Ryan Benson, winner of the first season of NBC’s ‘.

On the show, Benson lost 122-pounds from his original 330-pound frame, but says that much of that was spurred by dehydration and fasting, “to the point that he was urinating blood.”

He has also gained most of the weight back, and thinks he was not allowed to attend Wednesday’s special ‘Biggest Loser’ reunion episode because of his personal failure – and candid exposé about his risky weight loss methods.

A few other contestants from past seasons have also gone public with weight loss woes in recent years. Kai Hibbard (season 3), once admitted that other contestants on her season would drink little water before weigh-ins, and work out as much as possible in several layers of clothing when the show wasn’t taping. She also complained about the improper editing of the episodes and says she gained 31-pounds back just from drinking water.

So does ‘Biggest Loser’ have a very ‘big’ problem on its hands? Is there a danger in contestants getting carried away to claim that big quarter-million dollar prize?

“I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it,” said Dr. Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. “I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars.”

But of course, those affiliated with the show disagree.

“Contestants can get a little too crazy and they can get too thin,” said one of the show’s trainers, Jillian Michaels. “That is the worst part of the show,” she said. “ It’s just part of the nature of reality TV.”

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