The ANTM Documentary w/ Oscar Montoya

Summary

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The Nightly – The ANTM Documentary w/ Oscar Montoya

Host: Hatch Podcasts
Date: February 20, 2026
Special Guest: Oscar Montoya

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Episode Overview

In this cozy, late-night episode of The Nightly, hosts Krista, Kristen, and Sophia invite the actor, comedian, and pop culture enthusiast Oscar Montoya into the “Hatch Pillow Fort.” Their main theme: a deep, gossipy dive into the new Netflix documentary about America's Next Top Model (ANTM)—the show's formative influence, its problematic legacy, and Tyra Banks' enduring (and eccentric) pop culture presence. Along the way, conversation orbits around favorite bedtime routines, nostalgia for early-2000s television, Tyra’s wild business ventures, and more.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Bedtime Routines & Book Picks

[01:05] – [06:12]

• The panel opens with a discussion on sleep habits. Oscar reveals he's a “big reader in bed,” focusing on clearing out long-unread books and donating them, currently tackling a Star Wars “Legends” novel from his youth.
• Sophia shares her decision to stop reading a book she didn’t enjoy (The Wilderness), switching to a nonfiction book about a famous art thief who stole art to enjoy it at home.
  • “I was like, I'm just not reading because I have this book I'm not enjoying. … I need to just move on.” – Sophia [01:34]
• Discussion of childhood nostalgia books—Krista mentions wanting to try The Babysitter’s Club as an adult.

Scroll For You: The ANTM Documentary

[06:31] – [18:16]

• Sophia introduces the main segment, “Scroll For You,” to highlight clips from the newly released Netflix ANTM documentary.
• The group shares their emotional response to Ms. J. Alexander’s health incident and apparent estrangement from Tyra Banks.
  • “Tyra sent her a text, and I was like, oh my God. … It really, like, I felt a deep well of sadness.” – Sophia [08:17]
• Oscar, a huge ANTM fan, watched all three parts in one day and reflects on how deeply formative and problematic the show was upon rewatch:
  • “You know, I grew up in the toxic 2000s...it was very much such a huge part of me. ... We would have Zoom watches...and we all realized, like, oh, this is not. This is different than I remember.” – Oscar [09:40]
• The group unpacks how, as kids, they saw the show’s drama as entertainment, only to recognize its cruelty in hindsight.
  • “Did you think, wow, Tyra’s really mean and this is a mess and they're really tearing down young women on this show, or did you just think...this is fun drama?” – Krista [10:26]
• They discuss Tyra’s framing of the show as “empowering” versus the retroactively obvious trauma and harm, like the portrayal of plus-size models and controversial photo shoots:
  • “She was saying, oh, you know, she's too fat. … Tyra was really defending her...I remember watching that, and really, like, it worming its way into my brain of like, oh, this show is good. It's good for women.” – Oscar [11:39]
  • The group critiques “veneer activism” and the misguided, sometimes exploitative segments (e.g., models posing as unhoused people).
• Discussion of Tyra Banks’ enduring pop culture impact, her business ventures (like the ill-fated SMiZE Cream and the ModelLand attraction), and her eccentric public persona.
  • “But the thing that I’ll say about me is that I’m a huge Tyra Banks fan in the sense of: her weird business decisions she’s done is, like, so flabbergasting.” – Oscar [13:39]
  • “She has, like, stores…You can’t get it in the U.S at all.” – Oscar [14:13] (on SMiZE Cream)
  • Oscar reveals he read Tyra’s ModelLand novel on Facebook Live during the pandemic: “…500 pages. It’s huge.” [15:32]
• The group delights in Tyra’s recent viral absurdities (like her claim about having a “special gift” to immediately taste food on her tongue).
  • “She says, I have a special gift—where as soon as a food touches my tongue, I can taste it.” – Oscar [15:54]
• They reflect on the whiplash between Tyra's roles as a stern reality judge and Oprah-like talk show host:
  • “You cannot host America's Next Top Model where all you're doing is ridiculing women and then host a talk show where you're trying to be Oprah and cry and hug people.” – Krista [16:43]
• Oscar’s favorite Tyra talk show memory: color-coded shirts for audience members by sexuality.
  • “She separated the audience by sexual preference and different colored T-shirts.... And the ‘in-between’ in the front Tyra section.” – Oscar [17:10]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Oscar on the show's legacy:
  “Watching it now, it’s just insanely formative … It’s interesting what kind of veneer activism was wearing back in the day.” [12:26]
• Krista on Tyra’s duality:
  “You cannot host America’s Next Top Model where all you’re doing is ridiculing women and then host a talk show where you’re trying to be Oprah. ... You are so not trustworthy as a compassionate person.” [16:43]
• Oscar on Tyra’s eccentric powers:
  “She says, I have a special gift where as soon as a food touches my tongue, I can taste it.” [15:54]

