And we thought poor Shay was larger than life. Today, NBC announced that the ninth edition of The Biggest Loser on Jan. 5 will feature the heaviest cast ever, with one participant – a Chicago man named Michael – tipping the scales at an astonishing 526 lbs. He’ll be at the ranch with his Italian mother Maria, where the avoirdupois duo will work out along side a pair of identical twins (James and John of Florida) who NBC says “together weigh close to a half a ton” on this special family edition. Fun?
The record-breaking size of the latest contestants doesn’t exactly come as a surprise: creator/executive producer Mark Koops hinted to as much after the season eight finale. But the choice to include such a morbidly obese man like Michael seems risky when the show invited some unwanted attention last month from The New York Times, in which a University of Michigan doctor was quoted as saying that he was “waiting for someone to have the first attack.” Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for the same kind of tragic occurrence myself, so when Tracey dropped to the ground during the season eight premiere last fall, I actually believed the time had finally come. I know excess pounds can put an unusual amount of stress on one’s already weakened heart, but what about a sudden burst of exertion? I love this show, but I really don’t enjoy the fear that occasionally goes along with watching these people push the boundaries with Bob and Jillian. After all, Ruby on the Style Network is taking her super sweet time dropping the weight (and she’s got a looonnnggg way to go) but that doesn’t make her reality show any less enjoyable.
Remarkably, Loser season eight contestant Tracey is sanguine about the whole ordeal; she told me after the finale that “it takes something drastic to start with to make us all wake up and say, ‘I need help!’” so in retrospect, she was clearly grateful for that fateful run (even if it put her in the hospital for 10 days). I imagine the Chicago man will probably feel the same way come spring, assuming he posts the same kind of remarkable weight loss enjoyed by Danny Cahill, this year’s (hot!) winner. And being the largest contestant ever can have its privileges: Shay (who started the show last fall at 476 lbs) is coming back this season for another try at shedding the pounds.
What do you think, Loser fans? Should the show put a ceiling on how large the contestants can be? Or the bigger, the better? Oh, and here’s the list of the latest contestants competing for $250,000 (NBC wants us to wait until the show’s Jan. 5 debut to learn their actual weights):
James Crutchfield (human resources director), 30, and his twin brother, John Crutchfield (senior marketing manager), 30, Orlando, Fla.
Sam Poueu (youth football coach and security guard), 24, and his cousin Koli Palu (football coach and head of security), 29, Rohnert Park, CA.
Melissa Morgan (attorney), 39, and her husband Lance Morgan (rancher), 38, Aspermont, TX.
Patti Anderson (business owner), 55, Lafayette, CA, and her daughter Stephanie Anderson (radio sales executive), 29, West Hollywood, CA.
Cherita Andrews (homemaker), 50, and her daughter Vicky Andrews (student), 22, Houston, TX.
Miggy Cancel (chef), 48, Pemberton, NJ, and her daughter Migdalia Sebren (homemaker), 28, Sanford, NC.
Cheryl George (store owner), 50, and her son, Daris George (salesman/deliveryman), 25, Ardmore, Okla.
O’Neal Hampton, Jr. (U.S. Postal Service station manager), 51, and his daughter, SunShine Hampton (restaurant server), 24, Minneapolis, Minn.
Darrell Hough (press operator/mechanic), 46, and his daughter Andrea Hough (executive assistant), 24, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sherry Johnston (non-profit administrator), 51, and her daughter Ashley Johnston (manager/esthetician), 27, Knoxville, Tenn.
Maria Ventrella (corporate travel agent), 51, and her son Michael Ventrella (deejay), 30, Chicago, Ill.
Photo Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
Might want to change avoirdupois (having peas) for avoirdupoids.
Lol. That’s exactly what I was going to post, Montreal-fellow.
Avoirdupois “bodily weight”, so sayeth dictionary.com
and the internet is always right….
