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Robert Voets/CBS

They were the closest of allies… until they weren't.

Tiffany ErvinandQ Burdetteworked closely together at the start ofSurvivor 46to somehow survive being stuck on one Yanu, of the worst tribes ever. But an alliance forged out of shared perseverance was shattered at the merge when Q moved against Tiffany and told others about her immunity idol.

That led to a big blow up back at camp and an evenbiggerblow up at Tribal Council. In the end, the friction and drama got both players voted out of the game. And now they're back. So how will Tiffany handle Q if they end up on the same beach at some point onSurvivor 50(premiering Feb. 25 on CBS)? We asked the 35-year-old Tiffany exact that when we sat down in Fiji just days before filming began, and she got into her Q strategy as well as what else she needs to improve upon during her second outing, including "fact-checking everything."

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell me why you're going to winSurvivor 50, Tiffany.

TIFFANY ERVIN:I'm going to winSurvivor 50because I've spent the last two years thinking about everything I did wrong and how I could come back and make it right.

Give everyone the update what have you've been up to since you last playedSurvivor.

Since I last playedSurvivor, I've left the East Coast. I now live in L.A. I'm an East Coast girl at heart forever, but L.A.'s not been bad. It has been treating me well. The weather's nice. I'm still working on art. I've been producing videos for different media companies since I've been out there freelancing. I've been having a pretty good time.

Why come back and do this again?

Well, the money. That's the obvious answer, but I'm also here because the level of transformation that I feel like I went through after playingSurvivorthe first time, I feel like it can only double or have amazing ripple effects in my life if I do it again. I learned to trust myself a little bit more. I learned to lean on my own opinions versus relying on the opinions of others about what I should do, how I feel about myself. And more than anything, I kind of just want to prove to myself that I can do it again.

Robert Voets/CBS

How do you think the other contestants see you as a player?

That's a question I've been asking myself for quite some time. I don't really know how they see me, but if I had to guess, I would assume that they probably think that I'm a pretty smart player, pretty good strategically, if they watched my season.

But I think that they probably also think that I'm easy to read. They would more than likely think that I'm a person who's going to say what's on my mind 90 percent of the time. So I don't think there's a lot of confusion around how I navigate the game. I don't know how many people see me as a threat. I didn't win a lot of challenges when I was out there last time, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm hoping I'm underestimated. I'm actually banking on it.

What's your biggest weakness as a player?

I think my biggest weakness as a player, at least the last time I played, was not trusting my own intuition and leaning on others, sharing too much information and not double checking my sources. I looked back when I watched my season, and there are so many moments where I was fed information and I didn't question it. If I had questioned it or gone to the source three or four times throughout my season, I think things would've ended a lot differently for me. Now I'm fact-checking everything. I don't care. You don't want me to tell this person that they said my name? I'm asking anyway. I don't care.

Is it surreal being out here with some of these people?

It's absolutely surreal realizing that I'm about to be playing with the people that I've been watching since I started watchingSurvivor. It's so crazy to think about. I've been watchingOzzyandCiriefor years, and now to think I'm about to be competing against them, I am still trying to wrap my mind around it.

Tell me who the people you're really excited to work with.

I'm really excited to work withChristianand I'm really excited to work withMike White.

Why Christian and Mike White?

Well, Mike White, I'm more excited to just kind of kiki with him. He's funny. I feel like our personalities would gel really well and I think he would just be really fun to play with. Christian, I would love to pick his brain watching how his mind works mathematically. That's not a place where I'm super strong, but I think that it would be very interesting to work with him. I feel like I could learn a lot from him. I would love to work with Cirie. She's Cirie! I don't even know how else to say it. I'm a little weary of Ozzy.

Robert Voets/CBS

Ozzy has this larger-than-life reputation when it comes toSurvivorfor being this crazy challenge beast. And obviously that's going to be one of his strengths out here, assuming that he plays the way he played previously. But his social game, I'm weary because Ozzy just seems like a person who could kind of flip flop and go back and forth and change his mind a lot. And he also seems like a person who might want to stick with old-school players and not really be open to working with new-school players. He has something to prove.

That old-school versus new-school thing happened onWinners at War. Do you think that's going to happen again?

Winners at Waris kind of all I have to go on right now. There hasn't been a returning season since fricking 2016, so I do think that naturally that's going to happen. And I think that if people want it to change, they're going to have to actually put in the work to bridge the gap between old-school and new-school.

Dalton Ross

Let's talk about your season. There's three of you out here. Does that help you or hurt you in this game?

Well, considering the people that I'm out here with, it does not help me. It hurts me tremendously. These aren't people that I was super strong allies with during my season. One of was my number one ally and then turned on me. So that is something that has been hanging over my head. And thenCharlie, I thought we were cool, and then he wrote my name down, so it hurts because we're going to be perceived as a trio, but then at the same time, these aren't people that I even really am sure I'm going to work with out here.

