‘Biggest Loser’ Contestant ‘Died’ While Filming Challenge?

A shocking new Netflix documentary has thrown “The Biggest Loser” back into the spotlight, and one former contestant says her experience nearly cost her life.

Tracey Yukich, who competed on Season 8 of the hit weight-loss reality show, claims she actually died during the very first episode after collapsing from heat stroke in a brutal mile-long beach challenge. She says she blacked out, heard a helicopter, saw her late grandfather—and then darkness. “I knew I died that day,” Yukich recalls in Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, the three-part series now streaming on Netflix.

The documentary exposes the show’s darker side, including extreme calorie restrictions—sometimes less than 1,000 calories a day—and bizarre “temptation” challenges that put contestants in rooms filled with food. Yukich says she suffered rhabdomyolysis, a severe condition that caused her organs to begin shutting down. Doctors warned they might even have to cut open her legs to relieve swelling.

Despite nearly losing her life, Yukich decided to stay on the show, saying she needed to change her life and escape an unhealthy marriage. “I just cheated death. Completely cheated it. Didn’t die. It’s on,” she said.

Host Alison Sweeney remembers the moment vividly, saying Yukich collapsed right after being carried across the finish line. “That’s when I realized there was a real problem,” she said. Fellow contestant Danny Cahill added, “When the helicopter came, we were all scared to death.”

Yukich spent almost four weeks in the hospital before returning to compete, though she felt isolated and struggled to keep up. Still, she credits the show with teaching her healthier habits and setting an example for her children. “My kids told me, ‘Mom, if you hadn’t done that, we probably would have never learned some of the things you taught us about taking care of our bodies,’” she said.

Other contestants also admitted the workouts were grueling and at times unrealistic for life outside the show, but many said the friendships and personal growth made it worthwhile.

“The Biggest Loser” ran for 18 seasons, and while it inspired millions, the Netflix docuseries reveals just how high the cost of reality TV can be.