*”America’s Next Top Model” Cycle 3 winner Eva Marcille is speaking out about her jaw-dropping response to Netflix’s three-part docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which examines a range of troubling allegations tied to the long-running competition series.
The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” veteran appeared on CBS Mornings Thursday to share her thoughts, noting that she was never approached to be part of the project.
Marcille, who claimed the Cycle 3 title in 2004, admitted she was completely unaware of the wide-ranging controversies explored in the series before sitting down to watch it. “When I first found out there was a documentary, I was amazed. I remember reaching out to Jay Manuel like, ‘Is this the same Top Model that we did, because how don’t I know about this?'” she told host Gayle King.
The docuseries covers deeply unsettling allegations, including racially insensitive photo shoots, body shaming by judges, alleged on-camera sexual assault, and claims that Banks pressured Cycle 6 winner Dani Evans to undergo a medical procedure during the competition. After watching, Marcille described feeling “amazingly horrified for the stories,” though what she witnessed on screen bore little resemblance to her own time on the show.
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“I was gobsmacked. I was in awe. I told Jay my mouth was wide open. To be a part of a club and not know what’s going on in the club is crazy,” she said. Marcille also held producers accountable, stating that “that environment could not exist without producers aiding and abetting what was going on.”
Despite the revelations, Marcille said she holds onto gratitude for what Banks built. “I will always say, especially for Top Model — initially — she set out to change the world, to change what the modeling industry looked like, sounded like, felt like, and expected. And she did that for me,” she said.
On the subject of Banks’ apologies, Marcille was measured, noting that “there is no sorry I think that’s big enough to truly fill and heal that kind of hurt.”
“Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” is now streaming on Netflix.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Netflix Docuseries Exposes the Troubling Behind-the-Scenes Truth of ‘America’s Next Top Model’
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