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Other Highlights

Oscar’s Recommendations & Plugs

[18:32] – [19:28]

• Oscar shares his projects:
  • Podcast: Drag Her (Drag Race recap podcast)
  • Podcast: Eurovangelists (Eurovision Song Contest podcast)
  • Instagram: @ozzymo

Pillow Fort “Goodnight”

[19:34] – [20:22]

• Oscar gives a sweet shout-out “goodnight” to his nail tech, Elena:
  • “She’s just the sweetest human being and her story is incredible. So, Elena, have a good night.” – Oscar [20:22]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Bedtime routines & reading chat: [01:05] – [06:12]
• Sophia introduces ANTM doc segment: [06:31]
• Discussion: ANTM’s problematic legacy & Tyra Banks: [07:10] – [18:16]
• Oscar plugs podcasts and social media: [18:46] – [19:28]
• Oscar’s “goodnight” to Elena: [19:34] – [20:22]

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Tone & Vibe

Chill, funny, slightly irreverent with warm, genuine nostalgia and a cozy, confessional slumber party feel. The hosts and Oscar share both personal stories and pop culture snark, striking a balance between gossipy fun and thoughtful reflection on media’s evolution.

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For fans of pop culture, reality TV nostalgia, and Tyra Banks’ endless weirdness, this episode is the perfect bedtime wind-down.

Transcript

[A]

Hello. You're about to drift into an episode of the Nightly, a podcast designed to help you unwind and relax. For the full phone free immersive light experience, visit Hatch Co. Enjoy.

[B]

Hey out there. I'm Krista.

[C]

Kristen. And I'm Sophia. Welcome to the Nightly from Hatch, a slumber party for pop culture lovers.

[B]

Yes. Yes. Yes, it is.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

How are you, Kristin?

[B]

I am doing great and it's so good to see you. And you know who else it's good to see?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. We have somebody in the pillow fort with us tonight.

[C]

We have the delightful and incredibly funny Oscar Montoya. Hello, Oscar.

[B]

Woohoo. Hoo hoo.

[A]

Hey. It's so comfy in here. Thanks for having me.

[C]

We make it cozy just for you.

[B]

So quick question before we get into things tonight, Oscar. We like to ask all of our guests about their bedtime routine or if they have a sleep hygiene habit that they practice. Is there something special that you like to do before bed?

[A]

I enjoy reading before bed. I'm a big reader in bed. That's where I get my reading done.

[B]

You're talking to the right people. Sophie and I are both happy.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

What. What. What books are y' all reading right now?

[C]

Well, I just yesterday I decided bravely to put down, not finish a book that I was really struggling with. So brave, though. It was called the Wilderness. It has really good reviews, so if anyone read that and liked it, more power to you. It just wasn't really for me. And I was having a thing where I was like, I'm just not reading because I have this book that I'm not enjoying. And so I was like, okay, it's been like a week where I haven't really read, so I need to just move on. And then I started this nonfiction book called the Art Thief, about this, like, famous art thief, this guy Stefan, Brett Meister or something. He's this interesting guy where he stole art because he was an appreciator of the art and would decorate his house with all this art and stuff like that.

