The complicated legacy of America‘s Next Top Model is now under a microscope. Netflix released a new three-part documentary series titled Reality Check: Inside America‘s Next Top Model on February 16, and it has already become the most-watched show in the UK with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes .
The docuseries brings together creator and host Tyra Banks, executive producer Ken Mok, longtime judges Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker and J. Alexander (known as Miss J), and dozens of former contestants who revisite the 24-cycle run of the groundbreaking reality competition that first aired in 2003 . What emerges is a complicated picture of a show that promised to democratize the fashion industry while subjecting young women to experiences they describe as psychologically damaging.
Where to Watch Reality Check: Inside America‘s Next Top Model and Streaming Details
The documentary arrived on Netflix on February 16, 2026 at 3 a.m. Eastern Time . All three episodes dropped simultaneously, allowing viewers to binge the entire series in one sitting .
Viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and India can access the docuseries with a standard Netflix subscription. The streaming platform offers multiple pricing tiers. The Standard with ads plan costs $8 per month in the US, while ad-free viewing is available through the Standard plan at $18 monthly or the Premium tier at $25 monthly .
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model comes from directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, who previously worked on American Manhunt documentaries for Netflix . The series features interviews with contestants spanning the show‘s entire run, including Whitney Thompson (Cycle 10 winner), Shandi Sullivan (Cycle 2), Dani Evans (Cycle 6 winner), Ebony Haith (Cycle 1), Giselle Samson (Cycle 1), Keenyah Hill (Cycle 4) and many others .
Painful Contestant Stories Take Center Stage
The documentary gives former contestants space to share experiences that remained hidden for years beneath the show‘s glossy surface. Shandi Sullivan from Cycle 2 describes an incident in Milan that the show originally edited as a cheating storyline. Sullivan alleges she was sexually assaulted while intoxicated and that cameras kept rolling .
“Welp, the documentary is out, and now you know more of my story… Because I mattered and I still do!” Sullivan wrote on social media after the release .
Dani Evans, who won Cycle 6, recounts being pressured to close her tooth gap because Banks claimed agents would not book her. Evans directly challenges Banks‘ defense in the documentary, saying “Bull-fucking-shit” when Banks suggests she was only trying to help contestants succeed .
Whitney Thompson, the show‘s first plus-size winner, describes crying in the shower to escape nonstop filming. She also alleges production often lacked wardrobe pieces in her size, leaving garments cut open and clamped to fit her body .
Keenyah Hill from Cycle 4 recalls an incident where a male model touched her inappropriately during a shoot. When she tried to address it, judges told her she handled the situation wrong by not being more playful . Banks acknowledges in the documentary that Hill deserved more support .
Giselle Samson from Cycle 1 reveals that decades later, she still hears judges’ comments about her body in her head when she criticizes herself .
Tyra Banks Faces Tough Questions About Her Role
Tyra Banks participates in the documentary as an interview subject only. Executive producer Vanessa Golembewski told Netflix‘s Tudum that Banks “never asked to have any creative input or control, and she‘s seeing the footage for the first time alongside the rest of the world” .
Banks directly addresses her most infamous moments, including the Cycle 4 outburst where she screamed at contestant Tiffany Richardson, “We were all rooting for you!” .
“I went too far. You know, I lost it. It was probably bigger than her… That‘s some Black girl stuff that goes real deep inside of me. But I knew I went too far,” Banks says in the documentary .
When confronted about the sexual assault allegation involving Sullivan, Banks declined to discuss production details, saying “that’s not my territory” .
Tiffany Richardson responded to the documentary on social media with strong words. “YOU WAS A BULLY!!! You treated me like s**t and said the nastiest things about me and my son. That is not how the argument went but YA’LL EDITED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU CARED!” she wrote .
Former Judges and Producers Share Their Perspectives
Jay Manuel, who served as creative director and judge, reveals he left the show after Cycle 8 because it was “chipping away at his soul.” When he sent Banks a polite departure email, she responded with just “I am disappointed.” Manuel describes working with Banks as “psychological torture” .
