Part 3 of our 3-part series breaking down the Reality Check documentary.

In this final episode, we move beyond critique and into accountability.

Dr. B and Wilson examine the ethical violations, exploitation, and systemic abuse highlighted throughout the documentary about America's Next Top Model — and ask the question many viewers are still wrestling with:

Who is responsible?

We discuss:
• The role of production in perpetuating harm
• The accountability of figures in power, including Tyra Banks
• Victim-blaming and harassment within the modeling industry
• Cultural appropriation and race-swapping narratives
• The psychological impact of systemic abuse on contestants
• And whether the documentary itself goes far enough

We explore empathy, apology, power, and what meaningful repair actually looks like.

Because acknowledgment without accountability isn’t justice.

This episode closes our trilogy by asking what systemic change would require — and whether we, as audiences, are willing to demand it.

#AmericasNextTopModel #ANTM #RealityCheck #Accountability #MediaEthics #SystemicAbuse #PopCultureAnalysis #VictimRights #BoredAndOvereducated

Part 2 of our 3-part series breaking down ANTM Reality Check.

In this episode, we dive into Episode 2 of the documentary and zoom out to explore something bigger: How did we become so desensitized to mistreatment on reality TV?

From America's Next Top Model to The Jerry Springer Show, we examine how the media has historically normalized emotional abuse, psychological harm, humiliation, and spectacle — and how repeated exposure conditions us to see dysfunction as entertainment.

We break down:
• The abusive dynamics highlighted in Episode 2
• The role of judges like Janice and the culture that enabled harm
• How generational trauma + media exposure create desensitization
• Why familiarity does not equal health
• And how conditioning works both ways

Because here’s the truth:
If media can normalize dysfunction, it can also model health.

We highlight shows that depict healthier relationships, healthier conflict, and healthier humanity — from Love on the Spectrum to A Different World — and explore how representation shapes what we believe is possible.

We close with a teaser for Part 3, where we ask: What was the deeper purpose behind all of this?

Come think with us and be our 3rd bestie!

#AmericasNextTopModel #ANTM #RealityCheck #RealityTV #MediaPsychology #PopCultureAnalysis #GenerationalTrauma #Desensitization #BoredAndOvereducated

In this episode of the Bored & Overeducated Podcast, Dr. B (Dr. Abena Berry) and W (Wilson) unpack how America’s Next Top Model may have failed the very women it claimed to elevate.

As we break down the new Reality Check documentary, we explore the problematic behaviors, power dynamics, and trauma that played out on screen — and what it meant for the contestants and for the culture watching at home. We also hold space for the complexity: the opportunities created, the visibility gained, and the uncomfortable truth that both harm and progress can exist at the same time.

Through a psychological and cultural lens, we ask: What responsibility does reality TV have to the people it platforms? And what does it say about us that we normalized so much?

As always, we bring insight, laughter, and real conversation — because you’re not just listening. You’re the third-best friend in the room.

#BoredAndOvereducated
#AmericasNextTopModel
#RealityCheck
#RealityTV
#MediaCritique
#TraumaAndCulture
#PopCultureAnalysis
#HumanBehavior
#BestieCommunity