On February 16th, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is pulling the curtain back on the show that turned Tyra Banks into the ultimate reality TV ringmaster and became a full‑blown pop culture machine.

At its peak, ANTM was a viral sensation with a global audience of over 100 million people, teaching an entire generation how to “smize” while also serving some of the wildest, most questionable reality TV moments we’ve ever seen. Now, the doc is ready to go back through it all with 20+ years of hindsight.

Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, the three‑part series digs into the inner workings of America’s Next Top Model and how the Tyra‑led empire actually operated behind the photoshoots, panel reads, and makeover meltdowns.

It features interviews with key players from the show, who look back on their time in the ANTM universe and take stock of its legacy: the highs, the lows, the iconic quotes, and the moments that definitely would not fly in 2026. It’s very much “we laughed, we cringed, now let’s be honest about what it all cost.”

Tyra’s presence looms large over the whole thing, as it should. She was the host, creator, and head judge, the one telling girls to be high fashion one second and then sending them home the next. 

Reality Check promises to explore how that dynamic shaped not just the contestants, but also how viewers thought about beauty, confidence, and what it meant to “make it” in fashion. It’s the kind of deep dive that finally matches the level of impact the show had on the culture.