‘Scheananigans’ Admits They Were ‘One of the Biggest Tyra Banks Defenders’—Until Now

America’s Next Top Model used to feel like a required viewing. It was chaotic, iconic, and somehow a little “normal” for the time. But Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model makes it tough to watch the franchise through the same nostalgic lens—and Scheana Shay, Kiki Monique, and Ryan Bailey aren’t pretending otherwise.

On Scheananigans, the trio digs into the pressure-cooker mechanics of early-2000s reality TV: the body commentary, the “do it or go home” power dynamics, and the way responsibility gets passed around when backlash hits. Kiki admits she used to defend creator Tyra Banks during the 2020-era rewatch discourse, but says hearing directly from contestants changed that.

Bottom line? You can still love the genre, but the doc forces a more grown-up question—what does accountability look like when the product is people?

On being a Tyra apologist

Kiki didn’t shy away from admitting she used to go hard for Tyra. When the internet started rehashing old ANTM clips during the 2020 rewatch wave, she was firmly in the “you had to be there” camp. “I was one of the biggest Tyra defenders when that rewatch was happening because I was like, you guys weren’t there, you don’t understand,” she says. At the time, she saw Tyra as a trailblazer—a Black supermodel who built an empire, fought networks to get the show made, and opened doors in an industry that rarely made room. From that angle, some of the criticism felt overblown.

But watching the docu-series shifted that stance. Hearing directly from former contestants reframed moments that once felt like “tough love” into something heavier. The body critiques combined with the silence around certain behind-the-scenes decisions—it hit differently with distance and context. But Kiki makes it clear she can still respect what Tyra accomplished while questioning how the machine operated. Admiration and accountability, she suggests, don’t have to cancel each other out.

Reality TV’s favorite trick: blame ping-pong

Accountability gets tossed around really quickly on reality TV. When controversial moments from ANTM resurfaced, the explanation often sounded familiar: it wasn’t me, it was production. It wasn’t production, it was the network. And somewhere in that shuffle, responsibility just…evaporates.

Kiki and Scheana both clock the pattern. If you’re the face of a franchise, can you really separate yourself from the decisions that shape it? The documentary shows how major cast shake-ups and questionable creative calls were attributed to “higher-ups,” yet the public-facing power still sat with Tyra. Scheana relates it to her own experience—being told changes weren’t anyone’s “personal” choice, just business. 

Body commentary that didn’t age well

If there’s one part of the documentary that feels the most jarring in 2026, it’s the body talk. Watching judges critique weight, proportions, and “marketability” as entertainment hits differently now—especially for viewers who were teenagers when the show first aired.

Scheana connects that to her own experience on reality TV, recalling how comments about her body were amplified for storyline. “That sh*t doesn’t age well,” she says bluntly. What may have once been brushed off as industry standards or tough skin now reads as something else entirely. Especially when you think about how many viewers internalized those critiques in real time.

When stepping away is the glow-up

Scheana says the doc forced a look inward for her. Watching former contestants unpack what the show cost them reinforced something she’s already been living in real time: sometimes growth doesn’t happen on camera.

After choosing not to return for another season of reality TV, Scheana says she feels more grounded than she has in years. “I protected my peace,” she explains, describing the decision to put boundaries in place and respect them. The old instinct would’ve been to clock in, stir the pot, secure the paycheck. This time, she didn’t.

And that’s the quiet twist in the ANTM conversation. The pressure machine thrives on participation. Drama feeds the engine. But opting out? That’s a power move too. Scheana still loves reality TV—she built a career on it—but stepping back created space for actual healing instead of just another storyline. 

To hear all of the team’s insights on the new Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model documentary, listen to Scheananigans wherever you get your podcasts.

Read More

• The Olympics Are Unhinged This Year and ‘Sports Bitches’ Has Receipts
• ‘Below Deck’ Captain Jason Chambers Is Turning Reality TV Fame Into Real-World Impact
• Kristin Cavallari’s 20 Most Important Life Lessons for Her Kids (And Honestly, the Rest of Us Too)