Nigel Barker Stands By America's Next Top Model Despite Documentary Revelations
Former America's Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker has robustly defended the iconic reality series as "revolutionary and authentic" following the release of a hard-hitting Netflix documentary that examines the show's numerous controversies. The documentary, titled Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, has been described as "painful to watch" by Barker himself, yet he maintains the program's groundbreaking legacy.
The Documentary's Explosive Claims
The Netflix docu-series, which launched on February 16, delves deep into the scandals that surrounded the modeling competition during its decade-long run from 2003. Through interviews with former contestants, judges, and producers, the series addresses multiple troubling incidents that have resurfaced in recent years.
Among the most serious allegations featured are a controversial "blackface" photoshoot where white models were made over with dark makeup, and numerous accounts of sexual harassment on set. Former contestants describe being "grabbed and touched" without consent by male models during filming, while others reveal systemic fat-shaming and racist comments from judges behind the scenes.
Giselle Samson, a contestant from the first series, speaks openly about receiving "shocking" insults from judges when cameras weren't rolling. Meanwhile, series two participant Ebony Haith reveals experiencing "racist" remarks about her skin tone during her time on the show.
Contestants' Traumatic Experiences
Perhaps most disturbing is the account from Shandi Sullivan, another series two contestant, who addresses the controversy surrounding her being filmed sleeping with an Italian man despite having a boyfriend back home. Sullivan describes "blacking out" before the act occurred, with production crew members allegedly filming the incident rather than intervening to prevent it.
The documentary also features Whitney Thompson, the first plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model, who won cycle 10 in 2008. Thompson reveals she "took Xanax before every judging" and would "cry in the shower every day" due to the emotional toll of constant body-shaming. She describes the entire experience as a "nightmare" and believes certain challenges were deliberately made more difficult for plus-size contestants.
Barker's Defense on This Morning
Despite acknowledging the documentary's difficult viewing experience, Nigel Barker appeared on ITV's This Morning via video link to defend the show's legacy. The 53-year-old former model and photographer, who joined the series in 2004, emphasized the program's authenticity and revolutionary approach to reality television.
"It was becoming a cult phenomenon, everyone was talking about it," Barker told hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond. "Everyone was laughing at it too, it was a bit ridiculous, but it was an inside look that nobody had ever seen before, and we were all fascinated by it. But for me personally, it was 100% authentic."
Barker highlighted how host Tyra Banks brought actual industry professionals rather than television experts onto the judging panel, calling this approach "revolutionary" for its time. "That was really what reality television should be," he explained, "when you see someone really doing their job, you can connect."
Addressing the Controversial Challenges
When questioned about the show's boundary-pushing challenges, including the ethnicity-swapping photoshoot, Barker acknowledged that "things got more extreme" as the series progressed. He contextualized this within the television landscape of the early 2000s, comparing it to shows like Survivor that similarly pushed limits.
"However, it was often based on things that had actually happened in the fashion world," Barker argued. "What happened was, we were taking the most exciting, the most outrageous, the most avant-garde ideas and putting them all into one show. That being said, any one of those photoshoots could have happened in the fashion world, and they do."
Reflecting on Changing Attitudes
When asked if he was concerned about changing public attitudes toward the show's content, Barker responded: "I'm not worried, I've seen the documentary. It's real, and yes it's painful to watch, and yes it's difficult, but there's also highs and good parts of it."
He encouraged viewers to approach the documentary with "kindness and nostalgia" while acknowledging past mistakes. "It's easy to look back at your old hair cut from the 1980s and say, 'I'll never do that again,'" Barker noted. "But times are different right now, so you have to look at it with kindness and nostalgia at the same time as feeling sorry for the things you did that were wrong."
Tyra Banks' Response and Legacy
The documentary also features host Tyra Banks, who has addressed criticism of the show in recent years. At the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, Banks admitted that America's Next Top Model "didn't always get things right," stating bluntly: "Hell no. I said some dumb shit." However, she defended her original intent to increase diversity on television through the groundbreaking series.
As Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model becomes available for streaming on Netflix, the conversation around reality television ethics, contestant welfare, and the lasting impact of early 2000s programming continues to evolve. Despite the troubling revelations, Nigel Barker maintains that the show's authentic approach to the fashion industry and its cultural impact cannot be dismissed.
