Tyra Banks and other key figures attached to the long-running reality show “America’s Next Top Model” are the topics of an explosive recent documentary exploring the series’ place in popular culture history. Within the trailer, Banks speaks candidly with viewers about a few of the show’s most controversial moments, a lot of which forged an unfavorable light on the long-lasting supermodel, explaining that she kept pulling more outrageous stunts because “you guys were demanding it.”
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The docuseries, starring Tyra Banks, “ANTM” contestants, and former judges, comes after the supermodel faced intense criticism and pushback from viewers in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of whom found a few of the show’s challenges, together with comments from Banks and show leaders, problematic and offensive. Within the teaser, Banks admits she went “too far,” but some commenters and even “ANTM” contestants feel the pushback against the “Life Size” star is unwarranted.
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Former ‘ANTM’ Winner Says Looking At Show Through ‘Woke Lens’ Is ‘Absurd’
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Adrienne Curry, winner of “ANTM” season 1, weighed in on the brand new Netflix docuseries, “Reality Check,” and asserted that the pushback against Banks and the show is “absurd.”
“I’m deeply grateful I won the primary season of Top Model,” Curry wrote. “I feel people psychoanalyzing it over 20 years later with a woke lens is absurd.”
Curry appeared to deal with why she wasn’t involved within the upcoming Netflix project, noting she doesn’t “trust people to not manipulate things I say for TV.”
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‘ANTM’ Contestant ‘Really Hoping’ Netflix Doesn’t Twist Her Words In Latest Docuseries
Elaborating, Curry claimed that the general public is “cult-like and cruel,” adding that she prefers to avoid public scrutiny. She finished, sharing that she hopes the ladies who decided to take part in the docuseries “should not have their words twisted.”
Keenyah Hill, one among the previous contestants who agreed to be a part of the series, responded to Curry’s post, saying she’s “really hoping the producers don’t twist our words to suit the narrative.”
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Tyra Banks Knows She ‘Went Too Far’ During ‘ANTM’
She blames the viewers for the shows egregious behavior of putting those young girls in harms way.
Shameful.— TradingHerosForGhosts (@PinkStarShimmer) January 26, 2026
In line with a previous report from The Blast, Banks is at the middle of the brand new Netflix docuseries, and in a teaser, she addressed a few of the criticism she faced following the show’s resurgence in 2020.
“I knew I went too far. It was very, very intense, but you guys were demanding it, so we kept pushing it, increasingly and more,” Banks said.
Her comments sparked a frenzy online, prompting many to slam the model for attempting to “gaslight” the audience. “D-mn, she just say it was our fault?” another person asked.
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Other Users Come To Banks’ Defense
I mean, ANTM had 24 seasons for a reason. People complained about it yet they still tuned in each week…
— Andre Clemons (@ANDRECthatsme) January 26, 2026
Some users rallied behind Banks, nevertheless, arguing that the hate she’s received over the previous couple of years related to “ANTM” is not fair.
“Y’all haven’t got this ‘hate’ energy for Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey,” someone wrote. “Just the black woman.”
“I watched the show years ago and I agree,” one other user said. “Looking back now, in fact, it looks absurd. But looking back at any show around that point, so many individuals can be cancelled in the event that they did these shows now. Tyra being singled out seems targeted.”
“Listen! It was a show, and it helped launch lots of the ladies’ careers!” one other stated. “And it was just a unique time! Everyone tuned in! Tyra is a trailblazer.”
Prior to the Netflix docuseries, Banks addressed the criticism she’d been receiving during a March 2025 event, stating she would not let the negativity make her forget the role her show played in the style industry.
“… I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the web when there have been 24 [seasons] of fixing the world,” she said. “All of us evolve. All of us recover together. And I’m so excited that I, and so a lot of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”
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“Reality Check” Is Coming To Netflix On February 11
“Reality Check” is directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, Netflix staples known for his or her work on “American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden.”
The brand new series, specializing in “America’s Next Top Model,” will debut on the streaming service on February 11, 2026, and can feature interviews with Banks, creators Ken Mok and Kenya Barris, and former judges J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, and Nigel Barker. The production may even include interviews from former contestants Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, and Dani Evans.

