\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Is Adrianne Curry in Netflix\u2019s \u2018Top Model\u2019 Documentary? Her Absence Explained<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tNetflix will explore the most controversial moments from groundbreaking reality competition America\u2019s Next Top Model in its new documentary Reality Check. The three-part docuseries from American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan pulls no punches as it examines the way America\u2019s Next Top Model changed the fashion industry \u2014 for better [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen I signed on for it, Tyra wasn\u2019t even going to be on the show, so I was kind of surprised that it was more like a judge-focused show,\u201d cycle 10 winner Whitney Thompson<\/strong> said via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 17, 2026. \u201cI would want to hear more from the contestants.\u201d<\/p>\nKeep reading to see what cast members are saying about Reality Check<\/i> and if it\u2019s an accurate representation of their experience on America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i>:<\/p>\nShandi Sullivan<\/b><\/h2>\n\n![\"Americas](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Reality-Check-netflix.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Shandi Sullivan<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 2 finalist Shandi Sullivan<\/span><\/a> claimed that she was sexually assaulted during a group trip to Italy during her time on the show. Now that she\u2019s shared more of her experience, Sullivan is grateful for the support.<\/p>\n\u201cWelp the documentary is out and now you know more of my story\u2026after all of the years the Top Model<\/em> girls and what we went through were never forgotten,\u201d Sullivan wrote via Facebook<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026. \u201cAt the age of 43, I continue to struggle with it; always smiling. That\u2019s why I took this opportunity. Knowing that Tyra didn\u2019t have control over my narrative, that the director and producers here had my back\u2026that\u2019s why I did it. I did it for me. Because I mattered and I still do! The love I have felt today has been immense. Thank you to everyone that heard me.\u201d<\/p>\nWhitney Thompson<\/b><\/h2>\n\n![\"Americas](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/reality-check-netflix3.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Whitney Thompson<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 10 winner Whitney Thompson<\/span><\/a> addressed the criticism Tyra Banks was receiving from the docuseries.<\/p>\n\u201cHating Tyra is easy, right? I mean, it\u2019s easy to blame her. But the truth is that the industry would not be what it is today if it wasn\u2019t for her putting these things on Top Model <\/i>back then,\u201d Thompson claimed via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 17, 2026. \u201cWe would not be gasping at the craziness that she put on TV if she hadn\u2019t done it and shifted our entire mindset. She took queer, Black, trans, different weights, different heights and she put them into the average American\u2019s living room where everyone was together watching these shows, rooting for someone who didn\u2019t necessarily look like them.\u201d<\/p>\nThe model continued, \u201cBecause of that, it shifted the whole dynamic to where people could actually use people who weren\u2019t identical to them in advertising. That had never happened before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tiffany Richardson<\/b><\/h2>\n
America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 4 contestant Tiffany Richardson won\u2019t forget the way Tyra Banks yelled at her before being eliminated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold up @tyrabanks let\u2019s keep it cute \u2026 you know how you treated me the whole time off and on camera, YOU WAS A BULLY!!! You treated me like s*** and said the nastiest things about me and my son,\u201d Richardson claimed in a since deleted Instagram<\/span><\/a> post. \u201cThat is not how the argument went but YALL EDITED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU CARED.\u201d<\/p>\nBanks admitted in the docuseries that she \u201cwent too far\u201d while addressing the \u201ctough\u201d moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I lost it. It was probably bigger than her. It was family, friends, society, Black girls, all the challenges that we have,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo many people saying that we\u2019re not good enough. I think all that was in that moment. That\u2019s some Black girl stuff that goes real deep inside of me, but I knew I went too far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adrianne Curry<\/b><\/h2>\n
Although America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry declined to participate in the Netflix doc, she spoke out<\/span><\/a> about the project on social media.<\/p>\n\u201cI was just told one of the Top Model<\/i> judges admitted they\u2019d advance girls that were not the best models\u2026just good tv,\u201d Curry wrote via X<\/span><\/a> on February 17, 2026. \u201cThat was me. I\u2019ve said it for years, I never was the best one. I just had the best sob story. It is nice to have it confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\nKeenyah Hill<\/b><\/h2>\n\n![\"Americas](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/americas-next-top-model-reality-checked.