How much pre-gaming did you do with other players? Everyone knows it happens.

If I'm being totally honest, the only person I spoke to pre-game was Q. I did not exchange words with anybody before coming out here other than Q. But that's because Q and I are actually real-life friends. So crazy to think about. We're like arch nemeses on TV, but we're real friends. We FaceTime all the time. I'll be on FaceTime with his son. I know his wife.

We're cool, but I cannot depend on that because the first time we played the game, we were so cool and he turned into a ticking time bomb. So I'm not putting any faith in the fact that just because we're friends in real life, it's going to translate out here.

You know what a chaotic element he is, and chaotic elements are very dangerous. So how do you want to handle him the second time around?

My plan to handle Q is to take the opposite approach of what I did last time. I think the reason Q and I have so much friction when it comes to competition is because we're alike in a lot of ways. We have a lot of alpha energy, both of us.

But I think this time, even though it goes against every fiber in my being, I'm going to seemingly take the backseat and allow Q to believe that he's driving the car. I think that the best tool that I have at my disposal out here is Q's ego, and if I learn how to manipulate that to my will, then I can do whatever I want.

Wait, does Q have an ego?

Oh, please. Q's ego is big enough to fly us all home. Please!

What about Charlie? What's your relationship been off the island?

Honestly, Charlie and I are cool too. I don't have really any bad blood with anybody from my season. I told myself as soon as I got back to Ponderosa, I was leaving everything out there on the island. Charlie and I are cool. We text every now and again. No beef. We don't talk as often as Q and I do, but we're cool too. But that doesn't mean it's going to translate out here. Charlie's a very shrewd player. He's smart, he's sneaky, and I thought he had my back last time and there wasn't even an inkling that he didn't. So I'm putting in less faith in Charlie than I am in Q.

What about these two 49 people? You all haven't even seen their season.

I think the best approach to unknown is to go in head first. You got to figure out who they are, what makes them tick, what are they driven by? Are they good allies? Are there things that they do? Do they have quirks that you could kind of pin on them to make other people or dislike them? At the end of it, you got to get to know who they are before you make any assumptions because the easy thing is to be like, "Let's just get the new people out we don't know." But at the end of the day, they could be valuable tools to my game.

Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for Entertainment Weekly'sfree Survivor Weekly newsletterto have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox.

OtherSurvivor 50deep dive player interviews:•Survivor 50star Ozzy Lusth opens up about hitting 'rock bottom of my life'•Survivor 50star Aubry Bracco opens up about the 'freedom when you fall from grace'•Colby Donaldson reacts to playingSurvivorfor the first time without Jerri•Angelina Keeley refused to doSurvivor 50unless they gave her a jacket•Survivor 50's Coach goes deep on evolving from an 'arrogant ass' into the… Tide Walker?•Survivor 50star Jenna Lewis-Dougherty is 'here to f--- you over in every way, shape, or form'•Cirie Fields says winningThe Traitorsdoes not take sting out ofSurvivorloses•Mike White on how he is handlingSurvivor 50castmastes angling forWhite Lotuscameos•Chrissy Hofbeck opens up about controversial season 35 finish and being bashed by previous cast•Rick Devens explains why he is a lunatic that wants to play with other lunatics•Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick wants to prove that 'mom really is a badass'•Christian Hubicki wanted to tell Survivor 50 pre-gamers to 'f--- off'•Genevieve Mushaluk on why watchingSurvivor 50will be more terrifying than playing it•Dee Valladares welcomes being one ofSurvivor 50's biggest threats: 'I want them to come for me'•Q Burdette reveals ridiculous things he did to prep forSurvivor 50•Kamilla Karthigesu feared she would be cut fromSurvivor 50for pregaming•Emily Flippen says 'If I winSurvivor, something crazy has happened'•Jonathan Young shares theSurvivorlessons Boston Rob gave him before season 50

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

Laura Dernis looking back on her role in making TV history.

The actress, who starred in the 1997 episode of the ABC sitcom "Ellen" whereEllen DeGenerescomes out, talked about the support she has received from the LGBTQ community. Dern told hostsBowen Yang and Matt Rogerson the"Las Culturistas" podcastFeb. 11 episode that in order to "affect change," someone had to be "first."

"The idea of culture catching up to storytelling had to be a thing when someone would go first," she said, referring to the "Ellen" episode.

Dern said she was excited to be a part of the episode, which was one of the first times a character came out as gay on TV and came shortly after DeGeneres came out in real life. But the actress said her choice to star in the episode amid her film success in "Jurassic Park" confused the people around her.

She said it was an "honor and privilege" to be a part of the episode alongside her "friend," with other guest stars includingOprah Winfrey,Demi Mooreand Billy Bob Thornton. She called it a "massive moment" but also recalled the series receiving bomb threats and losing advertisers.