J. Alexander shares for the first time that he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022 and spent five weeks in a coma. Both Manuel and Nigel Barker visited him in the hospital, but Banks did not. Only after producers questioned him did Banks text saying she wanted to visit .
Nigel Barker admits he opposed some decisions in real time but continued working on the show .
Executive producer Ken Mok addresses the show‘s approach directly in the documentary. “We treated Top Model as a documentary, and we told the girls that. There‘s going to be cameras with you 24/7, and they‘re going to cover everything, the good, the bad, and everything in between,” Mok says .
Controversial Photoshooots and Challenges Reexamined
The documentary revisits several photoshoot themes that have not aged well. The “race-swap” photo shoots from Cycle 4 and other seasons asked contestants to paint their skin to portray different ethnicities . A crime-scene themed shoot from Cycle 8 glamorized gun violence, with one contestant revealing producers knew she had previously lost a family member in a shooting .
Keenyah Hill describes a safari-themed shoot where she was positioned as an elephant due to her size . Contestants also underwent dental surgeries and extreme makeovers that left many in tears .
Banks defends the show‘s original intentions throughout the documentary. “I wanted to fight against the fashion industry. One day, this idea just hit me. What if I created a show where you saw what it took to become a model,” she explains. “And for this show to represent not all white, not all skinny and to just show all the differences and all the different types of beauties. I had a feeling that I was gonna change the beauty world” .
Critical Response and Viewer Reactions
Critics have praised the documentary while questioning its depth. The Guardian gave the series three stars, noting that Banks “comes across as a real piece of work” but lamenting that the documentary does contestants a “disservice by persistently framing Top Model as a product of its time” .
Metro also awarded three stars, with its critic admitting the series made them question “how I ever enjoyed [America’s Next Top Model] at all” due to issues “ranging from the offensive to the disturbing” .
The Telegraph gave four stars, pointing out that Reality Check is not “exactly an exposé, because we could all see that it was a hot mess” .
New York magazine called the series “both predictable and unsatisfying,” criticizing the “frustrating lack of contrition from most of the interviewees” .
Viewers have taken to social media to share their reactions. Mykal Monroe wrote that they were “retraumatized” watching Ebony Haith‘s storyline. “I‘m really over here getting retraumatized by Ebony’s storyline from Season 1 of ANTM watching the 1st episode of Reality Check. Like fr to the point of actual tears,” Monroe shared .
Legal commentator Taylor Tieman posted a widely shared breakdown explaining why many contestants cannot sue, citing reality TV contracts that include sweeping editing rights, emotional-distress waivers, strict NDAs and arbitration clauses .
Former contestants have also weighed in. Lisa D’Amato posted, “Watched the Netflix docuseries on ANTM and I still think it is sugar coated. It was wayyyyyy worse for so so many of us,” adding, “We will have the last word” .
In a show of solidarity, former contestants Allison Harvard, Fo Porter and Isis King shared a reunion photograph on Instagram with the caption, “REALITY CHECK MOVIE NIGHT with my favs” .
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Banks Teases America‘s Next Top Model Return
The documentary ends with a major announcement. In the final minutes, Banks looks directly at the camera and says, “I feel like my work is not done. You have no idea what we have planned for Cycle 25” .
America‘s Next Top Model last aired in 2018, with Cycle 24 winner Kyla Coleman taking the title . Banks had previously mentioned in a 2020 interview with ABC Audio that she felt the show should “at least end at 25” .
Banks also addresses the criticism directly in the documentary. “Looking at that show through the lens of today, it‘s like, ‘Why did you do that?’ I thank you for that. That is the only way you change. That is the only way you get better is by somebody calling you out on your s**t,” Banks says .
Adrianne Curry, the very first winner of America‘s Next Top Model, offered a different perspective on Banks‘ approach. “I have mad respect for Tyra Banks. She is not sorry. She is not apologizing,” Curry said .
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