'America's Next Top Model' star Jay Manuel says he asked to be excused from the infamous race-swapping photo shoot, but was denied

• Netflix's new three-part docuseries explores the legacy of "America's Next Top Model."
• One of the show's stars, Jay Manuel, says he objected to season four's race-swapping photo shoot.
• Tyra Banks says she didn't think it was controversial because she was in her "own little bubble."

In a new documentary, Tyra Banks responds to criticism of "America's Next Top Model" with a familiar refrain: "Hindsight is 20/20." But for her former costar, Jay Manuel, one controversial moment was troubling from the start.

Netflix's three-part documentary "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" explores the TV show's legacy, from its peak popularity in the early aughts to the divisive reactions from current viewers.

Perhaps the most infamous photo shoot in "Top Model" history aired in 2005, when the season four contestants were told by Manuel, "We're actually going to switch your ethnicities."

Several of the models' faces and bodies were painted with dark makeup: Christina Murphy, Brittany Brower, and Noelle Staggers were assigned the roles of "East Indian," "African American," and "traditionally African woman," respectively.

"The challenge here really is taking on the persona of that other ethnicity while in the photograph, and owning it," Manuel tells the models in the episode.

Many viewers and critics have since condemned the photo shoot as blackface, an offensive practice that dates back to racist minstrel shows in the 1830s.

In the documentary, Manuel says he was uncomfortable with the concept from the start, especially given his family's history with racial segregation.

"The shoot that I had the most difficult time with was this race-swapping shoot. My parents are from South Africa. They grew up during apartheid. I am very aware of that history," he tells the camera. However, he says his objections were brushed off by Banks.

"I first asked to be excused from the photo shoot," Manuel continues. "And Tyra said to me, 'I will handle this on camera with the girls at judging, just go and do your job.' I recognized that my role was starting to have limitations. That shoot was happening regardless."

The documentary includes clips from the episode, including several of Manuel, who was billed as the "art director of photo shoots," coaching the models behind the camera.

"If you really look for it, you can see it on my face. Especially the setup for the day, where I tell the girls what we're doing. I could tell I was just, like, double swallowing," he recalls. "But I just had to do my job."

Tyra Banks says she didn't anticipate backlash to the race-swapping photo shoot

Banks, who created "Top Model" and hosted the reality show for 12 years, says she "didn't think it was controversial" at the time to paint the models' skin.

"I was in my own little bubble, in my own little head, that this was my way of showing the world that brown and Black is beautiful," she says in the documentary. "But then we put it out there, and the world was like, 'Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?'"

"Looking at the show now, through the 2020 lens, it's an issue, and I understand 100% why," Banks adds.

"Top Model" became a surprise hit for UPN when it premiered in 2003. Banks worked with producer Ken Mok to develop a competition show that blended the performative elements of "American Idol" with the behind-the-scenes drama of "The Real World."

It made for irresistible TV, and "Top Model" drew millions of viewers. However, Banks and Manuel both recall pressure to pump up the drama on "Top Model" as its audience continued to grow.

"It was a time in the world where there was a show, 'Fear Factor,' and 'Survivor,' and all of these things of, like, pushing the limits and all of that," Banks says. "And so we kept pushing, and we kept creating more and more and more. You guys were demanding it."

Dawn Ostroff, then-president of UPN, says there was a constant push to raise the stakes, even as contestants were having emotional breakdowns or health emergencies on camera. Season three contestant Rebecca Epley fainted in the middle of judging, for example, and season seven winner CariDee English developed hypothermia during a photo shoot in a swimming pool.

"How do you get that, 'I can't believe they're doing that' moment again? You have to keep one-upping yourself," she says in the documentary. "I never thought about, you know, 'Can we air it? Can't we air it?' Good television is good television."

Although Manuel was originally cast as a creative director and occasional judge, he says the content of the challenges and photo shoots was largely out of his control, especially as the show got bigger. Eventually, his role was narrowed to "on-camera talent."

"There was a time when the creative of the show started to shift. We were supposed to be showing the behind-the-scenes of what the fashion world was, helping change the industry. But the show had evolved in a way I'd never expected," Manuel says. "I really struggled over some of the things that happened. And that was something that was slowly depleting me, chipping away at my soul."

He adds, "Tyra would always reinforce, 'We need to keep it entertaining. We need to keep people watching.'"

In "Top Model" season 13, which aired on The CW in 2009, the models were tasked with yet another race-swapping shoot. This time, Banks was the photographer.

Representatives for Ostroff and Banks did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.