Rachel Frederickson achieved the highest percentage of weight loss among all The Biggest Loser winners, which ultimately led to Jillian Michaels leaving the show.
In 2014, Rachel won the 15th season, shedding 59.6% of her body weight, going from 260 pounds to 105 pounds, a total loss of 155 pounds. Critics at the time claimed she had taken her weight loss too far. She subsequently gained back 20 pounds shortly after the finale to reach what she described as her “perfect weight.”
Jillian was a personal trainer on the show for its first 15 seasons but departed after that season.
Upon her exit, NBC stated, “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.”
The reasons for her departure were discussed in the Netflix docu-series Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser.
Keep reading to find out more…
Although Jillian did not take part in the documentary, her podcast appearance from May 2024 was featured, where she mentioned Rachel‘s weight loss.
“This was actually when I quit the show, permanently… We had a contestant, who was not my contestant, and I still profited off The Biggest Loser. I take responsibility for being a part of a show that allowed this to happen. Personally, I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen, but I profited off a platform that did. And this is when I was like, ‘Okay. I’m complicit and I have to leave.’ But a contestant named Rachel Frederickson walked out onto the stage during the finale. I hadn’t seen her, Bob hadn’t seen her. And she was unhealthily thin, to say the least. And nothing good came out of that, I am 100% positive, with regard to her health. Go ahead and hate on it. Hate on me for being part of it. Have at it,” Jillian told host Thomas DeLauer on the podcast.
People reports that she added, “When Rachel Frederickson walked down that stage looking dangerously unhealthy, I quit permanently.”
Read what Rachel said in response to backlash after her finale aired.
Look back at all 18 winners of The Biggest Loser and see who lost the most weight.