"In a way, the assumption is you're going to do this thing and thank God people will wake up, love their relatives and their neighbors, see them, everything will expand, culture will catch up, and it will be a beautiful celebration," she added. But instead, there was "major security for a couple of years for any of us involved, the world went 'no, no, no,' she lost her show."

Dern faced intense backlash for starring in the episode, once telling DeGeneres on her talk show 10 years after that she did not work for a year and a half after because of it. But, she added, for the LGBTQ community, seeing that representation on screen meant a great deal.

"You go, 'Oh, right.' That's why you want culture to catch up later. Culture is doing it when nobody's caught up," she continued. "It's such a gift."

In the two-part "The Puppy Episode," Ellen's character connects with a woman named Susan – played by Dern – who suggests she might be lesbian, but Ellen rejects the idea. But after Ellen admits the connection to her therapist, played by Winfrey, she rushes to the airport to catch Susan and comes out to her, though mistakenly doing so over the airport's intercom.

"Being part of that moment with Ellen, it wasn't that I was somebody supporting an actor or a friend by being part of the show," Dern said. "But I was holding her hands as they were shaking, and she was looking in my eyes, saying for the first time, 'I'm gay' out loud with people watching."

She continued: "The privilege, the luxury of feeling it for someone in a moment was so beautiful, literally holding space. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Laura Dern on Ellen DeGeneres coming out on TV, making history

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Taylor Hill/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• In the new Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Jay Manuel reveals that he wanted to leave the show much earlier than he actually did

• When he told host and friend Tyra Banks about his desire to exit, Manuel claims she didn't take the news well

• Banks says in the documentary that she did not want to talk about what happened with Manuel

Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel have a long, winding relationship, both professionally and personally.

Banks, 52, brought Manuel, 53, on forAmerica's Next Top Modelwhen it launched its first cycle in 2003. He had previously worked with her as a makeup artist, so when she needed a creative for the show on UPN, she called him up.

For several cycles of the show, the two friends worked together seamlessly, however, Manuel says he got to a point where he decided he was ready to move on to other things. In Netflix's new documentaryReality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Manuel reveals the story of his falling out with the model.

Manuel decided in cycle 8 that he was ready to part ways with the show, so he emailed Banks to thank her for everything.

Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

"She didn't respond," he shares in the documentary. "It was probably the longest three days ever. And she ultimately wrote back just three words. 'I am disappointed.' After that email exchange, all communication just stopped. It should've been the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart, but that did not happen."

Despite wanting to be free of the show, Manuel ended up coming back for cycle 9 at the request of the higher-ups in the network. He was told they just wanted him for one more cycle while they figured out who could replace him. He reveals in the documentary that he had hoped that coming back would give him the opportunity to address Banks.

He quickly realized that would not happen.

"Tyra chose not to speak with me at all while the cameras were off. When they were on, she'd speak to me," Manuel tells PEOPLE exclusively of what happened when he returned to film. "After [trying to leave], I did cycle 9, which was ... torture for me. I was so broken by the end of that cycle because of the mental torture of what was going on."

InReality Check, Banks was asked if she would talk about what went down with Manuel, and she declined, saying she "should call" him and deal with it personally.

"I never got that phone call," Manuel tells PEOPLE of what Banks said when they filmed the documentary about a year ago. "I don't think I'm getting a phone call. She's got my number."

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Manuel shares that he last saw Banks in 2017 (five years after he exited the show in 2012 alongside fellow panelists Miss J Alexander and Nigel Barker) when they were at BeautyCon. He says they had a "really nice conversation."

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"Other than that, we've had no communication of any sort, text, email, anything," he says. "Tyra and I were close, and when we were in New York shooting, or even in L.A. shooting, she'd be at my house or I'd be at her house, and we would really download. But at the same time, and she knows this to be true, the things that are those really, really trusted important things that she has said to me, I will never repeat. I will forever honor my relationship with her in the past."

Despite everything that happened, Manuel says he's still "very open" to talking to Banks if she wants to.

"I'm in a healed place," he says. "I wish her no ill will."

That includes feeling healed from the way he, Barker and Alexander were removed from the show after cycle 18 in 2012. As the documentary shows, the three were unceremoniously removed together and thought they would be given an opportunity to make a statement to share the news. However, a "leak" in the media claimed all three were "fired."

Manuel tells PEOPLE how it felt to go through that — and what he claims really happened.

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Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On a two-year contract at the time, Manuel says he was actually already planning to be done at the end of cycle 18, but that wasn't the case for Barker and Alexander, whom he claims were in the middle of four-year contracts. Just before the "leak" happened, Manuel says all three of them received a phone call telling them their time on the show was over.

"[The network] always was looking for drama. The ratings were going down. They literally threw us under the bus," Manuel claims, adding that the whole situation felt like a "slap in the face."

The show continued for six more cycles, four of which included Banks still at the helm. She was eventually replaced as host by Rita Ora for the final two cycles.

