Suzanne Mendonca’s Biggest Loser lawsuit was never actually filed. In May 2016, the former Season 2 contestant told reporters she and other alumni were preparing a civil class action against the NBC weight-loss show, but no court record, settlement, or formal withdrawal has ever surfaced. Entertainment attorneys at the time said the case had almost no chance of succeeding, and nearly a decade later, Mendonca is still speaking publicly about the show, most recently in a 2025 Netflix documentary, without any active litigation to point to.
What Mendonca Said She Would Sue Over
Mendonca went to TMZ and other outlets in late May 2016 saying she was “in the process of filing a civil class action” against the show. She said the program had “ruined” her life, health, and metabolism, and that its producers “deserve to be responsible.”1The Hollywood Reporter. Biggest Loser Contestant Threatens Class Action
Her public accusations covered several categories of harm. She said contestants were held to roughly 800 calories a day while training up to eight hours, and that casting directors had asked her to gain 30 to 40 pounds before filming so her on-screen transformation would look more dramatic.2Fox 13 News. The Biggest Loser Contestant Calls for Show’s Cancelation She lost 100 pounds on the show and reached a size four, but said the weight came back “with a vengeance” and that she developed what she described as a severe eating disorder after filming ended.3Rolling Stone. Biggest Loser Docuseries Netflix: Fit for TV
She also alleged dehydration, vomiting that went unaddressed by production staff, and drug use on set. Mendonca claimed “people would take amphetamines, water pills, diuretics, and throw up in the bathroom,” and said the show’s physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, “knew exactly what we were doing and never tried to stop it.”4The Wrap. Biggest Loser Drugs Weight Loss Producers denied the drug claims, citing a “zero tolerance” policy. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened an inquiry and ultimately called the allegations “unsubstantiated,” with no charges filed.5The A.V. Club. The Biggest Loser Is Being Investigated for Possible On-Set Drug Use
Why the Lawsuit Never Went Anywhere
The New York Daily News covered Mendonca’s statements as an expression of intent, reporting that she “wants to sue” and “plans to sue” rather than that a case had been filed.6New York Daily News. Former Biggest Loser Contestant Suzanne Mendonca Wants to Sue the Show No filing followed. Entertainment attorneys interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2016 said the suit had “no chance of ever succeeding,” and pointed to three specific obstacles.1The Hollywood Reporter. Biggest Loser Contestant Threatens Class Action
The first was the releases. Contestants signed broad legal waivers before appearing on the show, giving up claims for injury or negative medical effects. The second was timing. Mendonca’s season aired in 2005, more than a decade before her 2016 announcement, creating serious statute-of-limitations problems for any claim tied to what happened during production. The third was class certification. Every contestant’s situation was different, from preexisting conditions to post-show choices about diet and exercise, which makes it hard to argue a court should treat them as a single group with common injuries.
Other Alumni Pushed Back
Not every former contestant supported the idea. Ali Vincent, who won Season 5, called the planned suit “preposterous” and objected to news coverage that framed alumni as a united group behind it. “I don’t appreciate making it sound like all ‘Biggest Losers’ are part of this class action suit, or are interested in that, because it’s not true,” she said. Vincent argued that participants were adults who chose to be there: “A TV show cannot ruin someone’s life.”7New York Daily News. Former Biggest Loser Winner Ali Vincent Calls Impending Lawsuit Preposterous
Where Things Stand Now
Mendonca returned to public view in Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser, a three-part Netflix docuseries that premiered on August 15, 2025. In it, she repeated and expanded her earlier allegations, saying the program prioritized spectacle over health. “The show wasn’t selling how to get healthy,” she said. “The show was selling ‘How do we appeal to millions of people?'” She also spoke about the aftermath for contestants: “It’s almost like we’re the forgotten ones. You love to watch us but you sure don’t want to know what’s happened after the fact.”3Rolling Stone. Biggest Loser Docuseries Netflix: Fit for TV She told the documentary team that before filming she had wanted the role so badly that she gained the extra weight producers requested.8People. Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser Docuseries Bombshells
The documentary triggered new legal threats, but from a different direction. Former trainer Jillian Michaels said in August 2025 that she was consulting attorney Bryan Freedman about possible action against Netflix, Bob Harper, and Dr. Huizenga over what she called “so many lies” in the series, disputing claims about calorie limits and caffeine pills. No suit by Michaels had been filed as of that reporting.9Entertainment Weekly. Jillian Michaels Blasts Netflix Biggest Loser Docuseries, Threatens Legal Action
As for Mendonca’s own case, none of the reporting around the 2025 documentary references any active litigation by former contestants against NBC or the show’s producers. The class action she announced in 2016 does not appear in any court docket, and the intervening years have produced no settlement, no dismissal, and no formal withdrawal, because there was no filed case to resolve.