Tyra
Apparently Tyra Banks does herself no favors in the new docuseries “Reality Check: America’s Next Top Model.”
I’m not surprised. It was 2010 (give or take a year) and I was in Manhattan with three of my four daughters for the taping of The Tyra Banks Show. We were not fans, but the show taped at a convenient time, so we could shop and/or get lunch afterwards.
We were instructed to arrive at the studio an hour early. As I recall, it was a hot day and we waited on the sidewalk with the rest of the studio audience. Time passed. The general mood of the crowd slid from convivial to grumpy. P.A.s came out to size us up, after which we were herded inside and instructed to “turn right” or “go left.” It soon became uncomfortably clear we were being seated according to perceived attractiveness.
My daughters were placed on the center aisle, and I got tacked on at the end, where I would be visible, but barely. The studio was air-conditioned and as sweltering as we’d been outside, inside, we were shivering. Again, we waited, and waited, and waited some more for Tyra to emerge, which she finally did, an hour and a half late.
The show itself was so forgettable that I had to text my daughters just now to see what was on it; apparently, the band Good Charlotte and some lady getting a haircut. I do remember they couldn’t roll the cameras for longer than two minutes without Tyra calling a halt for hair and makeup adjustments. Onstage, mirrors were positioned out of range of the camera, and Tyra kept checking herself in them. Her limited range of facial expressions were like deadbolts sliding into place, and her aggressive banter didn’t line up. It wasn’t fun or interesting to watch.
We were relieved when the doors opened and we were again walking in a world with light, movement, and humanity. I remember looking at my daughters, laughing, their faces open, connected to the spirit animating them. I felt almost sorry for Ms. Banks, even though her soul-crushing self-consciousness was obnoxious and self-imposed. Maybe someday she’ll realize the truth about beauty; it isn’t a screen-grab, but a flow.
Of course being in the TV talk show business I can literally say and tell all but that story takes the cake. From the Today show to Donahue to Rosie to Faith Daniel’s (ha! Who?) and even Conan and Letterman omg the stories- still nothing like this and certainly not making the audience wait an hour and a half before starting- yikes! A disaster in the making for any producer and if cell phones and social media were a thing? I’d give it a week 🤣
I am not surprised by this summary and also chuckled throughout - picturing sitting right next to you and the looks we’d give each other because - as always - we’d be thinking the same exact things.