ANTM’s Eva Marcille Was “Amazingly Horrified” By Doc Revelations

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Eva Marcille was stunned by what she learned from the new America’s Next Top Model documentary series.

Three days after Netflix released its shocking documentary about Tyra Banks’ modeling show, Eva publicly shared her honest reaction, saying she was both amazed and horrified by the claims made in the series.

She said on the February 19th episode of CBS Mornings that she was completely stunned after watching it. “I was amazed – I was speechless,” she explained. “It’s shocking to be a member of a group and not know what’s happening within it.”

Eva Pigford, the 41-year-old winner of Cycle 3 in 2004, says she was completely unaware of the alleged mistreatment that occurred on the show. She claims she had ‘absolutely no idea’ about the ‘horrible’ acts, which included accusations of bullying, body shaming, racial profiling, and sexual assault during filming.

She explained that while she’d gone through the experience herself, she was surprised to find she didn’t actually connect with others who’d been through something similar as much as she’d expected. Despite thinking they’d understand, having ‘walked in her shoes’ didn’t guarantee a connection.

Eva, known for her roles in shows like All the Queen’s Men, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, revealed she wasn’t invited to participate in the docuseries. This is surprising considering her close connection to Tyra Banks and Top Model over the past twenty years.

I was really surprised to learn about the documentary. I actually contacted Jay Manuel and asked if it was about the same Top Model series we worked on, because I hadn’t heard anything about it. It was very surprising to find out I wasn’t involved.

For the past 21 years, people have consistently asked me about my time on Top Model. No matter what else I’m working on, the show always seems to come up in interviews. I never quite understood why it was such a recurring topic, especially since I’ve completed 154 other projects since Top Model ended. It’s really been 21 years now.

Okay, so Eva just confirmed everything I’ve suspected for years! After doing her own reality TV show, she totally gets now how much the ANTM producers were manipulating things. She said, and I quote, she “absolutely” believes they knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes. It’s so validating! I always knew it wasn’t just drama, it was produced drama, and now she’s saying it too! I’m telling you, it all makes sense now.

She explained that the show wouldn’t function without producers actively shaping the narrative and sharing information. Having worked on reality TV at all levels, including shows like Housewives, she admitted she only knows what’s happening in participants’ lives through what the producers tell her – it’s simply how the process works.

Okay, so the doctor said some pretty awful things, but honestly? I still have so much respect for Tyra. She gave me my start! I wouldn’t be a model or an actress today if it weren’t for her. It’s hard to hear bad things about someone who did so much for me, you know?

I’ll always be grateful for Tyra,” she said. “She really wanted to transform the modeling world – especially with Top Model – and change how it operated, how it sounded, how it felt, and what it expected. And she absolutely did that for me.

Despite Tyra Banks, 52, apologizing for the issues that happened on her show, Eva feels Tyra needs to continue addressing the situation and take further responsibility.

I watched the show, and she apologized repeatedly,” she said. “However, an apology only matters if the person who was hurt can accept it. For the young women who were sexually assaulted, or who now struggle with eating disorders or self-image… that inner child they carry as adults… I don’t think any apology could ever fully mend that kind of pain.”

Continue reading to discover more surprising details from Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.

Shandi Sullivan, a finalist on Cycle 2 of America’s Next Top Model, was involved in a controversial situation during filming in Milan. A scene aired on March 16, 2004, in the episode “The Girl Who Cheated,” showed her in bed with a male model who had been at a party with the contestants. Shandi later revealed in the 2026 Netflix series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model that she had been very drunk and doesn’t remember what happened, and believes the show’s producers should have stepped in.

You know, watching the show, I really felt like after everything that happened with the hot tub scene, they should have stepped in immediately. Like, someone needed to say ‘enough is enough’ and get her out of that situation. It just felt like it escalated way too quickly, and a firm intervention was needed right then and there.

