Is 'The Biggest Loser' Still on TV? Fans Wonder After 'Fit for TV' Netflix Premiere
The documentary takes viewers inside the reality TV weight-loss competition show.
Published Aug. 18 2025, 4:19 p.m. ET
Reality TV fans are wondering if The Biggest Loser is still on TV after seeing a three-part documentary about the weight-loss competition show on Netflix. The documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser premiered on Aug. 15, 2025.
According to Tudum by Netflix, The Biggest Loser aired on NBC from 2004 until 2016, and the reality show featured a group of overweight people as they competed for 30 weeks against the other contestants. The goal was to lose the most weight, and whoever was crowned "the biggest loser" won $250,000. The show was hosted by Days of Our Lives actor Alison Sweeney, Bob Harper, and comedian Caroline Rhea.
The Netflix documentary sheds light on the behind-the-scenes drama with cast interviews.
Is 'The Biggest Loser' still on TV?
No, The Biggest Loser is not still on TV. However, a one-season reboot of the show aired on the USA Network back in 2020. The show featured the contestants as they competed in physical challenges and dieting regimes with the help of fitness trainers like Jillian Michaels, per Variety.
The reality weight-loss show became a "cash cow" for NBC, and The Biggest Loser how focused on entertainment rather than health, with contestants being "belittled and encouraged to follow unhealthy weight loss methods" like ingesting caffeine pills to lose weight. Former host and trainer Bob Harper revealed that the show's producers wanted contestants to vomit on camera to amp up the excitement.
Here's why the Biggest Loser was canceled.
The Biggest Loser was criticized for the tactics used on the show, such as Jillian Michaels screaming in the contestants' faces, for more drama and "good TV." After Rachel Frederickson, the winner in Season 15, weighed in at just 105 pounds at the season finale, people began to say that the weight-loss show had gone too far.
Jillian was also caught giving her contestants the caffeine pills, even though they were against the rules of the reality TV show. However, she was later allegedly in "horror" by Rachel's dramatic weight loss and said, "She was unhealthily thin, to say the least. ... Personally, I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen."
"Rachel came out, and she had lost so much weight," said Bob. "It was … shocking."
The documentary also revealed that contestants were restricted to consuming only 800 calories per day, according to People. They were also forced to work out nearly eight hours daily.
The backlash prompted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to launch an investigation back in 2016 after several contestants said they were pressured to take weight-loss drugs on the show. NBC canceled The Biggest Loser following Season 17 due to the backlash and criticism of the show's high-pressure tactics.
Jillian was asked to participate in the Netflix documentary, but she reportedly declined the offer from producers.
The three-episode documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser is currently available to stream on Netflix.