If you’re one of approximately 10 million fans in the U.S., then you already know that Patrick — with training from Bob and Jillian plus encouragement from Alison — recently won $250,000 for shedding 182 pounds during the tenth season of NBC TV’s popular reality show, The Biggest Loser.
That would be Patrick House who started the show about six months ago as a 28-year-old 6’2” 400-pound unemployed man and went on to claim the top prize. Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels are the show’s trainers who work-out the contestants; and Alison Sweeney, an actor on Days of Our Lives, serves as host of the program that each season tracks the hard-earned losses and struggles of the obese contestants.
For the uninitiated, Loser staff members select about 20 obese contestants from across the country — sometimes couples or family members — and put them through from 13-to-20 or more weeks of heavy exercise and restricted eating. The contestants share their feelings in frequent televised interviews during the process. Periodic “temptations” and “challenges” also add excitement to the program.
Weekly weigh-ins usually result in one of the two contestants with the lowest percentage of weight loss compared with their respective original weights being voted off the show by the others. Those eliminated in any stage of the competition can still compete for a $100,000 prize for the biggest percentage of weight loss at home during the course of the show. The final four — with one of them voted off by the public and dropping into the at-home category — weigh in during a live broadcast for the top prize.
“It’s not just about the drama, it’s all about inspiration. It’s about normal people changing their lives and inspiring America. That’s why people keep watching it,” said Roy Brewer, a former Laie man who now lives in Thousand Oaks, California, and works as a casting associate or talent wrangler on the show.
Brewer, who served a mission in Sapporo, Japan, and graduated from BYU in exercise physiology, recently returned home to get sealed to his wife, Shannon, in the newly rededicated Laie Hawaii Temple. He said he ended up “falling into TV and film work” on Amazing Race, Master Chef and independent films, but most consistently works on The Biggest Loser, where he’s one of two Latter-day Saints on the crew that ranges from 50-to-100 people.
Working behind the scenes for the past five seasons, Brewer said he’s had ample opportunity to observe the contestants. “These are normal but obese people thrown into our Hollywood roles, and we make a reality for them. We take care of all their needs: Their food’s bought for them, although they have to cook it. We give them clothes. We make sure they’re given schedules. We drive them everywhere.”
“The show spends quite a bit of money providing each one of the contestants with a range of healthy food that’s basically all organic. It goes through a nutritionist. It goes through a doctor. It’s approved by the trainers,” Brewer said. “These people go from eating fast food to preparing very healthy food for themselves. It’s actually really hard for them sometimes to eat enough healthy food to hit their calorie goals.”
“We can actually see the contestants’ physical transformation,” Brewer said. “Their hair is shinier. They have better skin. Then when there’s a ‘temptation,’ like a buffet or they elect to eat rich dishes or sweets to win some edge, within a couple of hours they start sweating oil. They’ll say, ‘I think it’s the oil from the food I just ate.’”
On the other hand, Brewer said, “They’re all locked down. They can’t really leave the ranch without permission. The audience probably doesn’t realize how cut-off the contestants are.”
“Before they begin, we tell them, you’re not going to have mail or email and you’re not going to have a cell phone. When the audience sees the remaining contestants ‘win’ a phone call or getting emotional when they finally get to contact family members, that’s real. They may have gone two months without getting any information from their families.”
“The audience probably also doesn’t realize the contestants have to put in at least six-to-eight hours of exercise a day, although every week there’s a day off. They have to have recuperation,” Brewer continued. “Even the contestants come in and ask, ‘Is it always this hard?’ Yes, it’s work. I tell them, I’m not going to work out for you. You’re going to work out. They say, ‘My knees hurt.’ They’re out of shape. It’s going to hurt.”
He added that it’s also “not crazy workouts all the time like you see on TV. They’re not always lifting weights. A good majority of their workouts is walking.”
What’s it like to work with Allison, Bob and Jillian? “Allison is an amazing host,” Brewer responded. “She sincerely cares for every one of the contestants. So do Bob and Jillian. They are very competitive, but they’re invested in their individual contestants and want each one to do their best. When one of them isn’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, it hits them hard. It may be a little dramatic on screen, but they really care, or else they wouldn’t say anything. Bob tries to help everyone who wants to make changes, and Jillian looks for reasons why the contestants are the way they are.”
Brewer said filming all of the Loser workouts and interviews takes a lot of time. “I work the day shift, and there’s also a night shift. A typical day for me is at least 12 hours. Shooting can actually go longer than that. We can only put about five percent of the things that happen into the show, so there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.”
