The Biggest Loser Blog

A FUN CHALLENGE / WEEK 10

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:13:42 -0800

Thursday
Today was temptation day and the first day without Mark on campus. Of course, every week presents the start of a new week without a recently eliminated contestant. Though the loss of every player is obvious and resonates throughout the house in its own way…the absence of Mark seems particularly noticeable. Certainly part of that is due to the fact that Mark was hands-down the most vocal and gregarious person in terms of how he related to the Casting Department. Part of it is also due to the fact that the loss is plainly written in the eyes of Jay. It’s apparent that not having Mark here is doing a little number on Jay. They are closer than any two people we’ve seen. Aside from maybe the Germanakos twins from last season. Jay is resilient. He’ll be fine. In other news…Dan won 9,500 dollars in the vending machine temptation. Way to go!

Friday
Hard as nails workouts for both teams today. Bob took Blue team to a boot camp at a prison yard…yes – it’s exactly as scary and hardcore as it sounds. Jay still seems a bit down, but he has voiced his intentions to get back on the horse and fight his way through in order to honor not only himself but Mark, as well. Kelly is highly stressed. Bernie and Brittany are almost silent tonight (a rare occurrence for them both!) – overcome by fatigue and mental anguish. It’s like it’s already the end of the week!

VIVA LAS VEGAS / WEEK 9

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:15:47 -0800

Friday
It’s like the Great Deluge out here on campus! It’s been raining nonstop and everything is either flooded or in the process of turning into a swamp. The gym suffered some heavy-duty leakage, so the trainers have gotten creative with the workouts. The Black Team is rather jealous about the Blue Team’s upcoming Vegas excursion. But they’re also hoping it means they will cheat a bit and Black will have the upper hand in the weigh-in. You can never tell about these things. Other teams in the past have gone all over the world and still managed to pull big numbers. We’ll see.

Saturday
Just because it was the day for Blue to depart for Vegas didn’t mean that Bob was going to give them a breather. He made sure their butts were sufficiently bubble gum for the long bus ride to Nevada. Boot Camp and a spin class before a four-hour bus ride. No mercy. Blue was excited to arrive at Planet Hollywood in Vegas to discover a sign welcoming the Blue Team. They worked out, went to the Stratosphere, gambled and had a great time. Black Team ran their usual brutal workout gamut before seeing a movie and hanging out.

LAS VEGAS BOUND / WEEK 8

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:17:57 -0800

Friday
The kids have all returned from a brief holiday respite at their respective homes. We have all been wagering on which contestants would return reinvigorated and ready to rock and which ones would take a while to shake off the holiday sluggishness. To our delight (and admiration), every last contestant is glad to be back and ready to go. Bob and Jillian wasted no time in kicking the living crap out of them. It’s interesting to picture the trainers during the holidays, enjoying festive meals and chatting with family and friends…all the while plotting new devices of life-changing pain and hope for their contestants.

Saturday
Challenge day and it looks like it’s Black team again! That’s three challenges in a row…not an easy accomplishment with so many determined competitors. Every production has glitches and The Biggest Loser is no exception. Due to some technical difficulties, the night challenge went long and became truly challenging for the kids. A “jump and duck”-style physical test – it was all about timing and keeping up a steady pattern despite time and cold weather. Mark and Jay (the seemingly obvious choices to take the prize – at least that’s what we thought) were undone by timing – thus the Black team’s victory.

FAREWELL TO A NICE GUY / WEEK 7

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:21:42 -0800

Wednesday
The day after elimination and emotions are mixed and high. The Blue team had a little sit down and discussed the results of the elimination. Needless to say, Dan was not the happiest guy on earth. However, his anger was assuaged by the conversation and it looks like the team is going to try and put it all behind them forge ahead. When Gray returned from taking Jackie to the airport, Mark and Jay asked him how she was doing and how she took it. He told the truth…she was far from pleased, but seemed to take it all in stride. She realized it was part of the game. Mark’s only real regret is that the team was not honest with her upfront about what they had planned. So goes the game.

CELEBRITY COOKING / WEEK 6

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:20:04 -0800

Tuesday
As is par for the course, the kids were worked out to the very limits of endurance after the trainers heard the results of the weigh-in. Very little down time for them today. Which is nice for the casting department every now and then. Bob really turned up the heat today. On the days before a weigh-in and elimination, the trainers refer to the exceptionally brutal workouts as “Last Chance Workouts”. Bob called the first workout of this week a “First Chance Workout”. He worked them just as hard as any last chance. Perhaps that’s why Mark realized he had suffered a stress fracture to his leg. He has to cut WAY back on the workouts in the interest of his own health. Even with this little impediment, casting is fairly certain the brothers can still make magic on the scale. They’re tenacious as hell, those boys.

