Eva Marcille says watching the new Netflix docuseries about America’s Next Top Model left her stunned and shaken, admitting she had no clue about the darker experiences other contestants say they endured.
The Cycle 3 winner, who competed on the show in 2004 under her maiden name Eva Pigford, shared her reaction during an appearance on CBS Mornings.
“I was in awe. My mouth was wide open,” she said. “To be part of something and not know what was happening behind the scenes is wild.”
Marcille explained that while she can only speak to her own time on the show, the stories revealed in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model were shocking.
Eva Marcille, known as Eva Pigford on season 3 of “America’s Next Top Model,” which she won in 2004, says she was “gobsmacked” and “amazingly horrified” by the stories of other “ANTM” contestants detailed in a new documentary, “Reality Check.”
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“I lived my experience and walked my path, but I had absolutely no idea,” she said. “It was horrifying to learn what others went through.”
She also expressed her belief that production was aware of much of the alleged behavior discussed in the series.
“That kind of environment doesn’t exist without people helping it exist,” Marcille said, noting her later experience working in reality television.
Despite the allegations aimed at the show and its creator, Tyra Banks, Marcille offered gratitude for Banks’ early mission. “She set out to change the industry, and she did that for me,” Marcille said. Still, she added that healing looks different for everyone. “Some pain doesn’t come with a simple apology.”