The internet is buzzing about this upcoming America’s Next Top Model documentary, which Netflix promises will “expose the show’s complicated legacy.” It seems like it could be an opportunity for Tyra Banks to finally take accountability for the toxic things that went down on that show. However, not everyone is convinced.
Lisa D’Amato, who competed in Cycle 5 and later won Cycle 17: All Stars, believes there are ulterior motives. According to her, the whole thing seems like a desperate “money grab.”
Tyra Banks is accused of trying to “save face” over the upcoming ANTM Netflix show
A longtime critic of the show, Lisa spoke to Page Six about the upcoming documentary. She said she doesn’t believe Tyra’s intentions are pure. The documentary’s marketing presents this as a moment of accountability after years of criticism. Lisa thinks it’s another opportunity for Tyra to cash in.
“Tyra’s all about making money. She doesn’t have any real empathy for anybody else but herself,” Lisa told the outlet.
The documentary premieres on February 16. But, from what we’ve seen in the trailer, Tyra admits that she took things “too far” during her time on the show, which ran for 24 cycles. Meanwhile, Lisa thinks that it’s just a way for Tyra and series creator Ken Mok to position themselves for future projects.
She explained, “In order for her to save face, to make more money in the future, she’s going to have to take a bit of accountability.”
Lisa’s theory holds weight when you consider how the docuseries ends. According to Entertainment Weekly, the final moments of the three-part docuseries show Tyra teasing that Cycle 25 is in the works, nearly eight years after the show last aired on VH1.
“I feel like my work is not done. You have no idea what we have planned for Cycle 25,” Tyra reportedly says in the doc.
Regardless of Tyra’s intentions, ANTM fans are looking forward to this documentary to hear Tyra’s side of the story. Lisa said she’ll be watching it, too. She knows a lot of the former contestants featured in the doc, and she’ll be watching with a critical eye.
“I know their true experience and how much it affected their lives, so I’ll be watching it more to see how that gets portrayed and edited,” Lisa noted.
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model premieres Monday, February 16 on Netflix.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH LISA’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE NETFLIX DOC? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING TYRA’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE SHOW?
