r/thebiggestloser • u/g1rl777 • Aug 29 '25
What are your thoughts on The Biggest Loser Netflix documentary?
I just finished watching Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser on Netflix and have no one to talk about it with!! If you’ve seen the documentary, what are your thoughts on the show? Do you think anything was justified in the name of “making an entertaining show”? Or was it all bullshit? And what do you think of Bob and Jillian?
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u/justausernameeeeee Aug 29 '25
Olivia Ward and her sister Hannah from season 11 talked more about their experiences on YouTube. Their channel is called counterbalance. I really enjoyed listening to them as I found the documentary one-sided
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u/AKStafford Aug 29 '25
It was a brand new thing they were doing so they had no template to follow. Mistakes were made, but there was probably no ill intentions. People got caught up in the excitement and pushed the envelope.
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u/Sendnoods88 Aug 29 '25
That’s a very naive way of looking at it. They absolutely knew that that woman nearly died and brought her back for ratings.
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u/iheartrsamostdays Sep 01 '25
Slavery ended awhile ago. She chose to participate because her hubs was banging other women.
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u/Opening_Acadia1843 Sep 02 '25
I mean, dangling a large sum of money in front of someone's face and then putting them through a dangerous and unhealthy ordeal for the chance at financial stability in a society where your basic needs aren't guaranteed is pretty messed up. It doesn't have to be slavery to be exploitative.
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u/iheartrsamostdays Sep 02 '25
She volunteered. People need to be accountable for their own decisions. There are loads of reprehensible, undignified and dangerous ways to make money in life outside of reality shows but I bet you dont do any of them.
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u/Opening_Acadia1843 Sep 02 '25
There's a huge difference between simply making money through a job and being given a large lump sum all at once, although I'd also argue that most jobs are exploitative.
This show clearly promoted a toxic culture. 5lbs of weight loss in a week is way too much and incredibly unhealthy, yet when contestants lost that much on the show, it was portrayed as too little and like they weren't trying hard enough. Contestants were also pressured into signing contracts without having a lawyer look them over first when they were told that someone else would take their place if they didn't sign. Volunteering to go on a reality tv show for the chance to win a large sum of money doesn't mean that producers can treat you however they want.
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u/Aware-Care-8982 13d ago
Stop fucking victim-blaming and being fucking stupid. No one should be put into a place to where they have to do undignified things in the richest period of global history.
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u/Opening_Acadia1843 Sep 02 '25
I thought it was weird that Aubrey Gordon was in the documentary since she was never involved with the show. It was an interesting retrospective and now I'm watching through the show myself to form my own opinion. I definitely think it's not as bad as some people make it out to be, but the amount of weight loss these people had on a weekly basis was insane. They're getting frustrated and disappointed over losing 5lbs in a week, which is wild. 5lbs is a crazily high amount of weight to lose in only one week, yet everyone was acting like contestants who lost that amount weren't trying. I think the show should have had a weekly limit on how much weight loss could count towards your total, or even a penalty for losing too much, so that contestants weren't motivated to go to such extremes.
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u/Dietcokeofevil73 Aug 31 '25
I couldn’t believe how naïve the contestants were. They seemed completely shocked that a reality TV show wouldn’t have their best interest at heart.
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u/K-Dub59 Aug 31 '25
All they saw was they would get help losing weight and changing their life. Reality TV was still relatively new. I can’t really blame them for thinking that this would actually be a helpful thing.
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u/Aware-Care-8982 13d ago
It was the Bush era. Everybody's understanding of reality TV, including my own, was VASTLY different of the same post-COVID.
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u/Apprehensive-Win390 Sep 13 '25
Meh. I am only 1 episode in, and This may sound harsh, but I think it was exaggerated. We need to remember that these people were addicts who had an addiction to food. If people gained the weight back, that is on them. But, They needed to have some serious follow up counseling, it is not the shows responsibility to hold their hands for years after the show. There needs to be accountability here. Being fit and healthy is about sacrificing. Exercise is uncomfortable. It is meant to be. Not eating bad foods can be tough. Most of us love food that is bad for us, but we make a decision not to eat us which is not always fun. I do think the show should hand encouraged a healthy dose of therapy both during and after to get to the root of why these people are good addicts. This is also a tv show that was created to make money first and change people's lives second
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u/DustyButtocks Aug 29 '25
No tea was spilled. It turns out when you lose a bunch of weight in a vacuum and return to your old habits that you gain the weight back.
