13 of the Most Shocking Revelations From 'Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser'

Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser gave a thorough examination of the hit reality competition show and the harsh realities contestants went through during its run.

In the three-part Netflix documentary series, several former contestants expressed the contract process felt hurried before appearing on the show.

The Biggest Loser Season 8 star Tracey Yukich said her contract was "very thick," adding, "I remember reading it and thinking, 'I am not qualified to read this.'"

When she requested an attorney to guide her, the producers allegedly hinted that her spot on the show could be at risk if a delay was to happen.

"[Producers said] 'Sure, we can get you an attorney... But I got 10 other people waiting for your spot... So sign it and move on,'" she continued.

Meanwhile, Season 8 winner Danny Cahill admitted he was worried about the terms, as they included the possibility of death. Still, he signed the contract to take advantage of the opportunity to appear on the show.

In the documentary, The Biggest Loser Season 2 alum Suzanne Mendonca recalled telling the producers she had begun exercising and eating healthy meals. Instead of supporting the path she was on, she reportedly received a negative response.

"They would say, 'No, we don't want you to do that. We want you to gain more weight,'" she continued. "I wanted to be on the show so badly that I did gain extra weight."

Mendonca pointed out the show eventually caused her to lose her sense of identity, stating, "I didn't know who I was, financially, emotionally, mentally, physically. I came back with a severe eating disorder. I stopped eating."

According to Yukich, she "cheated death" when she contracted a rare muscle injury during the first challenge.

"Rhabdomyolysis is your body saying, 'I'm going to shut down on you,'" she said of her injury, which happens when one's muscles break down. "It started with my liver, then it went to my kidneys and then it goes to your heart. And that's where I almost died."

The Biggest Loser's medical advisor, Dr. Robert "H" Huizenga, and several contestants claimed trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels told the competitors to consume an unsafe amount of calories per day despite the medical professional's advice.

"My calorie count was lower than I think it should’ve been," said Cahill. "I was eating 800 calories and burning 6,000 to 8,000 a day. When I lowered the calories, I lost more."

On Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, cast members claimed they were given non-approved caffeine pills although they needed to shed pounds through diet and exercise.

"At some point I was given stackers, and a stacker was like a caffeine pill," Cahill said.

Dr. Huizenga noted the pills broke the imposed guidelines, explaining, "Caffeine, a weight loss pill, was absolutely against everything in the show. It was in the show rules, and the patients signed off to that and the trainers signed off to that, and all the producers signed off to that."

Season 7 contestant Joelle Gwynn described contestants' workout routine as something that was burning more calories "than maybe even the military did in a day."

"The first week, we needed to burn a minimum of 6,000 calories a day. Minimum," said Gwynn.

Cahill shared a similar comment, saying they worked out at the gym or outside for "five, six, seven, sometimes even eight hours a day."

"I don't think it's realistic for anyone to maintain that level of activity unless they're a professional athlete," Season 3 contestant Jen Kerns expressed.

During his time on The Biggest Loser, Cahill successfully lost 239 pounds in just six months, three weeks and five days — only to gain almost all of the weight back.

"I thought I had it all figured out and then I didn't have it all figured out," he said in the documentary.

Cahill admitted, "The shame that you feel being a failure after being a success, it's a heavy load to bear."

Although the contestants lost weight, most of them had to endure the side effects of their extreme diet and workout routines.

During the final weigh-in, Season 1 winner Ryan Benson said blood was found in his urine, which was a sign of dehydration.

"In the end, it worked out great 'cause I won, but I was doing what most doctors would say were super unhealthy things," he added. "The last 10 days I didn't put any food in my body. I was doing the master cleanse, just drinking lemon juice and maple syrup, cayenne pepper, all these tricks that are super unhealthy just to cut weight."

In the Netflix docuseries, Harper claimed the producers "loved" it when contestants became sick.

"They were like, 'We want 'em to puke. We want the madness of it all," Harper alleged.

Despite being a hit competition show, The Biggest Loser and its producers reportedly did not provide aftercare to the former contestants.

"No one was interested in doing anything like that," Cahill, who reportedly suggested an aftercare program, revealed.

Gwynn also reached out to producers, but they "did not care."

On the other hand, show creator David Broome said financial issues made it impossible to provide a program for the cast members.

"We would have loved to have aftercare, but we're a television show ... without endless pots of money," said Broome. "NBC wasn't going to give it to us."

From weighing 260 pounds, Season 15 winner Rachel Frederickson shed 155 pounds and weighed in at 105 pounds.

"Rachel came out, and she had lost so much weight, it was… shocking," Harper said in the documentary series. "Jillian and I were just in horror."

In addition to the use of caffeine pills, Dr. Huizenga strongly disagreed with several extreme elements in the show.

"As the show really got popular, some things were being done that I really took issue with," he explained. "There were times, unfortunately, when challenges were done that I didn't see or hear about."

Behind the cameras, Michaels and Harper were not that close.

According to Harper, Michaels never contacted him after he suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2017.

"After I had my heart attack, she's the one person I never heard from. That to me spoke volumes," he disclosed.