ANTM Star Speaks Out

Former America’s Next Top Model contestant Keenyah Hill is opening up about the pressure she says she faced over her weight while filming the hit reality competition.

Hill, now 40, revisited her experience during a March 4 appearance on the Viall Files podcast hosted by Nick Viall, reflecting on the criticism she received during Cycle 4 of the series created by Tyra Banks. At the time, Hill said she stood 5’11” and weighed about 130 pounds — a size she described as extremely slim — yet she was still told she wasn’t thin enough for the modeling industry.

The topic has resurfaced amid renewed conversation about the franchise following the 2026 Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which takes a critical look at the show’s legacy and the treatment of contestants.

One segment revisits Hill’s storyline during the season, when judges repeatedly commented on her eating habits and body. In particular, the show aired a montage suggesting she was frequently eating bagels on set — something Hill now believes was edited to create a narrative.

Looking back on the moment highlighted in the documentary, Hill said the sequence was difficult to watch, explaining that the show repeatedly used footage of her eating the same bagel to make it appear as though she had eaten several. “It was a little bit damaging to see them editing me eating the same bagel, for example, showing me eating it as if I’ve eaten three bagels but it really was the same one.”

Hill also recalled that growing up she had been teased for being too skinny, which made the criticism on the show especially confusing. After filming ended, she said she lost additional weight while trying to pursue modeling in New York City, only to find that agencies were hesitant to work with reality TV contestants at the time.

America’s Next Top Model, which debuted in 2003, became a defining reality series and helped launch the careers of contestants including Eva Marcille and Yaya DaCosta, while also sparking ongoing debates about beauty standards and reality TV editing.

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