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 4 contestant Keenyah Hill participated in the Netflix doc with hopes that her story would be shared accurately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to lend my voice about my experience on America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i>,\u201d Hill wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026, before watching the finished product. \u201cSending SO MUCH LOVE to the ANTM<\/i> Alumni \u2764\ufe0f<\/span>. I know we all had very different experiences on the show and I feel for everyone who had to heal from the aftermath with half the world watching!! Grateful to have been a part of such a legendary show\u2026 Can\u2019t wait to watch \ud83c\udf7f<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Reality](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/antm.jpg?w=400&h=225&crop=1&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Where \u2018Top Model\u2018 Alums Stand With Tyra Banks After Offscreen Backlash<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tNetflix\u2019s America\u2019s Next Top Model docuseries revealed where Tyra Banks stands with many former contestants after they offered their unfiltered opinions of the show. Reality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model, streaming now, features interviews from alums Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Danielle Evans and Keenyah Hill. New confessionals with executive producer [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Lisa D\u2019Amato\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 17 winner Lisa D\u2019Amato is hopeful that E!\u2019s upcoming project titled Dirty Rotten Scandal<\/i> will be a more revealing look at the reality TV franchise she was a part of.<\/p>\n
\u201c#ANTM #NETFLIX mark your calendars for Dirty Rotten Scandal<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u2019s on E! March 11th,\u201d D\u2019Amato wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026. \u201cThe Netflix was still very tame and sugarcoated compared to a lot of us and what happened behind the scenes to US that they kept silenced. We will have the last word. Thank you \ud83d\ude4f All my love to @miss_jalexander \u2665\ufe0f.\u201d<\/p>\nEva Marcille<\/h2>\n
Eva Marcille, who won the third cycle of America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em>, revealed she was \u201cgobsmacked\u201d after watching<\/a> Reality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em>.<\/p>\n\u201cI was in awe \u2026 My mouth was wide open,\u201d she said in a February 2026 interview with CBS Mornings<\/em>. \u201cTo be a part of a club, and not know what\u2019s going on in the club is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\nMarcille, who was not approached to be in the doc, added that she was horrified to hear some of the stories mentioned in the Netflix documentary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lived my experience. I\u2019ve walked in my shoes. And though there is a level of relatability one would assume, someone having walked in the same shoes, I had no idea. Absolutely no idea. I have been asked about Tyra for 21 years,\u201d she explained. \u201cNo matter what project I\u2019m doing, what I\u2019m involved in, somehow Top Model finds its way in my interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Shannon Stewart<\/b><\/h2>\n\n![\"Americas](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/shannon-stewart-tyra-banks_1c695a.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Shannon Stewart and Tyra Banks<\/span> Courtesy of Shannon Stewart\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 1 runner-up Shannon Stewart urged viewers of Reality Check<\/i> to give Tyra Banks mercy and grace<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cDid Tyra do everything right? No. But if we\u2019re honest, neither have we,\u201d Stewart wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 24, 2026. \u201cHave we always responded with wisdom instead of emotion? Have we never said something we later regretted? I can only speak for myself. I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.\u201d<\/p>\nShe added, \u201cWe forget that Tyra is a person \u2014 a mother, a daughter, a woman known by God long before she was known by the world. She once said something that hurt me. Later, she told me she was sorry. Not everyone has the humility to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Keep reading to see what cast members are saying about Reality Check<\/i> and if it\u2019s an accurate representation of their experience on America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i>:<\/p>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 2 finalist Shandi Sullivan<\/span><\/a> claimed that she was sexually assaulted during a group trip to Italy during her time on the show. Now that she\u2019s shared more of her experience, Sullivan is grateful for the support.<\/p>\n \u201cWelp the documentary is out and now you know more of my story\u2026after all of the years the Top Model<\/em> girls and what we went through were never forgotten,\u201d Sullivan wrote via Facebook<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026. \u201cAt the age of 43, I continue to struggle with it; always smiling. That\u2019s why I took this opportunity. Knowing that Tyra didn\u2019t have control over my narrative, that the director and producers here had my back\u2026that\u2019s why I did it. I did it for me. Because I mattered and I still do! The love I have felt today has been immense. Thank you to everyone that heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 10 winner Whitney Thompson<\/span><\/a> addressed the criticism Tyra Banks was receiving from the docuseries.<\/p>\n \u201cHating Tyra is easy, right? I mean, it\u2019s easy to blame her. But the truth is that the industry would not be what it is today if it wasn\u2019t for her putting these things on Top Model <\/i>back then,\u201d Thompson claimed via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 17, 2026. \u201cWe would not be gasping at the craziness that she put on TV if she hadn\u2019t done it and shifted our entire mindset. She took queer, Black, trans, different weights, different heights and she put them into the average American\u2019s living room where everyone was together watching these shows, rooting for someone who didn\u2019t necessarily look like them.\u201d<\/p>\n The model continued, \u201cBecause of that, it shifted the whole dynamic to where people could actually use people who weren\u2019t identical to them in advertising. That had never happened before.\u201d<\/p>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 4 contestant Tiffany Richardson won\u2019t forget the way Tyra Banks yelled at her before being eliminated.