“Biggest Loser” suspends production due to labor dispute (Update)

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[UPDATE: IATSE confirmed Wednesday that it was on strike against the show and its producers. IA International President Matthew D. Loeb said: “This is a top-rated prime-time television show, and the crew remains unified. ‘The strike is the result of a unanimous decision by members of the production crew that they get a contract similar to others covering these types of productions, and we are resolute in getting it for them.”]

A labor fracas has shut down production on the reality TV show ‘The Biggest Loser.’

Crew members walked off the Los Angeles set of the show on Monday as part of a campaign to unionize.

The crew members are seeking to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents below-the-line workers in the entertainment industry, but the show’s producers Reveille and 3Ball Productions have opposed the effort.

The standoff halted production Monday and Tuesday and no filming was scheduled for Wednesday, said two people familiar with the dispute.

Now in its 10th season, ‘The Biggest Loser’ is a mainstay of NBC’s lineup. Representatives of NBC and IATSE declined comment Tuesday night on the dispute, which was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.

-Richard Verrier