In the 24 cycles, 322 episodes, and 15 years that it was on television, America’s Next Top Model went everywhere, tried anything, and risked everything as it sought to disrupt the norms within the fashion industry. Throughout the amateur modeling competition’s run, supermodel Tyra Banks was the one constant presence. The creator of the reality series, its executive producer, and its longest-running host, Banks was not only the face of the show and the mastermind behind its extraordinary success, but also a source of ire. This stemmed from the program’s myriad controversies, especially as new audiences discovered ANTM through contemporary eyes.
In Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Banks sits for interviews with director Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden) to share what first drove her to rattle the fashion industry, and she reflects on the decisions that took place under her watch. “I haven’t really said much,” Banks says in the documentary. “But now it’s time.”
It was important for the creators of the docuseries to tell an honest and complete story of the hit program, which meant centering the women who competed on ANTM. “From the beginning, this documentary took an incredible amount of trust,” executive producer Vanessa Golembewski tells Tudum. “Tyra’s perspective was always important to the series, but it was just as important that her involvement was as an interview subject only. She afforded us the same level of trust as everyone else who participates in the documentary. She 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.”
Jay Manuel, whose tumultuous relationship with Banks was explored in the documentary, applauded her involvement: “Tyra ultimately chose to participate without creative control. To me, that speaks to growth.”
Said Loushy in an upcoming interview with You Can’t Make This Up, “[ANTM] changed the fashion industry. It changed even us as a society. I’m happy that Tyra agreed to give us an interview and speak up. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision for her.”
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is available to watch now on Netflix.
