The biggest It became a cultural event when the premiere was premiere in the 21st - but the show was also scandalized and debated.

When the NBC launched the show, It followed a group of people Those who are considered as extra weight will compete in 30-week competition. The goal was to be the "biggest defeat" to be crowned as much as possible, but the backlash came with it.

Some viewers questioned how the competitors were pressed to reduce weight through intense practice and calorie-symmetric diets. Producers - and Instructor - Those who worked on the show have denied the allegations, which was explored on August 2025 of Netflix Fit for TV: The reality of the largest damageThe

"I will stand behind what I have done on this show," said trainer Bob Harper TV confession. " "I am proud of what I have done."

Not everyone involved in the show participated in Tale-al. Gilian Michaels A message about though was significantly missing The absence of the instructor was issued Finally, read, "Jillian Michaels refused to participate in this documentary."

Continue scrolling for a breakdown of scandal and debate The biggest::

The target of weight loss

Each season started with a weight-in to determine the initial point for each contestant. From there, participants will participate in extensive workouts and nutrition plans. There were also challenges to inspire weight loss before other weight-in.

The biggest anxiety at that time came from the treatment professionals who talked about how safe weight loss is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. When the physician Robert Whijenga While was involved in the show, he revealed in Netflix that competitors were losing more than 10 pounds per week — and sometimes his insight up to 20 to 30 pounds was not always applied.

At the end a claim was denied Every episode of the show.

"The doctors supervised the doctors while taking part in our competitors' and their diet and practice method was created by their treatment status and their specific requirements," Read the statement. "Consult your own doctor before starting a diet or practice program."

Going too far away

After The biggest Touched the sky in success, Several former competitors say They are about the length that is to lose weight. Ryan C Benson Recalls the fasting and dehydrate herself Kai Hibbird Stated New York Times That he and other contestants will not drink water and find ways to increase their weight loss further.

Danny Kahill, Joel Guin, Dr. Jen Carns, Suzann Mendonka, Olivia Word, Tracy Yukich And Hannah Young Interviews for Fit for TV were taken, most of whom were the problems with their time on the show. (Clip of different seasons showed the experience of appearing in the emergency and health of the contestants during the show filming.)

Many of the former contestants and winners revealed that they fought to maintain their weight loss after they attended The biggestAnd some open up about more weight after being on the show than before.

Coffate

During a 2013 episode of the show, Michaelus was accused of cheating on his team by allowing his team to take caffeine pills without a doctor's permission. "I am standing by my opinion," he said at the time. "A caffeine supplement is significantly healthier than coffee in unlimited amounts" "

The show publicly acknowledged that caffeine pills were used in violation of its own rules and Michaels were screened on screen.

While standing next to his decision on the Michaels Show, he further reflected what he felt more recently that he should have done differently. He told today's health in 2021 The biggest "Requires a mental health professional"To help the contestants better.

"I think there were some random people that they could talk to them when needed but these people needed deep work," he explained. "When you have a 400 pound weighing 400, it is not just any person who likes pizza there is a lot of things going on there."

Michaels made it clear that he would not take back how he reached the show.

He argued, "The ones I shouted had stopped it." “It is your need to feel the pain of the way they live

Michaels concluded: "Diet did amazingly you did you

Rachel Frederickson's conversion

The aired Season 15, which was notorphized in the 21st, was notorious to finish where the winner Frederickson had gone out and the trainers responded to his significant weight loss. Frederickson was £ 105 after entering the show in 260 pounds but returned 20 pounds in public anxiety.

"My self-esteem was again influenced by the voice of other people — now, the kind of Facebook post or magazine is written on the pages of the magazine," he wrote in an article in the 21st.

Formal investigation

New York Post Guin and Mendonka's quotes on the show and later published an expos in 2016 with quotes. The report noted that the California authorities are investigating the allegations that The biggest The contestant was doping.

The NBC dismissed the allegations at the time and had no formal investigation. Netflix documentaries have noted that "no one involved in the show has faced criminal allegations for distributing illegal substances accused in the New York post."

'Fit for TV' Documentary

In August 2025, ex -contestants in a Netflix documentary feature interviews with hosts Allison And about what happened to the producers behind the screen. Some participants have revealed that they have been fighting with their time of chaotic eating and mental health problems The biggestThe

Was also updated Whether the contestants have returned They lost weight on the show. Guin and Mendonka have talked specially about their decisions to use ozmpic to help reduce weight and prevent their appetite.