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Biggest Loser 4: Cast and More Twists Announcedby Brian Towers -- 08/07/2007
View Printable version of this article In a recent press release, NBC has released more details about the next season of The Biggest Loser. There’s also a couple of video clips on their website I can tell you about. But first, the press release. 
Without further ado, the roster of 18 competitors in Season 4 is as follows:
We know a little more about some of these contestants. Lezlye is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, and Bill and Jim are twins. Additionally, Jerry is the oldest contestant ever, at age 62! The players will be separated into two teams as usual – Blue and Red. Some names on the above list will not be chosen – and, in the first twist, will form a secret Black team! The Black Team will train at a different location, and their existence as a unit will be kept secret from the others. Furthermore, the trainer of the Black team will be none other than the former trainer from the first two seasons: Jillian Michaels! Jillian is the fourth person in the picture at the top of this article. So much for the printed word, let me now tell you about some of the video clips you can see at the show’s website. The first one is identified as a preview of the upcoming season. We learn over 6,500 pounds have been lost and over 23 million calories burned in the three previous seasons. I can’t help but note how they just don’t like to acknowledge those “Special Edition” episodes! Still, those are impressively huge numbers. There are many quick-action shots in this preview. One shows a tandem parachute jump, and another shows the Blue Team pulling an airplane with a heavy rope! It’s unfortunate that no names are given as the contestants speak, but they seem to be a motivated group. One lady is a paramedic who needs to lose weight to do her job better. Another is a wife who has been too embarrassed by her size to go to her husband’s Christmas party for the last five years. And it is all one hefty fellow can do to get inside his car. In one scene, new series hostess Alison Sweeny tells an off-camera contestant, “You’ve lost more weight than anyone has ever lost on The Biggest Loser!” I’m guessing that is during a weekly weigh-in. Alas, we’ll have to wait and see what that’s about. A second video features new series hostess Alison Sweeny giving us a tour of the Biggest Loser Campus that’s new to this season. Alison calls herself “Ali” in this clip, so that’s how I’ll be referring to her from now on. The first room we see is the kitchen. It’s really big and seems to be quite well appointed. When she opens the fridge, it’s funny because it is crammed so full of stuff and seems so disorganized that surely one could never find what they were looking for. Next up is the gym. Ali tells us that there’s every type of equipment here, even some she hasn’t seen before. In the gym, a lot of contestants are working out. One of them is Amy Zimmer, but the lighting is such that I can’t be sure of her shirt color. Ali tells us she’s inspired by all this effort and feels the urge to get back to her own gym. There’s a second gym located conveniently near the dorms, but it is smaller and not as fully stocked with equipment. Ali likes the big red workout ball and tells us, due to the need to balance oneself upon it, it promotes the development of core strength. The next room Ali shows us is the trophy room. Here we find displays highlighting the successes of former competitors. Ali sees this as a motivational area for this season’s players. Ali next takes us out onto one of the balconies. It’s a nice view, but even here there is workout equipment – specifically, a couple of stationary bikes. In fact, Ali tells us there is workout equipment in every room of the facility, “and I am not exaggerating,” she says. The next room contains the medical facilities. Ali explains that injury prevention is the goal, but they are ready to treat the inevitable bruises, strains, and sprains. 
The confessional room follows, where players record diary entries. Right behind where they sit are a couple of vending machines for candy and unhealthy snacks! Next up is the weigh-in room, featuring the big scale. And nearby is the elimination room, where contestants are voted out. Ali tells us it’s hard for her to watch contestants say goodbye to their friends, but she recognizes that it’s a necessary part of the game. And that’s the tour! An earlier press release intimated that this setting was Spartan compared to The Ranch, but I see nothing wrong with this site at all. The third video is an interview clip with trainers Bob Harper and Kim Lyons. Both are looking forward to working with their new teams. In the final clip, host Alison is interviewed. She tells us she watched the previous seasons and is a big fan of the positive message this show sends out to people. She advises us, “Have a box of Kleenex by you when you watch the season premiere, because you are going to need it!” A reminder, the season premiere is 8:00 PM ET/PT on Tuesday, September 11th. And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recentBiggest Loser 4 preview articles here on RealityNewsOnline: The Biggest Loser to Return with New Host Biggest Loser 4: A Special Episode and an Early Preview Brian lives in Toronto where he can be reached atuncle_bto@rogers.com. He’d like to hear your opinions and promises to respond to all serious email. View Printable version of this article |
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