If you are like me and stuck strolling through feeds almost every day. I am sure you have come across ads or posts for two controversial docu-series that dropped in February. Both are big pills to swallow. I was going to just do one post, and it was just getting to long. So the second show will come in a second post. First lets start with the one that most generations are familiar and would be interested in watching. Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. If you had a pulse or just love fashion in 2003, then you were probably getting hooked on Tyra Banks America’s Next Top Model reality/competition show. The show was created by Banks, who at the time was a top fashion model, which was the shows major selling point. At the time, what sold me on watching the series, was seeing J. Alexander was joining the cast, as one of Banks mentors/judges for the show. I first met Ms. J. back in 1993 at a charity fashion show at a hotel. I was there with a friend who working the show, and he was backstage creating a second show that many of us were clapping while the show director yelled out models names. I was simply mesmerized how he corralled some the biggest fashion models at the time and gave them everything. After the show, I introduce myself at a party at Limelight, he was my first real introduction to the fashion world’s seriously Gifted. (Capitalized on purpose)

The show was an instant success because there was nothing like it on TV. That said, considering the state of society in the United States today. In my opinion, 20+ years later, the show helped create a wave of reality-toxicity that has since plagued our country, and gave us our current reliaty monster. I don’t recommend watching the docu-series if you never watched the show. If you are curious then go ahead, if you watched the show, this docu-series explains a lot of what you watched unfold. The show ran for 24 cycles/seasons over 15 years. As the producer Kevin Mok says in the documentary, the show was such a strong success early on, the network ordered two seasons a year. Again, I only started watching because I was such a fan of Jay Manuel and J. Alexander.

I wanted to watch this docu-series because of the snippet videos by some of the winners calling out Banks and the production of the show. Personally, I watched the first 6 seasons religiously and stopped abruptly. In the docu-series, seeing Ms. J and Mr. Jay was amazing, but my heart broke to hear the truth on how the duo were treated by Banks and production during their run on the show. Let be clear, I did not watch it for Tyra. I was never a fan of Tyra. I grew up watching Tyra during her rise to fame as model in the early 90s. In the Fall of 1994 I was dating someone who was running the atelier of a NY designer. During the casting of a Spring/Summer 95 show, I was helping my boyfriend organize polaroids and accessories during the fittings. Yes I was free labor, but I met so many people I grew up watching from afar in that studio. When people say, “you shouldn’t meet your heros”, I’d say that is true about 75% of the time. Meeting Gisele Zelauy for the first time in New York was in the other 25%. She blows my mind today.

One evening, during a fitting/casting, I came back from grabbing dinner for everyone, the studio was off, music was gone, and there was a lot huffing and puffing. At the moment Nadja Auermann was being fitted for her looks. I started helping Nadja cleanup at the end of her fitting, and realized she wasn’t the reason for eye-rolls across the studio. One of the assistants explained as I was helping Nadja, Tyra was being added to the show. I responded with “oh cool!”, needless to say everyone just rolled their eyes. Upon her arrival, it was like a hurricane hit and she wanted everything done now and fast. That experience then bled into the backstage at the show the next day. In a nutshell, I become one of the eye rollers. Before the show started, words were hurled at me for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. I turned to a model named Stephanie who I was helping find a missing piece to a look, and she smiled at me and said “Smile, don’t say anything and walk away, we all do!” That was followed by an even more famous model peeking out from behind her to tell me “couldn’t have said it any better than myself.”

Is the docu-series worth a watching, “KIND OF” - it’s right up there with docu-series like Shiny Happy People. Both series dispel the myth of reality television as being reality, while spotlighting the damage the show did, not only to the participants and viewer, but to society as a whole. Listen I grew up on watching The Real World in the 90’s, but this Docu on Top Model, is eye opening about the numerous lives the show harmed or destroyed. When I think back to when I was watching it, I started to see the cracks in the show during cycle two. Tte way they edited Shandi and how production didn’t protect her while traveling internationally, reminded me of all the stories I heard from models back in NYC and even in High School friends. It’s the main reason I honestly never let Paley model really. While the industry made great strides over the last decade, the stories still continue of girls/women being preyed upon by those in power..

After watching the docu-series, I realized I should have stopped watching after the second cycle. I finally stopped watching mid-season of cycle 6 after watching Danielle and Joanie being put through hell during their physical makeovers and the continued body shaming by Banks and some of the judges. After finishing the docu-series, I realized how truly awful Banks and the producers were. Then to hear that the producers of docu-series paid only three judges Alexander/Manuel/Barker and none of the models for their interviews was just heartbreaking. So many models were not interviewed, so many who could have truly blow Banks out of the water. Thanks to cycle 1 winner, Adrianne for taking to social media for spilling more T, especially about the models being paid for the docu-series.

While I suggest you not watch Top Model docu-series, in some ways watching it, confirmed my reasoning to stop watching the series over a decade ago. I hope the long list of producers of the docu-series choose to do right by all of the women who appeared in the series without pay. Thankfully Banks is now reduced to yellow wigs and “hot ice cream” stores and Kevin Mok is no longer controlling anyones career in modeling, film or television.

What Not To Watch: Loud and Proud & the Clueless Producers

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