America's Next Top Model docuseries shows personal cost of reality TV

Netflix's three-part docuseries Reality Check revisits America's Next Top Model and includes former contestants and collaborators describing reported mistreatment tied to how contestants' bodies were managed; the series has revived discussion about reality TV's role in shaping standards for women's bodies.

Netflix's three-part docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model examines the early years of the show and how it was produced. The series pairs interviews with former contestants and past collaborators to describe the program's practices and culture. Interviewees report that decisions on set and in production at times appeared to prioritize spectacle and appearance over contestants' wellbeing. The film arrives amid renewed public attention to body standards and medicalized approaches to weight and appearance. Key reported points: - The documentary revisits America's Next Top Model's production and culture as presented in the Netflix series. - Former contestants named in coverage, including Shandi Sullivan, Dani Evans, Tiffany Richardson and Joanie Dodds, described experiences they say affected them long term and how they were treated on set. - The series presents accounts that production choices, and the way bodies were managed and judged, are presented as part of the show's entertainment value. - Tyra Banks appears in the docuseries and is described as acknowledging some missteps while not fully reckoning with her role as host and executive producer. Summary: The documentary compiles firsthand accounts that contend the show's practices caused harm and reframed contestants as entertainment, and it connects those practices to broader trends in media and body standards. The series has prompted renewed public discussion, and any further developments are undetermined at this time.