The new Netflix docuseries 'Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model' has contestants and creators spilling details on past traumas and behind-the-scenes tensions. Shandi Sullivan from Cycle 2 alleges a sexual assault was filmed without intervention, while Jay Manuel reveals his fallout with Tyra Banks. Tyra and executive producer Ken Mok address the decisions made during production.
Oh honey, the tea is piping hot from Netflix's 'Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model,' streaming now and serving up some serious reflections on the show's wild ride. Let's start with Shandi Sullivan from Cycle 2, who opened up about a night that went from hot tub fun to what she calls sexual assault in the shower. The episode portrayed it as her cheating on her boyfriend after a boozy evening, but Shandi told People, "I think after getting out of the hot tub, and like whatever happened after that, I think they should have f***ing like ... been like, 'Alright, this has gone too far. We got it. We gotta pull her out of this.'" Instead, cameras kept rolling on the encounter and its aftermath. 😳
Tyra Banks, the host and creator, remembers the story but deferred on production details, telling People, "I do remember her story. It's a little difficult for me to talk about production because that's not my territory." She noted she wasn't the head of story—that's executive producer Ken Mok—but added, "It's important for people to know that we didn't put everything on TV." Ken explained they "scaled back" Shandi's traumatic scenes "in a significant way," treating the show like a documentary. He said contestants were told upfront: "There's going to be cameras with you 24/7, day in and day out, and they're going to cover everything -- the good, the bad, and everything in between. No matter what happens while you're on camera, we're going to document all of that."
Then there's the drama between Tyra and creative director Jay Manuel, who worked together since ANTM launched in 2003. Jay left after Cycle 8, saying in the doc, "I didn’t like what the show was becoming. It was chipping away at my soul." He emailed Tyra his reasons, and she replied after three days with just three words: "I am disappointed." Feeling pressured, he stayed for another season, describing it as "psychological torture" where he "felt broken" and couldn't speak to her off-camera. Tyra declined to comment in the doc. Fast-forward: Jay told People no phone call has come since filming (about a year ago), though they had a "really nice conversation" at a 2017 event. No texts, emails, or visits like in their close New York and L.A. shooting days. Jay's moved on, saying, "I’m in a healed place. I wish her no ill will."
So, is this the full smize on ANTM's messy past, or just the tip of the runway? 👀
