America’s Next Top Model Reckoning: Netflix’s Reality Check Reexamines ANTM’s Complicated Legacy
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Reel Perspectives
February 17, 2026
America's Next Top Model (ANTM) wasn't just a modeling competition, it was a cultural phenomenon. Who can forget Tyra Banks, infamously raging at contestant Tiffany Richardson, screaming, "We were rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!" Premiering in 2003, the show was created and hosted by supermodel Banks and developed by Ken Mok and Kenya Barris. It ran for 24 cycles and ended in 2018, not before redefining the landscape of reality television in the fashion industry and becoming a pop culture staple during the early 2000s.
Each season followed a group of aspiring models competing in weekly challenges, photo shoots, and runway tests. Contestants were judged by a panel of fashion insiders, photographers, and industry experts, most notably by Janice Dickinson, Kimora Lee Simmons, Nigel Barker, Nolé Marin, J. Alexander, and Jay Manuel. In later cycles, the panel featured Rita Ora, Ashley Graham, Drew Elliott, and Law Roach. Eliminations happened one by one until a winner was crowned. The prize typically included a modeling contract, a magazine spread, and a beauty campaign.
At the height of ANTM's popularity, the series delivered unforgettable television, blending fashion, drama, mentorship, and spectacle, keeping audiences hooked for over a decade. Tyra's emotional speeches and viral quotes became part of pop culture history. The show played a significant role in shaping society's views on modeling and beauty standards, which opened conversations about race, identity, and representation. However, it did not come without criticism, as some of the photo concepts were seen as culturally insensitive.
One of the most widely criticized aspects of ANTM involved photo shoots in which contestants were styled to represent different ethnicities or racial backgrounds. Critics argued that the creative decisions reflected a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity. The judging process was often seen as inconsistent, and the show prioritized shock value and drama over contestants' emotional health and professional modeling development. Criticisms of body shaming and pressuring contestants to share deeply personal experiences were framed in ways that heightened drama rather than offering care or sensitivity.
Additionally, although marketed as a gateway to high-fashion success, only a small number of winners achieved long-term supermodel status. Over the years, many former contestants have spoken out about the pressures and conditions they experienced while filming, raising concerns about mental abuse.
The new documentary Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, currently streaming on Netflix, tackles the controversies surrounding the hit series through candid interviews with former contestants, Miss J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker, Nolé Marin, and Tyra Banks, who had come under intense scrutiny.
Per the official synopsis, Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model is the definitive, must-watch chronicle of America's Next Top Model — and the chaos in front and behind the camera. 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. From EverWonder Studio, Wise Child Studios, and directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden), this three-part documentary series features unprecedented access to former contestants, judges, and producers. Reality Check exposes the show's complicated legacy and asks a provocative question: how far are we willing to go for entertainment?
Don't miss Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model streaming now on Netflix.