- - Tyra Banks and Ken Mok Explain Why “America's Next Top Model” Team Didn't Intervene in Shandi Sullivan's Cycle 2 Trauma

Angela AndaloroFebruary 17, 2026 at 12:00 AM

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Tyra Banks (left), Shandi Sullivan (center), Ken Mok

Taylor Hill/Getty; Mychal Watts/WireImage; Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic

Shandi Sullivan experienced a sexual assault that was framed as infidelity during cycle 2 of America's Next Top Model

Shandi discussed navigating the situation on reality TV in Netflix's new docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model

Tyra Banks and Ken Mok explained what production's responsibility was in the situation and why they handled it as they did

Shandi Sullivan felt failed by the America's Next Top Model team.

The cycle 2 contestant opened up about her experience on the reality series for Netflix's new docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. While contestants got a taste of the model life in Milan, Shandi found herself a victim of sexual assault.

Sullivan herself didn't fully understand how a wine night at home with guests turned into an assault. She woke up the next morning, confused and upset.

"The next day, I woke up. I was, like, 'Holy s--t, what the f--k happened last night?' It all fucking hit me. It just flooded over me. I just sat there and cried," she shared.

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Shandi Sullivan cries in the aftermath of attack

Hulu

Today, Shandi shares, "I think after getting out of the hot tub, and like whatever happened after that, I think they should have f--king like... been like, 'Alright, this has gone too far. We got it. We gotta pull her out of this.' "

Cameras captured the events of the previous night. Creator and host Tyra Banks and executive producer Ken Mok were asked about how production handled the situation.

"I do remember her story. It's a little difficult for me to talk about production because that's not my territory," Banks replied.

"We treated Top Model as a documentary. And we told the girls that," Mok said. "We would go over the rules. There's going to be cameras with you 24/7, day in and day out, and they're going to cover everything — the good, the bad, and everything in between. No matter what happens while you're on camera, we're going to document all of that."

Shandi cries on the phone

Hulu

Jay Manuel remembers the incident, sharing, "I know the girls, they were doing their evening hanging with the guys. We were off. And then we got word Shandi's having sex in the shower with the guy. I was, like, 'Wait, what?' And the rule on Top Model was, if you went into a bathroom alone, a camera could not follow you in. But of course, when she went into the shower, she was technically not alone. So, the cameras went in and they captured it."

"I don't know whose decision it was, but as producers do, this was a story point now and we're going to see it all the way through."

Footage from the episode shows Banks having a "girl talk" moment with the cast and bringing up being cheated on, then turning to Shandi and telling her, "Everybody messes up, Shani. I'm not judging you, but I think that we have to fight against our carnal desires."

"I understand that people do become attracted to other people, and it's all about your relationship and how open your relationship is and how honest you can be with one another," Banks concludes.

Shandi breaks down after talking to her boyfriend

Hulu

Shandi broke down at that point and wanted to leave. When she was most adamant about leaving, they acquiesced to letting Shandi call her boyfriend. They did, however, insist on filming the moment.

"It was just a sound guy and the guy filming and afterwards. I'm just like laying on the floor, in a fetal position, just crying. I get up to leave, and they both came up to me, and they said, 'We're really, really sorry, that we had to film that.' They just knew that this isn't right. Like, 'Why are we filming this?' "

Mok says that the editing of the moment was done with Shandi's feelings in mind. "I will tell you this. When I went into post and saw the footage, we scaled back that scene in a significant way."

"I'm not head of story. That's Ken Mok, but I did become a master editor," Banks said. "It's important for people to know that we didn't put everything on TV."

Manuel says that's because of the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake incident at the Super Bowl that year. He explained, "When that happened, regulations clamped down on what you could show, so then they had to rush to re-edit that scene."

Mok maintained, "That was, for good or bad, one of the most memorable moments in Top Model."

Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model is streaming now on Netflix.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”