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

Read the original article onPeople

MOSCOW (AP) — Mourners gathered in Moscow Monday to mark two years since the death in custody of Russian opposition leaderAlexei Navalny, under the shadow of a Kremlin crackdown and just two days since a new analysis reinforced suspicions that he was murdered.

Navalnydiedin an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16, 2024, while serving a 19-year sentence that he believed to be politically motivated. His death at the age of 47 left the Russian opposition leaderless and divided, struggling to build an effective or united front without one of its most visible and charismatic figures.

On the second anniversary of Navalny's death, we look at the latest investigation into its cause and the continuing political repercussions, both within Russia and beyond.

Across Russia, Navalny's supporters pay their respects

Navalny's mother,Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his mother-in-law, Alla Abrosimova, were among the mourners laying flowers on his grave. A mound of bouquets rose above the heavy drifts of snow that blanketed Moscow's Borisovsky Cemetery.

Representatives from several European embassies also paid their respects, watched by a conspicuously high security presence. Later, a small choir gathered to sing by Navalny's graveside.

Addressing the crowd, Lyudmila Navalnaya restated her belief that her son waskilled by the Russian authorities, a scenario which has also been backed by several European countries in recent days. "We knew that our son did not simply die in prison," she said. "He was murdered."

The Kremlin has denied the allegations, saying that Navalny died of natural causes.

Flowers were also laid at the memorial to the victims of political repression in St Petersburg. Access to the site was later blocked with temporary fences, local news outlets reported.

European nations believe that Navalny was murdered

The anniversary coincides with the release of a joint statement by five European countries, which said that Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs.

The foreign ministries of the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday that analysis in European labs of samples taken from Navalny's body "conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine." The neurotoxin secreted by dart frogs in South America is not found naturally in Russia, they said.

A joint statement said: "Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison."

In a written tribute to Navalny on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron also linked the Kremlin with the opposition leader's death.

"Two years ago, the world learned of the death of Alexei Navalny. I pay tribute to his memory," Macron wrote on social media. "I said then that I believed his death said everything about the Kremlin's weakness and its fear of any opponent. It is now clear that this death was premeditated.

"Truth always prevails, while we await justice to do the same."

Moscow has vehemently denied its involvement in Navalny's death, saying that the politician had become unwell after going for a walk.

When asked about the allegations by journalists on Monday, presidential spokesperson said that the Kremlin does "

"We consider them biased and unfounded. In fact, we resolutely reject them," he said.

Saturday's announcement came as Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended theMunich Security Conferencein Germany. She said she had been "certain from the first day" that her husband had been poisoned, "but now there is proof."

"Putin killed Alexei with a chemical weapon," she wrote on social media, describing the Russian leader as "a murderer" who "must be held accountable."

Navalny was the target of an earlier poisoning in 2020, with a nerve agent in an attack he blamed on the Kremlin, which always denied involvement. His family and allies fought to have him flown to Germany for treatment and recovery. Five months later, he returned to Russia, where hewas immediately arrestedand imprisoned forthe last three yearsof his life.

Russia's opposition is struggling to start a new chapter

Navalny's closest allies, as well as otherkey members of Russia's opposition, now continue their fight from exile.

Many have been handed lengthy prison sentences in absentia in Russia and are unable to return home. Some have been designated "terrorists and extremists" by the authorities, a designation that was also applied to Navalny in January 2022.

Yet Russia's opposition has failed to form a united front and a clear plan of action against the Kremlin. Instead, rival groups have traded accusations that some see as efforts to discredit each other and vie for influence.

In one small victory for opposition activists, Europe's leading human rights body, PACE, announced in late January the creation of a new body — the Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces — tasked with giving opposition Russians a voice and a formal platform to engage European lawmakers.

It has been heralded as a victory for anti-war Russians, but also attracted criticism as the body was not elected democratically. Members ofNavalny's anti-corruption organizationare also absent from the group

In a statement to mark Navalny's death, Russian members of the Council of Europe's human rights body, PACE, said that Navalny's death was "an inevitable link in a chain of systemic crimes by the Kremlin regime against its own citizens and the citizens of foreign states."

"Alexei Navalny gave his life for a free Russia," the statement said. "We are obliged to ensure that his death was not in vain."

GENEVA (AP) — Iran's top diplomat met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency on Monday, ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday.

"I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Araghchi wrote on X. "What is not on the table: submission before threats."

As U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an additional aircraft carrier to the region, Iran on Monday launched a second naval drill in weeks, state TV reported. It said the drill would test Iran's intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Iran's drills take place against the US military buildup

Just before the talks, Iran announced its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard started the drill early Monday morning in the waterways that arecrucial international trade routesthrough which20% of the world's oil passes.

Separately, EOS Risk Group said sailors passing through the region received by radio a warning that the northern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, in Iranian territorial waters, likely would see a live-fire drill Tuesday. Iranian state TV did not mention the live fire drill.

