Biggest Loser Australia
With the success of the American version of The Biggest Loser, Australia was given its own version of the show. The Biggest Loser Australia began airing on February 13, 2006 and just wrapped up its third season.
Like the NBC version of the show, Biggest Loser Australia takes overweight contestants and through diet, training, and exercise teaches them how to lose weight. The contestants also participate in challenges for rewards. The contestants are usually divided into two teams.
During the first season, the teams were coached by the same personal trainers as the American contestants - Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. The second season, Bob and Jillian still made appearances, but they were replaced by Michelle Bridges and Shannan Ponton. Michelle is fitness professional who was named the winner of the Fitness Leader of the Year award in 2004. In the off-season, Michelle tours the lecture circuit passing on her wisdom about weight loss and training. Shannon has been a fitness instructor for over 17 years. He likes to incorporate different techniques such as kickboxing, spin, swimming, martial arts, circuit, and weight training into his workouts. Bob and Jillian returned as the full time trainers in season 3.
Occasionally appearing on the show is former SAS soldier Steve "The Commando" Willis. Willis has over ten years experience with the Australian Special Forces as a Counter Terrorism Team Commander. The show is hosted by Ajay Rochester. Rochester is a comedian and writer who struggled with her own weight, eventually losing over 50 kg. She hosted her online weight-loss support network, called Healthy Body Club, in 2005.
** The latest person eliminated on the Australian Biggest Loser was Neil.
Season 3
Season 3 ran from February 3, to May 1, 2008. Like the U.S. version, this season featured the red and blue team, but also the black team. Of the 30 original players, 15 were eliminated, but four were chosen by Willis to be flown to the U.S. to train with Bob and Jillian and represent the black team. The black team were Michelle, Carrianne, Bryce, and Steven, however when Steven quit in Week 3, he was replaced by JJ
Season 3 Contestants
| Name | Start Weight (kg) | Total Loss (kg) | End Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica * | 116.8 | 20.7 | 96.1 |
| JJ ** | 127.9 | 14.8 | 116.8 |
| Rachel | 134.7 | 19.6 | 115.1 |
| Steven | 166.6 | 33.1 | 133.5 |
| Debbie | 135.2 | 43.1 | 92.1 |
| Sean | 174.6 | 79.8 | 94.8 |
| Sheridan | 120.1 | 44.8 | 75.3 |
| John | 150.3 | 45.6 | 104.7 |
| Michael | 175.0 | 51 | 124.0 |
| Nichole | 136.3 | 36.9 | 99.4 |
| Carrianne | 111.0 | 29.8 | 81.2 |
| Nicola | 112.6 | 30.7 | 81.9 |
| Bryce | 139.2 | 52.2 | 87.0 |
| Michelle | 120.7 | 31 | 89.7 |
| Cosi | 140.8 | 42.6 | 98.2 |
| Garry | 206.2 | 70.9 | 135.3 |
| Kirsten | 126.8 | 54.9 | 71.9 |
| Alison | 121.7 | 55.2 | 66.5 |
| Sam | 154.6 | 71.7 | 82.9 |
* eliminated by Kristen immediately as part of The Walk competition
**eliminated in Week 1, but returned in Week 5
Latest American Biggest Loser Recaps
Biggest Loser: Sherry Leaves the Ranch
Posted: 16 Mar 2010
The “Biggest Loser” pop challenge tonight was to answer food questions. They were playing for a day at the spa and the Blue Team won when Michael answered the last question correctly. The Black Team got to clean the kitchen.
While the Blue Team had a good time, they wanted to take their workout seriously and [...]
Biggest Loser: Cheryl Goes Home
Posted: 10 Mar 2010
They played a mean trick on O’Neal last night on “Biggest Loser.” He knew he would be replacing whoever was sent home from the Blue Team and he was afraid it would be his daughter Sunshine. Everyone from the Blue Team walked in silently, saying nothing to O’Neal as he sat there waiting [...]
Biggest Loser: Darrell and Miggy Leave the Ranch
Posted: 3 Mar 2010
The Winter Olympics were finally over and “Biggest Loser” was back on NBC. Of course, it might not have been the best timing to leave a cliffhanger on the show then take a hiatus for two weeks! Anyhow, Melissa fell under the red line and had to immediately leave, but we didn’t [...]
Biggest Loser: Melissa Goes Home
Posted: 10 Feb 2010
The “Biggest Loser” contestants went to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado (way to plug the upcoming Olympics NBC). They met quite a few Olympians, including a few inspirational Paralympians.
They learned more about healthy eating, but they were also exposed to different food the time they were there. This worried some [...]
Season Two
Season 2 ran from February through April 2007. The contestants in order of elimination were:
Season Two Contestants
| Name | Start Weight (kg) | Total Loss (kg) | End Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah | 153.3 (left in week one) | ||
| Alex | 155.2 | 41.8 | 113.4 |
| Sam | 128.0 | 40.6 | 87.4 |
| Kelly | 117.1 | 28.0 | 89.1 |
| Michael | 165.2 | 70.0 | 95.2 |
| P'eta | 136.0 | 24.9 | 111.1 |
| Gerard | 133.5 | 43.3 | 90.2 |
| Jules | 126.3 | 34.9 | 91.6 |
| Mel | 108.4 | 30.4 | 78.0 |
| Greg | 148.8 | 48.9 | 99.9 |
| Laura | 109.2 | 25.0 | 84.2 |
| Damien | 216.3 | 74.6 | 141.7 |
| Courtney | 139.2 | 40.9 | 98.3 |
| Kimberlie | 141.8 | 46.8 | 95.0 |
| Munnalita | 127.3 | 53.2 | 74.1 |
| Pati | 120.2 | 48.0 | 72.2 |
| Marty | 160.6 | 65.9 | 94.7 |
| Chris | 149.5 | 70.1 | 79.4 |
Chris and Kimberlie arrived in Week 7 as an outsider - they had not been training with the others, but with Steve "The Commando" Willis. Chris eventually won season 2, taking home the AUD$200,000 prize.
Three contestants quit the show this season. Sarah quit in Week 1 because she felt isolated from the other contestants and the trainers could not convince her to stay. Sam had to drop out in Week 1 due to deep vein thrombosis. Sarah and Sam were replaced by Laura and P'eta. Jules had to drop out in Week 5 because of irregular heart patterns.
When the eliminated players were invited back, P'eta declined. Sarah, Jules, and Sam, despite being eliminated for medical reasons, did not come back as well. Michael won the runner-up prize of AUD$50,000. He lost 46.89% of his start weight.
Season One
Season 1 ran from February through April 2006. Over 6,000 Australians applied for the show, but the contestants in order of elimination were:
Season One Contestants
| Name | Start Weight (kg) | Total Loss (kg) | End Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| David | 196.7 | 7.4 | 189.3 |
| Jo | 108.0 | 7.3 | 100.7 |
| Cat | 157.8 | 13.6 | 144.2 |
| Tracy | 109.8 | 11.7 | 98.1 |
| Artie | 156.4 | 17.7 | 138.7 |
| Wal | 176.7 | 36.6 | 140.1 |
| Ruth | 155.2 | 19.7 | 135.5 |
| Shane | 154.0 | 34.2 | 119.8 |
| Fiona | 101.1 | 14 | 87.1 |
| Kristie | 104.8 | 21.4 | 83.4 |
| Harry | 178.9 | 32.8 | 146.1 |
| Adro | 136.5 | 27.6 | 108.9 |
Additional Biggest Loser Resources
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