‘Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model’ (2026) Netflix Series Review - Tyra Banks Perspective

If you have watched and loved “America’s Next Top Model”, this documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at all the criticism it has faced so far. It acts as a revelation from none other than Tyra Banks. The series opens with Tyra Banks coming herself and telling us about her journey of being a black model who was once paid less because of the color of her skin, to becoming a top model. She tells us that instead of opening her agency, she decided to start this show in order to give new talent a chance and for the world to see what it takes to become a model. While a lot of us know the show has been under fire because of what the contestants have said, this time, Tyra Banks herself is coming to provide us with some sort of “explanation” for all the allegations against her. As someone who was amongst the first few black women to join the world of modelling, which was dominated by white skinny women, this show was her way to give opportunities to women irrespective of their shapes, sizes, and colors. Her big inspiration came from American Idol. Later, we get to see how they chose the judges and what the show's format would be. They go back to the scenes, and we get to see their reaction.

We have interviews with people such as Miss J, Nigel Baker, Jay Manuel, and the former contestants. Jay Manuel tells us some of the main things, such as the time when the production team told him they needed someone who was white, straight, and good-looking. That is when they robbed Nigel Baker. Post this, the show moves on to the darker side. Shandi Sullivan tells us about her incident, which caught many eyes. Her encounters in Italy were filmed, and when things went too far, the camera didn’t stop. There are many such incidents that former participants talk about, which clearly show foul play on the part of the production to gain views. For many models, this show turned out to be traumatizing.  They had cameras following them everywhere.  And some of the scenes were even shown to us in this documentary. There has been a big breach of privacy here, and it is obvious. No doubt all of this helped the show gain a lot of popularity, but when you think about it, all of this at what cost?

“Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” is, for sure, an eye-opener for so many of us who have watched the show. It is like a documentary inside a documentary. So many truths come out, some of which even Tyra Banks didn’t have answers to. While the makers decided to increase the frequency of the show, it is through the former participants and those who participate in the interviews, such as Jay Manuel, who come forward and speak up the most.  Even the bad working conditions have been highlighted.

Although the run time of the three episodes is an hour, the way the documentary has been executed with the interviews, photos, and archived images is what makes it worth watching. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and I am sure that for those of you who followed this show, this behind-the-scenes is also worth a watch.

Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times