This is the second time in recent weeks sailors have received warning about an Iranian live fire drill. During the previous exercise, announced at the end of January, the U.S. military's Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. While acknowledging Iran's "right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels.

On Feb. 4,tensions between the Iranian and U.S. naviesrose further after a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approachingthe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincolnin the Arabian Sea. Iran also harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military reported.

Iran open to compromise in exchange for sanctions relief

The Trump administration is seeking a deal to limit Iran's nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons. On Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States.

"The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us," Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. "If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement."

"We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions," he added.

Oman hosted a first round ofindirect talksbetween the U.S. and Iran on Feb. 6.

Similar talks last year between the U.S. and Iran about Iran's nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became a12-day war on Iran, that included theU.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

TheU.S. is also hosting talksbetween envoys from Russia and Ukrainein Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, days ahead of the fourth anniversary of theall-out Russian invasion of its neighbor.

US keeps military pressure high

Trump initially threatened to take military action overIran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protestslast month, but then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to makea deal over its nuclear program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, reiterated on Monday that the U.S. hopes to achieve a deal with Iran, despite the difficulties. "I'm not going to prejudge these talks," Rubio said. "The president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things."

Trump said Friday the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to joinother military assetsthe U.S. has built up in the region. He also said a change in power in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen."

Iran has said if the U.S. attacks, it will respond with an attack of its own.

The Trump administration has maintained that Iran can have no uranium enrichment under any deal. Tehran says it won't agree to that.

Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, its officialsincreasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

The direct meeting with Grossi is a significant step after Iransuspended all cooperation with the IAEAfollowing the June war with Israel. The two also met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The IAEA saidit has been unable to verify the statusof Iran's near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war. Iran has allowed IAEA some access to sites that were not damaged, but has not allowed inspectors to visit other sites.

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program,Grossi previously told The Associated Press.He added that it doesn't mean that Iran has such a weapon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to Washington last week to urge Trump to ensure that any deal to include steps to neutralizeIran's ballistic missile programand end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Matthew Lee in Budapest, Hungary contributed to this report.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage fromthe Carnegie Corporation of New YorkandOutrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

This is the week of Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians.

On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.

Worshippers receive ashes, commonly imposed in the shape of a cross on the forehead. The officiant typically says, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," a stark reminder that death is part of life and that one should focus on things of the spirit. Or the officiant says, "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

Ashes in churches, chapels — and parking lots

Ash Wednesday is considered an obligatory fast day for Roman Catholics between 18 and 59 — meaning limiting food to one full meal and two smaller-than-normal meals.

Many Protestants — particularly those in Episcopal, Lutheran and other historic churches — also mark Ash Wednesday with similar liturgies.

In recent years, many Episcopal and other churches in the United States have begun offering "Ashes to Go" in parking lots, commuter-rail stations and elsewhere. Clergy offer to impose ashes on busy workers and others who want to participate in the ritual but may lack the time to get to church.

Chaplains of various denominations offer ashes at airport chapels and other sites.

Among other Protestants, such as Baptists and other evangelical groups, traditions vary. Some observe Ash Wednesday and Lent, others don't. But they often have their own penitential and ascetic traditions. Many Pentecostals, for example, fast for a period in January to consecrate the year ahead.

Members of another of the world's largest religions are also about to embark on their season of prayer and fasting. The start of Ramadan and the start of Lent may fall on the same date — for sure within the same week — this year.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, leading up to observances of Jesus' death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.

Ash Wednesday is designated by counting backward 40 days from Easter, minus the Sundays.

Different churches have found various ways of calculating the traditional 40 days of Lent, but the number itself is important. It connects to the biblical symbolism of the number 40, typically used for times of testing, judgment, purification or renewal. Most directly, it alludes to the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness after his baptism, in preparation for his public ministry.

During Lent, the faithful devote themselves to prayer and other devotions, as well as charitable deeds, fasting and other forms of self-discipline. People speak of giving up something for Lent — stereotypically chocolate, but really anything that one finds difficult to do without. These days, that might mean reducing screen time.

Many churches also have extra times of devotions and other activities. Catholics often have group meditations on the Stations of the Cross, marking different events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus.

Observant Catholics also abstain from meat on Fridays — though not fish.

To that point, Lent is not all solemnity. For many Catholic parishes in the U.S.,the Friday fish fryhas become a tradition combining food, fundraising and community bonding.

A movable fast

Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday. For most Christians, Easter will fall on April 5 this year.

Easter moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25, following anancient formulain which Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.

Eastern Orthodox Christians calculate the beginning and end of their "Great Lent" differently. They begin their observances on a Monday — this year on Feb. 23 — which they call "Clean Monday" or "Pure Monday." While they don't use ashes, they do start a period of penance and fasting. The Great Lent continues through the Friday before Holy Week, including Sundays.

