‘Biggest Loser’ Contestants, Bob Harper & More Expose the Show’s Dirty Truth in Netflix’s ‘Fit for TV’ Doc
Nearly 10 years after The Biggest Loser aired its final episode on NBC, cast and crew members are speaking out about the reality show’s high and lows in a new Netflix docuseries.
The streaming service debuted the first look at Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser on Tuesday, July 22. The three-part series, which will premiere on August 15, will take an “inside look at the making of the hit reality TV competition, exploring the good, the bad, and the complicated,” per the show’s description.
“Featuring interviews with former contestants, trainers, producers, and health professionals, the documentary examines the show’s approach to transformation, the support systems in place, and the unique challenges of filming reality television,” the logline continues. “The series explores how the experience shaped the lives of those involved with the show long after the cameras stopped rolling and invites viewers to reflect on the balance between entertainment and well-being, and what it truly means to pursue lasting change.”
Netflix
In the show’s trailer, Season 8 contestant Tracey Yukich compares being cast on the show to “winning the lottery.” Personal trainer and host Bob Harper adds that “yelling [and] screaming” at the contestants in the gym made for “good TV” in the eyes of the show’s producers.
Reflecting on the casting process, executive producer J.D. Roth says in the trailer, “We were not looking for people who were overweight and happy. We were looking for people who were overweight and unhappy.”
While some former contestants viewed their Biggest Loser experience as the “best thing” to happen to them, others had a not-so-nice experience. “People like making fun of fat people,” Season 7 contestant Joelle Gwynn states, to which Harper adds, “And producers love that s**t. They were like, ‘We want them to puke. We want the madness of it all.’”
Yukich later claims that her organs “were literally shutting down” at one point on the show, while Gwynn recalls, “I could barely walk, and I was in such pain. And they said, ‘Just walk it off. Just walk it off.’”
Harper, for his part, declares in the trailer that he “would never put anyone in harm’s way.”
Regardless of contestants’ negative comments and fans’ criticism about whether the show promoted unhealthy habits, executive producer David Broome thinks the series ultimately did more good than harm.
“You tell me one show that’s actually changed people’s lives the way The Biggest Loser has,” he states at the end of the teaser. “I’d love to hear it.”
Skye Borgman serves as the show’s director, while Michael Gasparro, Andrew Fried, Jordan Wynn, and Lana Barkin serve as executive producers for Boardwalk Pictures.
The Biggest Loser ran for 17 seasons on NBC from 2004 to 2016 before moving to USA Network in 2020. The competition series featured contestants competing to lose the most weight in order to win a cash prize.
Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, Docuseries Premiere, Friday, August 15, Netflix
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