Biggest Loser 5: A Preview – The Cast Is Announced

Wearing the BLACK colors that were so successful in season four are brothers Mark and Jay Kruger from Massachusetts. They are described as “White collar, super competitive brothers who like to bust each other’s chops. They are good looking, all American guys living the dream.” Can you believe it, they are also described as “funny and loveable!” They claim to have athletic backgrounds and expect to do well in challenges. Sometimes mistaken for twins, they even work together. I have no expectation that I will be able to tell them apart unless their name is shown on screen when they speak.

The next team is Roger Shultz and Trent Patterson, the duo whose picture accompanies this article. They are a pair of fun-loving, former college football teammates who played for the Crimson Tide (that’s Alabama). They probably wanted to be the red team, but have been given the GRAY shirts instead. Roger is from Alabama and Trent is from Endicott, New York. Roger wants to be the same size as his 198-pound twin brother. He tried out for earlier seasons of this show and convinced Trent to apply with him for this season. Both have medical issues related to their size. These former linemen are used to being dominated by aggressive coaches and should accept the harsh training readily. I think they can do well, but as they are by far the largest team, they have targets on their back and may not survive many elimination votes.

The GREEN team is the father/daughter combination of Lynn and Jenni Westphal, from Ohio. The website deftly says, “Lynn is looking to reinvent himself, while Jenni is looking at this experience as a way to define herself.” Lynn is a former Big Ten wrestling champion, and is very competitive in all matters, including his sales job. Daughter Jenni is a nanny who feels her weight keeps her from being truly happy.

The final team is the BLUE team. They are Brittany Aberle, a hair stylist from California, and Bernie Salazar, a teacher who is also a halftime dancer for Chicago Bulls. On the website, Brittany is described as “effervescent” and Bernie is called “adorable and hilarious.” Brittany says she’s going to have to learn to be cutthroat, but it’s not in her nature. They have no pre-existing relationship, and as “The Strangers,” will surely be played up as the underdogs. Jillian is training this team, too.

Gosh, what a frighteningly nice group of folks – where will our “Neil” come from?

Below is a chart of the contestants’ ages and approximate starting weights. Some weights could be more precisely determined from the preview videos, while others are just approximations gleaned from the inexact website graphs. The actual, official weights will of course be determined in the initial episode, and this chart is just a guideline.

A reminder, the season premiere is 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on Tuesday, January 1st. Join me here for a recap of all the action sprinkled with my own reactions and opinions. And let me know what you think about it all at the eAddress below!

More at home with popcorn than push-ups, Brian can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com. He’d like to hear your opinions and promises to respond to all serious email!

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