(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it is conducting an inquiry into the NBC reality competition The Biggest Loser in response to allegations contestants were given illegal narcotics.
The sheriff’s department said in a statement that a journalist informed its Malibu/Lost Hills station in May of a news report “regarding unsubstantiated allegations of illegal narcotics use in the past” on the show’s set. The program “was filmed in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County within the Malibu/Lost Hills station area,” according to the statement.
The LASD adds that Malibu/Lost Hills station personnel is conducting an inquiry into the unsubstantiated allegations, based on the information contained in the news report.
Producers of The Biggest Loser told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, “We believe these allegations are without merit and false. The safety and well-being of our contestants is, and has always been, paramount. Contestants are told at the start of the show that there is zero tolerance for any weight loss drugs. We prohibit the use of any illegal substances, in addition to the many other rules and procedures of the show that are designed to ensure safety.”
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