THEY dropped jaw-dropping amounts of weight on The Biggest Loser – but what happened after the cameras stopped rolling?
The reality show that promised life-changing transformations has been hit with controversy as a new Netflix doc teases the harsh training, extreme diets and the hidden toll on contestants’ mental health.
The former stars open up about the physical and emotional battles they faced on the show in a new Netflix docuseries[/caption]
Fans are left questioning if the price of the spotlight was worth it[/caption]
The show ran for 18 gruelling seasons until 2016, with contestants battling it out over 30 weeks to shed the most pounds.
The winner earned the title of “the biggest loser” – and the glory that came with it.
From day one, it was a smash hit, capturing millions of viewers who couldn’t get enough of the dramatic weight-loss journeys and nail-biting finales.
For nearly two decades, it became a cultural phenomenon, sparking conversations about fitness, fame and the cost of transformation.
But former stars have opened up about the physical and emotional battles they faced long after the cameras stopped rolling – with some struggling to keep the weight off, and others revealing the dark side of fame.
A brand-new Netflix three-part docuseries, Fit for TV: The Reality Behind The Biggest Loser, lifts the lid on the show’s lightning-fast rise to fame.
It’s a raw, eye-opening look behind the scenes, told straight from the mouths of those who lived through the drama.
But where are the winners now? Have they kept the weight off, or has life after the spotlight been just as tough?
Ryan Benson
Ryan’s turned things around, back on his fitness grind[/caption]
Ryan made history as The Biggest Loser’s first-ever champ, dropping a whopping 122lbs.
Just days after the cameras stopped rolling, Ryan told Time he piled back on 32lbs in just FIVE days simply by drinking water.
By 2017, he confessed to TooFab he was actually two pounds heavier than at his heaviest back in 2004.
These days, Ryan’s turned things around, back on his fitness grind and, according to his Instagram bio, “doing my best to live a healthy life” – while also sharing sweet snaps with his family.
He recently spoke out about the gruelling routines he had to endure on the show, telling People: “It hurt to do anything when you’d wake up in the morning. It was definitely tough for me. I was lucky I never got hurt or injured myself.”
Ryan said contestants were “set up to fail” and “exploited” for entertainment value, with extreme methods used to speed up weight loss for the cameras.
He recalled: “Doctors tested our urine the day of our last weigh-in, and they told me there was blood in mine because I was so dehydrated. My wife was so mad at me, she said ‘Nothing is worth this’.”
Danny Cahill
Danny Cahill is now a motivational weight-loss speaker and singer[/caption]
Danny shed a jaw-dropping 239lbs in just seven months to win The Biggest Loser Season 8 — one of the most dramatic transformations the show had ever seen.
“I’ve got my life back,” he said at the time. “I mean, I feel like a million bucks.”
In 2016, Danny told ABC News: “I did feel like a million bucks for a couple years. I kept the weight off completely… I was working out two hours a day and riding my bike all over town. Once that stopped, the weight started creeping back on.”
Indeed, Danny has now regained all of the weight he lost on the show, and is open about his struggles in the new documentary.
He’s also an author, musician, and land surveyor – and happily married, often sharing loved-up snaps with his wife on Instagram.
Ali Vincent
Ali Vincent says she feels extremely blessed to have found love and created love through our children[/caption]
Ali made history in 2008 as the first woman to ever win The Biggest Loser, dropping an incredible 112lbs during Season 5.
“Nearly half of me had vanished,” she wrote in an essay for The Weigh We Were. After her win, Ali penned a book, Believe It, Be It, and fronted her own show, Live Big With Ali Vincent.
But years later, Ali admitted she’d regained the weight she lost. “I swore I would never be there again,” she posted on Facebook in 2016.
“I couldn’t imagine a day again that I would weigh over 200lbs. I feel ashamed. I feel embarrassed. I feel overwhelmed. I feel like a failure.”
That same year, she opened up to Oprah about the personal trauma she believes led to her weight gain.
Now, Ali is in a far happier place, living life with her wife and their children. Her Instagram bio reads: “Living the dream! I know I’ll never be that perfect mom but I also know I’ll be perfect at attempting to be!”
