‘ANTM’ Winner Said Tyra Banks’ ‘Million’ Apologies Aren’t Enough: ‘Amazingly Horrifying’
The docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model has shocked many people, including a past ANTM winner. Eve Marcille, who was one of the show’s biggest success stories, admitted she watched the series with her jaw on the floor. While she didn’t experience the same hurts as some of the other contestants, she said she didn’t think the apologies offered by host Tyra Banks could ever be enough.
‘ANTM’ winner Eva Marcille said the docuseries on the show shocked her
The three-part Netflix docuseries Reality Bites features former judges and contestants discussing their time on the show. Many of the former contestants shared harrowing stories. Marcille said their accounts shocked her.
“Amazingly horrifying for the stories,” she told CBS Mornings. “I have lived my experience. I have walked in my shoes. And though there is a level of relatability, one would assume someone having walked in the same shoes, I had no idea. Like absolutely no idea.”
She added that she reached out to former judge Jay Manuel to express her shock.
“I was in awe. I told Jay my mouth was wide open,” she admitted. “To be a part of a club and not know what’s going on in the club is crazy.”
Eva Marcille said she isn’t sure Tyra Banks’ apologies are enough
Banks has received a significant amount of backlash following the series’ release. While she apologized in her interviews for several of the show’s more controversial moments, Marcille isn’t sure it’s enough.
“I saw the show. She apologized a million times,” Marcille said. “But an apology to the person that you wronged is only as good as they could appreciate it.”
Some contestants discussed the way the show seemed to purposely fuel their negative body images. Others accused production of designing the photoshoots to make them uncomfortable. In one of the series’ most shocking moments, contestant Shandi Sullivan speaks about being sexually assaulted on camera.
“And so for the young girls that were sexually assaulted… for the young girls that now have eating disorders or look at themselves and never feel beautiful — that little girl in them that will always live in the woman that is them — there is no sorry, I think, that’s big enough to truly feel and heal that kind of hurt,” Marcille said.
The ‘ANTM’ winner said she feels grateful for what the show did for her
Marcille has appeared in many onscreen projects over the years. No matter what she’s working on, though, she said she always receives questions about America’s Next Top Model.
“No matter what project I’m doing, what I’m involved in, somehow Top Model finds its way in my interviews,” she said. “It’s absolutely a part of my life. But I didn’t understand why it was such a topic every time I interviewed with someone.”
Despite her shock and distaste while watching the docuseries, she said she will always feel grateful for Banks. Marcille’s time on the show kicked off her career.
“What I will say is I will never fail to thank Tyra,” she said. “What Tyra set out to do in this business I will always say, especially for Top Model. Initially, she set out to change the world, to change what the modelling industry looked like, sounded like, felt like and expected and she did that for me.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