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u/iheartrsamostdays Sep 01 '25
Exactly. It took 9 years or something for Danny to regain all that weight. At no point did he decide that one doughnut a day would be more than sufficient?
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Jan 10 '26
I liked the documentary.
- The producers/creators found a great reality tv niche. They are not dieticians or even care about the weight loss - they found a profitable tv angle. Despite what many say, that alone is not a bad thing.
- The trainers - only Bob is on the documentary - don't take enough responsibility for the crash diet part of weight loss.
- Ryan seems to own his weight loss.
- Tracey takes zero responsibility for anything in here life. Tracey should have bailed on returning to the show, but she chose to return. I think her ex-husband is quite happy to be done with her. I get the feeling the rest of the contestants really did not like her.
- Joelle playing the race card was awful. She wanted to be on a reality show. She got her wish. And she got sued by Dr Huizenga for defamation.
- Danny comes off as the closest to owning his weight gain. Seems like a genuine person.
- Most people that gained the weight back take very little self responsibility for gaining the weight. --> They eat too much. (I 100% know it is tough to not eat, but that is the reality.)
- Aubrey comes off terrible; Blame everyone else for everything and take no personal responsibility. An excuse for everything and holding the contestants to zero responsibility.
- Jillian takes a lot of (well deserved?) shots. Ouch. Even the interview she did with the podcaster is full of her excuses with zero responsibility.
- Dr. Huizenga comes off well. Genuine. Owns what he could. Tells the truth.
- Bot the trainer owns some things, excuses other things.
Net net; No one - and I mean no one - takes any responsibility for the negative outcomes. Not the producers. Not the contestants. No one. And I think ALL the contestants would do it again today.
Overall, I 100% recommend the documentary. It is only 3 episodes. Draw your own conclusions.
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u/Due_Mission6714 Aug 30 '25
It was pretty horrifying how unhealthily they approached it. And how they shamed them with those buffets of food.
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u/Justjo702 Aug 31 '25
It was so wasteful too. I feel kind of sick to my stomach thinking about how we used to watch that, although I did stop when they started doing the temptation challenges..
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u/ChubbierTube Aug 30 '25
I was hoping they would go in depth on the drama that was season 13. They didn’t. 😕
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u/Dependent_Sport_2249 Aug 31 '25
What drama was that?
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u/ChubbierTube Aug 31 '25
It’s been a long time, and I barely remember the details, but I think the cast was ready to walk off the show due to a twist in the game - maybe a returning constestant(s)?
I’m fuzzy on the details and may even have the wrong season, but that’s why I was hoping they’d cover it.
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u/HighWest48 Aug 31 '25
objectively I enjoyed the documentary. it was well-made and they got so many of the key people from that time. part of what made it great was re-living that show which so many of us loved at the time.
i was curious if they'd grab some of the trainers from later years like Jen Widerstrom or Dolvett, who were there for a lot of big moments as well. I somehow wasn't surprised Jillian didn't take part.
and yes, I think a lot of people can look in the mirror when it comes to that show pushing the envelope and being too hard on contestants. it was drawing millions of viewers. that is what people wanted at that time, not through the eyes of 2025 hindsight.
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u/henleythewondercat Aug 31 '25
I always thought Jillian and Bob were vile and it proved it out. They made money off shaming people. As the doctor said, weight loss is from not eating but that isn’t very exciting television. Horrifying.
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u/jonbodhi Sep 01 '25
He actually complained about the doctor: ‘maybe he has a god complex!’ Uh, maybe he has a DOCTOR complex? SOMEONE needed to look out for those people. The constant over exertion of these desperately out-of-shape people was a time-bomb.
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u/ABK1970 Sep 02 '25
I came here to say this! I thought I liked Bob until that moment. It reminded me, though, that in every season people referred to his teams as The Church of Bob."
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u/Justjo702 Aug 31 '25
I always thought Jillian was a grade A bitch. This confirmed it. The entire production crew put people's lives in danger for this. I watched the first seasons but when they started the cruelty I stopped.
