Netflix’s Fit for TV has seen former The Biggest Loser contestants and crew members make a number of allegations about the show, including that they were forced to gain weight
Filmed in the same studio as American Idol, The Biggest Loser became a massive reality TV phenomenon when it aired in 2004.
Obese or overweight people from across the US took on exercise challenges to lose a huge amount of weight over a matter of months – in a bid to win $250,000 cash prize – as the show’s “biggest loser”.
To help contestants get fit quickly as possible, the Biggest Loser enlisted trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels as well as a doctor Dr Robert Huizenga to give contestants medical advice.
New Netflix documentary series Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, takes a look back at the show and how initially producers were unsure whether they wanted a show “making fun of fat people or be inspiring”. In the end it seems they achieved both – with fans and critics in equal measure.
The three-parter features ex-contestants, Dr. Robert Huizenga, and Bob Harper ( fellow trainer Jillian Michaels refused to take part) on the extremes that participants went through. It comes after Biggest Loser star revealed a heart battle after the show finished filming.
The series reveals the cruel ‘temptation challenges’ where viewers watched contestants surrounded by donuts and sweet treats. But the incredible transformations was undeniable.
However towards the end of its 17 season run, which ended on NBC in 2016, The Biggest Loser was dogged in increasing controversy. Here are ten bombshells we uncovered from watching the explosive series…
READ MORE: Emmerdale star loses 4 stone as lifestyle change reverses major health issue
Contestant who ‘cheated death’
Desperate Tracey Yukich’s desire to compete in the show, led to her ‘dying’ after trying to complete the first challenge, which saw contestants run a mile to stay in the show.
After collapsing at the finish line, Tracey was airlifted to the hospital by helicopter, and she recalled seeing her late grandfather, then it went dark, before seeing the light. She said on the show: “So I knew I died that day.”
She added, “I just cheated death.” Tracey contracted rhabdomyolysis – a rare muscle injury where your muscles break down.
“Rhabdomyolysis is your body saying, ‘I’m going to shut down on you’,” she explained. “It started with my liver, then it went to my kidneys and then it goes to your heart. And that’s where I almost died.”
Despite “cheating death,” she was determined to stay on the show for as long as possible.
When Tracey was eventually eliminated, she had to exit the show in a helicopter – bringing back painful memories of her near-death experience.
TBL medic Dr Huizenga said he was unaware of the challenge Tracey and her fellow contestants undertook that day she collapsed. He added: “As the show really got popular, some things were being done that I really took issue with. There were times, unfortunately, when challenges were done that I didn’t see or hear about.”
Eating disorder
Season two’s Suzanne Mendonca alleges that The Biggest Loser’s producers discouraged her from getting healthier ahead of the show – but instead told her to get bigger – so her weight loss on the show would look more impressive.
“They would say, ‘No, we don’t want you to do that. We want you to gain more weight’,” Suzanne claimed. “I wanted to be on the show so badly that I did gain extra weight.”
Suzanne, who lost 90lbs, said: “Automatically when I came home, I was starving myself. By the time I was on the aeroplane and back in New York I had already put 20 pounds back on, instantly.
“I slept in bed for two days because my body physically hurt too much to even move, and then by that third day I was out there pounding the pavement, running 10 miles, training eight hours a day.
She added: “I didn’t know who I was financially, emotionally, mentally, physically. You know, I came back with a severe eating disorder. I stopped eating.”
For Suzanne, being on The Biggest Loser was hands down “the biggest mistake of my life.”
Terrifying cleanses
Dr. Huizenga advised contestants that women need a minimum of “1200 calories a day,and men need 1500 to 2000 a day.”
However show trainers encouraged the contestants to eat as little as 800 calories – while exercising for up to eight hours a day.
Working out for up to eight hours a day was required, according to season seven’s Joelle Gwynn: “The first week, we needed to burn a minimum of 6,000 calories a day. Minimum.”
Series 1 winner Ryan Benson said he lost focus on getting healthy and instead focused on winning, which meant that, during the final weigh-in, he was so dehydrated that blood was found in his urine.
He said: “In the end, it worked out great ’cause I won, but I was doing what most doctors would say were super unhealthy things. The last 10 days I didn’t put any food in my body. I was doing the master cleanse, just drinking lemon juice and maple syrup, cayenne pepper, all these tricks that are super unhealthy just to cut weight.”
After he won, Ben claimed that his delighted trainer Jillian, who was known to push contestants in her team beyond their limits, told him: “You just made me a millionaire!”
Caffeine
Dr. Huizenga banned caffeine for contestants. He stated, “It was explicitly stated in the show rules, and both the contestants and the trainers signed off on it, as did the producers. If a trainer tells you otherwise and you decide to use caffeine, that responsibility falls on you.”
