The Biggest Loser trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper have broken their silence on fifteenth-season champion Rachel Frederickson's dramatic weight-loss from 260 pounds to 105 pounds -- but they still aren't saying much.
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"Jillian Michaels will not comment on Rachel's journey as she was not her trainer. She is celebrating the at-home win of her contestant, [Tumi Oguntala]. Any questions about any of the other contestants on The Biggest Loser should be directed to the show's producers," Michaels' representative told People.
Michaels -- who was shown mouthing "oh my God" to Harper in a seemingly concerned manner when Frederickson first walked out onstage during Tuesday night's live finale -- later elaborated on her position in a Facebook post, also speaking on behalf of Harper.
"So here it is. Bob and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We're not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey because we weren't her trainers and weren't given an opportunity to work with her at any point," the professional trainer wrote.
Harper issued his statement on Facebook as well, and it basically mimics that of Michaels'.
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"Jillian and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We're not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey because we weren't her trainers and weren't given an opportunity to work with her at any point. Any questions about the contestants on The Biggest Loser should be directed to the show's producers," Harper wrote.
Frederickson, a 24-year-old voice-over artist from Los Angeles, CA, was technically trained by Dolvett Quince this past season, as she spent most of her time on the show as a member of his Red Team.
Frederickson lost 155 pounds total all season and ended up losing just about 60 percent of her body weight in order to claim The Biggest Loser's $250,000 grand prize Tuesday night. Frederickson's margin of loss was the highest percentage ever posted by any contestant in the history of The Biggest Loser.
"Dolvett said, 'You're a fighter and I saw it from you on Day 1 and I brought it out, but you did it. You accomplished it. You fought, you fought and here's your life back. You fought for it,'" the former high school swimmer told Us Weekly after the finale.
Not only did Frederickson's tiny 5'5" frame get viewers talking, show staffers were also reportedly shocked about her transformation at first glance.
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"Executives honestly thought that maybe she'd look okay and that no one would notice," a source told People, "but people gasped."
However, Frederickson has continued to dodge questions on whether she feels she is now "too skinny" or "took things too far."
David Brown, a 43-year-old construction company project manager and phone company social commerce leader from Edmond, OK, finished The Biggest Loser's fifteenth season as the runner-up. He posted a total 54.28% weight-loss percentage.
Third place went to Bobby Saleem, a 28-year-old attorney from Chicago, IL, who posted a 52.51% weight-loss percentage.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski