NBC's The Biggest Loser returned for its fourth season last night with a new hostess, a new location, and an old friend returning to train the contestants.
Eighteen contestants were selected this year to compete for the $250,000 grand prize. But at this early stage of the contest it's not the money that matters as much as it is losing weight. This year's contestants are a diverse group ranging from a 21-year-old singer/songwriter (Isabeau) to 40-year-old identical twins (Bill and Jim) to a 62-year-old grandfather (Jerry). Although some of the contestants wondered aloud whether Jerry would be able to lose weight he astounded everyone by dropping an incredible 31 pounds in the first week which is the most any contestant has ever lost at one time.
Bob Harper and Kim Lyons return as trainers for the two main teams this year. In the opening episode, six of the eighteen players are seemingly eliminated from the game. What the remaining twelve don't know is that the six they thought were gone are actually being secretly trained by Jillian Michaels (who appeared in seasons one and two). They rejoin the rest of the players next week and the reunion will no doubt cause plenty of fireworks.
Allison Sweeney (Days of Our Lives) made a fine debut last night as the series host. She was honest about her own battles with weight issues and you could tell that she empathized with each of the contests.
The series location also changed from a million dollar ranch to a studio backlot aptly named the "Biggest Loser Campus". The setting feels a little more claustrophobic and it will be interesting to see how the producers adapt the challenges throughout the series to the more confined space.
The other difference between this season and previous season is the contestants themselves. This year's group is much more overweight than previous groups have been. Given the success of last season in which the winner, Erik Chopin went from 407 pounds to an amazing 193 pounds during the course of the show, it's obvious that they were trying to select people that had a great deal of weight to lose. It not only makes for great drama but is also motivating to the audience.
Article comments
1 - Josh Lasser
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
2 - Ty
Why was Caroline Rhea dropped as host of Biggest Loser?
3 - Cara de Pescado
I'm glad for the new hostess.
I do miss Bob's faux-hawk. Maybe he'll bring it back later in the season. I really like the idea of three teams. I think that extra team to compete against is going to make people work really hard this year. And I'm glad Amber went home in the first episode. She complained it was too hard, I'm sorry but has she seen the show before? You can't sit on your ass and lose weight.
I do agree that it is motivational for the audience.
4 - justCurious
where is the biggest loser campus located?