'The Biggest Loser' Winner Danni Allen Defends Show After Netflix Doc, Says It Was ‘Extreme' but a ‘Positive Experience'
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Danni Allen, season 14 winner of 'The Biggest Loser,' took to social media to defend the weight-loss competition series
Although she wasn't a part of Netflix's new bombshell documentary, Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, she said her experience on the show was positive
She reminded her followers that the show is 'not without its flaws,' but it gave her lasting lessons
Dannielle "Danni" Allen — season 14 winner of The Biggest Loser — is speaking out about Netflix's new tell-all documentary centered on the weight loss competition show.
On Monday, August 18, Allen posted on Instagram and defended the NBC show, which has sparked controversy following Netflix's new documentary, Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser.
'Here's the deal…I can only speak to my season,' she wrote. 'Was it extreme? Oh, absolutely. Working out 8-10 hours a day on very few calories isn't exactly the picture of balance. But for me, it was still a positive experience.'
'Did the show want ratings and money? 100%. It was television, not summer camp,' she continued. 'But I chose to be part of it, and I'm forever grateful for the family I gained from the experience (love you, BL fam🩷).'
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Allen then gave a shout out to the 'unsung heroes' — those who worked behind the scenes — noting that they cared about the contestants and 'never made it into drama.'
'I didn't participate in the doc; I never know which 'storyline' they're going to spin. (And trust me, I've had enough slow-mo weigh-in shots for a lifetime😂) But I do plan to watch eventually, and if I feel compelled, I'll share my POV,' she wrote. 'For now, just remember: it was TV. Sometimes dramatized, sometimes inspiring, always sweaty.'
In the caption, Allen added, 'I'll say this: The Biggest Loser was not without its flaws, but it also gave me lasting friendships and lessons. What I believe strongly is that we can all keep learning about health, and when we're able, invest in ourselves.'
Five years after The Biggest Loser ended for good, the alleged darker side of the show has been examined in Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, which began streaming on Aug. 15.
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The new three-episode Netflix docuseries covers not only the show's public missteps, including a 2016 bombshell medical study that claimed contestants permanently had damaged their metabolic rates, but new behind-the-scenes details about some of the unhealthy decisions allegedly made by its cast, crew and showrunners during The Biggest Loser's 18-season run.
Allen won Biggest Loser in 2013. She began the series at 258 lbs. and lost 121 lbs., finishing at 137 lbs. (a 47% weight loss). Shortly after her win, she became the marketing director for a Chicago-area Planet Fitness.
In May 2019, she told the Chicago Tribune that she weighed around 175 to 180 lbs., which she considered a "healthy, happy weight for me to maintain without going crazy in the gym."
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