Former "Biggest Loser" Contestants Claim They Were Pressured to Take Drugs to Lose More Weight
All might not be what it seems on NBC's The Biggest Loser: Earlier this month, a six-year study revealed that most contestants gain back a significant amount of the weight they lost on the show due to malfunctioning metabolisms, and now, a few former contestants have publicly accused the show's trainers of forcing them to take drugs that encourage weight loss.
"Bob Harper was my trainer," says Joelle Gwynn, a former contestant, told The New York Post. "He goes away and his assistant comes in. He's got this brown paper bag that's bundled up. He says, 'Take this drug, it'll really help you.' It was yellow and black. I was like, 'What the f--k is this?'"
"I felt jittery and hyper," she continued. "I went and told the sports medicine guy. The next day, Dr. H [ - the resident doctor on the show, Dr. Rob Huizenga - ] gave us some lame explanation of why they got added to our regimen and that it was up to us to take them."
According to the Post, a source close to the show claims this wasn't a rare occurrence, and that Harper and his assistant regularly offered "Adderall and 'yellow jackets'" to contestants in order to help expedite their weight loss. Gwynn also went on to say she was encouraged to lie about her calorie intake as well, often claiming she'd had twice as many calories as she'd actually consumed.
"People would take amphetamines, water pills, diuretics, and throw up in the bathroom," another contestant, Suzanna Mendonca, told the Post. "They would take their spin bikes into the steam room to work up a sweat. I vomited every single day. Bob Harper tells people to throw up: 'Good,' he says. 'You'll lose more calories.'"
Harper responded to these allegations Sunday, claiming that they were categorically false and that he'd never encouraged his contestants to participate in such unhealthy behavior.
"These allegations are absolutely false and are in direct conflict with my lifelong devotion to health and fitness," he told PEOPLE. "Safety is paramount in my training regimen and, while demanding, my approach has always focused on the overall well-being of contestants as they lose significant weight and educate themselves, for the first time, on living a healthy lifestyle."
In a statement to various news sources, Huizenga also confirmed that drug use was strictly prohibited on the show.
"Contestants are told at the start of the show that there is zero tolerance for any weight-loss drugs," he said. "Urine drug screens and the evaluation of serial weights are repeatedly used to flush out possible illicit use."
Other former contestants have also come out in protest of the Post's article, saying that while they couldn't speak for other's experiences, they had never been pressured to take drugs on the show or lie about their regimen.
The season 17 finale of The Biggest Loser aired last February and at this time, has not been confirmed for renewal.
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