The Biggest Loser

Monday, February 20, 2006

First one evicted!

So David has gone, the first one out! I still think it will end up between Big Wal and Cat

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 5:53 PM 0 comments

Biggest loser wins for Ten

Ten network ran interference last night with the first elimination episode of The Biggest Loser which was watched by an average 1.314 million people nationally.

That's second only to the premiere a week earlier of 1.40 million for the hour from 7 pm to 8 pm.

Last night it again crimped Temptation, which is struggling to climb past the million mark : it averaged 921,000 last night, a long way from Biggest Loser, which in turn ran second in the first half hour to Home and Away with 1.40 million.

But the Biggest Loser beat Home and Away in Melbourne and Adelaide and it went on to dominate the 7.30 pm to 8 pm, relegating Seven's Great Outdoors to a distant second.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 5:53 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Nutritionist Knocks Show

After viewing the first episode Jenny O'Dea, nutritionist and researcher at the University of Sydney's faculty of education and social work, said the show set contestants up to fail and in the process intentionally humiliated them.

"The entertainment value is based on deliberately humiliating and degrading people, on blaming and shaming them," she said. "I don't see that as a decent sort of entertainment. It's certainly not ethical."

Dr O'Dea cited several scenarios in the first episode in which the contestants are humiliated.

One scene depicts them in a "last supper" situation where they are given huge plates of their favourite foods and the cameras catch them shovelling in mouthful after mouthful.

"People are being set up to be humiliated for the sake of getting a rise out of viewers, which is just pathetic."

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 3:03 AM 0 comments

Biggest Loser the big winner

Last night's show was a huge success for Channel Ten. The Biggest Loser averaged 1.407 million , from 7 pm to 8 pm and whacked the opposition, especially Temptation and Home and Away. It was an earth moving performance, clearly striking a chord with the network’s key 16 to 39 demographic

6,000 Australians applied to take part in the local version of the series that has been a hit with Ten's 16-39 graphic and women 25-54

Weight loss as a spectator sport -- let's see that competitive stomach-shrinking!

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 2:56 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 13, 2006

Host, AJ Rochester

Meet AJ Rochester, with a background that makes her an inspirational host for the The Biggest Loser. As you can see, Rochester has fought her own battle of the Big Bulge to become a Big Loser. She now runs her own online Health and Beauty Club, and is a great example of what you can achieve if you put your mind to losing weight.

She certainly looks a little different now and will surely motivate even the most lethargic contestant to acheive the success they desire. I feel incredibly motivated to start exercising, or at least looking at my diet, how much weight can I lose while following the programme?

(Time to face my own lumps and rolls of blubber too)

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 1:45 AM 0 comments

The Teams to be chosen

Tomorrow the two teams will be chosen from among the twelve Australians who will take on the greatest challenge of their lives.

They began their journey tonight on Australia's Biggest Loser.

How much weight will they be able to lose?

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 1:02 AM 0 comments

Cat

Catherine 'Cat' White weighed in at 157.8

A 27-year old "larger than life" woman who desires to lose weight so she will look good when she marries her long-time sweetheart.

She blames her obesity on her occupation as a chef in the early part of her working life. This local Melbourne gal hopes "The Biggest Loser" will help her change her life forever.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:50 AM 0 comments

Shane

Shane Giles. Shane is 38 years old man from Ballarat who says his weight problem makes him gunshy about approaching any woman he finds attractive.

Ever since a tragic accident killing his brother rattled him a decade ago, he has turned to food to help him cope. This former AFL football player-turned-musician would like to get back down to his playing weight again.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:48 AM 0 comments

David

David Hilyander 196.7 kilos, the biggest contestant so far!

David is a 33-year old beer guzzling party animal from Sydney who enjoys being involved with rugby although his weight has prevented him from playing a more active role.

David has been derogatorily compared with hefty actor John Candy, and these insults and his ever-increasing waist size have led him to become depressed despite having a normally positive outlook on life.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:47 AM 0 comments

Fiona

Fiona Falkiner weighed in at 101.1

This gorgeous 22-year old has never had a boyfriend because they all thought she was too fat. This Melbourne beauty is gonna make all those men who turned her down cry themselves to sleep when she sheds the weight on "The Biggest Loser." Hopefully, Fiona will find the true love she so deeply desires after this experience.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:45 AM 0 comments

Harry

Harry Kantzidis. A Melbourne father of two whose emotions got the best of him at "The Biggest Loser" audition.

The 35-year old said his son was so embarrassed to be around him that he has to drop the 7-year old off a couple of blocks from his school so nobody would see him. A former athlete and bodybuilder, Harry eats because it makes him happy. He will now learn that he can eat HEALTHY and be happy, too!

