In a complaint filed in federal court on June 2 against the New York Post and a former “Biggest Loser” contestant, Malibu property owner Dr. Robert Huizenga sued for libel over statements made in a series of articles last month. Both defendants have stood by their statements.
Huizenga is also known as Dr. H on TV’s “The Biggest Loser” — a reality show that has run for 17 seasons on NBC (since 2004). Each season, obese contestants compete to win cash and the “Biggest Loser” title by losing the highest percentage of body weight. Recent seasons have been filmed at King Gillette Ranch on Mulholland Highway near Malibu Creek State Park.
The doctor is suing over statements made by former contestant Joelle Gwynn, which include various allegations of improper practices.
Huizinga’s lawsuit was filed just a few days after the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department announced it was investigating claims that “The Biggest Loser” contestants were given illegal narcotics. On May 31, Lt. Jim Royal said a journalist tipped off the sheriff’s department.
“The show was filmed in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County within the Malibu/Lost Hills Station area,” the sheriff’s department statement read. “Based on the information contained in the news report, Malibu/Lost Hills Station personnel are conducting an inquiry regarding the unsubstantiated allegations.”
The show has been criticized by a number of experts over the years because the amount of weight lost by contestants, often more than 10 pounds per week, exceeds current medical guidelines of 1-2 pounds per week maximum. Other health experts have criticized the dietary guidelines and workout routines on the show as being flawed. The weight loss regimen used in the show — severe caloric restriction combined with up to six hours a day of strenuous exercise — involves medical risks. There is a disclaimer at the end of each show and all contestants sign waivers.
Former show contestants seemed more willing to talk about their experiences after the U.S. National Institutes of Health recently released the results of a long-term study on Season 8 of “The Biggest Loser.” The study found that most of the 16 contestants regained their weight, and in some cases gained more than before they entered the contest.
The New York Times reported last month: “When the show began, the contestants, though hugely overweight, had normal metabolisms for their size, meaning they were burning a normal number of calories for people of their weight. When it ended, their metabolisms had slowed radically and their bodies were not burning enough calories to maintain their thinner sizes … What shocked the researchers was what happened next.
“As the years went by and the numbers on the scale climbed, the contestants’ metabolisms did not recover,” the report went on. “They became even slower, and the pounds kept piling on. It was as if their bodies were intensifying their effort to pull the contestants back to their original weight.”
The article quoted a Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, who said, “The difficulty in keeping weight off reflects biology, not a pathological lack of willpower.”
Not to be confused with the show, there was also a Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu for a time. Located at 327 Latigo Canyon Rd., the property was initially named Fitness Ridge — Malibu, rebranded itself as The Biggest Loser Resort — Malibu in 2009 (after a licensing deal with NBC), then changed names again to Wellfit Malibu in 2015.