Season 11
The Biggest Loser is an American reality competition television series created by Dave Broome which offers severely overweight participants the opportunity to undergo a radical physical makeover without any kind of surgery, competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight.
The series premiered in the USA on NBC on 19 October, 2004.
The Biggest Loser premiered in South Africa on e.tv on Monday 11 September 2006, at 20h00. The series was discontinued on e.tv after three seasons and Seasons 4-9 did not air in South Africa. The series resumed with Season 10 on M-Net Series Reality when the channel went live in July 2013. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates.
Season 11 premiered on M-Net Series Reality on Wednesday 5 February 2014, at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 21 two-hour episodes in the eleventh season.
Season 11
The Biggest Loser launches Season 11 and this time there will be two new trainers and an engaging new twist that will change the game completely for the 11 teams of two coming to the Biggest Loser ranch hoping to transform their bodies, their health and their lives.
In the premiere, the contestants will compete in a challenge and then get to make a game-changing decision in the order in which they finished.
Host Alison Sweeney will offer the 11 family-and-friend teams of two the unprecedented opportunity to choose whether to work out with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels at the ranch - or work out at a secret location with two unknown trainers, whose identities will initially remain a mystery.
If the contestants choose the new trainers, whom they know nothing about, they'll receive four weeks of immunity. If they choose to stay at the ranch and be trained by Bob and Jillian, they're at risk of going home after just one week.
What ensues is a riveting ride of intense emotions, surprising turns and can't-miss moments as the groups fight their weight-loss battles separately with two sets of trainers equally committed to giving these players a new lease on a healthier life.
The new contestants include Rulon, an Olympic gold medalist; Don and Dan, identical twin policemen who started gaining weight when they joined the police force; Ken, a pastor who wants to spare his overweight son the challenges he faced because of obesity; and Sarah, a woman who has lost pregnancies because of her weight and wants more than anything to be a mother.
Viewers will also meet Arthur, this season's heaviest contestant at 507 pounds; Courtney, a student whose family owns a Dairy Queen and who was already inspired by The Biggest Loser to lose 112 pounds on her own but wants to finish her weight-loss journey on the show; and Olivia, an opera singer who wants to look as good as she sounds so she can be cast in better roles professionally.
The Biggest Loser is a production of Reveille LLC, 25/7 Productions and 3Ball Productions. Ben Silverman, Dave Broome, JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Howard T. Owens and Todd Lubin serve as executive producers.
About the Show
The Biggest Loser offers severely overweight participants the opportunity to undergo a radical physical makeover without any kind of surgery.
Caroline Rhea (Seasons 1-3) and Alison Sweeney (Since Season 4) host the series, which challenges and encourages overweight contestants as they compete for a grand prize of $250,000 in a safe and recommended manner through comprehensive diet and exercise.
The unscripted reality series gathers contestants from across America to face real-life temptations while being provided with weight-loss skills and resources in an effort to help them transform their bodies, health and ultimately their lives.
The Biggest Loser provides the contestants - who are divided into a red team (women) and blue team (men) - challenges, temptations, weigh-ins and eliminations until the final contestant remains to claim the title of the biggest loser.
Each team works out under the supervision of professional trainers which include Jillian Michaels, Kim Lyons, Bob Harper, Cara Castronuova, Brett Hoebel, Anna Kournikova and Dolvett Quince.
Structure
Temptation
Contestants prepare for the first day of the week only to find a situation that involves temptation. The temptation usually requires contestants to gamble by eating or drinking delicious but high-calorie foods in exchange for what they may deem as a beneficial trade-off.
The benefits may or may not be known to the contestants in advance.
Examples include eating sweet foods for a chance to call their loved ones. Another example is eating a big slice of cake to win an unknown prize (which turned out to be an exercise bike).
Contestants are given a set amount of time before the offer passes.
Reward challenge
Teams compete to win a prize. After the challenge, viewers are shown the winning team savoring their reward while the losing team bitterly accept their loss.
During team-based challenges, in the event that one of the teams has an extra member, the winning team can decide who should sit-out during the weigh-in. If the challenges become individual-based, the winner of the challenge is given immunity from being eliminated at the next weigh-in.
Initial Workout
Contestants work out with the trainers. During this segment, the trainers will often speak with certain contestants, especially those doing poorly. Usually certain underlying emotional issues are revealed at this time (such as a loss of a family member or a physical calamity), which often are the triggering events that led to the weight gain in the first place.
Last Chance Workout
Last chance workouts are often shown as grueling, final preparations for the weigh in. This is a real test of strength and trainers push contestants to their limits.
Weigh-In
All contestants are weighed to determine the pounds they lost. During team-based competition, the team that lost the most weight wins. The losing team must vote who they should eliminate among them.
When the competition has turned individual-based, the two contestants who lost the least weight are in danger of elimination.
A similar setup to individual based weigh-in happened when the beginning two teams are broken up into four teams of two.
Elimination Challenge
Introduced in Season 9, the elimination challenge was for the two people who were below the yellow line. In the only elimination challenge of that season, the longest one standing stayed while the other one went home.
In Season 10, the elimination challenge was re-introduced. The amount of people who were below the yellow line participate in a challenge to escape from the vote. The two contestants that are the least successful in the competition faces the vote.
The Vote
The losing team enter a dining room half-surrounded with refrigerators filled with sweets. Each refrigerator has the name of each contestant lit.
During the team-based competition, losing members each carry a covered plate containing the name of the person they wish to vote out. In the event of a tie, the winning team decides who from the losing team be voted out.
During the individual-based competition, the fate of the two contestants on the chopping block will be determined by the other players. In the event of a tie, the one contestant who lost the least weight is eliminated.
In all scenarios, the refrigerator with the eliminated player's name is shut off.
South African Version
A South African version of the show, produced by Red Pepper, aired on e.tv from 7 January to 14 April, 2008. The show was hosted by Jasmyn Asvat with trainers Bruce Claasen (blue team) and Lisa Raleigh (red team).
The first season was won by Sharon Haarhoff of East London, who lost 61.8kg (136.25lb), or 45.74% of her body weight.
TVSA Show Page: The Biggest Loser South Africa
Seasons
Note: the series was discontinued on e.tv after three seasons and Seasons 4-9 did not air in South Africa. The series resumed with Season 10 on M-Net Series Reality when the channel went live in July 2013.
Season 1 (11 episodes)
Channel: e.tv | Premiere: 11 Sep 2006 | Finale: 20 Nov 2006 | Mon, 20h00
Season 2 (12 episodes)
Channel: e.tv | Premiere: 3 Sep 2007 | Finale: 19 Nov 2007 | Mon, 20h00
Season 3 (12 episodes)
Channel: e.tv | Premiere: 21 Apr 2008 | Finale: 7 Jul 2008 | Mon, 20h00
Season 4 (15 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 5 (16 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 6 (13 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 7 (19 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 8 (13 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 9 (19 episodes)
Did not air in South Africa
Season 10 (13 episodes)
Channel: MS Reality | Premiere: 10 Jul 2013 | Finale: 9 Oct 2013 | Wed, 20h30
Season 11 (21 episodes)
Channel: MS Reality | Premiere: 5 Feb 2014 | Finale: 25 Jun 2014 | Wed, 20h30