Checking In With Jillian Michaels and the Cast of The Biggest Loser
No surprise that Jillian Michaels is keeping it quite real when it comes to her feelings about the Netflix documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser.
Accused of using questionable methods to help contestants on the NBC competition series drop hundreds of pounds in their quest to be named The Biggest Loser and gain cash prizes, the trainer weighed in on Instagram Aug. 19.
And she brought receipts.
Referencing "the allegation that I restricted contestants from eating enough calories," she captioned a screenshot of an email sent to season 11 winner Olivia Ward, "I have an example of a direct written correspondence with a contestant, while she was home for the holidays during filming, in which I explicitly instructed her to consume 1,600 calories per day."
As for the buzz that she plied her trainees with caffeine pills, she insisted the stimulant "was NEVER banned on The Biggest Loser." What's more, she added, fellow trainer Bob Harper—who participated in the three-episode docuseries—not only knew about the pills, he suggested them.
Noted Michaels, "I wanted to use my brand instead because they were cleaner and had no more than 200mg of caffeine (equivalent to a strong cup of coffee)."
While Michaels declined to participate in Netflix's deep dive of the series' rigorous workouts—former contestant Tracey Yukich detailed how a mile-long run caused her organs to shut down: "It started with my liver, then it was in my kidneys and then it goes to your heart. And that's where I almost died—she was determined to serve up the truth.
As she put it on Instagram, "Wild how some folks still lie like it's 1985 before texts and email were a thing."
E! News has reached out to reps for Michaels and Harper, as well as Netflix and NBC, for comment and while they haven't responded, other past contestants have been happy to speak on their experiences with Michaels.
For season six victor Michelle Aguilar, the Keeping It Real podcaster "wasn't just my trainer," she wrote in an Aug. 19 Instagram post. "She was my motivator, my guide and sometimes the tough love I didn't know I needed. Jillian has this way of pushing you past what you think is possible and somehow making you believe in yourself at the same time."
To Aguilar, "She is, without a doubt, the very best!"
And Aguilar isn't the only past winner to feel she gained far more than she lost. Five years after the series wrapped its 18th and final season we're doing a check in with all the former champs.
Ryan Benson was The Biggest Loser's first winner, losing more than 120 pounds back in 2005. He quickly gained all his weight back ("Within three days after the show, I had gained 25 to 30 pounds back just in water weight alone," he told People in 2024) and joined the cast of The Big Fat Truth, a spin-off show where other Biggest Loser contestants received a second chance to shed the pounds.
"You feel guilty for going through this and not living up to what you did on the show even 20 years later," he noted to People. “I mean, anyone who's overweight and struggles with weight in their life, you have issues that you carry with you."
Though the L.A.-based SVP of Global Content Delivery at Lionsgate is grateful his three children with wife Mariah Yost Benson are growing up with more body positivity.
"My kids are in a generation that is way more accepting of all body types and the whole realm of the human condition," he told the outlet. "They're so much more accepting than my generation was when I was young."
Matt Hoover shed 157 pounds during his time on The Biggest Loser in 2005, but he gained much, much more.
He and Suzy Preston, the season's second runner-up, fell in love on the show. Married in September 2006, they share sons Rex (a high school wrestler like his dad) and Jax (a lacrosse player). As Matt—who documents his experience with getting a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in 2019—joked on Instagram in 2024, "Definitely married a hot girl way out of my league!"
Erik Chopin took home the grand prize after losing more than 200 pounds on the reality show's third season in 2006. He ended up gaining most of his weight back after the show ended. In 2010 the New Yorker—who shares a son and daughter with his wife—starred in the documentary Confessions of a Reality Show Loser, which detailed his struggle to lose the pounds once more.
Losing 164 pounds back in 2007, Bill Germanakos remains committed to keeping it off. Stressing his desire to "reverse the trend" of gaining weight during the holidays, the dad to son Luke and daughter Hope revealed on X in December 2019 that he'd lost 53 pounds "and am looking for another 7 in December! Who’s with me?"
In 2016—or eight years after winning The Biggest Loser—Ali Vincent revealed that she reached 200 pounds again and was joining Weight Watchers noting she felt "ashamed" to be starting over.
But keeping at it has its benefits, with the former Live Big With Ali Vincent star staying healthy and enjoying life with her wife Jen and three children. As she marveled to Yahoo, "I honestly never would have thought being part of such an experience would have such a profound impact on my life."
While she ended up losing 110 pounds during her 2008 run, Michelle Aguilar is most grateful for the relationship she gained thanks to the show.
"I did the show with my mom and prior to going on, we weren't speaking," Michelle shared with E! News. "Yes, I stood at the top and the confetti fell and I won and that's all wonderful. But at the end of the day, because of The Biggest Loser...my mom and I were able to rebuild a new relationship."
Meanwhile, she managed to construct a slew of healthier habits. Crediting trainer Jillian Michaels with changing her life, she wrote on Instagram in August 2025, "She was my motivator, my guide and sometimes the tough love I didn't know I needed."
Now, she continued, "I get to call Jillian my friend, and that's one of the greatest gifts I could have ever imagined."
Although Helen Phillips, who dropped 140 pounds in 2009, appears to stay away from social media, she shared a picture of herself at a fitness event in March 2019 proving she's still in great shape. She also appeared in a promotional video for StreetStrider.
In 2016, or more than seven years after winning the show, the New York Times checked in on Danny Cahill and reported that more than 100 pounds had crept back onto him. "I won't be victim to this," he told the publication. "It's the hand I've been dealt."
