The 8 Most Shocking Moments in Netflix's America’s Next Top Model Documentary

While America’s Next Top Model was iconic, it was certainly a product of its time. Back when the first season aired in 2003, the fashion industry had a very particular idea of beauty — namely, tall, white and blonde.

Undoubtedly, with supermodel Tyra Banks’ commitment to more diverse casting (at least, to an extent), America’s Next Top Model revolutionised the industry. Yet, as these girls soon learned, the world of fashion and modelling can be cutthroat. But they also learned a second, much more important lesson: nothing compares to the brutality of reality TV.

Put the two together, and you have the recipe for success. But also, disaster. Reality TV was essentially a free-for-all in its infancy. The idea of aftercare, boundaries, and on-set safety was almost unheard of. Netflix’s new documentary series, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, examines the implications of this, and needless to say, there are plenty of jaw-dropping moments.

Here, we’ve rounded up some of the most shocking, and let me warn you — you might want to sit down for this one. And those who are especially sensitive to discussions of depictions of sexual assault, gun violence, racism, eating disorders, addiction, fatphobia, and homophobia should proceed with caution.

1. The Controversial Photoshoots, From Race-Swapping to Dead Bodies 

One of the most problematic aspects of America’s Next Top Model was the photoshoots. Just when you think they surely can’t get any worse, they do. A lot. In one photoshoot, they depicted models ‘glamorously’ suffering from bulimia and drug addiction. In another, they styled a model to appear as if she were shot in the head — a model whose mother was previously shot and paralysed, no less. 

They also had the models pose with unhoused people in an ill-guided attempt at raising awareness, but the most egregious is arguably the “race swap” photoshoots, which included putting white contestants in black and brown face. This happened not once, but twice. 

2. The Shandi Sullivan Incident

The most disturbing incident highlighted in the docuseries happened in Cycle 2, when the contestants were sent to Milan. They were introduced to local Vespa drivers, who were later invited to have dinner with the girls at their accommodation. During the evening, contestant Shandi Sullivan, who was 21 at the time, recalled how she got progressively drunk before blacking out. “I just knew sex was happening, and then I passed out,” she recounted. 

This event was presented on the show as Sullivan “cheating” on her boyfriend, with Banks even having an on-camera conversation about infidelity with the contestants in the days following the incident. Moreover, when a visibly distressed Shandi told her boyfriend about what happened (he called her a “b***h”), it was all documented for the show. When asked about how production handled the event during the documentary episode, Banks simply said it was something she couldn’t speak on because production wasn’t her “territory.”

3. Sexual Harassment — and the Show’s Mismanagement of It

The incident with Shandi wasn’t the only example of alleged sexual misconduct on the show. In Cycle 4, contestant Keenyah Hill alleged that, during a photoshoot, one of the male models kept “flirting” with her and touching her inappropriately. 

While she asked to stop the photoshoot to voice her discomfort, she noted how people seemed irked by this decision. Banks later told Hill to use her “feminine wiles” to establish boundaries. During that documentary episode, the supermodel said she did “the best [she] could at the time,” but acknowledged that perhaps this wasn’t enough.

4. ANTM’s Rampant Fat-Shaming

During the docuseries, Hill says she was also targeted on the reality show due to her weight. She claimed that some scenes, such as her eating a bagel, were edited to make it look like she ate more than she did, while, in another scene, a fellow contestant commented about her eating habits. 

Being cast as ‘Gluttony’ in one photoshoot about the Seven Deadly Sins and as an elephant in the other only added to the pressure. Banks herself also told Hill that they had to edit her stomach post-photoshoot, and advised her to make better “choices.”

5. Tyra Banks’ Legendary Meltdown: ‘I Was Rooting For You!’

This moment on America’s Next Top Model has been heavily memed — but the story behind it is a lot sadder than you might think. Also in Cycle 4, contestant Tiffany Richardson returned for a second attempt at the show. She had previously scuppered her chances on the series after being involved in a fight during a night out. 

Things were going well for Richardson up until a teleprompter task, where she gave up halfway through because, as she said at the time, she didn’t want to humiliate herself. This ultimately led to Richardson being sent home, with Banks launching a furious tirade against her after feeling as if she wasn’t upset enough about being eliminated. This argument allegedly escalated to Tyra having to be escorted off set, with the intensity of the conflict having to be edited. 

The sad part is that producers had been working with Richardson on anger management and coaching her to re-audition between Cycles 3 and 4, which makes this ending feel even more brutal. 

6. Outing Gay Contestant Ebony Haith

In 2003, queerness still wasn’t as accepted as it is now. Still, with openly gay judges like Miss J Alexander and Jay Manuel, America’s Next Top Model could be seen as being ahead of its time. Sadly, this wasn’t always the case. 

In the very beginning, during Cycle 1 of the show, contestant Ebony Haith recounted how, during the audition, Banks outright said: “We see that you’re gay.” For Haith, this was “how the world found out” about her sexuality — and it didn’t seem as if she had much choice in the matter. In addition to this, the TV show included scenes where another contestant expressed discomfort over Haith’s partner visiting. 

Haith, who is Black, also claims that she was targeted for having “ashy” skin and that stylists made jokes about her hair texture during the ‘makeover’ segment.

7. Forcing Contestants to Have Unnecessary Dental Work

It didn’t take long for the makeovers to go beyond hair and makeup, as production started dabbling with cosmetic procedures. In Cycle 6, Dani Evans and Joanie Dodds were both offered dental work as part of their makeovers for a tooth gap and a snaggle tooth, respectively. While Evans initially turned down this offer, she was later told that if she didn’t accept it, she would go home. After much deliberation, this led to her having the procedure to close the gap. Yet, a few seasons later, another contestant ended up having their tooth gap enhanced — which, to say the least, was more than a little ironic.

Dodds also went ahead with the cosmetic procedure, which involved removing multiple teeth and filing some down. However, she admitted that she still has dental issues from the dental work to this day.

8. The Mistreatment of ANTM’s Original Judges

As the docuseries went on, it became apparent that even the judges weren’t immune from mistreatment. After becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the series, Manuel decided to step down. When he emailed Banks about it, he was met with silence for three days before she replied, simply saying, “I am disappointed.” While he ended up staying on the show, his previously close relationship with Banks changed forever, as she didn’t speak to him at all off-camera. Manuel likened the experience to “psychological torture.”

Later, in 2012, Manuel, along with Alexander and fellow judge Nigel Barker, was abruptly fired from America’s Next Top Model to give the show a facelift following declining ratings. While it was initially agreed that there would be a joint press release announcing the departures, the exits were later leaked to Page Six — and in the docuseries, Manuel made it clear that he felt the “leak” was deliberate.

As for Alexander, the runway coach, who had coached Banks since she was 17, suffered a stroke in 2022. The stroke left him in a coma for five days, and while he has relearned to talk, he is still relearning how to walk. While Barker and Manuel visited him after the health crisis, the TV personality admitted during the docuseries that Banks had yet to visit him — although she did send him a text saying she intended to.