In 2003 — a golden age of reality TV — a simple pitch came in: marry American Idol with The Real World and set it in the world of modeling. Tyra Banks, who had shattered industry norms to become one of its best-known supermodels, would host. Now a new documentary series is taking an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the smash hit that followed, America’s Next Top Model. 

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, now streaming, unpacks the inner workings of the show that became a viral juggernaut with a global audience of over 100 million people at its peak. Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden), the three-part series features interviews with ANTM’s key players, who reflect on their time on the show and take stock of its legacy — the highs and the lows — two-plus decades since it first aired. 

Read on for everything to know about Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.

What happened on America’s Next Top Model?

Created by Tyra Banks and developed by Ken Mok and Kenya Barris, America’s Next Top Model ran for 24 seasons — or “cycles,” as they were called on the show — from 2003 to 2016. Each cycle followed a new group of aspiring models from across the US who lived together, competed in challenges, and faced a weekly elimination. The eventual winner was named “America’s Next Top Model” and awarded a spread in a fashion magazine, plus contracts with a major fashion brand and a modeling agency.

The series broke new ground by spotlighting contestants from communities the fashion industry had historically overlooked, but also became known for increasingly outlandish stunt shoots and compulsory cosmetic transformations — including drastic haircuts and invasive dental surgeries. Judges’ biting critiques of contestants’ shapes, weight, and looks became some of the show’s signature viral moments. 

Since ANTM ended a decade ago, longtime fans and new audiences alike — fueled in part by pandemic-era binge-watching — have revisited the show and taken to social media to reconsider its place in the culture, scrutinizing controversial moments and questioning whether contestants were treated fairly. In the docuseries, Banks, Mok, and former judges and contestants speak directly to those questions and reflect on the show’s complicated history.

Find out what ANTM’s former contestants and judges are up to now here . 

Who produced and created the ANTM documentary?

The series was directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (also co-executive producers). Executive producers are Ryan Miller, Jason Beekman, Vanessa Golembewski, Jon Adler, Amanda Spain, Ian Orefice, and Jonna McLaughlin. 

Who’s interviewed in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model? 

The series features new interviews with Tyra Banks, Ken Mok, former judges Jay Manuel, J. Alexander (aka Miss J), and Nigel Barker. Former contestants and winners — including Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Dani Evans, and Keenyah Hill — also appear. 

What happened between America’s Next Top Model judges Tyra Banks, Jay Manuel, J. Alexander, and Nigel Barker?

In 2003, Banks’s former makeup artist Jay Manuel joined ANTM for its inaugural cycle as creative director, and J. Alexander, or Miss J, became its runway coach. Together with fashion photographer Nigel Barker, who joined for Cycle 2, the trio formed the core of the judging panel for nearly a decade. 

In 2012, Manuel, Alexander, and Barker’s contracts expired, and the trio were not brought back. Reality Check delves into the context and many of the specifics surrounding their departure from the show. 

Manuel spoke with Tudum about his departure from the show and where he’s at with Tyra these days. Head over to our interview for the full story. 

What is the docuseries’ release date?

The three-part series premiered on Feb. 16. Stream it now.

Where can I watch the trailer?

Take a first look at the docuseries in the trailer at the top of the page. 

What’s this doc like? 

Part juicy nostalgia trip, part unflinching reckoning, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top model relives the iconic show’s most viral moments — from wild photo shoots to unforgettable blowups — while digging into what was really happening behind the scenes. The docuseries weaves in new interviews with former contestants, winners, and judges as they revisit their time on the series and reconsider its legacy.

• Watch out for discussion of sensitive topics like body shaming, racism, colorism, homophobia, and on‑set sexual harassment/misconduct. 
• Could be described as the sharp, culture-wide examination of 2000s beauty standards of White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch meets the probing, behind-the-curtain reality-TV retrospective of Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser.