‘The Biggest Loser’ — A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen?
December 3, 2009
In the wake of an interesting article in The New York Times last week highlighting some of the dangerous weight loss techniques being employed by contestants on the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser,” THR, Esq. asks the inevitable question: Who will be the first to sue “The Biggest Loser?” At least two contestants, including the winner of the program’s first season, Ryan C. Benson, have admitted to using techniques including fasting and dehydrating themselves in pursuit of the grand prize of $250,000. Benson said that he took these techniques to the point that he was urinating blood. The NYT article indicates that the program’s regular regimen is one of severe caloric restriction and up to six hours a day of strenuous exercise. This helps contestants lose more than 15 pounds a week in many cases, way beyond the two pounds a week that some medical professionals recommend for dieters. “I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack,” said Dr. Charles Burant, a professor and director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center. “I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it. I think the show is so…