[A]

Steal art and then put it in

[C]

your own living room. I know, it's so crazy.

[A]

What a flex.

[C]

They're, like, describing how he, like, steals this, like, tiny little statue and then, like, puts it on his bedside table and he's like, rolling over in the morning and looking at it. It's like, the craziest thing in the world.

[B]

I love that. That way it's not just an investment or a way to, like, channel assets offshore or something. It's like, I just Want to live with beauty.

[C]

That's all. That's exactly what. And yeah.

[A]

And can you blame him?

[C]

No, I cann I mean, I'm always pro art thief. Cause I'm like, all the art stolen anyway. So, like, you stole it again. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say.

[A]

You know, museums should do. Did you ever have this when you were in elementary school where you would have a pet or like a stuffed animal and every week a student would, like, get to keep, take it home and then write about it? Like, museums should start doing that. A program where they give away the Mona Lisa to a person every week. They're like, My week with Mona Lisa.

[C]

Exactly. I mean, that's literally his whole thing. He's like, you have to, like, sit with the art and like, really experience it. It's not. It's not right to do it in a museum.

[A]

Simply must agree with that concept.

[C]

I know. I'm like, okay, more power to him. Sorry. I'm on his side. 20 pages in and I'm on his side. So.

[B]

Yeah, and it's not going to waste that way. It's not just like rolled up in a tube somewhere where no one can enjoy it.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

That's so great, Oscar. What are you reading?

[C]

Yeah, I'm curious.

[A]

Well, right now I'm reading. I have a really bad habit of buying books and not touching them at all. I have so many books in my collection that I'm trying to read them. And after I'm done, I'm putting them in the lending library in my neighborhood. And so I'm going through a back catalog of books I've had since I was very young that I have not touched. And right now I'm reading. I'm reading a Star wars novel.

[B]

That's fun.

[A]

Reading a Star wars novel. And I don't know how much into Star Wars y' all are, but there is canon, and then there's legends, which means there's media that is like official Star wars lore. And then there's media that used to be lore, but now, because of the new Disney movies aren't lore. And now they're legends, which is stories told in the universe that aren't true. And then this book is exactly that.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

It's a legend of, you know, Leia and Han having a child and Luke and his wife also having a child. And I don't want to bore you.

[B]

It sounds almost like fanfic to me.

[C]

But I have a question. Is it so, like, who is writing the. Like, first of all, I'm so inept that I didn't even know that, like, Star wars was, like, based on books, if I'm being fully honest. So it's like, who's the original?

[A]

It's not. It's fully not. Okay.

[C]

I was like, I didn't know that

[A]

it's a Star wars that we all know and love, but there's these novels that people have written that it's like, oh, this book takes place in the Star wars universe.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

So it's interesting to read a book that you bought when you were, like, 16.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, that is crazy. I actually am not 16, but I recently started rereading a book from a class because I wanted to reread it, and I'm like, oh, my God. I'm scared of the notes in the margins that I'm gonna be running into and what my thoughts were.

[B]

I love that you guys are read books from your younger years, because I've been debating reading books that I missed the first time that were popular. Like, I never read the Babysitter's Club books, and I'm like, maybe I should try them now.

[C]

You should.

[A]

Those are fun.

[B]

And everyone's like, you would love the Babysitter Club's books, you know? So, yeah, I'm starting to compile this list of things I missed the first time.

[A]

Oh, that's incredible.

[C]

Okay, well, now that we've covered all the things that we've been reading, I think that it might be time for me to tell you guys about some other stuff that has come across my desk this week, which is.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Our segment. Scroll for you. Basically, I just am going to tell you guys about stuff I've seen on my phone or the Internet or wherever. Stuff that has found me or I've found from this week.

[B]

And you always have such good stuff, Sophia. It's always so good.