The dates for Great Lent are also determined in tandem withOrthodox calculationsof Easter (Pascha), which differ from those of Western churches. Orthodox Easter is April 12 this year — as in most years, falling later than Catholic and Protestant observances.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP'scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, premiered on Feb. 16

• The three-part Netflix docuseries featured interviews with creator and host Tyra Banks, plus coaches J. Alexander a.k.a. "Miss J," Jay Manuel a.k.a "Mr. Jay" and more

• The shocking revelations included former contestant Shandi Sullivan claiming that production framed her alleged sexual assault as a cheating storyline and Miss J revealing that he had a stroke in 2022

Prepare to seeAmerica's Next Top Modellike never before.

Netflix's new docuseriesReality Check: Inside America's Next Top Modeltakes viewers behind the catwalk to uncover what really went down on theTyra Banks-created reality show, which aired for 24 seasons from 2003 to 2018. The three-part docuseries, which began streaming on Feb. 16, features unprecedented access to former judges, contestants and producers — as well as Banks herself, who spoke candidly about the show's complicated legacy.

Top Modelhas come under firein recent years for some questionable photo shoots — including using blackface in a challenge where contestants were made to portray races and ethnicities outside of their own — as well as allegations of body shaming and promoting unhealthy lifestyle choices among contestants. In the Netflix docuseries, Banks and the otherAmerica's Next Top Modelpersonalities weighed in on those controversial moments, revealing everything from their reasonings to their regrets.

"I knew I went too far. It was very, very intense, but you guys were demanding it, so we kept pushing it, more and more and more," Banks said in the trailer forReality Check.

From the truth behind some ofAmerica's Next Top Model'smost memorable scenes to the future of the show, here are 11 of the most shocking bombshells revealed in Netflix'sReality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model.

America's Next Top Model was initially turned down by all the major networks

Barbara Nitke/Cw Network/Kobal/Shutterstock

Banks first had the idea forAmerica's Next Top Modelin 2002. According to the model, she wanted to create a show that not only gave a lens into the modeling world, but also challenged the beauty standards of the time.

"I want to marryAmerican IdolandThe Real Worldand set it in the modeling industry," Banks said in the docuseries about the initial concept.

Banks approached television producer Ken Mok, who was immediately on board. She also brought in runway coach J. Alexander (a.k.a. "Miss J") and makeup artist Jay Manuel (a.k.a. "Mr. Jay"). With a "complete team," according to Mok, they began pitching the show to the major networks — and were turned down repeatedly.

"We went to NBC. We went to ABC. We went to CBS. We went to Fox," Mok recalled in the Netflix docuseries. "It was just a no," Manuel added.

With multiple rejections, Banks and Mok went to their final stop: UPN (now The CW). At the time, UPN's ratings were struggling and they were looking for a hit new show to boost their numbers. After hearing Banks'Top Modelpitch, they decided to take a chance and pick up the reality show.

"When you're at the very bottom of the mountain, you have nothing to lose," Dawn Ostroff, the president of UPN at the time, said inReality Check. "But if it did work, we had everything to gain."

Shandi Sullivan claimed she was sexually assaulted while filming America's Next Top Model

One of the most notorious scenes inAmerica's Next Top Modelhistory came in cycle 2 of the show, when the remaining five contestants went to Milan for go-sees and photo shoots. During the trip, one contestant —Shandi Sullivan, a former Walgreens employee from Kansas City, Mo., who was in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Eric — was filmed drunkenly having sex with a Vespa driver the models met during the day.

The scene was framed on the show as a cheating scandal, but inReality Check, Sullivan painfully recalls the details of whatshe alleges was sexual assault. In her retelling of the events, Sullivan claims that she was intoxicated to the point of being "blacked out" — and that production kept filming as opposed to removing her from the situation.

"I was hammered. I think I had two bottles of wine by myself," Sullivan claimed inReality Check. "I was blacked out for a lot of it. I didn't even feel sex happening, I just knew it was happening. And then, I passed out."

When asked if she thought production should have stopped it, Sullivan responded, "I think they should have f---ing, like, been like, 'Alright, this has gone too far. We gotta, we got to pull her out of this.' "

In the docuseries, Banks claimed she had no involvement in production and the editing of storylines, while Mok said that the contestants were all made aware that everything would be filmed — including "the good, the bad and everything in between."

He also stated that the full extent of what happened wasn't shown in the final cut. "I will tell you this. When I went into post and saw the footage, we scaled back that scene in a significant way," Mok said inReality Check.

"It's important for people to know that we didn't put everything on TV," Banks added.

Banks allegedly forced cycle 6 winner Danielle Evans to have the gap in her teeth closed against her wishes

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America's Next Top Modelwas famous for its makeover episodes, where contestants would often receive shocking changes to their hair color and style. In cycle 6, twoTop Modelhopefuls, Joanie Sprague andDanielle "Dani" Evans, received extensive dental work as a part of their makeovers. However, Evans initially declined the procedure, which involved closing the gap between her two front teeth — until Banks allegedly threatened to send her home from the competition if she didn't comply.

