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By Adriana Diaz
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Adrianne Curry, the first-ever winner of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM), is sounding off again—this time about a Netflix documentary revisiting the reality series’ legacy.
Curry has publicly rejected the docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, asserting she has “zero trust” in the project’s producers and declining to participate, even as other former contestants and judges sign on.
Why it Matters
The upcoming Netflix series, which drops on February 16, aims to dig into the cultural impact, controversies and behind-the-scenes realities of one of reality TV’s most influential shows.
Read More on Life
ANTM helped reshape how modeling and beauty were presented on television, but it also drew criticism for its harsh judging, body shaming, racially insensitive challenges and psychological pressure on contestants.
Curry’s rejection adds fuel to an already heated conversation about how reality TV’s past should be interpreted today. With Tyra Banks and former judges set to appear in the doc, Curry’s pushback underscores the tension between former participants and how their stories are portrayed decades later.
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What to Know
Curry won ANTM’s inaugural season in 2003, launching her into the spotlight and a modeling contract that she later described as disappointing, saying she never fully received the prize she was promised.
After years in reality television and modeling, she left Hollywood and now lives a quieter life in rural Montana, selling Avon and steering clear of major media attention.
In statements on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, Curry has repeatedly said she doesn’t trust producers to represent her fairly.
“I have zero trust in any producers, no desire to be really public in this day and age, and am hard retired from Hollywood,” she wrote on Instagram.
"I hope the other girls do not have their words twisted in their Netflix show," she wrote on X, "I worry about the girls from my season who agreed to do it."
While Curry declined to participate, the Netflix doc includes a range of voices from the ANTM universe: fellow winners Whitney Thompson and Dani Evans, judges like Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel and Miss J Alexander, and, notably, Tyra Banks herself.
In trailer clips, Banks admits she may have “gone too far” with some aspects of the show, acknowledging its intensity and controversies.
What People Are Saying
Reactions from fans and former contestants have been mixed. Some applaud Curry’s stance and her refusal to let editors shape her narrative, while others say the documentary is a valuable reckoning with ANTM’s more problematic aspects.
"I would've loved to hear your perspective," one Instagram user wrote.
"They would twist your story anyway!" another said.
What’s Next
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model premieres February 16 on Netflix, promising a three-part exploration of how the show shaped and was shaped by culture, fandom and evolving standards in entertainment.
With commentary from both critics and defenders of ANTM, the doc might settle some debates, or deepen them.
Newsweek has reached out to Adrianne Curry for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
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