Gettin’ Grown — “On the Catwalk” (feat. Hey Fran Hey) (Feb 24, 2026)
Hosts: Jade (subbing for Keia), Guest: Hey Fran Hey

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode’s main theme is a deep-dive breakdown and candid discussion of the Netflix docuseries “America’s Next Top Model: Reality Check.” Jade hosts solo at the “kitchen table” in Keia’s absence, joined by beloved friend and wellness podcaster Hey Fran Hey. Together, they reflect on the docuseries' exposures, their own memories as viewers, and broader questions about exploitation, Black womanhood, and complicity within reality TV and systems of success. The tone is both humorous and incisive, with Jade’s and Fran’s signature warmth, honesty, and occasional tangent.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Intro & Friendship Banter (02:06)
• Top Model: Reality Check—Initial Reactions (19:08)
• Fashion & Body Talk: Early 2000s Culture (20:27)
• “It Was a Different Time”: Problematic Norms, Accountability, and Cruelty (23:58)
• Tyra as Villain—And Who Really Has Power? (25:25)
• Exploitation and Harm: Contestant Stories (33:26)
• Complicity, Capitalism, and Ethical Dilemmas (42:40)
• Behind the Scenes: Production, the Jays, and Judges (56:03)
• Where Are They Now? Former Contestants (60:08)
• Predatory Storylines, Black Girlhood and Resilience (76:59)
• Healing, Forgiveness, and Systemic Harm (88:52)
• Wrap Up & Final Thoughts (101:29)

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Intro & Friendship Banter (02:06–13:22)

• Jade introduces substitute co-host “Manuka Honey Mami” Fran, highlighting their deep friendship, epic catch-up calls, and the unexpected joy of being neighbors just before the 2020 pandemic (04:28).
• They reminisce about early COVID days, getting sick, living in Brooklyn, and how the quarantine shifted their lives and relationships (05:22).
• Wholesome conversation about Fran’s self-care, appreciating seasonal change, and the bittersweet transition of Jade’s daughter starting independent commutes—a rite of passage as a New York kid (13:22).
  • Quote [Fran, 14:14]: “Remember those days where you’re like... damn, I’m low key a little young adult?”

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Top Model: Reality Check—Initial Reactions (19:08–20:27)

• Jade positions the docuseries as a reckoning for millennial viewers who grew up with Top Model, noting they were the same age as many early contestants.
• Fran explains she didn’t realize the doc was coming but was swept up in the online discourse.
• Both hosts reflect on how the show, and its often-problematic lens, shaped their understanding of beauty and success.

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Fashion & Body Talk: Early 2000s Culture (20:27–23:58)

• Lighthearted roast of the era: Low-rise jeans, “heroin chic,” and big booty struggles.
  • Quote [Jade, 21:12]: “Is it high? It’s high as f—. I don’t have a high—I have a big butt... We don’t discuss the cracks enough!”
• Fran and Jade compare different body types and the “muffin man” effect of fashion trends—both critique and nostalgia about restrictive Y2K style standards.
• Honest look at the cultural expectations and micro-aggressions embedded into body image at the time.

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“It Was a Different Time”: Problematic Norms, Accountability, and Cruelty (23:58–25:25)

• Fran and Jade roll their eyes at the “different time” excuse for past transgressions, pushing for individual accountability.
  • Quote [Fran, 24:19]: “You were just an asshole and it was accepted at that time. You just have to be okay with that.”
• Discussion on racism, colorism, and misogynoir as persistent structures—acknowledging that ignorance is distinct from being actively cruel.

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Tyra as Villain—And Who Really Has Power? (25:25–27:44)

• The docuseries makes Tyra Banks “the villain,” but the hosts point to (often white, male) network execs and producers, e.g., Les Moonves and Ken Mok, as holding real power.
  • Quote [Jade, 25:54]: “That perpetuates the same s— that has allowed all of this... The greater powers do not get the flack and the heat they deserve.”
• Fran and Jade agree Tyra was both complicit and also a “fall guy” for a much larger, exploitative system.

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Exploitation and Harm: Contestant Stories (33:26–42:40)

Danielle & Joanie (Teeth Makeover)

• They were coerced into dental procedures: Danielle bullied to close her gap; Joanie’s mouth severely altered, with long-lasting pain.
  • Quote [Jade, 34:13]: “They tell her in this makeover challenge... ‘You are not marketable with this gap,’ which I find to be insane.”
• Lack of transparency; producers blocked these young women from calling their parents or lawyers before signing releases.

Ebony (Outing a Contestant)

• Contestant was outed as queer on-air without consent—exposing her to real danger.
  • Fran, 32:30: “It was a dangerous position for her to be in, you know, to be outed... The whole thing is exploitation.”

Shandy (Sexual Exploitation)

• Her personal trauma (sexual assault, breakup) was used for storylines and TV drama.
  • Fran, 49:22: “The story. Everything has a story. And it’s like, yeah, interesting, the stories that you chose.”

Dangers and Hazards

• Lack of food/sleep, literal physical danger (treadmills in heels, swimming in gowns), and psychological abuse were routine for drama.