"That's not your right to tell me what to do with my body," Evans, who ultimately agreed to getting her gap closed, said in the Netflix docuseries. "It's my life and it was toyed with consciously. And me saying no, and them going against that — it's invasive."

Banks said she later apologized to Evans for pushing her to close the gap in her teeth, but stood by her reasoning for the decision.

"That was between a rock and a hard place for me," Banks explained. "Because there were agents who would tell me, 'She will not work with those teeth. It's just not going to happen.' "

Evans, however, had harsh words for Banks' justification. "Bull f---ing s--t. Me getting my gap closed is not opening any doors for me," she said. "You knew what you were doing for the show. You were making good TV at my expense."

Some contestants developed eating disorders while competing on the show

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Judges were often hyper-critical of contestants' weight and figures, frequently "body shaming" the women, according to Sprague. This led some of theTop Modelhopefuls to develop eating disorders while competing on the show.

"Were there eating disorders on the show? Yes, yes there were," cycle 5's Bre Scullark alleged in the docuseries. "You want to do anything you can to get to the next round."

"It was very common to live on Diet Coke and cigarettes," addedWhitney Thompson, who became the first plus-size model to win the show in 2008. Thompson added that frequently, production did not provide clothes in her size for photo shoots, which felt "demeaning."

"I just pretended like it didn't bother me, but, and I'm sure most of the girls would do this, I would cry in the shower every day because the shower is the only place that the cameramen couldn't come, so that was your safe place to release and be like, 'Why are they doing this to me?' " she told PEOPLE in February 2026. "I knew that they were trying to poke me and get something out of me, so I just played it cool, like, 'That's fine. We'll just duct tape my dress. No worries.' "

Cycle 4's Keenyah Hill was another contestant whose weight became a part of her storyline. Throughout her time on the series, she was selected to represent "gluttony" in a photo shoot about the seven deadly sins and to pose as an elephant in another challenge.

"I later found out that there are women who developed eating disorders from comparing themselves to what I was looking like and what the judges were saying," Hill said. "I think there's just some level of responsibility to the viewer, knowing there are so many young women watching this show. There's an insensitivity towards what it would do to their self-confidence."

Banks, however, justified the conversations about weight as a sign of the times.

"When it comes to weight, back then the fashion industry's beauty standards were so narrow," she said in the docuseries. "That's the world that we lived in."

Banks' admitted she "went too far" when she yelled at cycle 4 contestant Tiffany Richardson

One of the most infamous scenes inAmerica's Next Top Modelhistory came in cycle 4, when Bankserupted on contestant Tiffany Richardson. After Richardson was eliminated, Banks felt like Richardson was dismissive about the lost opportunity and launched into a heated speech, screaming the memorable line, "We were rooting for you. We were all rooting for you!"

But now, inReality Check, Banks admitted that that was the toughest moment for her in the entirety of the show — and that she "went too far" in yelling at Richardson.

"I lost it," Banks said. "It was probably bigger than her. It was family, friends, society, Black girls, all the challenges we have. So many people saying that we're not good enough. I think all of that was in that moment. That's some Black girl stuff that goes real deep inside of me. But I knew I went too far."

While the outburst has since become a viral moment, it was nothing to laugh about in real life, according to the former judges. "It was definitely the most difficult moment on set I had ever experienced," Manuel said.

"There was a lot more that was really said and some of the things that were said were really not well intentioned," he continued. "I will probably never repeat the lines that were actually said in that room that day ... People have tried to make it something funny, but it really wasn't."

Nole Marin, who was a judge during that cycle, added, "All I know is, the next week we had all the lawyers on set."

Manuel originally quit the show after cycle 8

Courtesy of Netflix

Manuel, who had been withAmerica's Next Top Modelsince the beginning as the show's creative director, reached a crossroads after the conclusion of cycle 8 in 2007.

"The show had evolved in a way I'd never expected," Manuel said. "I really struggled over some of the things that happened. And that was something that was slowly depleting me, chipping away at my soul. So, it was time to tell Tyra I wanted to leave the show."

Manuel sent Banks an email expressing his desire to move on — and it was not well received. According to Manuel, she did not respond for three days — and when she finally did, she supposedly only wrote three words: "I am disappointed."

"After that email exchange, all communication just stopped," Manuel said. "It should have been the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart, but that did not happen."

Manuel then went on a weeklong vacation to St. Lucia. While there, he was contacted by his attorney, who told him that the show was requesting he stay on cycle 9. Manuel reluctantly agreed.

"There was a warning that strikes the fear of God in you," Manuel said. "You know, people talk about being blacklisted. Those words were not used, but I had suspected that that's what it would turn into."