I couldn’t believe what I saw on that episode of America’s Next Top Model! The next morning, Shandi was absolutely devastated, breaking down and calling her boyfriend to admit she’d been unfaithful. Then, she actually reached out to the model she’d been with in Milan, asking him if he had any sexually transmitted diseases! It was so shocking and uncomfortable to watch.

Tyra Banks addressed the situation with Shandi on Reality Check, saying she remembered the story but felt uncomfortable discussing the production side of things, as that wasn’t her area of expertise.

In the documentary, executive producer Ken Mok explained that they approached Top Model like a real-life documentary. He said they told the contestants from the start that cameras would be with them constantly – 24/7 – and would capture everything, both positive and negative.

Tyra clarified that while she wasn’t in charge of the overall storyline – that was Ken Mok’s role – she became a highly skilled editor. She also emphasized that the show didn’t air everything that was filmed.

TopMob News reached out to Tyra and Ken for comment but did not hear back.

As part of the show’s makeover, both the winner of Cycle 6, Danielle “Dani” Evans, and the runner-up, Joanie Dodds, visited a dentist.

Joanie spent the entire night at the dentist, where she had four teeth pulled. As she explained in the Netflix documentary, it felt like a dream come true because she’d always been insecure about her smile. Ken commented on the show, calling it a really difficult experience for her.

Dani initially wasn’t interested in getting the gap between her front teeth fixed, because she liked her smile. When Tyra Banks asked her on America’s Next Top Model if she thought she could still be a successful model with the gap, she confidently said she did.

After speaking with her mother, who warned her she might be eliminated if she didn’t listen to Tyra, Dani explained that she chose to follow the advice, which resulted in her successfully addressing a gap in her teeth.

Tyra admitted in her book, Reality Check, that she’d apologized to Dani for previously suggesting she get her teeth changed. However, Tyra explained that back in 2006, she felt stuck in a difficult situation.

Tyra Banks recalls agents telling her she wouldn’t succeed because of her teeth. She admits she could have simply accepted their opinions, but now realizes it’s easy to see what she should have done in retrospect.

Okay, so Tyra was talking in that documentary, and honestly, I was fuming on Dani’s behalf! Dani straight-up said, and I’m SO here for it, that the whole thing about her getting her gap closed ‘opening doors’ is total BS. She called Tyra out, saying Tyra knew exactly what she was doing to create drama for the show. Like, YES, Dani! Tell it like it is! It wasn’t about helping her career, it was about ratings, and I’m glad she finally said it.

During the eighth cycle of the show, the models participated in a photoshoot with a dark theme: they were styled to look like victims of crime, even appearing as if they had been killed. Dionne Walters, whose own mother was paralyzed by gun violence, was specifically asked to portray a character who had been shot.

She explained in Reality Check that she believed people were trying to provoke a strong emotional reaction from her, hoping to see her fall apart. She was relieved, however, that they didn’t get the response they were looking for.

Ken admitted he was completely at fault for the shooting, calling it a “mistake” in his statement. He now realizes it glorified violence, describing it as “crazy” and admitting he was wrong to have done it.

In the documentary, photo shoot director Jay Manuel revealed he struggled significantly with a shoot for a Got Milk? campaign in Cycle 4, involving a swap of racial identities. He admitted he requested to be removed from that specific assignment.

Oh my god, can you believe Tyra just told me to step aside and let the girls handle it, on camera?! It was insane. I was there, trying to do my job, and she basically said, ‘Not your problem.’ It hit me right then – my part in all this was shrinking, and honestly, that shoot was happening no matter what I did. It was like I wasn’t even needed, and it totally stung, but also…it was amazing to watch her take control. I just had to stand back and let it happen.

Tyra shared that she initially didn’t see any problem with her actions. She explained that she believed she was demonstrating the beauty of people of color, but the public reaction was strongly negative. People were shocked and questioned her judgment when the project was released.

And thinking about it now, she added, “I understand 100 percent why” it was an issue.

Looking back, Keenyah Hill from Cycle 4 believes it wasn’t accidental that she was given the theme of “gluttony” for a photo shoot based on the Seven Deadly Sins. She also feels it was significant that she was chosen to be the elephant during a safari-themed shoot where the finalists posed as animals in South Africa.

