5 ugly takeaways from Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model
Conceived by Tyra Banks, America’s Next Top Model was meant to empower women and minorities, but instead saw bullying and ‘race swapping’
At its heart, America’s Next Top Model was Tyra Banks’ show. She originated the canonical reality series’ concept, assembled its core cast and anchored its production for 23 seasons.
But Reality Check – a docuseries now streaming on Netflix that examines ANTM and its checkered history through the accounts of those who were a part of it – is not affiliated with Banks. In fact, the supermodel turned media personality was not invited to take the hot seat until well after production began, says Daniel Sivan, who co-directed Reality Check with his wife, Mor Loushy.
“It was like, ‘Hey, this can be a great addition, but definitely not a necessity,’” Sivan says.
Luckily for the directors, Banks eventually agreed to an interview, which Loushy says clocked in at about four hours and ended up giving the series a richer texture.
“People talking trash about her is very easy to find,” Sivan says. “But having her passion, bringing this programme to life, is something that only she could tell.”
For Sivan and Loushy, whose filmography leans towards the sociopolitical, the pop-culture-centric Reality Check seems a departure. But Loushy stewarded this project with the same care that she did the duo’s acclaimed 2025 docuseries American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden.