When America’s Next Top Model first hit our screens in 2003, it was unlike anything we’d ever seen. For the first time in reality television history, some of the biggest names in the elusive fashion world were opening the curtain to share what it was like for aspiring models dreaming of stomping down the catwalk dressed head-to-toe in designer looks.
To add to the titillation and the draw of the emerging reality show, creators Tyra Banks, Ken Mok and Kenya Barris added a gamified element. From 2003 to 2026, they scouted aspiring models from around America and put them against each other in weekly challenges and photoshoots.
After one contestant was eliminated each week, the winner dubbed America’s Next Top Model, winning representation from a modelling agency, leading industry contracts and a spread in a fashion magazine.
While the series was heralded for giving audiences some insight into the secretive world of the modelling industry, and opening the doors for diverse contestants who would never have found themselves with an opportunity to model, it wasn’t without it’s controversy.
The America’s Next Top Model controversy, explained
The modelling industry has long been rife with body shaming and restrictive ideals of beauty—and America’s Next Top Model was no exception. On ANTM, judges routinely scrutinized contestants’ bodies, often framing harsh criticism as “industry realism.”
In many ways, body shaming wasn’t just present on the show; it was central to it. While there was little public outcry at the time, many viewers now look back on ANTM as a program that normalized disordered eating and harmful beauty standards on prime-time television.
But the controversy didn’t stop there. As the series progressed, the show’s challenges became increasingly extreme.
Each cycle featured a makeover episode, in which Tyra Banks and the judging panel—including makeup artist Jay Manuel, runway coach Miss J Alexander, and photographer Nigel Barker—transformed the remaining contestants’ appearances. Early on, these makeovers were limited to haircuts and styling changes, making the episode one of the most anticipated moments of each season.
Over time, however, the transformations escalated. In cycle 15, for example, contestant Chelsey Hersley underwent a dental procedure to widen the gap between her front teeth. It was a decision that sparked renewed debate about consent and bodily autonomy on the show.
In other instances, it was the weekly photoshoots that crossed the line. Cycle four featured a “race swap” shoot, in which contestants were painted and styled to represent different ethnicities. While the shoot did not generate significant backlash at the time, it resurfaced in 2020 when audiences rewatched ANTM during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting widespread criticism for its insensitivity and reliance on racial stereotypes.
In 2020, following the big cultural rewatch of TikTok, Tyra Banks spoke up about the show for the first time during a talk at the ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards.
“Over 20 years ago I created a show called America’s Next Top Model and you guys have no idea how hard we fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist,” she said.
“To show different beauties at a time when the world was like, ‘What? You casting that?'” she said. “I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel but the girl that’s chillin’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought and we struggled and we made it happen.
“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s**t.”
“But I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the internet when there were 24 cycles of changing the world. And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”
She later posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.”
What is in the America’s Next Top Model documentary?
Reality Check: America’s Next Top Model takes a look back at the show through old footage, interviews with creators Tyra Banks, Ken Mok, former judges Jay Manuel, J. Alexander (aka Miss J), and Nigel Barker. It also features chats with former contestants including Giselle Samson, Shandi Sullivan, Dani Evans and Keenyah Hill, to name a few.
The series goes through the show’s history, focusing on the need to amp up the drama as the cycles went along. It also reflects on the explosive revamp in 2012 when Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker and Miss J’s contracts expired and they were replaced by a new team of judges.
Is there a trailer for Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model?
Yes, there is.
You can check it out below.
When does Reality Check: America’s Next Top Model come out?
The three-part docuseries will premiere on Netflix on February 16.
We can’t wait!
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