During her time on America’s Next Top Model, Keenyah’s fellow contestants noticed she was often eating, and the judges told her she needed to be mindful of her weight.

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that realizing her life was headed in that direction felt deeply unfair and unpleasant.

She indicated a part of the video that she claimed had been manipulated to appear as though she’d consumed three bagels, when in reality, it was just one.

Tyra Banks explained that when discussing weight on America’s Next Top Model, she aimed to celebrate diverse beauty, but acknowledged the fashion industry at the time had very limited standards. As she said in the documentary, ‘That’s just the way things were back then.’

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that criticizing her body wasn’t the only problem during filming; the issues continued even after that.

During a photoshoot in South Africa, Keenyah claimed one of the male models made unwanted advances towards her. She said he was scantily clad – wearing only a loincloth – and was touching and grabbing her inappropriately. Keenyah recalled thinking about how Tyra Banks would handle the situation, deciding she would calmly and professionally stop the shoot and explain she was uncomfortable.

But when she did that, as seen on ANTM, nothing happened.

Later in the show, Tyra told Keenyah she needed to learn how to advocate for herself without creating unnecessary drama or conflict.

Tyra said on Reality Check that she “was trying to empower” Keenyah at the time.

Looking back, I realize the best guidance would have been to immediately stop what was happening,” the 52-year-old explained. “That’s what we’d do now, and we all finally understand how important it is to protect women. Addressing the camera, Tyra continued, “Keenyah, Booboo, I sincerely apologize. None of us – not even the network executives – understood the situation at the time. I did my best with what I knew then, but she deserved better treatment, and she truly did.”

In her book Reality Check, Tyra Banks described a moment during Cycle 4 of America’s Next Top Model when she became frustrated with Tiffany Richardson. Tiffany wasn’t taking a challenge—reading from a teleprompter—seriously and wanted to quit, which upset Tyra.

Tyra explained she simply wanted to help this woman transform her life. She believed the woman had the potential to be a truly successful supermodel, but she was losing confidence and seemed ready to give up – not just on the competition, but on her dreams in general.

So commenced her “We were all rooting for you!” outburst at judges’ table.

Honestly, watching the documentary, it really hit me when Tyra talked about how she handled things with Cycle 6’s Raquela. She admitted she totally overreacted and lost control. She explained it stemmed from something deeply personal, something about being a Black woman and the pressures that come with it. She was clearly upset that she’d let things escalate so far, and she really owned up to her mistake.

According to the document, Tyra responded to Jay’s email – in which he expressed his desire to leave the show after Cycle 8 – with a simple, “I am disappointed.”

Jay explained that after their email conversation, everyone simply stopped responding. He felt it could have been a chance to really talk things through, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Instead, Jay continued, he was asked to return for Cycle 9 and he was too afraid not to say yes.

He mentioned the idea of being blacklisted, though he didn’t actually use those exact words. Honestly, I got the feeling that’s exactly what was happening, and it really worried me. It felt like people were quietly working to shut him out, and I just knew it wasn’t going to be good.

Once filming for Cycle 9 began, Jay explained that Tyra only talked to him when they were actively shooting.

Jay explained that while they filmed scenes where they played and laughed together, he wasn’t permitted to talk to her when the cameras weren’t rolling.

When asked about Jay, Tyra didn’t want to discuss it publicly. “I need to talk to Jay about this privately,” she explained. “He’s a really good person, and I don’t want to talk about it here.”

Whitney Thompson, the winner of Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model, revealed in a documentary that she was often given clothes that didn’t fit—sometimes they had to be cut open to make them work. At 5-foot-10 and a size 6, she was the first and only plus-size model to win the competition, and she found it humiliating to be constantly reminded that she wasn’t the standard size for the show’s clothes.

Whitney explained that while her family could have chosen to buy clothes that fit her, they didn’t, and she coped with it as best she could. She added that showing any vulnerability would make her a target.

