Netflix Documentary Challenges Health Claims of ‘The Biggest Loser’

LOS ANGELES, California — Netflix has released a new docuseries titled “Fit for TV: The Reality of ‘The Biggest Loser,'” which critically examines the long-running reality show that captivated millions. The series premiered on Friday, August 15, 2025, and presents a different angle on the show’s health impacts on contestants and society.

For 18 seasons, participants of “The Biggest Loser” underwent extreme weight loss regimens, often pushing their bodies to dangerous limits. Many contestants, desperate to change their lives, engaged in grueling physical challenges and adhered to strict calorie restrictions.

Filmmaker Skye Borgman, director of the docuseries, highlights the troubling aspects of the show. “Everybody always wants a magic bullet that’s real. And the thing about magic bullets — they’re never real,” Borgman said.

The docuseries features insights from health professionals like Dr. Rebecca Pearl from the University of Florida. She notes that the show perpetuated harmful messages about body image and weight loss. “It was such a huge phenomenon and absolutely reflected and perpetuated some of the really harmful messages around weight and weight loss,” she explained.

Contestants followed severe diets, with men consuming between 1,500 and 2,000 calories daily and women as few as 1,200. In some cases, they were pushed to consume as few as 800 calories per day, according to Dr. Robert Huizenga, a physician involved in the show.

Exercise routines were equally intense, often exceeding eight hours a day, leading to dangerous situations, including multiple instances of contestants collapsing. “The kind of grueling, suffering activity that was shown on that show is not setting someone up to build a healthy, positive relationship with physical activity,” Borgman said.

The docuseries also reports on a study examining 14 contestants post-show, revealing that many regained most or all of the weight lost. Dr. Larissa McGarrity from University of Utah Health points out that the extreme calorie restrictions made it nearly impossible to maintain long-term weight loss.

“The answer instead is probably, ‘how do I slowly make changes in my life that help me to get in the right nutrients,” McGarrity said, emphasizing the importance of sustainable health practices over extreme measures.

Moreover, the show often portrayed contestants in degrading and dehumanizing ways, contributing to a societal stigma against individuals with larger body sizes. “It made us participate as viewers in kind of like a pity or even disgust response,” noted Oona Hanson, a parent coach.

Despite the controversies, some participants found empowerment in their experiences. Tracey Yukich, a contestant from season 8, shared her emotional journey, including a medical emergency during a challenge. “I wanted to change my life, and I do feel like at that time that it was, like, my only hope,” Yukich described.

As “Fit for TV” unveils the deeper issues behind “The Biggest Loser,” it also challenges viewers to rethink how society perceives weight and health. Borgman hopes the docuseries prompts self-reflection on such societal attitudes.