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Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. XXX in Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. – Credit: Netflix<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When NBC\u2019s reality show The Biggest Loser<\/em> <\/a>premiered in 2004, producers weren\u2019t sure if they could sell America on the idea of weight loss being fun. But what started as a network experiment with less than 500 applicants for its first season became a global sensation. The show ran for 17 seasons, each one upping the ante by getting more and more overweight people to shed pounds<\/a> on live television in the hope of a cash prize \u2014\u00a0and a dramatic change in their physical appearance.<\/p>\n While the show was marketed as a life-changing miracle for those lucky enough to participate,\u00a0by the time the series ended in 2016, it was plagued by accusations of mistreatment, dangerous medical practices, and a harmful portrayal of people who were overweight. In Netflix\u2019s new docuseries<\/a>, Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser<\/em>, former cast, crew, and contestants talk about what it was really like to film the series, and why even when people lost the pounds, it didn\u2019t solve all their problems \u2014 in fact, it only created more.<\/p>\n More from Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe show wasn\u2019t selling how to get healthy,\u201d Suzanne Mendonca, a Season Two contestant, says in Fit for TV. \u201c<\/em>The show was selling \u2018How do we appeal to millions of people?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Here are three things we learned from Netflix\u2019s newest docuseries Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser<\/em>.<\/p>\n Because The Biggest Loser<\/em> was a reality show about weight loss \u2014 emphasis on the reality TV aspect \u2014 contestants were subject to multiple physical challenges in addition to their daily eight-hour workouts. Each of the contestants was overseen by the show\u2019s medical advisor, Dr. Robert Huizenga, who monitored their health as well as treated any on-show injuries.<\/p>\n But Dr. Huizenga says in the documentary that producers\u2019 drive to keep the show entertaining, including continuing to cast people who weighed more and more, put contestants in danger during challenges that didn\u2019t keep their weight or mobility in mind. Huizenga also alleges that many challenges that he thought were dangerous were completed without his feedback or knowledge.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the show really got popular, some things were being done that I really took issue with,\u201d Huizenga says in Fit For TV<\/em>. \u201cIt was scary because from Season One, you have women, 200 pounds, men, 300, and it just went in a straight line up. And with that, the ability to exercise [was] a straight line down. So when they do a physical challenge that puts people in harm\u2019s way, that\u2019s where I have to step in.\u201d<\/p>\n During the first episode of Season Eight, contestant Tracey Yukich participated in a one-mile beach run. Participants were told that if they finished the run, they would earn their spot on the show. Fail, and they would have to leave immediately. Yukich says in the documentary that she was determined to join the show and started her run without pacing herself. She quickly faded and had to be carried across the finish line by other contestants. But after getting through the flags, she collapsed and had to be medically evacuated via air ambulance. She was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a muscle injury where your tissue breaks down at a rapid rate and overwhelms your internal organs. But even after being told just how serious her condition was, Yukich was determined to rejoin the cast and continue in the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to get to [The Biggest Loser<\/em>] ranch,\u201d she says in the documentary. \u201cI needed to change my life. I just cheated death. Completely cheated it. Didn\u2019t die. It\u2019s on.\u201d<\/p>\n The format of The Biggest Loser <\/em>largely revolved around competition between two main trainers: Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. The two coaches split the group of contestants and used their specific methods to encourage people towards more weight loss. When someone won The Biggest Loser<\/em>, their respective coach won alongside them. Ryan Benson, who won the very first season of The Biggest Loser<\/em>, claims that during the on-screen celebration, Michael spoke in his ear and said \u201cYou just made me a millionaire.\u201d<\/p>\n Several contestants noted that the show\u2019s culture emphasized pushing physical and emotional limits, with coaches frequently yelling or screaming obscenities in their faces during exercises, even if they fell or threw up. Former contestant Joelle Gwynn alleged that she and other contestants were given illegal or harmful pills to help them lose weight faster and keep their energy up during intense and long workout sessions. The culture of the show \u2014 making weight loss the main goal in potentially unhealthy ways \u2014\u00a0was also brought into question during the 2014 season of The Biggest Loser.<\/em> Audience members were shocked when winner Rachel Frederickson went from 260 pounds to 105, appearing on stage drastically thinner and somewhat unhealthy.<\/p>\n Trainer Jillian Michaels declined to participate in the documentary and has denied many of the claims, including allegations that she gave contestants fat burners and caffeine pills against doctors\u2019 recommendations and told a contestant, \u201cYou just made me a millionaire,\u201d after they won the live finale. \u201cWild how some folks still lie like it\u2019s 1985 before texts and email were a thing,\u201d she posted on Instagram <\/a>on Aug. 19 alongside screenshots of email exchanges between herself and production staff, ostensibly disputing the claims made in the series.<\/p>\n While Harper, who participated in the docuseries, acknowledges that many of the challenges and training methods were developed to entertain audiences, he says he stands by all of his actions during filming.\u00a0\u201cI would never put anyone in harm\u2019s way, giving drugs or pills to the contestants. It\u2019s all just madness,\u201d Harper says in the show. \u201cI will stand behind everything that I\u2019ve ever done on that show. I am proud of what I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n While The Biggest Loser <\/em>had an incredibly high success rate for weight loss, several contestants say they were abandoned once the show finished filming, leaving them without any resources or help that could have aided them in keeping the weight off or transitioning back to real life.<\/p>\n When Danny Cahill signed up for Season Eight of The<\/em> Biggest Loser, <\/em>he thought it was a chance to change the numbers on the scale and his life at the same time. He lost 240 pounds while on the show, winning the finale and the $250,000 grand prize. But when he returned home, he quickly began to gain the weight back and developed a low metabolic rate, something he blames on the show\u2019s aggressive tactics.\u00a0\u201cWe were gaining weight even while we were working out,\u201d he says in the series. \u201cAnd we knew something was up.\u201d<\/p>\n When Mendonca returned after a stint on The Biggest Loser<\/em>, she says that she came back with a crippling eating disorder and was unable to get out of bed for the first two days because of sheer exhaustion. Even after she seemed to recover, she quickly began to avoid social situations and eating entirely. It\u2019s a story echoed by many people who left the show excited, only to end up feeling used and exploited on national television.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost like we\u2019re the forgotten ones,\u201d Mendonca says. \u201cYou love to watch us but you sure don\u2019t want to know what\u2019s happened after the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for RollingStone’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe show\u2019s medical advisor was concerned about the physical challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper were accused of mistreating contestants \u2014 which they adamantly deny<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Some contestants gained the weight back \u2014 and say the show wrecked their metabolism and mental health\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n