America’s Next Top Model first premiered in 2003 and, since then, has been the staple reality show. It has shaped, molded, critiqued, and eliminated models under the watchful eye of its creator, Tyra Banks. And now it is back, not with a remake or reboot, it brings back nostalgia, but also reopened some wounds.

The new Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model revisits the primetime with a focus on the behind-the-scenes of the reality show. Though soon after its release, it faced intense backlash with Banks' involvement.

The filmmakers have now come forward to address speculation that the docuseries was designed to rehabilitate Tyra Banks’ image.

As the online debate and severe backlash pile up for the makers, Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan decide to clarify the authenticity of the docuseries and non-involvement of any external entity in the manipulation of the facts showcased.

According to the filmmakers, the documentary would have come to life regardless of Tyra Banks' side of the story. They were set to portray the series without her presence. But Banks appeared, ready to offer her perspective and reflections on the show.

“This documentary was happening, regardless if she was giving an interview or not, and she decided she did want to share her side of the story,” Loushy told TheWrap. This came amid the growing backlash for the show following the docuseries.

'Reality Check': Tyra Banks Confronts 'America's Next Top Model' Legacy

The makers caught the flak, not only for Banks' appearance, but as the entire docuseries allegedly seemed manipulated and sugar-coated the actual truth and the real experiences of the participants previously involved in the show.

The docuseries revisits the archival footage and interviews with former contestants, judges, and producers, and also reopened the controversial and infamous challenges, emotionally charged eliminations, and exaggerated judges’ reactions that once defined the show. 

But in the modern lens, the show allegedly exploited its participants' mental health, discriminated by race, and showed pure power dynamics, which were once dismissed as a TV thing.

Many former contestants described the experience as psychologically grueling, with instances of manipulation, body-shaming, and unsafe conditions, while it was a career-launching opportunity for some. 

The Reality Check is not simply a trip to nostalgic moments but a cultural movement to re-examine the practices of reality Television back in time. It evaluates the competitive humiliation formats to emotionally volatile casting practices. And when the makers claim that the documentary would have moved forward irrespective of Tyra Banks' presence, it is clear that this is not a redemption arc but pure examination.

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Have you yet watched the Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model the Netflix docuseries? Let us know in the comments.