Class Action Against NBC

“The Biggest Loser” is an American reality show that airs on NBC. The contestants are competing to lose weight. At the end of each season, one of the contestants gains the title of “The Biggest Loser” and a prize of $250,000.

One of the former contestants of the show has threatened to file a class-action lawsuit against NBC. She claims that the show gave her health issues and ruined her life. Season two contestant Suzanne Mendonca told TMZ in an interview that she gained back 150 pounds after being a part of the show. Moreover, she was vomiting, dehydrated and was limited to have 800 calories a day. Mendonca told TMZ in an interview that the show was the biggest mistake of her life and she intends to take legal action.

“The reason why I gained my weight back is 100 percent The Biggest Loser,” she stated. “There’s a research that just came out that it just disturbed and ruined our metabolic rate. They ruined us. We’re in the process of filing a civil class action against them. They deserve to be responsible.”

According to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health, “The Biggest Loser” allegedly lowered the metabolism of the contestants. The study examined more than 12 Biggest Loser participants. The results were shocking. The fast weight loss lowered contestants metabolism, which made weight management very difficult. Almost all of the subjects of the study (besides one) regained their lost weight after the show and 57% of them maintained at least 10% weight loss.

“We found that The Biggest Loser participants regained a substantial amount of their lost weight in the 6 years since the competition but overall were quite successful at long-term weight loss compared with other lifestyle interventions,” states the report.

Despite the efforts of the plaintiffs, the industry attorneys anticipate the ruling to be in favor of “The Biggest Loser”.

“When you sign up to be on a reality show, you sign waivers up the wazoo,” says Entertainment dealmaker Barry Haldeman. “Those releases are so one-sided, but they’re the price of admission. I’m sure they have a very, very well written release that says not only can we use your name and likeness but you waive any claims if you’re injured on this show or have any negative medical effects.”

Jeremiah Reynolds, the litigator, stated that it’s likely a waiver ensured that the contestants assume all the risk. “She went into it knowing that what they did was an extreme form of dieting, This lawsuit has no chance of ever succeeding.”

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