Manuel ultimately remained on the show until cycle 18. Following that season, The CW called for a major overhaul — and Manuel, Alexander andNigel Barkerwere fired.

"When I wanted to leave, I wasn't afforded that," Manuel claimed. "And then I work on the show from cycles 10 through 18. I made so many concessions. That's the part that's the most hurtful."

Production would, at times, purposely not select a model's best photo

Cw Network/Kobal/Shutterstock

During the judging panel, Banks would present each model's best photo from that week's photo shoot to be evaluated by the judges. However, sometimes a model's best shot wasnotchosen for storyline purposes, according to former contestants and judges alike.

"Before it is a modeling show, it is a television show," Scullark said. "Personality beat out pictures."

"There were definitely photos selected that we felt, we were like, wait what? That makes no sense," Manuel said. "Ken and his team and Tyra, they knew what they were doing ... sometimes, not always, it was not her best shot. There was a better shot."

On the flip side, Manuel was also encouraged to try and get better photos out of models who were struggling in the shoots, but whom producers wanted to remain in the competition for a storyline.

"I would sometimes be pulled aside and [producers would] say ... 'We need them to go forward at least a couple of more episodes. Get us there,'" Manuel said. "Because if the photos are just crappy, it will become hard to say this person deserves to stay in the competition."

When models were eliminated, they didn't actually go home

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When a model was no longer in the running to becomeAmerica's Next Top Model, cameras would follow as they left the panel of judges, said goodbye to the remaining contestants and packed their bags. Then, they would leave the model apartment — except they weren't going home at all. Instead, a production assistant would escort the eliminated model to a hotel room, where they would remain until filming concluded.

"You don't go home," Hill shared in the docuseries. "Everyone stays with the production until the very end for confidentiality reasons."

While staying in the hotel, the eliminated models were also not allowed to contact anyone.

"There wasn't a phone available to call anybody at that time," cycle 8's Dionne Walters said. "And then, of course, even if I did I would not have been able to tell them ... I couldn't disclose that information."

The stigma of America's Next Top Model prevented some winners from getting modeling work

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WinningAmerica's Next Top Modelcame with the promise of a modeling career, sparked by contracts with CoverGirl and a top modeling agency. But beyond those two prizes, winners often struggled to get modeling work after the show, according to former contestants.

"I remember my first show season, I didn't book any shows," Evans said. "What I was told was that no one wanted to book me for their shows because I was viewed as, like, this reality show star and designers didn't want me walking in the show to take attention, if you will, off of their collection and onto myself."

Evans recalls an interaction in which one of her roommates,Chanel Iman, inquired with their agency as to why Evans wasn't being sent on castings like the other models. The agent allegedly told Iman that Evans was treated differently "because she came fromTop Model."

"That was a hard, hard pill to swallow," Evans said.

Evans also alleged that Banks admitted to her that she knew participating inAmerica's Next Top Modelcame with a stigma in the modeling industry.

"They built a whole empire, a multimillion dollar brand known asAmerica's Next Top Modeloff the backs of every girl's dream that ever did that show," Evans said. "And it never became realized."

Alexander had a stroke in 2022 that left him in a coma and unable to walk or talk

Courtesy of Netflix

Alexander, the iconic runway coach who served as a judge onAmerica's Next Top Model, suffered a stroke on Dec. 27, 2022, he revealed in the Netflix docuseries. Following the stroke, he was in a coma for five weeks — and when he regained consciousness, he was unable to walk or talk.

Miss J has since regained the ability to speak, but has yet to walk since his stroke. However, the catwalker extraordinaire is "determined" to make it happen.

"I miss being the queen of the runway. I'm the person that taught models how to walk," he said. "I taught models how to walk. And now, I can't walk — not yet. Not yet. I'm determined to walk."

While recovering in the hospital, Alexander was visited by his former fellowTop Modeljudges Barker and Manuel. "I don't know whether he even wanted me to see him in that way; I was going to see him," Barker said. "And that was just such a terrible shock and really upsetting and horrifying and scary."

However, Banks has not visited Alexander since his stroke. "She just sent me a text that she wants to come and visit me," Alexander said. "But no, not yet."

Banks revealed America's Next Top Model would be returning for a cycle 25

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In a shocking move, Banks was replaced as the host ofAmerica's Next Top Modelafter cycle 22. The show aired for two more seasons withRita Oraas its host before being canceled after cycle 24 in the spring of 2018.

Since leavingAmerica's Next Top Model, Banks moved to Sydney, whereshe runs an ice cream shop called SMiZE and Dream.But inReality Check, she reveals thatAmerica's Next Top Modelwould be returning — nearly eight years after its last cycle aired.

"I feel like my work is not done," Banks said at the conclusion of the docuseries. "You have no idea what we have planned for cycle 25."

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder,The Alliance for Eating Disordersprovides a fully-staffed helpline at 1-866-662-1235, as well as free, therapist-led support groups.

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 torainn.org.

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