[C]

I'm, like, hunting and I'm gathering, and then I'm bringing it back to the group. Okay. The first one that I feel excited for. I don't know if it's out yet, but I just was seeing clips from it, and I'm. I'm interested to know if you guys. This resonates with you guys, is that I was watching clips from the Netflix documentary they're making about America's Next Top Model.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

That is. That is 80% of my feet at the moment.

[C]

I don't know if it's out yet. I have no idea.

[A]

Well, the documentary just came out.

[C]

Oh, my gosh. Okay. Okay, that's good to know.

[A]

On Netflix, so.

[C]

Okay, I'm gonna have to really get into that. I was feeling very emotionally moved and, like, deeply sad, because I think Ms. J. Alexander, who is, like, the Runway coach, and I, like, grew up watching America's Next Top Model, like, with my mom and my brother and my sister, and I was like, oh, my. I, like, had it. I feel like America's Next Top Model has become so, like, mythologized at this point that I honestly forgot about even, like, Jay and Ms. J, who are the other two people. And then there's, like, Nigel Barker. They're all, like, the judges or whatever. And, um, Ms. J had some type of health incident. I think she had a stroke or. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And was saying that Tyra has not even, like, come to see her the whole time.

[A]

Tyra sent her a text, and I

[C]

was like, oh, my God. And it really, like, I felt like, a deep well of sadness. I was like, oh, that hurts me to know. Yeah.

[A]

Be prepared is all I have to say.

[C]

Sophia, have you watched it already?

[A]

I did.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[A]

I saw all three parts yesterday.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Because I was also. I was reared.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Through America's Next Top Model. You know, I grew up in the toxic 2000s.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And so, yeah, I was. That was very much such a huge part of me. And also, I mean, the resurgence of that show came because of the pandemic during quarantine.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Because it was all streaming, and people were starting to watch it again, and. And they were like, wait a second. This is.

[B]

This is awful.

[C]

That is a show they should not have put on gaming. Like, that is a show that they should have been like. No, if you're lucky, you'll see, like, a rerun of this on cable. You can't binge the whole thing.

[A]

Yes. Because. And. But listen, that's exactly what happened during the quarantine. I created a Top Model club.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[A]

What?

[C]

Wait.

[A]

Where? I got a. I got a bunch of my friends through Instagram, and. And we. Our goal was to watch every cycle.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Of America's Next Model, starting from cycle one. And that was it. That was, like, us. Because, you know, I, like, loved the show growing up. And, you know, honestly, to me, it was, like, a representation of queerness in the fashion industry that I was, like, very interested in. Did in. I was like, oh, wow. I didn't know that that was, like, a thing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

People could do for a living. Creative directors. What. That's an imaginary job.

[C]

And it is.

[A]

But we started watching it, and we all in Real time. We would have zoom watches where we'd be watching the show and then like live commenting and we all realized, like, oh, this is not. This is different than I remember.

[B]

Okay, I have. I have a question for both of you.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So both of you saying it's different than you remember. Maybe when you watched it the first time, did you think, wow, Tyra's really mean and this is a mess and they're really tearing down young women on this show. Or did you just think the first time watching, like, this is fun drama.

[C]

Probably fun drama.

[A]

Fun drama. 100% fun drama.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I also was watching it when I was so young that I'm like, I had no. Like, I was like, this is funny or whatever. But also it was just like that was what they were doing. And no one batted an eyelash. They were doing the craziest stuff, though.

[A]

It just became fear factor at the end. But the interesting thing is watching it when it was on during the early 2000s, you were like, oh, her message. There was one part, they talk about it on the documentary where in cycle one, Robin, who is the quote, unquote, plus size intestine, she's maybe a size 4 or something, which. That alone is the. In the context of the world that we were living in, that is a plus size model.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And Janice Dickinson, who is sort of like the Simon Cowell of the show, sort of the mean villain. She was saying, oh, you know, she's. She's too. She can't model. She's too fat. And Tyra was like, really defending her and being like, you're the reason why I created this show. And I remember watching that and really like, it worming its way into my brain of like, oh, this show is good. It's good for women.

