Jillian Michaels To Quit ‘The Biggest Loser’ Because Of The Show’s Treatment Of Contestants
Jillian Michaels reportedly wants to quit “The Biggest Loser.” The physical trainer is said to be fed up by how the U.S. reality show is treating the contestants and how she is being portrayed as the bad guy.
The 40-year-old television personality has been a trainer in the show since it debuted in October 2004. She temporarily left in 2006, but came back in 2007.
She left the show again after the 11th season, only to return in the 15th season, which premiered in October 2013.
However, it appears that she wants to quit the show yet again.
According to People magazine, Michaels is “deeply concerned about the direction the show has been taking.”
A source said, “She is turned off by the mean-spirited story lines and poor care of the contestants.”
The recently concluded season was apparently the last straw. It can be recalled that the season became the most controversial yet when winner Rachel Frederickson, weighing only 105 lbs down to her original weight of 260 lbs, emerged on stage.
“Michaels wants to distance herself from the ‘Biggest Loser’ brand,” the source continued. “Especially considering what happened with Rachel, her feeling is that there isn’t proper attention paid to the contestants’ health or wellness.”
Like a lot of people watching the show, Michaels was visibly shocked upon seeing how thin Frederickson became during the finale. She wasn’t the contestant’s trainer; Frederickson was under Dolvett Quince’s team.
Michaels was also said to be fed up with her “bad guy” image in the show.
“The show uses her as the bad guy, and anyone who knows Jillian knows she’s not the bad guy at all. She’s a loving mother of two kids. She’s not the negative person they portray her as,” added the insider. “She wants to be in a place where she has more respect.”
Michaels was also a trainer in the Australian version of the show from 2006 to 2008.
Meanwhile, Frederickson has gained 20 lbs since, which she calls her “perfect weight.”