BLACK AND BLUE / WEEK 5

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:19:59 -0800

Wednesday
Tonight was challenge night and boy it was a doozy! There was a little surprise in store for the winners and the losers. This time, the trainers were rewarded by being able to pick out who they wanted on their teams. Bob got to pick first and he put together a veritable powerhouse: Roger, Trent, Jay, Mark, Dan and Jackie. Jillian was less than pleased. There was no way of keeping track of how many obscenities streamed from her mouth as she let loose with some truly verbose anger. It’s not that Jillian has bad people on her team – it’s that Bob went and snatched away every big number loser on campus. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that Jillian can make just about anybody shed pounds. We’ll see how she does with Bernie, Brittany, Paul, Kelly, Maggie and Jenn.

EXPECT NOTHING / WEEK 4

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:36:39 -0800

Sunday
At what seemed like dawn’s first light, the entire cast had interviews for the forthcoming Biggest Loser book. The author arrived earlier than anticipated so she and Gray chatted and drank coffee for a half hour or so until the scheduled time to wake the cast. Despite being woken at 8am on a dark day (no shooting), everyone seemed to be excited about talking with the author. This may be the start of the unavoidable flirtation with the idea of “being a celebrity” that all the contestants eventually experience.

Monday
There was an overnight challenge tonight. Crew and contestants alike had a major test of mettle in the cold…all night long! Due to an interesting twist in the challenge, it was Paul and Kelly versus EVERYONE ELSE. We never run out of excitement around here.

DAY BY DAY / WEEK 3

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:13:57 -0800

Monday
Today was the challenge reveal day. This is the day where the winners of the challenges are made known to Bob and Jillian, as well as the awards (if any) for winning. This week it was Roger and Trent. The trainers and cast seemed to be pleased that it was someone other than Mark or Jay! Earlier tonight Justin Messing, Drew and Gray were discussing the win with Roger and Trent. Everyone agreed that Roger and Trent are actually bigger threats than Mark and Jay, the rest of the cast hasn’t realized it yet. We all told them to ride that unknown advantage as long as they can!

Tuesday
Dark day. Bless the dark days. Clint took Bette-Sue to a specialty shoe store in Reseda to pick up a pair of shoes that she insisted upon. They are these strange, elevated athletic shoes with huge springs extending from the heels. She looks like a cyborg. A spring-footed robot programmed to lose weight. When we told her that she laughed her hilarious, gruff laugh and shook her head.

DOING IT ALL / WEEK 2

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:59:24 -0800

After the first elimination, there has been the expected increase in the contestants’ dedication to working out. The trainers have been sure to tell them that the second week is always the hardest. It’s only natural for the big numbers pulled on the scale to balance themselves out the second week as the contestants’ bodies get used to their new regimens.

Aside from the grueling daily workouts and nutritional focus, the cast is becoming a bit lighter, a bit more comfortable with one another. One late night poolside conversation quickly turned into a hilarious performance when Paul dug out his karaoke machine. By the end of the night several of the contestants as well as Justin, Clint and Clarence had taken a turn singing songs that over-worked casting people should never attempt in public. It was a great release for the cast and for us.

MOVE TO CAMPUS / WEEK ONE

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:31:20 -0800

The higher-ups have finally decided upon the cast of Biggest Loser 5.

The casting department is pleased, for the most part. Although it will be a week or so before most of us form opinions on the personalities of the chosen 18. Most of us are the little people – not necessarily in charge of choosing the cast – but definitely in charge of taking care of them. Organizing their daily routines, stocking water, wrangling them for shoot days. Perhaps the most important part is to keep them sane. Keep them as comfortable and positive as possible. It’s inevitable that we develop real friendships with these people over the weeks.

Our kids (the contestants) have moved into the dorms and are doing their best to assimilate to the new environment. There’s no time for easing into the situation. From the get go they are thrust into challenges (such as the first “Balloon Challenge”), eating and exercise regiments, interviews and more. At night, when they might think their responsibilities are over, Justin Lamb and Gray come around to make sure they are doing their blogs and Body Bugg nutritional programs. It really is non-stop. Even when they sleep, Gray and Justin are on the premises. Casting is the only 24-hour department on the show. Most of us are just fine with that…even if it occasionally makes us temporarily insane.

HOTEL SEQUESTER

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:29:37 -0800

Another season for the ever-ready and sleep-deprived Biggest Loser Casting Department!

On board for the hotel sequester (a week long process where potential contestants are weeded down to the final 18) we have Kat Elmore, Talent Director. Justin Messing, Talent Coordinator. Drew Lewandowski, Asst. Talent Coordinator. Gray Creasy, Hotel Sequester Coordinator/Overnight Casting Coordinator. Justin Lamb, Casting Associate. These make up the Biggest Loser alumni. Kat and Gray have been with the show since season one. This is the second season of BL work for Justin, Drew and Justin Lamb.

In addition, the casting department is happy to welcome our new Casting Associates: Patrick Reina, Clarence Nelson, Marisela (“Sela”) Rivas, Clint Brandel and Rachel Bingham and Tristan Akahoshi. All are proving capable and up to the demanding tasks of organizing a week of medical testing, psych testing, network interviews and more. Everyone has been putting in more than their fair share of hours, with the coordinators working as many as 18 hours a day in preparation for the final casting decisions and the move onto the Biggest Loser Campus.