THE BIGGEST Loser winner Rachel Frederickson has been spotted for the first time since her drastic weight loss on the show over a decade ago.
Rachel had primarily stayed out of the spotlight after being crowned the Season 15 champion and shedding a staggering 155lbs.
Rachel Frederickson won Season 15 of The Biggest Loser[/caption]
Rachel was spotted out and about earlier this week for the first time in over a decade[/caption]
Rachel was spotted going to church and to a cafe near her Lake Elmo, Minnesota, home[/caption]
Rachel did not participate in the documentary about the show, Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser[/caption]
Photos obtained by The U.S. Sun show the former reality star out and about earlier this week near her $1 million home in Elmo, Minnesota.
The ex-TV personality looked nearly unrecognizable, rocking casual attire of tight black leggings and a form-fitting blue top.
She paired the look with black sneakers, a black cross-body bag, and her long, dark, curly hair flowing down.
Rachel was seen heading into church and then visiting a nearby religious-themed cafe, where she grabbed a beverage.
According to the former swimmer’s LinkedIn page, Rachel now works as a Customer Insights & Analytics Manager at Land O’Lakes, a farmer-owned co-op based out of Minnesota.
HARSH CRITICS
It’s been 11 years since Rachel secured the win on The Biggest Loser, earning a dramatically slimmed-down physique and a $250,000 grand prize.
Although the now 35-year-old achieved her goal of losing weight, many fans raised concerns that she might have gone overboard with her efforts.
Rachel’s final weigh-in put her at 105lbs, and some said she looked “too thin” after dropping 60 percent of her body weight.
At the time, Rachel defended her weight loss methods and said the criticism significantly impacted her self-esteem.
“It was absolutely healthy weight loss. I dieted and exercised and did it healthy the whole way,” she told Today.
Rachel later revealed to US Weekly that she gained 20 pounds since her time on the show, and feels she is at “the perfect weight.”
She also shared her workout regimen, hitting classes like SoulCycle for one hour, six days a week, to maintain her more petite frame.
Rachel and other The Biggest Loser champs’ names have come back into the limelight in recent weeks following the release of Netflix‘s new documentary, Fit for TV: The Reality Behind the Biggest Loser.
The program pulls back the curtain on the popular series with past contestants sharing the highs and lows of their experiences.
Biggest Loser Winners
The Biggest Loser premiered in October 2004. The show featured a cast of overweight contestants who were challenged with taking on strict diets and workout regimens to lose as much weight as possible. The competitor who shed the most weight would be crowned the winner, taking home a $250,000 prize and a whole new body. The show was cancelled in 2016 and briefly reprised in 2020. Several past winners, contestants, and others linked to the show have spoken out against the show in the years since.
Here are all Biggest Loser winners:
- Ryan Benson
- Matt Hoover
- Erik Chopin
- Ali Vincent
- Michelle Aguilar
- Helen Phillips
- Danny Cahill
- Michael Ventrella
- Patrick House
- Olivia Ward
- John Rhode
- Jeremy Britt
- Dannielle Allen
- Rachel Frederickson
- Toma Dobrasavljevic
- Roberto Hernandez
While the show was thought of as inspirational for many viewers struggling to lose weight during its run on NBC from 2004 to 2020, the extreme measures showcased in the documentary stunned longtime fans.
Some of this includes contestants needing to exercise for eight hours per day and survive on just 800 calories.
Season 8 winner Danny Cahill exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that contestants were given caffeine pills to help speed up the weight loss process.
However, he insisted that famed trainer Jillian Michaels was never involved in that, and proceeded to defend the TV personality after she threatened to file a lawsuit against Netflix over claims made against her in the documentary.
JILLIAN HITS BACK
Jillian and fellow trainer Bob Harper were ridiculed in the doc for allegedly “bullying” contestants, with some complaining they were far from supportive during the journey.
The ex-Just Jillian star didn’t participate in the doc and lashed out on social media, claiming that many of the statements made toward her were untrue.
Among her rant, Jillian addressed Rachel’s considerably slimmer figure, per Variety, claiming that NBC ordered her not to “publicly condone” Rachel’s transformation.
She also claimed that “NBC would pursue legal action against me” if she did so, which led to her resignation shortly after.
Rachel also opted not to partake in the documentary.
Rachel lost a staggering 155lbs during her time on the show[/caption]
Many critics raised concerns that Rachel went overboard with her weight loss and was looking ‘too thin’[/caption]
