The Biggest Loser
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| The Biggest Loser US | |
|---|---|
| Format | Reality TV |
| Created by | J.D. Roth |
| Starring | Jillian Michaels (2004-2005, 2007-Present) Alison Sweeney (2007–present) Bob Harper (2004–present) Caroline Rhea (2004–2006) Kim Lyons (2006-2007) |
| Narrated by | J.D. Roth |
| Country of origin | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes (approx 44 min) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original run | October 19, 2004 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The Biggest Loser is an NBC reality television show that began broadcasting on October 19, 2004. The show features obese contestants in a weight loss competition, with an ultimate prize of $250,000.
The show's fifth season began on January 1, 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
The basic premise of the show is that overweight contestants are competing to win $250,000 by losing the highest percentage of their starting body weight. The first season began with 12 contestants, while the second season began with 14. The third season began with 50 contestants, one from each state. The fourth season began with 18 contestants.
In the first three seasons, contestants were housed on a large ranch that offered plenty of indoor and outdoor space, a pool and a fully equipped gym. In the fourth season, the ranch was replaced with a revamped college campus, known on the show as the Biggest Loser Campus.
At the start of each season, contestants are grouped into teams and each team is assigned a personal trainer. For the first 3 seasons, there were two teams and two trainers, while the fourth season featured three teams and three trainers. The trainers are responsible for designing and teaching to the contestants comprehensive workout plans and nutrition plans. It is up to the contestants, however, how much or how little of the nutrition plan to implement, and how much of the workout plan they follow when the trainer is not present.
The season starts with a weigh-in to determine the contestants' starting weights. Each week culminates in another weigh-in to determine which team has lost the most weight for that week, in percentage of total weight lost. The team that has lost the lowest percentage during that week must vote off one member of the team.
When the number of contestants has shrunk to a predetermined smaller number (unknown to the contestants), the teams are dissolved. The contestants are now competing one-on-one against each other, although they continue to work with their original trainers. Each week still culminates with a weigh-in, now with the two people who have lost the least percentage of weight being the ones who can be voted on for elimination.
The trainers are motivated to 'push' their individual contestants by a predetermined bonus structure, with the winning contestants trainer taking home $100,000+.
The general episode structure is as follows:
- Temptation. Contestants prepare for the first day of the week only to find a situation that involves temptation. The temptation usually requires contestants to gamble by eating or drinking delicious but high-calorie foods in exchange for what may seem to be a beneficial trade-off. The benefits may or may not be known to the contestants in advance. Examples include eating sweet foods for a chance to call their loved ones, eating a big slice of cake to win an unknown prize (which turns out to be an exercise bike) or giving up time with trainer for a chance to win thousands of dollars. Contestants are given a set amount of time before the offer passes.
- Reward challenge. Contestants compete to win a prize, first as teams and then as individuals after the teams are dissolved. After the challenge, viewers are shown the winning team savoring their reward while the losing team bitterly accepts their loss. Prizes range from immunity to exercise equipment to phone calls home to "Pound Passes", that allow the holder to have a greater weight loss at the Weigh-In (eg. a 6lb weight loss would result in a 7lb weight loss if a contestant were to win a "1 Pound Pass").
- Weigh-in. All contestants are weighed to determine the amount they have lost relative to their total body weight. During team-based competition, the team that loses the highest percentage wins and the losing team must send one person home. When the teams are dissolved and the show becomes an individual competition, the two contestants who lose the lowest percentage of weight are eligible for elimination. A similar setup to individual-based weigh-ins happens when the two initial teams are broken up into four teams of two, as happened in the second season.
- The vote. The losing team meets in a dining room that has refrigerators labeled with each contestant's name, and filled with that contestant's favorite tempting foods. The name of each contestant is illuminated, and as people are voted out, the light for their name is extinguished. During the team-based competition, losing members each carry a covered plate containing the name of the person they wish to vote out. The team member who lost the highest percentage of weight that week is considered immune and may not be sent home. In the event of a tie, the winning team decides which member of the losing team shall be voted out. During the individual-based competition, the fate of the two contestants on the chopping block will be determined by the other players. In the event of a tie, the contestant who lost the least percentage of weight is eliminated.
