The controversial legacy of America’s Next Top Model

The reality show America’s Next Top Model may have been a hit during its run, but its legacy has not aged well.

In 2002, former supermodel Tyra Banks conceived the idea for a reality television show to diversify the fashion industry and provide aspiring models with the experience they needed to break into the industry. Throughout each cycle’s run, 10 to 15 aspiring models would have the opportunity to compete in a series of photoshoots and challenges, with the chance to be crowned “America’s Next Top Model” and to launch their career in the industry through a contract with a cosmetic company, a magazine cover and spread and to be signed to a modelling agency.

The show made its debut on the UPN in 2003 and ran for six seasons on the channel before it merged with The WB to become The CW and aired for 16 more seasons before its cancellation in 2015. The series was revived on VH1 and ran for two more seasons before concluding in 2018 after 24 seasons.

Throughout its run, America’s Next Top Model had a cultural impact. The show helped transform reality television by introducing a mainstream audience to the world of elite fashion and introducing the viewers to terms such as “smize” (smiling with one’s eyes). The show was also praised for its diverse casting as we saw contestants of different colours, shapes and sexual orientations grace our screens.

The show also had its downs. Some of those downs included: exploiting the contestants’ personal trauma, body-shaming critiques from some of the judges, turning a blind eye to contestants being sexually harassed/assaulted, subjecting the contestants to humiliating runway challenges and having controversial photoshoots involving blackface. Throughout the years, several contestants have shared that it was difficult for them to find work after their cycle ended because of the edit they received on the show, or an agency just didn’t want to be associated with anyone who appeared on the show.

In 2020, the show received buzz again during the COVID-19 pandemic as people were rewatching the show while quarantining. However, the buzz was not positive. Reactions and commentary videos made during the period helped many realize how toxic the show really was.

A controversial moment on the show that stood out to many at the time was when Banks wanted cycle six winner Danielle “Dani” Evans to close the gap in her teeth. Evans initially refused to close her gap, leading to Banks asking her if she thinks she can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in her teeth before placing her pinky in between her two front teeth and saying this: “This is all people see, easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl. It’s not marketable.”

Evans responded that she was okay with having her gap closed a little bit, but not all the way. “Well, I guess she just left the ‘gap’ wide open for another girl,” responded the runway coach and judge, Miss J. Alexander.

Nine cycles later, cycle 15 runner-up Chelsey Hersley was given a wider gap as part of her makeover, leading to people condemning Banks for forcing Evans to close her gap against her will. Banks responded to all the backlash in a now-deleted tweet saying the following, “Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.”

Banks’ response was not well-received, and with the release of the Netflix documentary, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, six years later, it caused more people to side-eye the show.

On February 16^th, 2025, the three-part documentary premiered and addresses some of the show’s most controversial moments, along with what occurred behind the scenes. Banks, creative director Jay Manuel, photographer and judge Nigel Barker, Alexander, executive producer Ken Mok and season three and four judge Nolé Marin appeared in the documentary along with former contestants: Ebony Haith, Giselle Samson and runner-up Shannon Stewart from cycle one, Shandi Sullivan from cycle two, Keenyah Hill from cycle four, Bre Scullark from cycle five, runner-up Joanie Sprague and Evans from cycle six, Dionne Walters from cycle eight and winner Whitney Thompson from cycle 10.

One thing that people noticed from the documentary was the lack of accountability from Banks and from Manuel, Barker and Alexander, who also played a role in the mistreatment of the contestants. “But you guys were demanding it, and so we kept pushing for more and more and more,” said Banks, who attempted to shift the blame onto the viewers for the show’s problematic moments.

The show may have been geared towards young adults, but there were a handful of young girls (myself being one of them) and teenagers watching the show during its original run. None of the viewers, especially the children, demanded that people be body-shamed, have their trauma exploited, or be sexually assaulted.

The show may have had a cultural impact throughout the 2000s and has helped many contestants achieve success in the fashion industry, but we can’t overlook the long-lasting trauma that the show inflicted on multiple contestants.

With Banks announcing she would like to have a 25^th cycle, it led to people jokingly saying she is “threatening” us with another cycle. Viewers are against seeing another cycle produced, considering what some of the contestants have endured.

I may have enjoyed watching the show as a kid, but as I got older and viewed commentary and reaction videos along with the Netflix documentary on what took place throughout the show’s run, it makes me think that anyone who wants to participate in the show’s 25^th cycle should do so at their own risk.