[C]

I think they did a lot of that where it's like, what Tyra would be saying is being like, we're doing this because it's empowering or yada, yada, yada, and, like, I'm breaking down these barriers.

[A]

But then to give awareness.

[C]

Yeah. To raise awareness of what happens when everyone swaps races. But then, you know, like.

[A]

Or they become unhoused for a photo.

[C]

My God.

[A]

With actual unhoused people in the background.

[C]

So they definitely did something.

[A]

But it's so interesting. I mean, especially it's. It's interesting what. What kind of veneer activism was wearing

[C]

back in the day.

[A]

You're just like looking back at it now through different lens and. And processing like, oh, this is insanely formative. So because you know, they talked to Tyra in this documentary. Like, she's in it.

[C]

Well, she's off her rocker, I'll say that. Yeah, we. And it's coming back. Did I make that up? Because I also think I saw that she said this week, she's like, I'm not done yet. And it's like, that's a threat.

[A]

She mentioned that there was going to be a cycle 20 time, but it happened one time and it was very sort of like, okay, we're moving past this. But, you know, there's another America's Ex Hop Model documentary produced by E. Coming out next month that's supposed to be even worse, more of a hit. Oh, my God.

[C]

Come on.

[B]

Oh, my God. It's like the Fyre Fest era when we got multiple documentaries on Firefox. I'm into that. I'm so into it. I'm like, I'll watch all the documentaries, of course.

[A]

See both of the fire doc. Yeah. Fire Fest documentary. I was so.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Yeah, me too. I watched them back to back. I'm like, yes, yes.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[A]

It's so crazy. Anyway. Yeah. But the thing that I'll say the thing about me is that I'm a huge Tyra Banks fan in the sense of her weird business decisions she's done is like so flabbergasting.

[C]

The hot ice cream, obviously.

[A]

I mean, obviously Smyce cream, which.

[C]

Do you know about this, Christy?

[A]

I don't know if you can tell.

[B]

Of course I do. Oh, my gosh.

[A]

But I have a Smy Scream sticker on my phone case.

[C]

Well, people say that the ice cream is really good.

[A]

Well, okay, so I. So before Smy Scream was moved to Australia, it used to be. Oh, yeah, you can't get in the US at all.

[C]

Oh, my God. They're like, it's too dangerous.

[B]

The funny thing is I thought it was just an idea that lasted for like 15 minutes. I didn't realize realize it was actually.

[C]

No. She has, like, stores. She has, like brick and mortar stores. Oh, my God.

[A]

Yeah. Yes. In Australia. But before Australia, there was a brick and mortar in Santa Monica.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[A]

That you can buy. And I certainly did buy. And it was there in a blink of an eye. I mean, it was there and gone.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. It's like a pop up, basically.

[A]

And it was right next to her Model Land Experience, which is another thing.

[C]

Right.

[A]

That happened. Right. Which is like sort of her theme park.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Experience. I don't know.

[C]

That was like the ANTM experience kind of.

[B]

Do they put you on a scale and weigh you and measure you. Is that what happens at Model Land?

[A]

Yes, but it's. It's based off of her book called Model Land, which is.

[C]

That's. She wrote like a young adult.

[A]

Yes. A fiction book. So a lot of people think it's a memoir, and it's not. It is essentially Harry Potter meets America's Next Top Model. Yeah. And I do have a cop. I have two copies of Model Land, which I read every during the pandemic. I read a chapter a day on Facebook Live.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

So I've read the entire book.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

That is a book I would read.

[A]

It's like a 500 page book. It's huge.

[C]

500 pages.

[B]

You should make the next Tyra documentary because your body of knowledge is so

[C]

out of this world. You're a scholar. Yes. At this point.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's insane. It's. It's. It's wild. It was like fully my pandemic. Hyper fixation.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It was crazy. I mean. Yeah.

[A]

There's another clip of Tyra Banks where she's on a podcast, this is very recent, where she says, I have a special gift where as soon as a food touches my tongue, I can taste it.

