SWK: In the mucky haze of the latest Toronto heatwave, I dove into the reflecting pool that is Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. The look back on 24 cycles of the show was, uh, revealing to say the least. It was like being forced to relive all the questionable soft politics of the early 2000s, from blackface and racial cosplaying to skinny chic wreaking havoc on body image. Watching it when it premiered in 2003, I truly believe I only kept the "fun" parts of the show in my memory and blacked out the rest.
The documentary was a thorough revisit of past sins: Our sins as an audience who loved to watch the shenanigans of the show; Jay Manuel's sins as a creative director of photoshoots where models pretended to be murder victims; Tyra's sins being, well, Tyra.
BB: I guess airing two cycles a year explains why they weren’t called seasons. Each ANTM “cycle” brought a new horror in the form of problematic challenges, but they always seemed to be justified by Tyra’s persona, which was giving big-sis or maternal-mentor energy. It was very much: “I’m being hard on you because I know your potential.” But there are also moments where she breaks character.
SWK: When Tyra's "motha" performance cracks, such as her infamous "we were rooting for you" tirade, it's both unsettling and fascinating to watch. At the time, and years afterwards, that moment was treated like a dramatic joke or a juicy soundbite. But in the documentary, it's clear that moment was difficult for everyone on set and revealed a deep hurt in Tyra that she then took out on a contestant on the show.
BB: Yeah, the moments where her nurturing and caring persona drops reveal the toxicity that was going on behind the scenes.
SWK: It's interesting that only 20 years later are we getting the true feelings behind the performance. The moment that grew into a meme is now recontextualized and made "real" by reflecting back on it, making it more nuanced and harder to digest.
BB: In the doc, they mention how the scene was heavily edited to remove some of Tyra's crueler statements, so even though it's a moment where Tyra’s facade falls, it’s still a carefully managed performance. There’s Tyra’s performance, and then there’s the show’s edit of Tyra, and the two don’t always align. At the end of the day, whatever keeps people watching will get the final edit, and even Tyra wouldn’t have a say on that. She’s a part of the mechanism and not the one calling the shots.
SWK: One could also argue Tyra has never stopped performing, even in the documentary where she doesn't really apologize for her actions or take accountability. I was blown away by how much Jay Manuel and Miss J still seem to crave Tyra's validation and attention, even after everything she's done. I mean, if we were competing to be America’s Next Top Model, how much would we perform to change the course of our lives?
BB: There’s been some major character breaks in reality TV over the last few years. “Scandoval” and the Amanda and West scandal on Summer House are two that come to mind. Both are cases where unfilmed drama suddenly reveals something that contradicts what we believed to be true. Tom Sandoval, from Vanderpump Rules, cheated on his long-time girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with her on-screen best friend, leading viewers to finally abandon any remaining goodwill they had for him.
Interestingly enough, he would claim that his long-term relationship with Ariana was actually the performance, something that was “just for the show”. For Ariana, it was very real. Reality stars seem to be losing track of where the performance begins and ends.
Similarly with Summer House, West Wilson secretly began dating his ex Ciara's on-screen best friend, Amanda Batula, after filming had wrapped. West and Amanda lied to the rest of their friends (or castmates?), including Ciara and Amanda’s husband, although they had recently separated. West developed this very convincing loveable goofball persona that was thoroughly disrupted by the scandal, and him and Ciara went from fan favourites to messy break up. In addition to his secret relationship with Amanda, the Summer House reunion also revealed West had a second secret girlfriend during the filming of the show.
SWK: Two secret girlfriends is diabolical behaviour. It's almost like these men get off on being unmasked in front of an audience. They're trying to see how far they can get away with pretending to be a loyal partner or playing "the good man" role, all while cameras are capturing their every move.
BB: Yes, or it’s as if they get confused with their own performances vs. reality.
I think the different formats of reality TV shows also lend themselves to different kinds of performances. On Summer House, the cameras are only up for the weekends and then the cast returns to their daily lives and secret girlfriends. That separation gives them more control over the image they want to portray.
In shows like Love Island, where there is constant surveillance, the masks slip much more frequently. Like with Season 8 villain Insincere, sorry, I mean, Sincere. With cameras hidden throughout the villa in walls, plants, and mirrors to capture every move, it’s surprising that the contestants think they can maintain a performance.
SWK: Insincere and his many beloveds, caught in 4K! The producers create these scenarios where men are surveilled being up to no good, and they can always depend on them to fall right into the trap. After over 21 seasons of the Love Island franchise, it's a song-and-dance set up that the audience and the "islanders" are well aware of.
BB: With many seasons of Love Island and its endless spin-offs, contestants have developed their own language or script: pulling for chats, closing things off, getting the ick. They are performing a set of familiar relationship dynamics that they think will get them to the finale of the show. There are certain performances of desire that are acceptable and others that aren’t, and rules for how you communicate. A kiss during a “challenge” is fine, but a kiss outside of a challenge means there’s hell to pay. They're all participating in a kind of play, and some have studied their lines better than others. At the end of the day, they are all performing a version of themselves who they believe deserves love/to win $100k, and the two prizes become indistinguishable from one another.
SWK: The format, unlike other reality TV shows, means contestants also depend on public perception to win. You have to convince America to love or hate you! And then your performance also has to hold up to the scrutiny of fan message boards and social media where they air out your past problematic behaviour and your family's dirty laundry. It's all part of the show.
BB: Love Island contestants are also expected to perform under increasingly intense conditions: hunger (they are notoriously fed very little), sleep deprivation, isolation from family and friends, and no access to the “outside world”.
SWK: Yeah, it becomes the price you pay for participating in the show, like a prison experiment with fun swimsuits (thank you Megan Thee Stallion!), and not enough grilled cheese. The ones who do reality TV successfully as a career treat their onscreen self as a performance, a way to protect themselves and have some sense of control over their public image.
SWK: But when the fourth wall breaks and the drama becomes too personal for the cast, like with Vanderpump Rules, something shifts. Once the performance is admitted to the audience, and the facade is broken, the show can't pretend like it used to, and neither can we.
BB: On to cycle 25, may it never end!
Top 5 Best/Worst Performances: Who put on the best show?
Our definitive list of faves who show up and show out.
1. Lisa Rinna approached her time on the Housewives of Beverly Hills as an original character, calling her onscreen persona “Rinna”. From surviving Beverly Hills housewives to serving up a poisonous brooch on The Traitors, she is always serving the drama we crave.
2. Paris Hilton is another example of someone who created an enduring, instantly recognizable character to reality TV, from The Simple Life to her numerous short lived "Life with Paris" TV ventures. With her signature high-pitched vocal fry, she knows exactly who she is, and seems to love being herself, which is Paris, bitch.
3. Christine Quinn, the high fashion villain from Selling Sunset, became known for modelling some of the most insane costumes to come out of reality TV. Her iconic chair and french fry purses, to name only a few, made her a distinct character on the show. We highly doubt she was selling any real estate, but she brought the necessary villain energy, even referring to herself as “Maleficent in Louis Vuitton stilettos”.
4. A great example of America rooting for you is Ariana Madix, who channeled a shitshow situation on Vanderpump Rules into a career as the wronged woman who has risen and will continue to rise. Complete with elaborate glam and a gig telling hot people they have been dumped from the island.
5. Tiffany "New York" Pollard could widely be considered the GOAT of reality TV performers, starring in several popular franchises and essentially trademarking their particular brand of bitchery and star quality. A meme machine just by existing, they walk the delicate tightrope (in six-inch heels) of performing a caricature and being themselves. Truly committed to the bit, and always winning!