[edit] Cast
For the first 3 seasons, the show was hosted by Canadian comedienne Caroline Rhea. Beginning with the show's fourth season, Rhea was replaced with actress Alison Sweeney. Creator/executive director J.D. Roth is the narrator of the series.
Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Kim Lyons are personal trainers assigned to help the competitors. Michaels was a personal trainer for the first two seasons and the special editions, but was replaced with Lyons in season 3. The reason for her departure, according to an interview in WHO magazine [1], was she was unhappy with the way she was portrayed. Both Michaels and Lyons returned to the show in the fourth season, with Michaels training a third Black team.
For the Fifth Season, Michaels became the lone female trainer. According to Rene Lynch of the Los Angeles Times, Lyons stepped back from the program to finish personal projects that she had already started before signing on, including a video series. She is currently not sure whether she will be a part of the show in the future. [2]
[edit] Seasons
The first season of The Biggest Loser featured 12 contestants divided into two teams, the Red team and the Blue team. Team Red was coached by trainer Jillian Michaels, while Team Blue was coached by trainer Bob Harper. The eventual winner of the $250,000 grand prize was Ryan, with a total weight loss of 122 pounds (37%).
The second season featured fourteen contestants divided into two teams based on gender. The women were coached by Bob Harper, while the men were coached by trainer Jillian Michaels. Season two introduced the change that weigh-ins would be won or lost based on the percentage of total weight lost, rather than on the number of pounds lost. This change was made to create a more even playing field among contestants of varying weights. Matt was the eventual winner. In this season, contestants Suzy Preston and Matt Hoover (third place finisher and winner, respectively) began dating after the show and since married (revealed in Larry King Live). In 2007, they had their first child together.
The third season began September 20, 2006, and involved the largest cast ever, with 50 contestants initially beginning the show, one for each US state. Kim Lyons joined the show, replacing Jillian Michaels as the Red Team trainer for only one season. After the initial group weigh-in and exercise, 14 contestants were selected to stay on the ranch and the other 36 contestants participated by losing weight at home. Later in the season, at-home players who lost the most weight were brought back to rejoin the cast on the ranch. [3]
On November 28, 2006, NBC announced that The Biggest Loser had been renewed [4]. The show has been seeing year-to-year gains. In February 2007, it was announced that Caroline Rhea has left the show, to be replaced by Days of our Lives actress Alison Sweeney.[1] The series premiere was on September 11, 2007. [2] It was also announced that there will be three teams, with both Jillian Michaels and Kim Lyons returning as personal trainers. One of the contestants for this season was Amber Walker, a paramedic from Pasadena, Texas, who won a viewer vote among potential candidates on the April 23, 2007 edition of NBC's Today. [3]. The contestants were announced by NBC on August 2, 2007. [4] The twins won: Jim won the prize for the kicked off contestants and Bill won the grand prize of $250,000.
On September 24, 2007, NBC announced that the Biggest Loser had been renewed for a fifth season. Season 5 will premiere on January 1, 2008. In this season, contestants will compete in pairs with a loved one, co-worker or friend. Alison Sweeney will return as host for her second season. Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels will return to train the contestants. Full information about the season will be available in mid-December 2007, when NBC launches the season five website. Kim Lyons was reported in an article on RealityTVWorld.com that says she will not be returning this season and may come back the season after this.
[edit] Spinoff
A spin-off of The Biggest Loser, The Biggest Loser: Special Edition features a team of people competing against another team, with each competition airing in two one-hour episodes. They spend 11 days on the ranch working with Bob and Jillian and then return home to continue to lose weight. The announced groups included "family vs. family", where two families with restaurants of different cultures competed to lose weight, "engaged couple vs. engaged couple", and "Marines vs. Navy". Each episode featured one of the mini-competitions from start to finish.
[edit] International versions
The franchise has since been exported to Australia (2 seasons), UK (2 seasons), Netherlands (4 seasons), Brazil, India, and Israel. Internationally, there have been a combined total of about 200 Biggest Loser contestants with starting weights ranging from 167 pounds (75.8kg) to 477 pounds (216.3kg).