That responsibility for the contestants, who were desperate to win, was too much. “At some point I was given stackers, and a stacker was like a caffeine pill,” said Danny Cahill, who claims these were “approved” by the trainer because it would “probably” help with exercise.
During the 15th season, trainer Jillian Michaels admitted she had given her team caffeine supplements – a violation of the rules. This resulted in a four-point penalty for her team and the reinstatement of a rival team contestant who had been eliminated the previous week.
Producer wanted to see people ‘puke’ and ‘fight’
Former coach and presenter for The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper, claims on the Netflix show that producers wanted contestants to be sick on screen. “Producers loved that,” he claimed, adding: “They were like, ‘We want ’em to puke. We want the madness of it all.”
Defending his desire for shock scenes, producer David Broome said: “One big Kumbaya doesn’t make great television, I’ll tell you that.”
Doctor Jennifer Kerns was a season 3 contestant who went on to work with Dr Huizenga on the series. She also spoke on the Netflix expose, claiming that health concerns were secondary to entertainment value. “Being sleep deprived and hungry certainly makes it easier for people to get into fights, which would make for great TV,” she said.
Bullying accusations
Joelle Gwynn, from series seven, was shocked and upset by how trainer Bob Harper treated her in one infamous gym scene.Bob had tasked his team with running on a treadmill for 30 seconds, but became frustrated when Joelle kept stopping a few seconds before the end.
Bob admitted on the docuseries that he lost his head before the scene showed him telling her: “Stop saying all these words, quit talking! Shut the f*** up! Just do it!”
He said on the docuseries: “It wasn’t one of my proudest moments.”
Joelle said: “That little country bumpkin of a man berates me in such a way I’ve never seen on the show before. I’ve never seen someone get abused like that. F**** you Bob Harper.”
Trainer ‘died’ on gym floor
As well as contestant Tracey Yukich, trainer Bob Harper also had a near death experience.
In 2017, less than a year after series was axed, Bob suffered a near fatal heart attack at the age of 52 while he was working out. and given 20 % chance of survival.
In an interview with NBC he said: “On February 12 2017 I was in the gym, the next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital two days later being told that I had a heart attack and that I immediately went into cardiac arrest. Talk about a life-changing experience.”
He was eventually diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia, a hereditary condition that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
He told NBC: “I’ve always been a person that was so driven and type A and I have my routine, which I love, and when all of that was taken away from me and my whole identity of fitness was taken away.”
He added: ” I went through a lot of depression because of it.”
Weight gain for winners after leaving show
For many contestants, the weight they lost during filming did not stay off. In fact, several returned to their pre-show weight after the series ended.
Season eight winner Danny Cahilllost 239 pounds (17 stone, 108 kg) on the show, but eventually gained it back because he “didn’t have it all figured out” when it came to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He expressed: “The shame that you feel being a failure after being a success is a heavy load to bear.”
Similarly, season one winner Ryan Benson told People magazine in 2024 that within three days of the show ending, he had gained “25 to 30” pounds. Ben said he sufferered PTSD watching the show – especially after gaining weight back.
A New York Times article claimed that the biggest losers’ metabolism was likely permanently damaged, so to keep the weight off they would have to continue extreme dieting.
The article was based on a small study of 14 ex contestants but one expert on the docuseries said: “It offers some caution for people who are considering extreme diets.”
Producers said offering aftercare was ‘too expensive’
The brand of The Biggest Loser became a billion dollar plus licence. But despite becoming a money spinner around the world with 30 international versions including Davina McCall fronted UK version, there was no investment in aftercare.
Danny Cahill claimed he reached out to producers to propose an aftercare programme that would provide contestants with access to support, recovery, or continued exercise assistance but received no response. He noted: “No one was interested in doing anything like that.”
In response, the show’s executive producer and creator David Broome, stated that aftercare was not feasible due to funding limitations. “We would have loved to have aftercare, but we’re a television show without endless pots of money,” he explained. “NBC wasn’t going to finance it for us.”
‘Horror’ over extreme weight loss
The show faced significant controversy over Rachel Frederickson’s dramatic weight loss during the final weigh-in just a few seasons before it was cancelled.
She began the competition at 260 pounds (18.5 stone, 117.9 kg) and won the show weighing only 105 pounds (7.5 stone, 47.6 kg).
In 2014, Rachel won the show, losing 59.6% of her body weight. She went from 260 pounds to 105 pounds, dropping 155 pounds.
Her drastic transformation raised concerns among viewers; one journalist described her as having a “now-emaciated body.” The show’s coaches were also alarmed by her weight loss. Bob recalled, “Rachel came out, and she had lost so much weight, it was… shocking. Jillian and I were just in horror.”
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply