To say it was a shock when Rachel Frederickson revealed her 155-pound weight loss on The Biggest Loser finale last month was an understatement.
Trainer Bob Harper admitted he was "stunned," while Jillian Michaels couldn't hide her shocked reaction during the show, and now Alison Sweeney has opened up about the controversy. Frederickson made headlines with her 105-pound frame, which even sparked eating disorder concerns.
"I think that The Biggest Loser, what we focus on on the show, helping people with the rest of their lives and helping them make changes, but at the end of the day, it's every individual's responsibility to do what they think is best for them," Sweeney said when asked for her reaction to Frederickson's reveal.
"So I think Rachel said it best when she was on the Today show about, whatever it was, two weeks after the finale, she came back and shared sort of her feelings about really focusing on winning the competition and as an athlete…she really kept her eye on that prize," Sweeney continued. "And two weeks later, sort of had found maybe a happier body weight that she felt more comfortable with, which is how she looks now and she looks fantastic."
Frederickson indeed showed off a healthier appearance when she opened up on the Today show about her Biggest Loser journey less than month after the weight loss scandal.
"I did work so hard for the finale and for finding myself again," the 24-year-old said, admitting she was confused when her big reveal made some people question whether she suffered from an eating disorder. "I felt amazing on the stage. I felt like I shined in my dress. I got off the stage and Twitter was all abuzz," she recalled. "There was just so much chatter about it."
Frederickson added that she has no regrets, telling Savannah Guthrie, "I felt so proud of everything I had accomplished. My journey was my own. I loved it. I lived it. I felt really proud of what I did."
However, the controversy caused producers to consider "small but significant tweaks" to the series' production, as sources connected to the show told E! News.
"There might be more focus on what happens to the winner after they are supposedly done with the show," said one source tied to the series.
"Well, we've always monitored people," Sweeney replied when asked if contestants will now be monitored once they leave the ranch. "We stay really involved in the contestants, as much as they want, as much as we can…we have to do the best we can."
So will there be any changes to the hit NBC series?
Sweeney stayed mum when asked about the future of the show. "That's more something I'll be able to talk more about as we get ready for the new season," she said. "I honestly don't know, I don't get to be part of those conversations."
Can't wait to find out!
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old stunner, who is currently teamed up with the Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant toothpaste and Spinbrushes, is getting ready to say goodbye to Days of Our Lives after 21 years (!) on the hit soap (although she will be on the series all through this year) as well as the release of her next novel Scared Scriptless.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)