[edit] UK
In addition to showing the US version, Living TV also produced their own version, which aired in 2005. Bob and Jillian were not involved but they had their own trainers with similar styles. Angie Dowds [5](counterpart to Jillian) uses a hard no-nonsense approach in training the red team, while Mark Bailey (counterpart to Bob) trains the blue team with a supportive caring approach. The show was hosted by Vicki Butler-Henderson, a motoring journalist turned television presenter who races cars and has hosted shows such as Fifth Gear.
[edit] Season 1
The first season aired on the 6th October 2005 on Living TV in the UK, and also in September 2007 in New Zealand on Prime Television New Zealand. The contestants in order of elimination were:
Tracey Barcoe (Lost 4lb when eliminated, and 2st 2lb at the reunion)
Katie Wareing (Lost 1st 1lb when eliminated, and 2st 12b at the reunion)
Paul Tabram (Lost 1st 1lb when eliminated, and 3st 5lb at the reunion)
Tamara Joseph (Lost 1st 1lb when eliminated, and 2st 9lb at the reunion)
Dr Shane Lee (Lost 2st 5lb when eliminated, and did not appear at the reunion)
Martin Langmaid (Lost 3 st 2lb when eventually eliminated (for the 2nd time at week 9), and 4st 8lb at the reunion)
Nat Curtis (Lost 1st 11lb when eliminated, and 4st 4lb at the reunion)
Barney Gibson (Lost 2st 10lb when he left through illness, and 6st at the reunion)
Nadine Lautman (Lost 1st 11lb when eliminated, and 3st 12lb at the reunion)
Samantha Atkins (Lost 6st 3lb by the reunion)
Mark Whittaker (Lost 5st 8lb when eliminated, and 8st 9lb at the reunion)
WINNER: Aaron Howlett (Total 9st 12lb at the Final)
Total Weight lost for Season 1 was 54st 6lb (762lb or 345.6kg)
[edit] Future
Season 3 of the US version on Living TV will air the UK in 2007, although it does not appear that a third UK season is planned at this time.
[edit] Australia
[edit] Season 1
An Australian version of the program first aired at 7.00pm each weeknight on Network Ten from 13 February, to the final episode on 27 April, 2006 where the first Australia's Biggest Loser was awarded AUD$200,000. The program featured the same personal trainers as the US version, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels with Australian host AJ Rochester. Over 6,000 Australians applied to take part, only 12 contestants being chosen to compete, their starting weight ranging from 101kg (Fiona) to 197kg (David). The first Australian biggest loser winner was Adro Sanelli who lost 51.3kg (37.58% of his starting weight).
[edit] Season 2
The second season of the Australian version first went to air on Sunday 4 February, 2007 on the Ten Network. It was introduced with personal trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, who were then taken over by two new Australian trainers, Michelle Bridges and Shannan Ponton, with one extra surprise trainer, Ex-SAS "Commando" Steve Willis. The contestants starting weights range from 108kg to 216kg, the heaviest competitor out of all versions of The Biggest Loser worldwide. The beginning of this series marked some controversy with a contestant quitting and a further two leaving on medical terms. New twists were introduced including "The Walk" which gave individual immunity winners power to change the outcome of the game and a second major twist of introducing 2 new competitors as "The Outsiders" who had trained outside of the game. Their entry caused some upset, especially with Chris entering the competition as the 3rd biggest loser. The final three were Chris, Marty and Pati, Chris won with a 70.1 kg weight loss (46.89% of his starting weight), and Michael won the runners-up prize of AUD$50,000, losing 70kg (42.37% of his starting weight).
[edit] Season 3
A third season is planned for a 2008 release in a similar format as the previous two Australian seasons. Application opened at the end of season 2.[5]
[edit] Arab
The Arab MBC 1 Channel started a version of the Biggest Loser which is called "The Biggest Winner" (الرابح الأكبر). The first season was aired in 2006 with 14 contestants. The contestants are from all the Arab countries and divided into 2 teams: Blue Team and Red Team.
[edit] India
The channel, Sahara One, has also started airing a version of The Biggest Loser. The show is called "Biggest Loser Jeetega" (Biggest Loser Wins). The first season piloted in the month of May 2007 with 16 contenders. It is being hosted by a popular Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty and telecast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. IST.