<\/p>\n \u201cHold up @tyrabanks let\u2019s keep it cute \u2026 you know how you treated me the whole time off and on camera, YOU WAS A BULLY!!! You treated me like s*** and said the nastiest things about me and my son,\u201d Richardson claimed in a since deleted Instagram<\/span><\/a> post. \u201cThat is not how the argument went but YALL EDITED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU CARED.\u201d<\/p>\n Banks admitted in the docuseries that she \u201cwent too far\u201d while addressing the \u201ctough\u201d moment.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I lost it. It was probably bigger than her. It was family, friends, society, Black girls, all the challenges that we have,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo many people saying that we\u2019re not good enough. I think all that was in that moment. That\u2019s some Black girl stuff that goes real deep inside of me, but I knew I went too far.\u201d<\/p>\n Although America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry declined to participate in the Netflix doc, she spoke out<\/span><\/a> about the project on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just told one of the Top Model<\/i> judges admitted they\u2019d advance girls that were not the best models\u2026just good tv,\u201d Curry wrote via X<\/span><\/a> on February 17, 2026. \u201cThat was me. I\u2019ve said it for years, I never was the best one. I just had the best sob story. It is nice to have it confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 4 contestant Keenyah Hill participated in the Netflix doc with hopes that her story would be shared accurately.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to lend my voice about my experience on America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i>,\u201d Hill wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026, before watching the finished product. \u201cSending SO MUCH LOVE to the ANTM<\/i> Alumni \u2764\ufe0f<\/span>. I know we all had very different experiences on the show and I feel for everyone who had to heal from the aftermath with half the world watching!! Grateful to have been a part of such a legendary show\u2026 Can\u2019t wait to watch \ud83c\udf7f<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNetflix\u2019s America\u2019s Next Top Model docuseries revealed where Tyra Banks stands with many former contestants after they offered their unfiltered opinions of the show. Reality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model, streaming now, features interviews from alums Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Danielle Evans and Keenyah Hill. New confessionals with executive producer [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 17 winner Lisa D\u2019Amato is hopeful that E!\u2019s upcoming project titled Dirty Rotten Scandal<\/i> will be a more revealing look at the reality TV franchise she was a part of.<\/p>\n \u201c#ANTM #NETFLIX mark your calendars for Dirty Rotten Scandal<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u2019s on E! March 11th,\u201d D\u2019Amato wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 16, 2026. \u201cThe Netflix was still very tame and sugarcoated compared to a lot of us and what happened behind the scenes to US that they kept silenced. We will have the last word. Thank you \ud83d\ude4f All my love to @miss_jalexander \u2665\ufe0f.\u201d<\/p>\n Eva Marcille, who won the third cycle of America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em>, revealed she was \u201cgobsmacked\u201d after watching<\/a> Reality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in awe \u2026 My mouth was wide open,\u201d she said in a February 2026 interview with CBS Mornings<\/em>. \u201cTo be a part of a club, and not know what\u2019s going on in the club is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Marcille, who was not approached to be in the doc, added that she was horrified to hear some of the stories mentioned in the Netflix documentary.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve lived my experience. I\u2019ve walked in my shoes. And though there is a level of relatability one would assume, someone having walked in the same shoes, I had no idea. Absolutely no idea. I have been asked about Tyra for 21 years,\u201d she explained. \u201cNo matter what project I\u2019m doing, what I\u2019m involved in, somehow Top Model finds its way in my interview.\u201d<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/i> cycle 1 runner-up Shannon Stewart urged viewers of Reality Check<\/i> to give Tyra Banks mercy and grace<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Tyra do everything right? No. But if we\u2019re honest, neither have we,\u201d Stewart wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> on February 24, 2026. \u201cHave we always responded with wisdom instead of emotion? Have we never said something we later regretted? I can only speak for myself. I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.\u201d<\/p>\n She added, \u201cWe forget that Tyra is a person \u2014 a mother, a daughter, a woman known by God long before she was known by the world. She once said something that hurt me. Later, she told me she was sorry. Not everyone has the humility to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nShandi Sullivan<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n Shandi Sullivan<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhitney Thompson<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n Whitney Thompson<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTiffany Richardson<\/b><\/h2>\n
Adrianne Curry<\/b><\/h2>\n
Keenyah Hill<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Where \u2018Top Model\u2018 Alums Stand With Tyra Banks After Offscreen Backlash<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nLisa D\u2019Amato\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Eva Marcille<\/h2>\n
Thank You!<\/h3>\n
Shannon Stewart<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n Shannon Stewart and Tyra Banks<\/span> Courtesy of Shannon Stewart\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n