Well, I’m sorry to tell you dictionary.com is wrong! As a French speaker, I can say that genofmontreal is right
Their mistake makes it funny though.
The detailed wikipedia entry explains why the original “avoirdupois” is correct on etymological grounds.
Just curious- how does a morbidly obese rancher ride a horse?
by carriage, or wagon train.
They are entirely too big and unhealthy. Half of them still looked obese at the finale, as opposed to years before when they actually looked GOOD.
i agree, alot of the payoff as a viewer was seeing the great reveal and results at the end. As we’ve seen with Daniel and Shay, one season isn’t enough so we’ll probably be left with the same situation at the end of the upcoming season. But maybe that’s the point; get the viewer attached to a contestant and then they hang around the next season to see the contestant continue.
just to clarify my comment above, I’m not suggesting that they push these mega-obese people even HARDER so that they do look good at the finale. I think they should just feature contestants who can reasonably achieve those results in that time. ALSO, am not trying to belittle the accomplishments of Daniel and Shay, big credit to them for their hard work!
i agree. they will and CAN do it. but woman don’t loose as fast as a man. so it’s a lot harder for woman, unlike a boy who can get rid of all his weight in just a few months – girls may take many months.
- shay: she still does weigh alot, but she will do it by the end of this next season.
- now the winner of season 8 danny did it really fast. and he was about the same weight or has just as much to lose.
i don’t like shay,
and daniel could have done it the first season, so i know whatcha mean.
It’s risky of course. Taking such a large individual and putting them through sudden strain once the program starts. But since the show likes to one up each itself. Someone was going to have to be bigger than Shay this season… Although as Shay showed; being the biggest doesn’t mean alot. Except it will help the person find a new path and hopefully lose weight. And I didn’t think Shay was back as a cast member. She is supposed to be doing it on her own with a $1000 per pound at the final weigh in. So she will be at home and not on the ranch… But getting money at the end if she’s lost more weight!
I thought the whole point of the show (after ratings) was to help people. The bigger the person is, the more help they need, so I’m fine with them casting bigger people.
Maybe they could do a spin off with the really large people who have further to go, and have the show last longer.
How does a heart attack help someone who is physically unfit to perform in such a demanding and high-stress regiment, for the sake of raising the Sensationalism Reality Bar for a ratings boost?
The author isn’t suggesting that larger people shouldn’t get dietary/physical fitness assistance, but it seems.. careless and short-sighted for the producers to put people of that size in a Reality show, as opposed to a more appropriate and moderate program better suited to achieving a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately like any other show, “next season” always has to be bigger – literally in this case – and better.
Frankly, The Biggest Loser is essentially a game show, and appearing on it in the hopes to lose weight is like going on Deal Or No Deal hoping pay off your bad credit.
No one has had a heart attack. To be fair- Tracy (who probably hadn’t exercized in years) took off running that first day like a bat out of hell. She got over excited. But I think it is a testament to the doctors and other professionals on the show that no one has had really serious health problems. In fact, 99% of the contestants leave the ranch with fewer health problems.
I agree with you diremommy. I think your idea of a second show for those who have more to lose is great. I think that the larger a person is, the more difficult it is to get motivated to lose weight. Bob and Jillian can really motivate people and these people are constantly monitored and under a doctor’s care while on this show. It’s probably the safest way for them to get started. Some of the viewers may think this is just a game show, but for some of these people, it is a matter of life or death.
I would like to point out…I don’t think Shay is coming back for the season, they have invited her back to WEIGH IN at the season finale. I don’t think it was clear on the show, but I am pretty sure this is the case.
i think youre right about shay; bob & jill said she’s invited to the season nine weigh in to see how much she weighs. cant wait for jan 5th!
that was definitely what they said at the finale. Shay is on her own to lose weight, but then she’ll weigh in at the finale to claim her moolah.
honestly, someone who is at a 250 weight gain isn’t as much in need of help then someone whos over 400 pounds. the show is giving more chances to those who really can’t do it by themself. they need help and bob and jay are just the ones to be doing it if you ask me! and about shay – they asked her to come back at the weigh in, not to join season 9. – even though i disliked shay and how quick she was to judge everyone else – when she was JUST THE SAME. talking about people ‘giving up’ when she walked out the first day!
and another guy coming back at the season finale of season 9 will be someone who gained all his weight back – he was a winner and now needs to loose it all again.
i can’t WAIT for jan 5th!
yay!
