‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’ Spills the Tea
I never watched America’s Next Top Model, although I grew up in the generation that did. My friends would discuss the latest episode every week at school, exchanging gossip like currency at the lunch table. America’s Next Top Model was a global phenomenon; however, like most reality television, things weren’t always what they seemed on the surface. While reality might be in the name of the genre, at the end of the day, they were just shows. Forms of entertainment for the masses, meaning that ratings ruled everything, and drama sells.
Netflix’s three-part documentary, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, is here to remove the make-up from this beloved competition series and expose the ugly truth that lies beneath. What may have begun as Tyra Banks’ dream of modelling equality for all quickly spiraled into a reality television hell scape. While that may have helped the network’s ratings, America’s Next Top Model left deep emotional scars for so many involved in the show. Reality Check lives up to its name, revealing the negative impact of this global phenomenon.
Are you ready for some massive truth bombs? Then let’s explore what Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model has in store for viewers.
[Warning: spoilers from Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model are below!]
A grim reality in America’s Next Top Model
The impact that America’s Next Top Model had on reality television was astounding, but truly, it pales in comparison to the mark it left on the contestants in the series. Reality Check puts those models front and center, allowing many of them to speak their truth about the show. And boy, do they have a lot to say about what went on during their time on America’s Next Top Model.
However, before Reality Check gives the models a mic, it first sets the stage for how ANTM came to be. Through interviews with Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, viewers learn how this series came to be and just how much the former wanted to create a space that was inclusive for all. Banks’ thought was to shine a light on women who are often overlooked by the modeling industry, often because of the shape of their bodies or the color of their skin. However, while America’s Next Top Model might have been created with the best of intentions, that quickly changed once it finally arrived on screen.
As the saying goes, drama sells, which is the mantra reality television thrives on, and ANTM is no exception. It quickly became apparent that, while Tyra Banks appeared to be in charge, others were pulling the strings, and that’s where America’s Next Top Model quickly descended into trouble. It’s here where Reality Check begins to bring in actual contestants from the series, who talk about the negativity that existed because of the show and the network that controlled it.
Plenty of blame and not enough responsibility in Reality Check
What the network and those who ran ANTM began to request of the models, or forced them to do to remain in the competition, was both shocking and completely unethical. The psychologist in me was horrified at multiple points in the situations the series created for these models, all for the sake of getting more views and ultimately for advertisers. When there’s a power imbalance, such as one that exists between those who run ANTM and those who are competing on it, you shouldn’t put people in certain situations, because it doesn’t truly leave them room to say no. The stakes are too high for those on the series, so they don’t feel like they can walk away from whatever the producers are asking. Think of it like being a child and having to talk with your school principal. It’s uncomfortable, scary, and almost impossible to stand up for yourself and go against what is being asked of you.
Reality Check does a fantastic job of giving some of these models a platform to share their experiences (which, in turn, provides the drama that draws viewers to the show), and it shines a blinding light on the seedy underbelly of a series such as America’s Next Top Model. However, while there is plenty of blame being thrown around, no one from the production side of ANTM seems willing of accepting the blame. Part of Reality Check seems to be that those involved in creating this series don’t want to admit they could be the story’s villain.
So what naturally occurs is that the blame continues to shift, with one person shucking it off onto the next, leaving the waters murky and everyone looking morally gray at best. This Netflix docuseries is part therapy for the models involved, but it doesn’t necessarily offer emotional catharsis. Viewers won’t walk away from the series with any grand conclusions or know who’s truly at fault for the atrocities that have occurred on the set of ANTM. Is that perhaps the greatest draw of the show? For some, the answer is probably yes, as gaining insight into who is at fault helps to paint a complete picture of the show.
However, the biggest takeaway for me was that no one was actually blameless, except the contestants, even if they want you to believe otherwise. Everyone involved in the production side of America’s Next Top Model is in the wrong to some capacity, even if it’s just ignorance or complacency about what was truly happening in front of the camera. It’s hard to watch these grown adults sit in silence or use their voice to further the show’s agenda at the sake of the models living through the hell that ANTM was thrusting on these women.
That’s where the emotion stems from as a viewer. You’re hearing firsthand about what happened to these women and how those in power allowed these injustices to occur. They allowed women to be taken advantage of and didn’t stand up to question whether what they were doing was right. This is a story that should piss viewers off, as it’s just another example of minorities of all kinds becoming victims of a corporation that refuses to admit fault. A broken cycle that continued for 25 seasons, hurting countless people. One that should be stopped, but instead will continue unless more people stand up and speak out.
Final thoughts about Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model
ANTM fostered a toxic environment in which women were pushed to the brink in hopes of becoming a model. They were forced to alter their bodies, made to participate in ridiculous challenges, and ridiculed ad nauseam by the judges. The hurt that this show caused is astounding, as Reality Check discovers, no one from the production wants to take responsibility for these actions. No one feels the need to apologize, and it makes you wonder if anyone on the production side truly cares about the destruction they’ve caused.
However, besides viewers getting some piping tea, they’ll care about the damage done. I don’t think anyone can watch this docuseries and not care. You feel for these women and what they’ve gone through, and ultimately, walk away hoping that perhaps this serves as a cautionary tale, stopping future shows from doing something similar. At least…one can hope.
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is streaming on Netflix! Have you checked out this series yet? What did you think? Share your thoughts on social media and tag @bsb.insider to continue the conversation!
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