‘The Biggest Loser’ loses Jillian Michaels … again
This story probably already sounds familiar to most longtime fans of “The Biggest Loser,” as one of the show’s most-popular trainers in Jillian Michaels is saying farewell to the program after arguably its most controversial season to date.
Michaels’ rep was one of the first to confirm this news, telling People Magazine that “after helping hundreds of contestants transform their lives and inspiring millions of viewers at home, The Biggest Loser and Jillian Michaels have decided to part ways and she will not be returning for season 16 when it airs in the fall.” In other words, this is a nice way of waving farewell and going off to do something completely different.
We understand in this case Jillian’s decision to say goodbye, given that this is a show that seems great in theory, and while it does inspire and help many, there are also glaring problems. The reigning champion Rachel Frederickson is one case in particular, as she lost so much weight during the show that she was declared “underweight” during the finale and still was awarded the prize. There has to be a better aftercare system put into place for this to truly be successful, and while Frederickson ended up gaining some weight back, that was after the media tour was over. (Personally, we advocate only awarding the person who has lost the biggest percentage of weight, while still being in a healthy category.)
There were some other issues plaguing the show, including overly-dramatic edits, the difficulties in general of getting these contestants to adjust to life without the constant workouts, and also “twists” like the one that brought Ruben Studdard back over a rule violation that had Michaels questioning the process. Basically, the conspiracy theorists felt it was just a way to get more promotion from the “American Idol” winner.
This is the second time that Michaels has exited the show, as she did so following season 12 before returning a couple of seasons later.
What’s your reaction to Jillian’s exit, and do you think that the entire format of “The Biggest Loser” really still works? Let us know below, and head over here to grab some other great TV updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: NBC