For the first few years, he detailed to ABC News, "I kept the weight off completely. I wondered why others were gaining it back. I was working out two hours a day and riding my bike all over town to go where I was going. Once that stopped, the weight started creeping back on."
One year after doing the show in 2010, Michael Ventrella opened up about his life to Chicago Mag. "It's been good and bad," the trainer and motivational speaker shared. "The good part is I'm living, not only with my body but with my life. A year ago, I'd be trapped in a basement bedroom, jamming out on my computer."
These days, the Illinois resident is focused on his real estate career.
Six years after earning the top spot for his 181-pound weight loss in 2010, Patrick House gave major credit to the series for changing his life for the better.
"The weight I have gained back is directly proportional to my time focused on diet and gym time," the motivational speaker shared with People. "The only place to point the finger is at the man in the mirror. Maintenance is tough, but it's not impossible. If you're eating good, clean, healthy food and not overeating, you can't gain weight. Your body doesn't manufacture calories—you have to be putting them in."
After winning the show with her 129-pound weight loss in 2011, Olivia Ward became a master instructor at Soul Cycle. She also co-founded the app Counterbalance with her sister Hannah Curlee (her fellow season 11 competitor) to share recipes, workouts and other health guidance.
"Losing the weight was wonderful," she detailed to People in 2023, "but just to have that experience and to be around that type of expertise and that kind of support ... what I left with was knowing that I had this incredible opportunity to pass on what had been given to me."
Now living in Alabama with husband Ben Ward and their sons Harper and Felix, she still counts trainer Bob Harper as a close friend. "You have shown up for me in ways I’ll never be able to repay & you have continued to walk down this road of life with me," she detailed in an August 2025 Instagram tribute. "Sharing our lives together just keeps getting sweeter & sweeter & I can’t wait to see what happens next."
After going from 445 pounds to 225 pounds in 2011, John Rhode stayed away from social media. Fans, however, spotted the motivational speaker—dad to sons Daniel and Dimitri with wife Jill—in a Crossfit video back in 2012.
After his season came to an end in 2012, Jeremy Britt made it clear that it was only the beginning for his fitness journey. "Keeping up with all the stuff we learned throughout the show, there's not an end goal anymore," he told Michigan's Daily News that year. "We have to stay focused on our health because that is the end goal—being healthy for the rest of our lives."
Since leaving the show in 2013, Danni Allen has received her yoga, cycling and personal instructor certification. "I try to get a workout in four to five days a week if I can—anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes a day and it's about variety for me," she explained to E! News. "I get bored with the same thing everyday. I do yoga. I do swim. I get into the pool. I change it up as much as I can so I don't get bored."
The marketing director for a Chicago-area Planet Fitness wed David Pufundt in 2022, the pair welcoming son Luka in January 2025. "It feels like a lifetime ago, yet I remember it like yesterday," she reflected of her Biggest Loser experience in March 2025. "So much has changed since then—so much growth, love, and a family that’s only gotten bigger in every way."
As one of the biggest losers, Rachel Frederickson faced a lot of criticism for her dramatic, 155-pound transformation in 2014. She would later reflect on her journey in an essay for Today. "There will always be other voices in life. The trouble comes when you stop listening to your own," she wrote. "I am committed to trusting my decisions and standing strong behind them. I found strength in this struggle and I am listening to my own voice again!"
A voiceover actress, the Minnesota resident launched her own t-shirt line in 2015. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in logistics, materials and supply chain management in 2020, she landed a job at Land O'Lakes, currently working as a consumer insights and analytics manager.
Months after going the distance in the "Glory Days" season featuring former athletes, Toma Dobrosavljevic revealed on Facebook in January 2016 that he suffered an injury that affected his exercise routines. "Well, I need some help getting back on track," he shared with his followers. "I'm still trying to get over a calf injury I sustained a few months ago and realize my weight is starting to creep up on me...and I promised myself I'd never go back to where I was!"
He did gain something pretty special from the experience, connecting with season 15 contestant Chelsea Arthurs. “We were in some Biggest Loser alumni groups online and we started talking,” she detailed during a 2021 appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark. “He flew down [to see me] and we’ve been together ever since then!”
Since winning the show in 2016, Roberto Hernandez has competed in 5K runs, half marathons and triathlons. He also participated in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. According to the American Heart Association News, Roberto has worked hard to keep his weight off. But yes, he will treat himself to a few special foods. "I'm not going to lie to you," the Chicago-area resident shared. "We are Mexican and we like our pozole to be like mom makes pozole."
He and his brother Luis Hernandez, who he competed with, "might not be" at their finale weights, he revealed of his 160-pound loss in a 2020 Instagram post, "but we are definitely not where we were."
The dad of three (with wife Rosie Hernandez) added the key was to grab "the bull from the horns and keep going."
The first season back after a four-year break saw Jim Dibattista claim the crown by dropping 144 pounds. At the 2020 finale, he cited wife Deb Dibattista and their three sons as his inspiration, saying, "I am so proud that I was able to get it done for ALL of them; they sacrificed so much for me. The Biggest Loser changed my life forever. I am and will always be the show's 'BIGGEST' cheerleader!"
He roots for himself as well. Sharing some before and after photos in March 2022, the high school lacrosse coach acknowledged that "the pic on the right is far from 'perfect' but I am happy, living my life and in way better shape then I ever was in my entire life." Plus, he stressed, "I am never f--king going back to that guy on the left."
eonline
