I was nine when I first watched an episode of America’s Next Top Model. It was the hit reality TV show’s second cycle – supermodel Janice Dickinson shouted at teenage girls for being too fat, and contestant Shandi was publicly hung out to dry for cheating on her boyfriend with an Italian model during a go-see trip to Milan.
I remember thinking that Shandi was absolutely deplorable as a child. How could she be so upset by her own actions? As a 31-year-old who now frequently tells my mum to “never trust the edit”, I now know the truth of how Shandi was treated, and how she had blacked out while vulnerable bedroom scenes were being filmed. If she ever sees this, I’m so sorry.
Nobody should be surprised by what this documentary looks like… and I honestly doubt that anybody is
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While former contestants earnestly bring their experiences to the table without filter or fear – including Shandi – Tyra is sprayed with an invisible media-trained gloss. ANTM was her baby, pitching TV executives with a model competition that promoted what true beauty looks like, away from the thin, white and blonde package we’ve been brainwashed to believe is the standard.
Is that what actually happened? No. Tyra was always impeccable at marketing what she believed in, and made us feel empowered when we saw her through the screen away from the competition series.
As young girls, she was who we looked up to more than anyone. However, as adults, it’s easy to see that Tyra was upholding (and dare I say even promoting) the worst of the model industry when it came to the girls she supposedly loved.
What makes this all worse is that in her sit-down interviews on Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, she takes no accountability. Tyra repeatedly claims that she had no direct responsibility for the moments that should never have happened (such as editing Shandi and Keenyah’s harassment from a male model in Cycle 5).
“You guys wanted more,” she tells whoever’s watching, pushing part of the blame on us too. But if a child wants candy for breakfast, that doesn’t mean you give it to them.
I for one am not surprised that this is the outcome. It makes sense for Tyra to be reluctant to honestly address the continued controversy, especially after ANTM spiked in popularity (and criticism) from Gen Z TikTokkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tyra is not an executive producer or ‘consultant’ on this documentary, while previous judges Nigel Barker, Jay Manual and J. Alexander all are. I wonder if not having the same amount of creative control also means Tyra dials up the diplomacy in her answers – as our former contestants repeatedly point out, you never know how you’ll come out in the edit.
I have a much greater respect for Manuel, who candidly addresses what was going on behind the scenes with complete clarity, alongside calling out Tyra for how he was treated after saying he wanted to leave after Cycle 8. At the same time, Tyra point-blank refuses to talk about her relationship with Manuel, stating that she’d rather resolve their issues “privately.”
If only ANTM contestants were given that same freedom of choice.
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