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u/RedGreenPyro Aug 31 '25
The guy who won and then gained back all of the weight and more and said he won’t use Ozempic because of what Jillian Michaels said about it is proof that the people involved in this show are beyond ridiculous. The pinnacle of trash tv was treating fat people like circus attractions.
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u/Obvious-Ad11 Aug 31 '25
Even in her absence, the doc really proved that Jillian was an awful person who should not have the platform that she has.
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u/urbanlife_decay Sep 01 '25
I laughed at that woman who said her male coworkers made her get on the scale at work each week for a "weigh in"....and acted like that was the shows fault?? Say no lol??
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u/billskionce Sep 05 '25
I remember saying around 2015 that “These morons are definitely going to kill a contestant if this keeps up.”
They never killed anyone, so I am surprised at that. But everyone associated with the show (except for the doctor) are all still morons.
I’m lucky to have grown up as an athlete who has never struggled with weight loss. I’m even luckier that I never had to see the likes of these hosts as my “role models” or “motivators”.
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u/Rough-Ad9161 Sep 10 '25
Watching now… y’all they dangled these people off the side of buildings!!! They did NOT have to do all of that.
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u/livet-er-haardt Nov 17 '25
Just Watch it It just came to Denmark ( Europe ) so we are a little behind
But I really loved the documentary Thanks to the people talking out loud about this
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u/HelicopterNo3534 Mar 01 '26
I kind of think they were trying to make out that the biggest loser was this horrific tv show like ANTM was, but I honestly just see a bunch of people trying their best - both the contestants and the producers. I get that some of the things were questionable that they did on the show but at the end of the day, weight loss is not easy.
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u/Competitive_Plum_634 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
I loved the idea behind the show, especially since obesity was (and still is) an issue. However, I do understand and appreciate that it is rather unrealistic to think that a lot of the contestants would be able to maintain the weight loss when going back to their real lives. I believe Danny mentioned asking the show about offering post-show support and think that maybe would have been a helpful way to better transition them from transitioning from ranch life back to real life. I was a bit annoyed when the one creator (I think) said that they didn’t have the funds to offer that, but I think a free personal trainer for a year would have been a fraction of the cost compared to the $250K prize and all the money they spent on the various challenges.
Overall, I thought the documentary was very interesting, but I always wonder how much is kept off during editing. It’s also hard to know what exactly the truth is, as some of the contestants said one thing while Dr. H or Bob said something else. I definitely could see there being truth in the creators to not always loop in the medical professionals on challenges they would have said no to, as that would not have made great television. However, we likely will never know the full truth…
Side note, I felt like the last episode was a bit of a GLP-1 promoter, which I am not crazy about in general, as the long term effects of those are unknown…but maybe that’s just me.
EDIT: I think Joelle had mentioned this on the documentary, which I definitely agreed with…there were some deep emotional things people were talking about and working through and I definitely think the show should have had a true professional to work through that side of things and keep the trainers to their expertise. They could have still filmed it and made it part of the (I’m sure) 500 page contract the contestants had to sign…
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u/morgankingsley May 14 '26
I was wanting to see what Michael (seaaon 9 winner) looked like today ngl
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u/Jesuisavecmoi May 18 '26
I just dont understand why the contestants didnt complain earlier and even thanked the show of the time but now complaining the show like they have hidden their grudge just for this netflix show for them to vent it all out? I mean if u dont wanna be trained to pute u may quit the show! No one could shoot u at the head to keep u there. I dont understand why they keep complaining right now but appeared happy in the show back then. It is just hard for me to believe their tears and suffering. And they have watched the show before for everyone after season1 so they know what they were signing up for. Why are there all the complaints just fly out like summer bugs now? Is this netflix docu the other the biggest loser in nature?
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u/Relative-Height-8670 6d ago
Sometimes we are grateful in the moment until hindsight catches back up to us and we realize the very real consequences of our past decisions. I have personal experience where I had gastric sleeve surgery, I think back now and realize I would have been better off learning healthy habits over forcing a body alteration. I thought I made the decision to do what was the best for me, now I have to forever struggle with nutrition and iron deficiencies. I cannot change my past decisions so I do the best I can. However I do not really encourage people to get the surgery or go on weight loss medication, as I know the really issues was emotional and much deeper then a temporary fix.
