In the latest season of The Biggest Loser, contestant Tracey Yukich opens up about a life-altering experience while filming Netflix’s new documentary series, Suitable for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser.
Yukich recalls her distressing collapse during her first challenge, which involved a demanding run on the beach. There was a looming risk of elimination if participants couldn’t finish. “Competing on The Biggest Loser feels like winning a lottery,” she explains. Unfortunately, her body began to fail her quickly.
“I can’t remember everything,” Yukich noted. “I remember the sound of the helicopter and feeling like I was floating. It was as if my grandfather was there, and I could see darkness, but also light. At that moment, I knew—I felt like I had died that day.”
After she collapsed, her teammates carried her across the finish line, but she didn’t respond. Host Alison Sweeney stated, “She fell just beyond the finish line; that’s when we realized something was seriously wrong.”
Contestant Danny Cahill expressed concern, saying, “I sensed something was really amiss because she didn’t seem to be responding. When the helicopter arrived, we all feared for her life.”
Yukich was airlifted to a hospital where doctors diagnosed her with rhabdomyolysis, a critical condition that leads to organ failure. “It starts with my liver, then my kidneys, and then my heart,” she explained. “That was the brink of my death.”
She spent almost a month recovering in the hospital, and when she eventually returned to the competition, she felt out of place. “I felt like a fish out of water,” she recalled. “My journey was incredibly tough. I couldn’t keep up with everyone else, and I often felt alone.”
Despite what she went through, Yukich chose not to quit. “I had to turn my life around,” she said. “I outsmarted death, completely dodged it. I never truly died—it’s still ongoing.”
She later reflected on how both disastrous and transformative the experience was. “I hated every single day,” she admitted, “but at the same time, I desperately wanted to be there.”
The Biggest Loser has completed 18 seasons across NBC and USA Network, while Suitable for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser is currently available on Netflix.