In the course of his duties, Brewer said he gets very well acquainted with the contestants, and “I keep in touch with some of them.” For example, he said he really likes Sione and Filipe Fa from the eighth season — Tongan cousins and members of the Church with ties to Laie: Sione’s father, Vuna Fa, uncle and grandfather worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the 1960s. “They didn’t win, but they did really well,” he said.
Brewer added that there have also been several other Latter-day Saint contestants on the show, including Ryan Benson, who won in January 2005 after losing 122 pounds during the contest; Rick Deroque, 2010; Dane Patterson and Blaine Cotter from season-seven, who are related by marriage; season-five and the first female winner, Ali Vincent, who was raised in the Church but no longer considers herself a member; and former Olympic gold medal winner Rulon Gardner, who will appear in the upcoming season-eleven which premieres in January 2011.
Brewer said he also really liked season-nine Tongan cousins Sam Poueu and Koli Palu from Rohnert Park, California: Palu won the at-home prize by dropping 215 pounds from his beginning weight of 403. He stressed, however, “even when I like contestants, I can’t give extra insights.”
“Similarly, one of the hardest parts, even for the crew, is when a contestant stops trying and gives up,” Brewer said. “Some of them might think we’re just filming and we don’t care.
That’s not so. In our minds we’re thinking, come on, come on; but we’re not allowed to jump in. We’re not allowed to cheer. We’re not allowed to clap. We’re supposed to be quiet and stay behind the ‘Wizard of Oz curtain.’ When one of them quits, that hurts us, too.”
“Our crew is like a big family. We’re really tight. Everyone knows each other’s names. We know their kids. Everyone knew Shannon and I recently had a baby, Kamaehu.”
The show is not without critics who say the caloric restriction and hours of strenuous exercise resulting in rapid weight loss over a short time might place the contestants at risk. Then, despite almost all previous contestants saying they’ll never let themselves get big again, some have regained significant weight.
“I can’t blame them,” Brewer said. “They go back to normal lives and it’s a hard journey. Once they’re finished filming, I personally tell them now it’s the next step — maintenance. You’re not on the ranch any more. You don’t have trainers. You’re back to your lives. It’s time for you to maintain what you’ve lost and remember what you’ve learned.”
“It’s really hard because when they’re at the ranch we’ve pulled them away from everything. Some of them have quit their jobs. They’re separated from their families. They have all day to work out, and it’s a great opportunity to lose massive amounts of weight in a little bit of time.”
“But when they go back home, unless they’re retired or self-made, they have to spend eight hours a day at work. Then they have families; so, when their time gets taken up, they fall back on old things. Their new reality is if they don’t maintain, they’re going to go back to their old lives.”
Asked if the show has inspired him, Brewer replied, “Oh my goodness, yes. Season after season I see the contestants go from overweight, unhappy individuals into inspired, amazing people who have new lives, new energy. They have more confidence. They want to help other people. They kind of forget about themselves and want to pay it forward. That inspires me.” He said the show has also encouraged him to be more conscientious about what he eats.
Brewer added that some of the winners “end up becoming motivational speakers, which is good because people want to hear their stories. It’s not just about losing weight — it’s about what caused them to change their minds and what was their motivation to change their lives. It applies to a lot of things, and that’s what people want to hear.” For example, House, the most recent winner, announced on the finalé that he has been hired to work at a South Carolina boarding school for teens with long-term health and wellness issues. He is quoted as saying he plans to work out four or five times a week, and add weight training to his regimen.
“A lot of people think of Hollywood reality shows as kind of sleazy. Some of it is, and I’ve seen some pretty bad stuff; but I’m proud to be on The Biggest Loser crew,” Brewer said.
“Yes, we have drama, but we don’t make that up. We take ordinary people, throw them into an extraordinary situation and film their reaction. That’s what we put on TV because that’s what people want to see. But for the most part, The Biggest Loser is not about the drama. It’s about these people making huge changes in their lives, and inspiring others to do it, too.”
“That’s the best part of it, and I’m the show’s number-one fan. In an industry where people think of bad things, I’m on a show that’s really good and people want to watch it.”
“A lot of fans wonder how the contestants do it. I think it comes down to two things,” Brewer said. “One, just keep your body moving. I’ve seen people just start walking, which burns up a lot of calories. And two, it’s watching your calorie intake. If you stay away from fast foods, stop drinking sodas and eat healthy foods, that’s going to change everything.”