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:45 AM 0 comments

Tracey

Tracy Moores. I missed her openeing weight ( tomorrow wil tell the tale) but she's 44 and comes from a Sydney family of MODELS!

As a "plus-size model" for many years, Tracy knows it is time to take control of her weight and health. She enjoys life with her husband and three kids and realizes she's "not getting younger." She hopes to walk the catwalk again -- as a regular model!

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:44 AM 0 comments

Adro

Adro (Adriano Sarnelli) 136.5 kilos.

Adro wants to lose weight to be a daddy for a long time for his precious little girl. This 26-year old Newcastle man grew up in a large family both in numbers and in weight thanks to the hearty Italian meals they ate every night. Plus, his mother wouldn't let him play sports because she was afraid he would get hurt.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:42 AM 0 comments

Jo Cowling weighed in at 108 kilos.

Jo is a 33-year old, in-your-face real estate agent residing in Sydney. She's been big her entire life and has done the rollercoaster ride of dieting like so many of us have. She has excused her lack of exercise because of time constraints with her job, but that's all about to change with "The Biggest Loser" experience that awaits her. She wants to do this for her health.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:39 AM 0 comments

Artie

Artie Rocke weighs 156.4. Artie, a 42-year from Hervey Bay is a single gay man who hopes to attract the man of his dreams with his weight loss on "The Biggest Loser."

As someone who is "eating constantly," he has always loved food and is an avid cook. A recent negative incident riding a bicycle convinced him that losing weight is something he needs to do.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:37 AM 0 comments

Big Wal

Big Wal (Vladimir Milberg) 176.8. he's a big boy! Wal just captivated me, I want hom to be the Biggest Loser (among the boys)

Hailing from Townsville, this burly 42-year old father of two is a fireman who has been given an ultimatum -- lose weight or lose your job! His slow reaction time when the fire alarm sounds has his superiors concerned he's not fit enough for the job anymore. Big Wal eats a whopping EIGHT meals a day and believes he'll EASILY lose weight on "The Biggest Loser." I reckon he will!

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:35 AM 0 comments

Ruth

Ruth Almeida de Campos. Weighed in at 155.2
A 28-year old woman with three very young kids who is deperate to lose weight. This Newcastle mother and wife of five years has had a stressful relationship being apart from her husband throughout their short-lived marriage.

As a result, Ruth has turned to eating to help her manage the stress. She's a sparkly one, with a fabulous sense of humour and very attractive no matter how much she weighs.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:32 AM 0 comments

Kristie

Kristie Dignam weighed in at 104.8

kristie is 32, and a mother of five. She works TWO jobs (plus the HUGE third job of raising all those kids!) and stays busy juggling it all. Her dream is to lose weight in time for her husband's 20th class reunion in a few months and she wants to look good for him. She has used food as a comfort, but wants to change that

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:31 AM 0 comments

First Show

Well its here! The hit TV show that changed the lifes of many people in the US for two seasons and a special edition is now being show in Austrailia. The season will start Monday the 13th of February. This will only be shown in Australia so I am not sure yet how others will be able to view this.

There are some changes in the format though. The episodes will be 5 days a week for 2 months (1 hour long). Bob Harper will still be in control of the blue team and Jillian Michaels will have the red team. Caroline Rhea has done an amazing job with the US shows but AJ Rochester has been chosen to do the hosting for the Austrailians.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:29 AM 0 comments

The Biggest Loser is the most valuable

Australia's heavyweights have 12 nervous new heroes, contestants who will spend eight weeks engaged in a do-or-die battle of the bulge to become ''the biggest loser''. To claim the title and a prize of $200,000, the winning man or woman will not only have to outslim the others and endure a punishing routine of exercise and diet but combat loneliness, shame and haunting memories of social exclusion and humiliation.

The inherent contradiction, of course, is that on The Biggest Loser, being fat is actually a bonus. As the show pits two rival teams against one another in the weightloss stakes, those with the most to lose are the ones who count the most. The supremely obese are more valuable than their chubby teammates, less likely to be voted off and so more valuable.

Paradox aside, Australia's own Biggest Loser, like its American precursor, provides a surprisingly moving insight into the huge serving of misery that is the daily diet for people struggling to lose vast amounts of weight and to attain a healthy measure of self-acceptance.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 12:19 AM 0 comments

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Starts in February

The Biggest Loser is on its way.

posted by Susanna Duffy @ 5:23 PM 0 comments

A Collaborative Blog on The Biggest Loser