrific” pressure from Banks to close the gap in her front teeth.
“It was so f–ked up” Evans shares. “It’s a TV show to you guys, but this is my life.”
“I realized Tyra would do anything for the success of her show,” says former judge Jay Manuel, who later hosted Canada’s Next Top Model.
Netflix describes the docuseries as “the definitive, must-watch chronicle of America’s Next Top Model — and the chaos in front and behind the camera.”
According to the official description, “What started as a glamorous launchpad for aspiring models became a pop-culture juggernaut defined by explosive drama, public meltdowns, and controversies that still fuel viral moments today.”
The series comes from EverWonder Studio and Wise Child Studios. Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan direct.
Executive Producers include Ryan Miller, Jason Beekman, Vanessa Golembewski, Jon Adler, Amanda Spain Ian Orefice, Jonna McLaughlin. Banks is not listed as a producer.
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model begins streaming Feb. 16 on Netflix. You can watch the trailer here.
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