'Biggest Loser' Trainer Jillian Michaels Worries for Contestants' Medical Safety

By PopEater Staff Posted Jan 4th 2010 03:59PM

'The Biggest Loser' trainer Jillian Michaels is about to face her most difficult challenge this season. The show's producers are bringing the biggest contestant ever to the show: Michael Ventrella, who weighs in at 526 pounds. His size and the size of other contestants this year has Michaels worried.

The tough-love trainer shows her concern for the contestants' medical safety. "The contestants keep getting bigger and bigger," Michaels tells Ladies' Home Journal. "As the trainers we have no say over the challenges. We worry about them too."

Last season, contestant Tracey collapsed after valiantly trying to finish a one-mile run with the other contestants. Turns out, she suffered from heat stroke. Dr. Robert Huizenga explains that because of the amount of body fat, her body holds onto heat too efficiently and can't cool off. Tracey's collapse put the show under much scrutiny as viewers and medical professionals wondered if 'Biggest Loser' had gone too far.

The show's executive producer Todd A. Nelson says, "We all worry," but adds that the show is learning how to safely manage the medical conditions of the heaviest contestants, "and this allows us to fine-tune the process and reach out to a heavier population."

But the show will go on -- with the heaviest contestants yet, says Michaels.

As the show's new season kicks off Tuesday (8 p.m. EST) on NBC, Michaels reveals that it's a whole lot more work than anyone sees on TV. "You never see what's going on in its entirety," she says. "For every 10 minutes we're on the show, acting like insane people, there are a hundred hours of training you don't see. The stretching, the icing. Nobody wants to watch that."

"I'm passionate about helping people rebuild their lives," she says. "When someone feels strong physically, they feel strong in every aspect of their existence. If they have endurance and achieve in the gym, then I can redefine their entire self image. I can wipe away years of negativity."

Scandal? Jillian Calls Contestants 'Monkeys'

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Jillian Michaels Photos

'The Biggest Loser' trainer Jillian Michaels arrives at a benefit concert held at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. More photos >>

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Jillian Michaels Snapshots

LONG BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 26: Health expert Jillian Michaels speaks at the 2009 Women's Conference - Day 1 at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 26, 2009 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Dr. Billy Ingram/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jillian Michaels

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Trainer Jillian Michaels arrives at the Rock A Little, Feed Alot benefit concert held at Club Nokia on September 29, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jillian Michaels

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Honoree Jillian Michaels arrives at the 36th Annual Vision Awards at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel on June 27, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. 36th Annual Vision Awards The Beverly Wilshire Hotel Beverly Hills, CA United States June 27, 2009 Photo by Dr. Billy Ingram/WireImage.com To license this image (57798382), contact WireImage.com

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BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JUNE 27: Fitness motivator Jillian Michaels speaks during the 36th annual Vision Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on June 27, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jillian Michaels

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Tags: Jillian michaels, JillianMichaels, the biggest loser, TheBiggestLoser

Comments

(176)

Wednesday 06 January

By Jag

Vote down Vote up Report this

It's all about the advertising money. The show now focuses on how they can humiliate them in public by having them cry and wail on each episode.

They are over-trained by trainers with no medical knowledge and just a certification not a degree in human physiology or sports training.

By JJ

TV people in Los Angeles don't have degrees. If they did, they wouldn't be on TV.

By Duane Johnson

I wonder whether executive producer Todd Nelson would be vulnerable to manslaughter charges if someone drops dead on the program. They know the risks, but, hey! the advertisers are pouring in the dough.

By goose

Ya know..... I have read, and posted once here. I just sat back to think it over... and well... this is about the use of the term monkeys... regardless of how it was used, look what has happened. It has turned into a huge disregard for the issue, turned into disrespectful PEOPLE bashing - on the show - WILLINGLY as contestants and staff, in far worse terms than the use of ther term monkey - whatever meaning it had, only she knows for sure - but I am betting that it was not harmful. If it was meant as science project - well in fact that is what is happening.
Look what everyone is doing her - and we blame the media for blowing these thing out of proportion???????????????????????

By Hugh

Goose, WTF is your point??

Sorry Hugh, my bad - wrong post - thought I was posting to the board concerning Jillian referring to contestants on her facebook page as "monkeys"...
oh well - another human error responded to to sympathetically by impatience and lack of respect for that!
So please forgive, unlike many postings in this board, who fuel their aggressions on others faults.

By hugh

Nice post then about the Monkey face calling. Didn't mean to sound like a jerk, even though I am sometimes.

Thanks Hugh - looking back - I would probably have said the same had I bothered to read my own post !!

By Loretta Dick

I love the show and watch it every season. However, I don't think that you need to keep getting the contestants bigger and bigger. It gets gross after a while. We need to be able to relate to the contestants. The housewives who put on pounds while bieng at-home moms and having no self esteem. The husbands with beer bellies who sit on the couch and watch sports every weekend. The one who order out too much and doen't know how, or are too lazy, to cook healthy at-home meals. The teenager that thinks that food will solve their all their problems. These average Americans are worth watching! They don't have to weigh 500 pounds to be interesting. We can relate to them. We can't relate to morbidly obese people. I think you may lose viewers if you get away from their concerns.

