There are some big claims being made right now about The Biggest Loser — the hit weight loss show that aired on NBC from 2004 to 2016 — thanks to a new Netflix series. The three-part documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser talks to former contestants, trainer Bob Harper and more about what went on behind the scenes, including one of the scariest incidents the show ever saw. Tracey Yukich said she actually died during a fitness challenge, and in my opinion, that wasn’t even the wildest part.
The new docuseries hit the 2025 TV schedule on Friday, and one of the biggest bombshells came from Season 8 contestant Tracey Yukich. The then-37-year-old collapsed during a mile run on the beach during their first day on the show and had to be airlifted to the hospital. Yukich described what she experienced, saying:
I don’t remember a lot. I remember hearing the helicopter. I just felt like I was floating. And then my grandpa was there and then I saw darkness but then I saw light, so I knew. I knew I died that day.
The Biggest Loser featured plenty of emotional moments, but I remember watching this play out in 2009, and it was super scary, because it was obvious that something was really wrong. When Tracey Yukich fell 100 yards from the finish line and was unable to stand, the other contestants picked her up and helped her complete her mile to earn a spot on the show. Then she became unresponsive.
Tracey said on the documentary that once she reached the hospital, she was told she had rhabdomyolysis, and if her legs didn’t drain, they’d have to be cut open. She continued:
Rhabdomyolysis is your body’s way of saying, 'I’m going to shut down on you.' It started with my liver, then it went to my kidneys and then it goes to your heart. And that’s where I almost died.
That is ridiculously scary that she would go on a show to get healthier and end up nearly dying on the first day. However, I think what happened next was even wilder — Tracey Yukich went on to compete on the show!
The Biggest Loser contestants were known to endure some borderline insane treatment, and given the medical emergency Tracey had just endured, I can't believe she still wanted to be a part of all that. However, it turns out — as she said on the doc — that she had bigger reasons for not wanting to go home. The contestant revealed there were problems in her marriage, and infidelity was “just a snippet.” She said:
I thought it was my fault because I was fat. I don’t want to be disrespected, I don’t want to be yelled at, I don’t want to be harmed, I don’t want you to tell me what I can do and can’t do.
She said she felt like The Biggest Loser was her only hope, which is heartbreaking. Tracey Yukich did go on to compete on the show, where she lost 56 pounds before being eliminated in Week 8. By the finale, she’d lost a total of 118 pounds.
All three episodes of Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser are available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.
