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The Biggest Loser Season 7

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Texan:
who do you want to be the biggest loser?

RealityFreakWill:
OK! Exclusive: Biggest Loser's Joelle



It's an understatement to say that Joelle Gwynn didn't exactly have the easiest time on the Biggest Loser ranch this season. During her six-week stay, she endured confrontations with just about every other contestant, and most notoriously with her trainer, Bob Harper, who often lost his temper in frustation with the 41-year-old.

But for Joelle, looking at herself now — 75 pounds slimmer, with 75 more to go before achieving her goal of losing 150 pounds by October — it was all worth it.

We understand you had some medical complications before arriving at the ranch.
I found out three weeks before I started the show that I was diabetic. I had to go to the emergency room, and they were yelling at me, "You have to fix your life!"

How much did you weigh when you started the show?
I was 309 pounds; a size 28 was tight. I like shopping, but I could no longer even shop at plus-size stores. It was a bad time for me.

What kept you going after you left the ranch?
At the ranch, there's a mantra to believe in yourself, trust the process and change forever. It took me a long time to believe in me. This is proof-positive that it works.

What was a piece of clothing you couldn't wait to get into?
There was an old pair of jeans. I let out this scream of jubilation when those pants were too loose.

What's a typical workout for you?
A lot of cardio. I do intervals on the treadmills. I kickbox and I work out with a trainer. I found a trail around my neighborhood, and I'm starting to get that runner's high. It feels good.

Does Bob know how hard you've been working since you left the show?
About six weeks ago we had to go back to campus for a boot camp. He was really impressed with my growth and I was really pleased to show him that I had improved. He said, "Oh, you look like you have a shape now!"

Are you dating anyone?
There is a gentleman who has been absolutely fantastic and supportive of me from day one. Is there a Biggest Loser finale wedding for me? No! [laughs]

Who do you think is going to win The Biggest Loser this season?
I think it's between Tara and Mike. She's defied odds for a woman, but Mike is strong and determined and has more weight to lose. Whoever wins would be a wonderful example of leadership and what Biggest Loser should be about.

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/14206

RealityFreakWill:
Below the Yellow Line with Mike and Ron Morelli of The Biggest Loser Couples

Another season of The Biggest Loser is almost set to crown a new "biggest loser," as the competitive weight-loss field has been narrowed down to four, with the father and son team of Ron and Mike Morelli falling below the yellow line before the season finale of The Biggest Loser Couples. However, the most intense drama leading up to The Biggest Loser finale came when the competitors went home for 30 days but received word that they'd each have to run a full marathon before the final weight-in to prove their newfound physical fitness, a feat that even Jillian Michaels has never attempted.

After running 26 miles, Tara finished first, Helen crossed the line in second place, and Mike in third. But it was Ron who had the toughest time, as his knees and state of cardio health took the punishment that forced him to nearly pull out of the marathon. In the end, Ron picked himself up and walked his way to the finish line to prove to himself that anything is possible.

When the final weigh-in went down after the competitors spend 30 days at home to test their will-power, Tara and Helen held their lost weight above the yellow line while Mike and Ron fell below when the scales revealed they'd only lost 10 pounds each. Now, as The Biggest Loser Couples prepares for its three-hour finale on Tuesday, May 12 at 8pm on NBC, it will be the Biggest Loser fans who will be voting to keep either Mike or Ron in the game for the finale.

The next morning we hopped on the phone to run a conference call marathon with a few outlets to catch up to both Mike and Ron Morelli to get their thoughts on their Biggest Loser progress, running the marathon, integrating back into normal life, and their time at The Biggest Loser ranch.

[The Biggest Loser NBC] THE DEADBOLT: So, Ron, when you were getting close to the marathon finish line, did you have the theme song to Rocky going through your head?

RON MORELLI: [laughs] No, I was just, 'Get me off of this damn sand.' That's all I was thinking. No, I didn't. But maybe I should've, it would've been easier.

