What Did “The Biggest Loser” Winners Get? All About the Grand Prize (and Why One Contestant Was Given $150,000 Less Than the Rest)
- - What Did “The Biggest Loser” Winners Get? All About the Grand Prize (and Why One Contestant Was Given $150,000 Less Than the Rest)
Christopher RudolphAugust 21, 2025 at 4:01 AM
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'The Biggest Winner' season 5 winner Ali Vincent -
The Biggest Loser premiered in 2004 and aired for 18 seasons until 2020
Ali Vincent, Danny Cahill and Rachel Frederickson are among the winners who took home the grand prize
The reality competition show is the focus of the Netflix docuseries, Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser
The 18 winners of The Biggest Loser shed considerable weight to earn the show's grand prize.
Five years after the reality TV competition series ended, it's back in the spotlight as the center of the Netflix docuseries, Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, which premiered on Aug. 15.
The three-part original documentary exposes the dark side of the inspiring but controversial show, featuring interviews with former Biggest Loser contestants, producers and crew members, like fitness trainer Bob Harper.
Throughout its run, The Biggest Loser followed the journeys of Rachel Frederickson, Danny Cahill and Ali Vincent, among others, as they aimed to win first place and take home a monetary reward.
So what did The Biggest Loser winners get? Here's everything to know about the reality competition's prizes, including how contestants won the "at-home" crown after being eliminated.
What did the winner of The Biggest Loser get?
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Bob Harper, Winner Olivia Ward, Jillian Michaels and Alison Sweeney on 'The Biggest Loser'
For the first 17 seasons, the victor of The Biggest Loser won a grand prize of $250,000 and the title of "Biggest Loser."
At the beginning of every installment, contestants were weighed, and whoever lost the largest percentage of weight relative to their starting point was crowned the winner.
According to Chicago magazine in November 2010, season 9 winner Michael Ventrella used his winnings to pay off his credit cards, truck loan and student loans.
“I have no money coming in and a lot of money going out. That scares me to death,” Ventrella said about his post-Biggest Loser life.
“It’s been good and bad,” he added. “The good part is I’m living, not only with my body but with my life. A year ago, I’d be trapped in a basement bedroom, jamming out on my computer.”
Did The Biggest Loser prize change throughout the show's history?
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"The Biggest Loser" season 3 winner Erik Chopin
Yes, the prize pot for The Biggest Loser changed for the show's final installment.
Season 17 aired in January 2016, and after a four-year hiatus, it returned for a rebooted version in January 2020, moving from its longtime home on NBC to the USA Network.
The channel change wasn't the only difference for season 18. The grand prize was lowered from $250,000 to $100,000. The winner also received a trip to Universal Studios in Florida and a home gym.
In March 2020, season 18 winner Jim DiBattista told the Delco Times, "Whether I won the money or not, I already won, getting rid of my health issues. I finally learned that I need to take time for myself in order to be a better, healthier person for myself and for everyone else."
What was The Biggest Loser at-home prize?
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"The Biggest Loser" season 10 contestants
The Biggest Loser at-home prize was awarded to an eliminated contestant who lost the highest percentage of their body weight after leaving the competition.
The at-home prize was $100,000 and part of the series since the beginning. In the first season, David Fioravanti was crowned the At-Home winner.
The Biggest Loser changed lives — for better or worse — even after the participants left the competition. Deni Hill, the at-home winner for season 11, took her fitness full-time after her time on the show.
"With the support of my husband, I quit my job and made this my ultimate job," she told KSL News in May 2011. "It's just been really amazing to see what I can do and what this 59-year-old, almost 60-year-old body can do."
According to an August 2014 blog post, Hill went on to run races and give motivational speeches.
Did The Biggest Loser contestants get paid for participating?
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"The Biggest Loser" season 6 contestants
Yes, The Biggest Loser contestants were paid while appearing on the series.
In a November 2013 interview with The A.V. Club, season 4 contestant Nicole Michalik revealed that the participants were paid "$100 a day."
"After the fact, I did find out that two of the guys on my seasons negotiated for higher stipends, because they had families and they were the providers, but for me, that was awesome," Michalik continued. "I didn't spend any money at all. I paid off my credit card bill."
"[The stipend] could be more now. I’m not really sure," she added.
on People
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