Investigation launched into drug accusations against ‘The Biggest Loser’

Accusations about drug use lobbed against NBC’s long-running competitive weight loss series “The Biggest Loser” have spurred an investigation, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced this week.

According to a statement from Sheriff’s Lt. James Royal, “In May, 2016, a journalist advised Malibu/Lost Hills station personnel of a news report regarding unsubstantiated allegations of illegal narcotics use in the past on the set of the television reality show, ‘The Biggest Loser.’”

The investigation comes on the heels of a May 22 article in the New York Post in which several ex-“Biggest Loser” contestants accused the show of unhealthy weight loss methodology. The story also featured an allegation from 2008 contestant Joelle Gwynn that an assistant for trainer Bob Harper gave her an unknown yellow-and-black medication that left her “jittery and hyper.”

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“According to the Sheriff’s Department, they are ‘conducting an inquiry regarding unsubstantiated allegations.’ We believe these allegations are without merit and false,” the producers of “The Biggest Loser” said in a statement to The Times.

“The safety and well-being of our contestants is, and has always been, paramount. Contestants are told at the start of the show that there is zero tolerance for any weight loss drugs. We prohibit the use of any illegal substances, in addition to the many other rules and procedures of the show that are designed to ensure safety,” the statement added.

“The Biggest Loser” also found itself making headlines in May when a study supported by Intramural Research Program of the NIH was released suggesting that the extreme weight loss undertaken in the show caused lasting changes to contestants’ metabolisms.

The NBC series debuted in 2004 and has run for 17 seasons, for a total of nearly 250 episodes. Once regularly garnering audiences of over 10 million viewers, the show’s most recent season, which concluded in February, averaged just 4.75 million viewers.

“The Biggest Loser” has yet to be renewed by NBC for an 18th season.

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