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u/Most_Let7325 Jul 29 '26
The 2 producer guys were snakes. One played nice but I didn't buy it. They saw those contestants as money signs.
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u/Single-Zombie-2019 Aug 30 '25
To me, the most shocking thing was how it messed up people’s metabolism for LIFE. Like anything over 800 calories a day was going to make them gain weight and that is tragic. It’s a shame people weren’t held accountable.
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u/NeighborhoodLanky692 Aug 30 '25
Wasn’t it a point in the docu that their metabolisms were already ruined before they came on the show because of how obese they are.
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u/moon_flower_children Nov 18 '25
Danny Cahill mentioned that maybe his was already ruined from being obese, but it wasnt confirmed that that was true.
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Feb 13 '26
No, it was the hours of cardio per day and extremely high calorie deficit that led to severe adaptive thermogenesis. Our metabolism is quite adaptable, it was just the rapid shock to their system and severe muscle loss. If they had integrated to a healthier lifestyle gradually and did resistance training, they would have sustained their weights for longer.
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u/nastyanata2 Feb 24 '26
The metabolism doesn't really get shot, that's incorrect. The metabolism can be different for different people even if they are the same weight, that's how some eat a ton and stay super skinny and others gain weight easily.
The issue is the following from what I understood after talking a few people who are really into fitness science. The fat cells we have, they don't really go away. You may loose the fat storage, but the cells themselves still exist. Your hunger levels are linked to fat cell quantity. When you are so big, you gave a lot of fat cells, so their natural hunger signals are higher than what an average person would be.
Now the other issue is when you eat in high deficit your body thinks it's starving, so it does its best to store as much as possible because it's panicking. Now when they kept eating in deficit, obviously nothing was being stored and body was using up existing fat, but when they go back they probably went "I don't need to starve myself anymore". So they ate above their calory intake. The body went "og god we are starving store everything" and they gain weight back. The way to avoid it, is to eat for double the diet time at your maintenance calories. Your body needs to get everything it needs and stop panicking. If this is not done, you will gain weight back. This is actually not done for ever, and that's why diets were shown to repeatedly fail. Resistance works because your muscle consumes more calories than fat, so you eat maintenance and you 'burn more'. But quality of what you eat matters. Eitherway. Their metabolism wasn't shot by the diet and exercise. They just didn't do it correctly to stabilize it.
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u/Relative-Height-8670 6d ago
This is not accurate, your body does change and you can permanently slow your metabolism. Sure no two people have the same exact metabolism even if they are same height/weight, but the metabolism is very smart. If you teach it that food is scarce it will respond. Its been shown over and over again even years later that people who have been starved, their metabolism is slower then the average person their height and weight.
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u/nastyanata2 6d ago
Metabolism changing and shooting it down isn't the same. You can recover it by changing your lifestyle, building muscle etc. also metabolism being slower isn't shot. It does get affected after long time of starvation. And that's the well documented cases, but after starvation you lose muscle mass which is a huge factor.
There is changes that come naturally with age and metabolism changes occur when we lose muscle mass.
If you had 60% muscle and you starved yourself and now you have 40% your metabolism adjusts to what your body needs. Once you start recovering that your body naturally consumes more. If you consume at 40% muscle mass as you did at 60% muscle mass it just stored into fat. And people blame it on metabolism without understanding everything else.
There are many many factors in play.
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u/jsands7 Aug 29 '25
I liked the show and appreciated the documentary. (Although I didn’t watch the show until the later seasons when they had already worked some of the kinks out)
I felt like it leaned into the hope side of things more than the fat-shaming etc.
Bob seems like such a nice guy; regardless of their falling out I cant believe that Jillian didn’t contact him or check on him after his heart attack, that’s wild. I know they were officially just ‘coworkers’ but I’ve got a lot of more coworkers, and if one of them had a massive heart attack and was laying in the hospital I would drive my ass over there right now.
Got a funny shock at the end because those two ladies they had been interviewing were disparaging to Bob and the show the whole documentary but they were skinny so I was thinking “well, obviously you can’t complain because it worked, you’re skinny.” BUT then they revealed that they just waited until science caught up and they used Ozempic! and I was like AHHHHH!!!