On And Off Camera, Biggest Loser Finale Left NBC ‘Fuming’

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Last night’s live, 2-hour Biggest Loser finale on NBC crowned Erik Chopin the winner, after the New Yorker dropped 214 pounds (more than half his original weight). But amidst all the celebration of former fatties, the production crew behind the show was in turmoil.

An insider tells us that all the mistakes you saw on air – Caroline Rhea flubbing her lines and missing her cues, awkward camera shots, contestants ignoring the camera to chat with each other – were bad enough, but behind the scenes it was a “clusterfuck” of confusion, screaming, name calling, and assigning blame.

We’re told NBC, along with Emmy-winning power director Glenn Weiss – who was behind the 2006 Tonys and Emmys, as well as Miss USA 2006, among many others – was left fuming after the constant mistakes. Our insider tattles that Weiss could be seen (and overheard) screaming at everyone from producers to the cue card guys. Our tattler also says his anger reached as far as host Caroline Rhea, who stumbled through the entire 2-hour show “as if she’d never done TV before.”

No word yet on whether heads will role – a live broadcast like this usually employs a score of third parties who aren’t on NBC’s regular payroll – but we hear Weiss is through with the show and has already promised to rebuff any invitation to shoot next season’s finale.