Mockery, dangerous weight loss practices and long-term health impacts — “The Biggest Loser” was a TV phenomenon that shaped how Americans view weight.

Michaels was a trainer on “The Biggest Loser” for seasons 1, 2, 4-11, 14, and 15. She often motivated contestants by yelling at them or insulting them. In one clip from “Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser,” Michaels pushes a woman to keep exercising even after she vomits on a treadmill.

From 2004 to 2020, NBC's reality television series The Biggest Loser was a major cultural force. The program pitted contestants considered obese against one another in a quest to lose the most weight for a cash prize,

Rachel Frederickson won The Biggest Loser Season 15 in 2014 after losing a staggering 155 pounds, dropping from 260 pounds to just 105, meaning she’d shed nearly 60% of her body weight over the course of the competition. When she stepped on stage at the finale, viewers, fellow contestants, and even the show’s trainers appeared visibly stunned.

"The temptation challenges were the hardest part of the show for me," Sweeney says in Netflix's docuseries, 'Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser'

Back in 2009, Danny Cahill won $250,000 after being crowned the winner of The Biggest Loser Season 8. He lost nearly 240 pounds on the show. Cahill started the show at 430 pounds and was down to 191 pounds by the end of his journey.

The two fitness trainers starred for many years on 'The Biggest Loser,' which promised $250,000 to the contestant who lost the most weight

However, a detail briefly touched upon in the new Netflix documentary is that a year after The Biggest Loser's initial run ended, Bob suffered a near fatal heart attack at the age of 52 while exercising.