[C]

Right, right, right.

[B]

Unlike the rest of us, girl.

[C]

We all have that.

[B]

I've never heard of that before.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

So you can use your tongue to taste things.

[C]

She is so.

[A]

As soon as it hits her tongue,

[C]

she can taste it.

[A]

She can taste it.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Incredible.

[C]

She is so odd. Like, she is just the strangest woman ever.

[A]

To me, I think of Tyra Banks as a performance artist.

[C]

She is kind of.

[B]

But her talk show, though. So here's.

[A]

Oh.

[C]

Oh, my God. That actually.

[A]

I can't believe.

[B]

I'm like. I'm like. You cannot host America's Next Top Model where all you're doing is ridiculing women and then host a talk show where you're trying to be Oprah and cry and hug people.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You can't do that. It makes no sense. You are so not trustworthy as a compassionate person. I do not trust that you're compassionate.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. No, not at all.

[C]

She was also doing the most bizarre things on her talk show. Okay.

[A]

My favorite thing that Tyre Banks did on their talk show, he was talking about queerness. And she separated the audience by sexual preference and different colored T shirts. So she's like, okay, where are my straights? And the straights were all in one section of this. Of the audience. And all the gays were on the Other section of the audience and the. What she calls the in between.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

In the front Tyra section.

[C]

Why not?

[A]

That's what.

[C]

I would do that too, if I had a talk show. Get your shirt on. LGBT or T. Choose.

[B]

Now, you can only choose one letter

[C]

and we have a couple Q if you're lucky.

[B]

Yeah, there's no I or a. No, none of that stuff.

[C]

Every show I'm posting, you got to put that shirt on.

[A]

I just picture you in the front before the audience goes in and you're like, get your shirt on now.

[C]

Put that shirt on quickly. Why are you thinking?

[A]

You should know.

[C]

Oh, my God. Okay, well, this was amazing. I have to say, so much fun. And of course, Tyra, if you're listening, we'd love to have you on. Yes, please.

[B]

Obviously we love you, Tyra.

[C]

We love you. But before we wrap up, we always want to know if, Oscar, is there anything that our listeners should check out that you've been working on or anything you want to promote and where we can find it?

[A]

Oh, yes, you can. You can follow me on social media. Ozzy Mo Azimo. And you can also check out, I have a drag race recap podcast called Drag her, and you can follow us at Drag her podcast on all social media. Really? And I also have a EUR Vision song contest podcast called your evangelist. So you can follow us at your evangelist on Instagram.

[B]

Nice. Nice.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

I know everybody else out there in their own pillow forts will want to check those out as well as all your Tyra content too, so thank you for that. One last thing, Oscar. We like to have our guests give a special good night to somebody out there before we call it a night. Is there anybody that you'd like to wish a good night to?

[A]

Yes, I would like to wish goodnight to Elena, my nail tech.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Oh, your nails look great.

[A]

Yeah, thank you. Thank you. They're like little gems.

[B]

Yes, they are stars. It's like constellations on your fingertips. Beautiful.

[A]

Yes. She's so special. She's so funny. She's like the funniest person I know. She's so sweet, so kind. She, like, will remember you. I mentioned something about, like, oh, I don't really have, like, a spicy palate. And then the next time I showed up, she gave me like a sauce that was like, spicy, like beginner spicy level. And she's like, here, have it. She's just the sweetest human being and her story is incredible. So, Elena, have a good night.

[C]

Good night, Elena.

[B]

Good night, Elena. Sweet dreams. To you.

[C]

Shout out to Elena. So I guess. I guess this is where we. Where we end off. This was so much fun. So, good night, Oscar.

[A]

Thank you so much for letting me talk about.

[C]

Oh, my God. The pleasure was all ours.

[B]

It was absolutely. Good night, Oscar. Good night, Sophia.

[A]

Good night, Kristi. Good night, Sophia. To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch Co. You can also follow us at Hatch Podcasts.