Jeremy Britt
Jeremy Britt now works as an Executive Sous Chef[/caption]
Jeremy smashed records when he shed a jaw-dropping 199lbs to be crowned The Biggest Loser – becoming the youngest-ever winner at just 23.
The Michigan lad competed alongside his sister Conda, and told the Daily News in 2012 they were both committed to staying healthy for life.
“Keeping up with all the stuff we learned throughout the show — there’s not an end goal anymore,” he said. “The end goal is being healthy for the rest of our lives.”
These days, he looks unrecognisable — leaner than ever — and juggles life as a dad, husband and aspiring chef.
Now Executive Sous Chef at The Buttermilk Ranch, Jeremy regularly shares adorable family snaps on Instagram, from beach days to fun outings with his kids.
Helen Phillips
Helen Phillips was open about undergoing plastic surgery[/caption]
Helen made history as The Biggest Loser’s oldest-ever champ — and the contestant to drop the most weight, an incredible 140lbs.
She said: “I feel like I can do anything,” and she’s only put 18lbs back on since her win.
Now, 61, she dedicates her time to tackling childhood obesity.
According to the Times, she wakes up at 4:30 in the morning, hits the gym for two hours and visits two more times before the day is done.
Helen has also been open about undergoing plastic surgery to remove excess skin, sharing her journey in a candid video for fans.
Patrick House
Patrick House is looking slimmer than ever[/caption]
Patrick is still in top form — weighing just 16lbs more than when he won The Biggest Loser — and now focused on building muscle.
The Season 10 champ, who shed a staggering 181lbs — 45% of his body weight — has since run multiple races, including three Boston Marathons, and works closely with overweight teens to inspire their own transformations.
Patrick also penned the book As Big as a House and spends much of his time travelling the US for motivational speaking gigs and public appearances.
“I travel the country doing motivational speaking engagements and appearances,” he said, encouraging others to chase their own goals.
Olivia Ward
Olivia hasn’t aged a day after winning the show in 2011[/caption]
Olivia stunned fans in Season 11 with one of the show’s most dramatic transformations — dropping from 261lbs to just 129 to be crowned The Biggest Loser.
Now only 10lbs heavier, she’s kept the weight off and built a career as a health guru, appearing regularly on The Dr. Drew Show alongside her sister Hannah.
These days, Olivia is a master instructor at SoulCycle in Atlanta and a proud mum, often sharing her healthy lifestyle on Instagram.
She also co-founded CounterBalance — a three-month intensive wellness programme — with Hannah, helping others transform their bodies and minds.
Toma Dobrosavljevic
Toma Dobrosavljevic has kept off the weight and landed multiple endorsement deals[/caption]
Toma was on top of the world after winning Season 16 in 2015, telling Us Weekly: “I feel incredible.”
The former soccer star from Addison, Illinois, shed a jaw-dropping 171lbs — dropping from 336lbs to just 165lbs — to scoop the grand prize in the show’s all-athlete season.
But a year later, in 2016, Toma revealed on Facebook that a calf injury had caused his weight to creep back up.
Still, he’s managed to keep the bulk of the weight off and has even landed endorsement deals with Planet Fitness and DietBet.com, proving his transformation is still paying off.
Rachel Frederickson
Rachel Frederickson was flooded with comments about being “too thin”[/caption]
Rachel made headlines as one of The Biggest Loser’s most dramatic transformations — shedding a staggering 155lbs, or 60% of her body weight, to take the crown.
But her finale appearance at just 105lbs sparked concern from fans, with some saying she looked “too thin.”
She told Today that the criticism affected her self-esteem, saying, “It was absolutely healthy weight loss. I dieted and exercised and did it healthy the whole way.”
Since then, Rachel has put around 20lbs back on, settling into a healthier balance after her whirlwind weight-loss journey.
She told Us Weekly: “I’ve gone up about 20 pounds. I think I’m at my perfect weight! I work out an hour, six days a week. I love classes like SoulCycle. I also loosely count calories, but sometimes I might eat an Oreo. It’s not the end of the world.”
However, Rachel hasn’t been pictured in years so it remains unknown how her current weight journey is going.
Fit for TV: The Reality Behind the Biggest Loser is available to stream on Netflix on August 15th.