[edit] Germany
ProSieben will air a version, which is also called The Biggest Loser, in spring 2008.
[edit] Israel
Channel 10, in Israel, has also aired a version of The Biggest Loser, named there "Laredet Begadol" ("To lose Hugely")[6]. Two seasons were aired so far, with the third being planned to air in 2008.
[edit] Netherlands
There have been 4 seasons of a Netherlands version, which airs on SBS6. [7] [8]
[edit] Brazil
SBT has also aired a version in Brazil, called O Grande Perdedor. Silvio Santos hosts. In 2007, the network revamped the show, under new name Quem Perde, Ganha (He who loses, wins) and host (Lígia Mendes).
[edit] Contestants
There have been a total of 119 Biggest Loser contestants over 3 USA full seasons, 2 USA special editions, and 2 Australian seasons. This figure does not include the 2 UK seasons, 3 Netherlands seasons and Israeli season. The heaviest contestant to start in the game was Damien Wicks from the second Australian season, starting at 477 pounds (216.3kg) and the lightest contestant was Lizzeth from the first USA season, starting at 167 pounds (75.8kg). The highest percentage loss achieved from the first time being weighed on the show to the final reunion weigh-in for a male was 52.58% by Erik and by a female was 50.43% by Poppi both from the third USA season. The highest weight lost in one week was 34 pounds (15.5kg) by "Big Wal" on the first Australian season, the highest female weight loss in one week was 25 pounds (11.34kg) by Sarah Eberwein from the Special Edition Engaged Couples One show and the least lost in 1 week was 0kg (0 pounds) by female contestant Munnalita Kyrimis in the Second Australian season. (Some contestants have also put on weight.) The youngest contestant was Laura from the second Australian season, age 20, and the oldest is Jerry, age 62 from the fourth American season.
[edit] Criticism
Contestants are asked to lose the highest percentage of body mass in order to win, rather than losing the most body fat. Because of this contestants aren't encouraged to perform any muscle building exercises as muscle is denser than fat, therefore with the same volume of each, muscle will weigh more. This means contestants would have the greatest chance of winning the series by starving themselves so as to lose both fat and muscle. In additon, there has never been a female champion of the US Biggest Loser, as men tend to lose weight faster than women.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.etonline.com/tv/news/2007/02/44135/
- ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070412nbc01
- ^ http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18233299/
- ^ http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/nbc-reveals-identities-of-the-biggest-loser-fourth-season-cast-5600.php
- ^ The Biggest Loser Series 3 - Have you got what it takes? - Application for series 3. URL accessed April 27 2007
[edit] External links
- Official American NBC The Biggest Loser website
- Official Australian Biggest Loser website
- Official UK LivingTV Biggest Loser website
- Official Indian Biggest Loser Jeetega website
- Official Arabian version الرابح الاكبر website
- Official Biggest Loser Club Biggest Loser website
- 3Ball Productions - Official Site
- The Biggest Loser at the Internet Movie Database
Unofficial Fan websites
- Biggest Loser 1, 2 & 3 Fan Blog
- Episode Recaps for Season Two of The Biggest Loser (Australia)
- Biggest Loser Fan Community
The Biggest Loser | |
|---|---|
| American version | |
| Seasons | Season 1 (2004) | Season 2 (2005) | Season 3 (2006) | Season 4 (2007) | Season 5 (2008) | Special Edition |
| Cast | Hosts: Alison Sweeney | Caroline Rhea Trainers: Bob Harper | Jillian Michaels | Kim Lyons |
| Australian version | |
| Seasons | Season 1 (2006) | Season 2 (2007) | Season 3 (2008) |
| Cast | Host: AJ Rochester Trainers: Bob Harper | Jillian Michaels | Shannan Ponton | Michelle Bridges | Steve Willis |
| Indian version | |
| Cast | Host: Sunil Shetty Trainers: Andrew Leipus | Deepika Mehta | Yusef Khan Chef: Varun Shivdasani |
nl:De grootste verliezer sv:Biggest Loser
Categories: Cleanup from November 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | The Biggest Loser | 2004 television series debuts | 2000s American television series | Australian reality television series | NBC network shows | Makeover reality television series | Television series by NBC Universal Television | Reveille Productions
