The Biggest Loser premiered in 2004 on NBC, focusing on overweight and obese individuals trying to lose weight. Whoever had the most progress on the show won $250,000. Michaels and Bob Harper were two of the original coaches and trainers on the show.

David Broome, a co-creator of The Biggest Loser, says in the docuseries that he got the idea for the show after seeing a desperate “help wanted” ad for a personal trainer to “save my life” on a bulletin board outside of a gym. Once the show was underway, producers searched for similarly desperate contestants.