As you know, The Ashley attended The Biggest Loser Finale and after party this week. The Finale was pretty boring (i.e. not a lot of good gossip; what you saw on TV was pretty much exactly what The Ashley saw in the studio.)
The after party, however, was where all the true gossip magic happened. Basically, almost every person ever to compete on The Biggest Loser gathers in the lobby of a nearby hotel to drink and take pictures with each other. And gossip (!)
The Ashley was right in the middle of it all, trying to soak up as much stuff as she can.
Most of the past contestants didn’t even come to the Finale. They only showed up for the after party!
The Ashley talked to past contestants and production people to try to get the answers to some of your burning ‘Loser’ questions. (Sorry for the extended length of this post!)
Q: Do the contestants and trainers really not know how much they weigh until the very minute they weigh in on camera?
A: Sort of. The contestants actually weigh in a few days before the Finale. (This year the weigh-in was on Friday, the Finale on Tuesday.) One contestant from this year’s season told The Ashley that she weighed less on that Friday (due to eating next to nothing and sweating it out in some sort of sauna) than she did at the Finale on Tuesday by about five pounds. So basically the weight that comes on the scale at the Finale isn’t necessarily what the contestants actually weigh.
The trainers do not know until the Finale. Bob was visually shocked by a lot of the transformations, even after the camera stopped.
Q: What’s the real deal with that giant scale?
A: It’s totally fake. It’s not even a real scale.
Q: What’s it really like to be on the ranch?
A: You are under 24-hour camera surveillance, even in your bedroom. One contestant, who appeared on the show with his wife, told me his wife refused to be even remotely, um, intimate with him the entire time, due to the fact she knew that crew members could flip a switch and hear everything that was going on in the room.There’s also a casting guy who is literally in charge of collecting pee from all of the contestants (I’m guessing to test it for drugs?) Creepy!
Things that are not allowed on the ranch include any type of communication device (computers, cell phones, etc. are all banned). The only way a contestant is allowed to communicate with their families is through written letters. Visitors are obviously outlawed.
Also banned? Smoking is completely against the rules and several contestants have gotten in big trouble for getting caught with the cancer sticks. Scales are also against the rules.
There are also quite a few trainers/medics/etc. that never make it on camera.
Q: How are the contestants able to work out so much without getting hurt?
A: Well, they don’t. A lot of the contestants actually have a lot of injuries that aren’t addressed on camera. Some contestants have broken toes, torn ligaments, etc. but we never see it. There’s actually a ton of medics there.
Q: Do the Biggest Losers get paid to be on the show?
A: Yes, the make a stipend for being on the show. One season it was $900 a week but I don’t know how much it currently is. This is how some of the people are able to support their families despite being gone for so long.
Q: How do the contestants pass the time on the ranch?
A: Being that they’re not allowed to have the Internet, television or visitors, the contestants have to be creative to pass the time. This year the contestants threw themselves a Halloween party and dressed up as each other.
They also pass the time by hooking up each other, said one contestant. This is especially common when there are a lot of younger contestants.
23 Responses
how would a person become a contestant on the show ?
how do they get rid of the flab?
Do u have to pay to go to the biggest loser
Has any of the contestants had hypothyroidism?
How long are the contestants on the show
I have about 2-4 hours of homework when I get home then I have dinner in between that time so how can I get exercise into my schedule when I go to bed by nine?
Do you have any diet and exercise for someone with very limited mobility. That is struggling to lose weight.
my 18 year old grand daughter is about 75 lbs over weight . what can be done to motivate her to loose weight ? how can I help her ? Signed her 70 year old grand father thank you
Why doesn’t biggest loser, come to Bundaberg? It’s been proven that it is the biggest town in Australia. Why do they go to Ararat, no Bundaberg?
If you lose in 9 months 60 kg weight lose, where did the rest of the skin go?
I imagine the urine would have been to make sure they were healthy. Urine tests tell you if your kidneys are working properly as well as checking hormones and testing for some thyroid problems. They were most likely having blood tests done too.
They do show some of the medics on the show but to show their faces would mean paying them more and some of the medics may not want their faces seen either.
No smoking make sense, they’re there for their health, and they couldn’t do those workouts if they were smoking without consequences! They are basically at a eating disorder treatment centre so being watched, monitored and sticking to rules is all pretty standard.
How much do the trainers get paid a season?
My wife and I watch TBL every season. She considered applying but couldn’t justify leaving for family reasons. So she’s losing the weight on her own. She’s lost over 100 lbs and has 30 to go. She has documented it all on her blog at amymoyers.blogspot.com. She even inspired me to lose 45 lbs and now I also have 30 to go.
my big question is , what the heck do you have to do to get on the show? i have been to atlanta, went to charlotte for open casting call everything hell i don’t know how to do a video what do i do i need to lose over 130 pounds>
Do the contestants have surgery to get rid sagging stomach fat before finale?? I can’t imagine you can hide that much loose skin in a tight outfit?
@Carole No, they are not allowed to have any surgery until after the finale. Most of the contestants do have to have skin removal surgery though, according to the past contestants I’ve spoken with. But for sure they didn’t have it before the finale, it’s against contract.
Thanks for the replies!
Shocked Cara isn’t pregnant (fire the stylist!), not shocked she wasn’t asked back. Didn’t care for her at all, though couldn’t really put my finger on why.
Brett didn’t bother me, but won’t miss him.
@amy…I wasn’t thrilled with her either but according to some of this season’s contestants she was an amazing trainer. They loved her and are very upset that both Cara and Brett weren’t asked back!
My biggest questions are still: –Is Cara pregnant??
–Why are the two new trainers not returning (their choice or the producers’)?
Cara’s not pregnant, just chose an unfortunate dress! Don’t know why they’re not returning…will try to find out for you guys though!
@amy just heard that cara was not asked back…I’m not 100% about Brett but I’m pretty sure this was the case with him as well.
Love it all! I really thought the scale was real, and it never occured to me that they were doing the dirta’ while they were there. It’s good to know that Allison dresses better off of the show. Yikes…