Inside Netflix’s Fit for TV: The Biggest Loser’s legacy of health risks and controversy

Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser premiered on Netflix on August 15, 2025, as a three-part documentary that revisits the popular NBC competition show, The Biggest Loser.

First launched in 2004, the original series followed contestants competing to lose weight with the guidance of celebrity trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, while also aiming for a $250,000 prize.

The new documentary, directed by Skye Borgman, looks back at the show’s production, its successes, and its controversies.

The docuseries brings forward stories from former contestants, producers, trainers, and medical professionals who reflect on what it was like behind the scenes.

It examines health risks that contestants faced, questions about the show’s methods, and the cultural environment that made The Biggest Loser such a success at the time.

Through interviews and personal accounts, Fit for TV highlights the physical and emotional toll of the competition, showing how participants often struggled long after filming ended.

While the series was once celebrated for inspiring dramatic weight loss journeys, the documentary revisits the criticisms and asks if ratings and dramatic results came at too high a cost for those involved.

Contestant health risks and shocking experiences in Fit for TV

One of the major themes of Fit for TV is the serious health risks that some contestants faced while competing.

Season eight contestant Tracey Yukich recalled collapsing during a running challenge and later learning she had developed rhabdomyolysis, a rare and dangerous muscle condition.

“I don’t remember a lot. I remember hearing the helicopter… I knew I died that day,” she explained in the documentary.

She went on to describe how her organs began shutting down one by one, with doctors warning her that her heart was also at risk.

Season one winner Ryan Benson also shared his story of extreme dieting and dehydration. He admitted that in the final days of the competition he avoided solid food, saying,

“The last 10 days I didn’t put any food in my body. I was doing the master cleanse.”

He added that doctors found blood in his urine before the finale, a sign of severe dehydration.

The documentary, Fit for TV also revisited Rachel Derickson’s transformation. She lost more than half her body weight during the competition, dropping from 260 pounds to 105 pounds.

Trainer Bob Harper admitted in the documentary,

“Rachel came out, and she had lost so much weight, it was… shocking.”

These stories raised questions about the show’s approach and its impact on contestant safety.

Lack of aftercare and cultural impact discussion in Fit for TV

Beyond the physical demands of the show, Fit for TV also explores how contestants were left to cope on their own once the cameras stopped rolling.

Many participants shared that they regained the weight they lost, while others said they struggled with the mental and emotional effects of their time on the series.

Critics questioned why the production team and trainers did not provide proper support after filming ended.

Executive producer David Broome addressed this point, saying,

“We would have loved to have aftercare, but we’re a television show without endless pots of money. NBC wasn’t going to give it to us.”

Former trainers also reflected on the challenges. Bob Harper recalled feeling “horror” at some contestants’ transformations, suggesting that results sometimes went further than expected.

On social media, critics accused the show of putting “ratings (money)” over health, with one post saying that trainers were “openly disregarding the doctor’s rules.”

The documentary places these events within the wider culture of the 2000s, when weight loss reality TV gained popularity alongside society’s emphasis on thinness.

Viewed from 2025, with rising awareness of body positivity and the influence of trends like “Ozempic culture,” the series asks whether enough has changed in how health and body image are treated on screen.

Stay tuned for more updates.