Jillian Michaels 'Loser' Headed in Different Direction Than Trainer Planned
Trainer Jillian Michaels has revealed why she chose to leave "The Biggest Loser" after a successful comeback. The show was headed in a direction she was not willing to go and was worried about the effect it was having on her relationships with friends, fans, and most importantly, her family.
"In the beginning of the show, it was tough love," Michaels told People magazine. "You saw the tough, and you saw the love." However, in more recent episodes, "you saw none of the relationships, none of the bonds that I build with my clients. Millions of people have this warped negative perception of me."
Michaels, the mother of son Phoenix, 2, and daughter Lukensia, 4, was worried about how that negative perception was affecting her children. During this last season, Michaels was accused of cheating by giving her trainees caffeine pills, which led to conflict between Michaels and NBC.
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"I know who your mom is – she's a cheater," Michaels said a person told her daughter. "I saw it on TV."
People also began to question "what kind of mom I must be," given the image of her portrayed on "Loser."
"I had to take a hard look at my work," she explained. "I came to the conclusion that moving forward, I need to be able to have an impact on the outcome of what I do."
One other factor leading to Michaels' decision was the end of last season and winner Rachel Frederickson's appearance. Frederickson lost nearly 100 pounds, and when she walked out on stage to reveal her new look, Michaels was visibly shaken. She did not speak out about Frederickson's weight loss until a few weeks later.
"I was stunned," she told HuffPost Live. "I thought she had lost too much weight. In my opinion, this had fallen through those checks and balances" imposed by "Biggest Loser" producers and trainers."
"The Biggest Loser" will feature two new trainers this season: Jessie Pavelka and Jennifer Widerstrom, who will join Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince.