Thursday 07 January

By Wendy

If someone can lose 100, 200, even 300 or more pounds, I surely can lose 50 or 60. That is the reason why the contestants weigh so much. It is to show the rest of us who are moderately overweight that we can certainly do it.
I am proud of the contestants that embrace the new lifestyle and change for good. It takes courage to subject themselves to the scrutiny of jerks out there like all the negative posters fat-bashing other people. At least weight can be lost, I am not so sure about some of these hateful personalities who I am disgusted to call "fellow humans."

By raychmb

My Concern is that there seems to be little to no aftercare. once a contestant is off the show, it's adios, nice meeting you, hope you don't drop dead trying to starve or exercise yourself to death. don't call us, we'll call you. and with all of the hard work they are doing with current contestants, they don't have time to work with those who were kicked off, some still needing major help afterwards...and some put the weight right back on, lowering self esteem and causing worse problems, mental health issues that might not have been there before.

By Drew

It is amazing that after all this time, Jillian claims to be concerned about the medical safety of the challenges. This is the same woman who is standing on her 'clients' or screaming that she'll 'tear of your arm and beat you with it if you let go' of the treadmill. Give it a rest, Jillian. Those of us with 20 years in the profession know that you're just covering your sculpted a** in case something goes awry in one of the challenges. Yes, you are the media queen of the tough-love trainers, but that doesn't excuse your lack of understanding of proper technique and mechanics, and it certainly doesn't make it okay that you have consistently physically abused these people to the limit. Yes, they've signed the waiver. Yes, there's an EMT standing off camera. But maybe, just maybe, the responsibility has to fall to you, the purported trainer. Take some time away from your supplement line and your DVD line and get an education.

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

In order for most of these people to have gotten so obese to begin with, there is usually an enabler at home. someone who shops and cooks for them. These people should ALSO get trained, so once a person does lose weight, and go home, they aren't getting the same type of "care-giver" help that they were given before.
If my mother made me pans of lasagna to eat everynight, but then I left home and lost 300 pounds, I return home and Mama is still making pans of lasagna, it puts the weight back on, causing self esteem issues, over their failure to maintain the weight loss. the WHOLE FAMILY should get SOME training.

By Corey

Hannah- It is not as negative as it seems to lose 20 pounds of fat in a week, for people who have 400 or more pounds of weight. Inside the body there is stored water and when these people lose all of there starting weight its mainly the water they are sweating out.

By dillboy

THIS WOMAN IS FULL OF BUNK! SHE ONLY CARES ABOUT MONEY. SHE DOESN'T GIVE A SHI*T ABOUT THE CONTESTANTS. SHE DOES WHAT THE PRODUCERS TELL HER TO DO. JUST LIKE ALL SO-CALLED REALITY SHOWS, IF IT'S PRODUCED, HOW CAN IT BE REALITY?

By me meme

I want to see someone drop stone cold dead on there some night on prime time. Yeah! Maybe then they will leave us people with love handles alone.

By Kevin Wilkerson

well some people are fat because they choose to be and don't care. I have an in-law that eats a large pizza by herself and washes it down with a 2 liter soda. I mean any one that lies on their side and eats a heaping thanksgiving dinner (laying down ) deserves to be fat. There is no excuse for some people because lazy and greedy makes me sick to my stomach.

By Michal

Jillian is full of crap.... As a Master Trainer, no one will ever tell me what I should do that will endanger one of my clients. She is just getting so much heat from trainers like myself that would never push clients to a point that would endanger thier lives. Yes being obese is life-theatening. But responsible Trainers understand the limits a person might have. Jillian and this show have brought the Personal Fitness industry to a point in which unreasonable goals are being asked of trainers by unhealthy clients to achieve results seen on a Television program which is far from reality and closer to a Fantasy. How many people do you know can spend 24 hours a day 7 days a week for months with Physican suppervision. No one I know or Train...Lets be real and truely help as many people as possible lead a happy and productive life by safely losing unwanted pounds, inches and body fat. Thats what being a Fitness Trainer is all about...

By LDB

I have a friend that is overweight who watches this show every week. It does encourage her to workout and continue on he journey, however, she seems, at times, to not be very accepting that the weight loss for her isn't as rapid. Would you rather loose, say 0.5 lb/week steadily, or a lot for a short time only to put it back on + more weight? I feel a show that deals with the real problems around this issue would be better (the reason people overeat to begin with). It's not necessariy the food but the emotional issues hidden under this terrible addiction. Weight gain, in probably most cases, is only symptomatic, and under it is a much deeper problem. If this show continues to work people in such poor physical condition as hard, it's not a matter of if someone will die, but when.

By joyce

i dont think those people should be voted off . they are there to get help and i think they should stay on there and get it . like the twins got voted off who going to help them now . i dont think it fair

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