Go to school and learn how to spelllllllllllll.
I don’t have an issue with them using extremely morbidly obese people, I am only concerned that they ask too much from them too early. yes, the more you weigh the more you can lose quickly, but they need to “ease” these people into exercising. It’s been proven that diet is the key to weight loss, so get them eating correctly and the weight will come off. Start them out slower with the exercise (making them run on a beach right at the get go is insane) and they can work into a good routine.
I agree. YES these people need help, but lets not sacrifice people for the sake of ratings. The show has helped so many people but it might be time to have a limit. Maybe have a few people on there who meet the criteria for the average person. Another duty of this show could be to show the average person they can loose weight. But by putting people on the show who make the average person look good, it reinforces more people to stay lazy.
Then again, maybe they just want heavier people so NBC can make the camera shake and add more ridiculous sound effects when they fall.
This soon after the finale I can’t get excited about a new season yet. The one that just concluded was really satisfying! Go Danny!
I’m all for these morbidly obese people getting some help, but when we get into the 500 lb range, doesn’t this turn into a show about Bob and Jillian giving them sponge baths and rotating them on veterinary flatbeds to keep bedsores at bay? I mean, this is some TLC channel stuff. It’s not like they can jump on the treadmill. At this size, skin dies because it can’t get blood because it’s being choked out by fat. This doesn’t belong on a TV show. It belongs in a hospital.
Season 2 I almost made it to the final round for casting. I got knocked out after the video interview because my face wasn’t fat enough. I was 6’0″ 330lbs at the time. This isn’t a show about helping people, it’s a show about a “reveal” and before/after pictures.
And a quarter million dollars. Don’t forget the quarter million dollars.
I believe you and fear for these people. It is sad to think obese isn’t fat enough, and sometimes even morbidly obese *100lbs overweight* isn’t enough either. I would prefer to see someone who is 80 lbs overwiehgt struggle to lose a percentage to stay in the game. Watching people who are too heavy or too unhealthy to move makes me sad and uncomfortable. I didn’t watch this past run.
i’m going to try out as soon as i become 18. not to say that i’ll even make it out of ALL the people out there. but… i have high hopes.
I will vote for you good job on improving your life. I wish you well.
Why wait until you’re 18 to try and improve your life? Start trying to improve yourself now, don’t use a game show to do it.
If I was morbidly obese, I’d rather have my heart attack at the ranch, with medical personnel standing by than in a McDonald’s, stuffing my face. These people are the walking dead. The heart attack is a question of *WHEN*, really. At least they all stand a chance at a few extra years of life if they do TBL.
THIS. awesome comment. It totally agree.
Damn what happen to good job are those people really change there live. Or they are inspiring to other people. why so negative? the show is call the “biggest loser” not weight watchers.
Does anyone know how much time the contestants have from when they are informed about being on the show until they actually arrive? I would have to think some of them would want to “bulk up” as much as possible before getting there to help with the amount of weight they lose. As far as the weight of contestants, I would think age and overall health would be of more relevance than their actual weight. Season after season some of the most successful contestants are those that started off the largest and by success I am not talking about the amount of weight they lost but their health.
I think the problem with having these extremely heavy people is that while it fits with the sensational aspect of the show in one aspect it kind of goes against it in another. I mean the show loves to have these big reveals where a former fat person is now skinny and fit. Except if you are 526 pounds even if you lose 200 pounds you are still over 300 pounds and very obese and probably not something they would want to show off at the finale.