The Biggest Loser – A Preview

NBC is rolling out yet another reality show. Somehow the title of the latest entry into the world of reality TV, The Biggest Loser, seems strangely ironic coming only a week after the Peacock Network’s Last Comic Standing debacle. But the “loser” in the title does not refer to the network, but instead to the contestants on this show who will have a chance to “transform their bodies, health, and, ultimately, their lives.”

Here’s the premise – take twelve overweight people, weigh and measure them, and then set them on a course of weight reduction, nutrition and physical fitness. Hosted by Caroline Rhea, the gal who was unable to maintain Rosie O’Donnell’s ratings and audience, The Biggest Loser will feature two teams that will compete against each other in physical challenges to determine who will ultimately be the “biggest loser,” weight-wise, that is.

The teams will be working with fitness trainers Bob Harper, whose clients include Ellen Degeneres, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Ritchie, and Melissa Etheridge, and Jillian Michaels, who has worked with David Geffen, Amanda Peel, and Joan of Arcadia’s Amber Tamblyn. A medical team will also be involved, and includes Dr. Robert Huizenga and Dr. Dave Heber.

NBC indicates that each week, the contestants will face "enticing temptations that sometimes prove too hard to resist." Nice! Cheesecake? Brownies? Crème Brulee? The possibilities are endless. An ad currently running for the show teases viewers by showing one of the contestants romancing a cupcake! The official website includes weight charts and food journals for each contestant so that we can follow along on their journey, and, maybe even learn something from watching the process.

Of course, no reality show would be complete without a weekly elimination, and The Biggest Loser is no exception. At the end of each show, the team members weigh in, and the team that has the lowest total weight loss must send one player home. In the end, the person who loses the most weight will win $250,000.

The two teams are cleverly named – The Red Team and The Blue Team. Here the “tale of the tape.”

Red Team

Maurice, age 30 from Nashville; Kelly Mac., age 31 from Belmont, MA; Aaron, age 29 from Los Angeles; Dana, age 21 also from Nashville; Gary, age 40 from Brooklyn, NY; and Andrea, age 29 from Franklin MA.

Blue Team

Matt, age 25 from Slatington, PA; Lizzeth, age 24 from Westminster, CA; Ryan, age 36 from Spokane, WA; Lisa, age 26 from Orlando, FL; Dave, age 39 from Boston, MA; and Kelly M., age 28 from Coopersburg, PA.

The Biggest Loser premieres Tuesday 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Donna Reynolds is an Assistant Editor for the RealityNewsOnline family of websites and a freelance writer based in Syracuse, NY. She is also the creator of “That’s Entertainment,” a weblog on syracuse.com. Whether you agree or disagree, Donna welcomes your comments, and you can email her at foxydonna@earthlink.net.

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