Winning the competition felt huge,” the Florida native explained. “Then I signed with Elite Model Management, but they didn’t have a division for plus-size models at the time. I really had to advocate for myself, and I eventually became one of the first plus-size models to work with a lot of major brands.

As a longtime fan, it always frustrated me when the judges wouldn’t showcase the models’ strongest photos at the finale. Instead, it felt like they deliberately chose pictures just to find something to criticize – I remember one time they fixated on a model’s armpit hair! It was so unfair and took away from the talent.

He also explained that he was sometimes instructed to help a weaker contestant, specifically because her story arc was so compelling, to create the illusion she still had a chance of winning.

Jay explained that if the photos aren’t good quality, it will be difficult to justify keeping the person in the competition.

Nigel admitted in the document that they hadn’t always made the right decisions. He acknowledged that they sometimes removed the wrong person, but accepted that mistakes happen.

Tyra reflected on the show, saying they could have better communicated that not everyone would achieve stardom.

Jay explained that after someone was eliminated, they were filmed packing their belongings, leaving the apartment, and then a production assistant would take them to a hotel.

Several former participants say you’re required to remain on the show until the season finishes, and you aren’t allowed to contact anyone – not even family – immediately after being eliminated.

Runway coach J. Alexander, also known as Miss J, explained in the documentary that while he sympathized with the contestants, he knew the fashion industry was incredibly competitive. He said that in the real world, people would quickly take advantage of any weakness.

After leaving the show, it’s a big adjustment,” explained Dionne from Cycle 8, who placed fourth. “You suddenly have to face real life and decide what’s next – whether to pursue modeling or move to a city like New York. There’s no one there to tell you what to do; you’re on your own to figure things out.”

I was absolutely devastated when Jay left ‘America’s Next Top Model’! He was a huge part of the show, and I couldn’t believe it when, after Cycle 18 in 2012, they just… let him go. It wasn’t just him, though – they fired Miss J and Nigel too! It felt like the end of an era, honestly. I was so upset!

In the documentary, Ken and Tyra remembered being told by network executives that the show needed to evolve.

Tyra explained she was told nothing was off-limits, which meant she had to make some very difficult decisions and essentially say goodbye to three projects she deeply cared about.

Let me tell you, hearing about being let go is never easy. Nigel put it frankly – it was a really tough experience, and honestly felt a bit cold, like just another elimination on the show. And Jay? He described the feeling as a double blow – he’d made a lot of sacrifices and compromises years before when he initially joined, so getting that news felt like a real slap in the face, and then another one right after.

Jay explained that he, Nigel, and Miss J were promised a press release with quotes explaining their departures from America’s Next Top Model. However, Page Six unexpectedly published the story of their firings first.

Nigel admitted that was likely his most difficult moment. Jay followed up, questioning why those who had been with the show from the beginning weren’t treated with respect and suggesting the situation was intentionally handled poorly.

Tyra shared in the documentary that telling the three finalists they didn’t win was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do, and she was deeply upset by it, even crying herself to sleep that night.

She continues to believe that Jay, Miss J, and Nigel didn’t think the instructions were truly from someone in a higher position, despite her and Ken’s explanations.

I was so shocked to learn from J. Alexander’s book, Reality Check, that he had a stroke on December 27th, 2022, and was actually in a coma for five whole weeks! It’s amazing he’s recovered as well as he has – he has regained his speech, which is wonderful, but he still relies on a wheelchair for mobility. It just shows his incredible strength and resilience.

The 67-year-old explained in the documentary that she ironically taught robots how to walk while currently being unable to do so herself. However, she remains optimistic and determined to regain her ability to walk, stating she’s confident people will see her walking again and that her story isn’t finished yet.

He mentioned that Jay and Nigel came to see him while he was in the hospital, and Nigel later wondered if Jay even wanted him to see him like that. They connected again more recently while filming the Netflix documentary.

Miss J mentioned that Tyra still hadn’t come by. She’d sent him a message saying she was planning to visit, but hadn’t made it yet.

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2026-02-20 00:21