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Complicity, Capitalism, and Ethical Dilemmas (42:40–56:03)

• Fran and Jade examine the ethical trade-offs required to reach mainstream success—it’s nearly impossible to be successful and fully ethical within current systems.
  • Quote [Fran, 43:22]: “There’s certain levels of success that I just feel like are just unnatural and there’s just always going to be corruption involved.”
  • They discuss LeBron James’ cautious PR stance and personal reckoning with investing in systems that fund violence and oppression.
• Honest conversation about being “community-centered,” trying to build wealth responsibly, and the systemic complicity bound up in capitalism.
• The frustration of wanting financial security while being disgusted by the means and systems required to pursue it.

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Behind the Scenes: Production, the Jays, and Judges (56:03–60:08)

• Brief detour into who Ms. J & Jay Manuel really are ethnically (“I thought he was Puerto Rican!”), underscoring how hosts and judges themselves also embodied diversity and were shaped by TV narratives.
• Reminder that even beloved secondary figures were complicit in creating harmful, exploitative TV but were also caught in the system’s machine.
  • Fran, 59:18: “It’s a job, you’re just trying to get ahead... There is a sadness in having to battle politics, but that’s also the reality of business.”
• Discussion of Adrian (Cycle 1 winner): living a rural, off-the-grid-ish trad life now, while others spiral or find peace post-reality TV.

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Where Are They Now? Former Contestants (60:08–76:59)

• Where contestants like Adrian, Shannon, Danielle, and others have landed—some “MAGA,” some pastors’ wives, some deeply harmed by the show, some finding peace.
• Jade and Fran observe the random nature of “Top Model” as a launchpad: for some (especially Black women like Danielle), the show became a stigma that closed professional doors; for others, it opened them.
  • Quote [Jade, 82:15]: “Danielle said that she had a stigma on her because of Top Model, and people didn’t want to use her…”

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Predatory Storylines, Black Girlhood and Resilience (76:59–88:52)

• Unpacking the most unhinged photo shoots: blackface, cultural appropriation, trauma porn (gun violence, eating disorder shoots), fatphobia.
• Kenya’s experience of sexual harassment on set and not being protected; how production prioritized spectacle, not safety or dignity.
• Many Black contestants, like Takara and Yaya, have chosen not to participate in recent exposes, moving on with their lives—while some, like Danielle, still bear emotional and professional scars.

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Healing, Forgiveness, and Systemic Harm (88:52–101:29)

• Fran shares about Yaya’s public forgiveness of Tyra and the process of letting go for self-preservation.
  • Quote [Jade, 87:52]: “Sometimes in that forgiveness, you don’t necessarily get the acknowledgment... But once you release, it really does open so many doors.”
• Honesty about the justified pain and ongoing trauma for many former contestants.
• The hosts point out that the “rotten core” isn’t just individual—but built into the fabric of American entertainment and society.

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Wrap Up & Final Thoughts (101:29–End)

• Fran’s takeaway: both individual and systemic accountability matter. These problems extend beyond Tyra or Top Model.
  • Fran, 101:59: “It’s both/and... it’s also just a much bigger problem.”
• Jade: the “solution” can only begin with reckoning, exposure, and dismantling the structures that create harm.
• Shout-outs:
  • Love for Ms. J, who’s recovering from illness.
  • A call to “mind your business, drink your water... and moisturize, so you look like Danielle and Ebony!”
• Light closing banter about online lingo and age, with their trademark big-sister humor and gentleness.
• Quote [Jade, 105:36]: “Make sure you all are drinking your water, please. Make sure you are minding your business, alright? And also moisturizing yourself so you can end up looking like Danielle and Ebony...”
• Episode ends with gratitude and a preview for next week’s guest.

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• “[On growing up Black in New York] That very specific rite of passage when your parent finally feels you’re responsible enough to get on the train or do the bus... such a big deal.” — Hey Fran Hey (13:26)
• “My question for you is, how do you decide what song you’re singing at the top of each show?” —Fran (02:25), leading to a fun meta-discussion of Gettin’ Grown traditions.
• “[About the excuse ‘It was a different time’] But I wasn’t a terrible person then, just like I’m not a terrible person now.” — Fran (24:19)
• “It perpetuates the same s— that has allowed all of this... the greater powers do not get the flack and heat they deserve.” —Jade (25:54)
• “The whole thing is exploitation. Right? Like, and in so many layers. All these girls were exploited.” —Fran (32:19)
• “[Even success binds you to the system] There’s always an ownership that you have to be willing to lean into where you like... The more you distort yourself, contort yourself, that’s the more success you have.” —Fran (43:52)
• “I think the solution is the dismantling of all of this. Because at its core, it’s rotten.” —Jade (102:03)
• “We all have a lot of work to do.” —Fran (103:10)

TAKEAWAYS

• The docuseries serves as both nostalgia and a cautionary tale about the cost of success, the exploitation of (especially Black) women, and how “villains” are elevated while true power often remains shadowed and unaccountable.
• Jade and Fran discuss complicity at every level: personal, career, consumer, and systemic, asking how (and if) success can be ethical within such dynamics.
• There is tenderness, humor, and real-world wisdom as the hosts balance heavy truths with care, offering hope that naming problems is the first step to repair.

For new listeners and those who missed the docuseries: This episode is a fierce, funny, and honest breakdown of “America’s Next Top Model: Reality Check”—exploring both its messy legacy and the power structures it exposed—delivered with the warmth and sharpness characteristic of Gettin’ Grown.