THE DEADBOLT: I was actually humming it on my sofa while I was watching you cross the finish line.

RON: [laughs]

THE DEADBOLT: How surprised were you at how hard it was to integrate back into normal life after being on the ranch for so long?

MIKE MORELLI: For me, normal life still hasn't started yet. I mean, we're still working towards [the] finale and that kind of thing. So normal life, for me, is going to be getting back at Michigan State and getting back into school, and that's something I'm really really looking forward to. And I'll let you know how it works out [laughs].

[The Biggest Loser NBC] RON: It was pretty easy for me to slide back into [normal life]. At least as normal as my life usually was. I mean, I'm a city councilman out here in my town, so I needed to get back into those meetings and they're just twice a month. So I got right back into that, and after the meetings we'd all go up to the local bar and just sit and talk about what went on at the meeting and I would just have water, where before I would have a couple of beers. But I still sit down and have the comradery with my friends and the other people on council and the other people in town.

I mean, I come from a small town. We only have 10,000 people here in South Lyon [Michigan] and most of the town knows who I am. So going through town wasn't much different than it normally was. But once this is all over, the thing that is going to change is getting back into my normal life with my wife where we can go out and we can go to the movies and we can go to a restaurant. You know, do the kind of things where the main focus isn't getting to bed early, getting up early, working out, you know - doing all of the stuff and really over working yourself waiting to get to this finale.

THE DEADBOLT: Mike, when you were fighting those food temptations, were you thankful that you gave your groceries away to Aubry?

MIKE: Honestly, yeah, because if I had a year's supply of cereal in my house I would've eaten the entire thing.

THE DEADBOLT: How often do you speak to Bob and Jillian?

RON: I don't speak to Bob much and that's kind of my choice. I know that they're not going to be around every day like they were at the ranch, and I really need to try to focus on how I'm going to handle this past Bob. And I know that for the rest of my life, if I need him, he'll be there. But I need to make sure that I'm able to do it on my own. If I was really running into trouble, I'd call him more. But so far, I'm not. My son Max talks to him a lot, so I kind of talk to Bob through him a little bit. But other than that, I haven't talked to him much.

MIKE: As for me, I really don't talk to Jillian, or anything, or Bob either. Every once in a while, if I see Jillian is on like Rachael Ray, or she was Huckabee, I'll text her and be like, 'Good job on TV.'

THE DEADBOLT: At what point along the way, Mike, did you start to believe, 'I could win this whole thing.'?

MIKE: I think the first time I really did the math on where I was percentage weight-loss wise was when I realized I could really do it. I don't have a specific week. But the more I lost weight and the better I felt, the more I was like, 'Wow, if I don't fall below the yellow line I can get pretty far.' And I've been below once this past week.

THE DEADBOLT: So your biggest hurdle is still Tara?

MIKE: I'm actually more scared of Helen than Tara.

THE DEADBOLT: What's the most important thing you guys took away from the ranch?

RON: The most important thing I took away from the ranch was that if my mind was in the right spot, I really didn't need the ranch. Everything I learned there, I already knew, I just never did it. And what the ranch forced us to do was to do it. If you're going to play the game and stick around, you had to do the work. And it proved to me just by doing the work - you know, eating right and exercising - the weight would come off, and the weight would come off quick. And I could've done that 35 years ago.

MIKE: The greatest thing I took away from the show was that if you stick to a plan, if you just tell yourself you can do this, you'll be able to do it. If you go out and say, 'I'm not going to give up. I'm going to lose weight and I'm going to follow this diet program,' exercise and eating right, the math will work out. You'll lose weight [and] it'll work. Before, I'd try anything. I'd try any number of diets and I yo-yo'd up to 388 lbs, and I was 18. It was really the guidance and the perspective I gained from the ranch that I took away most.

http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/105678/biggest_loser_mike_ron_interview.php

RealityFreakWill:
Alison's blog posted on 5/6

Pound for pound

Omg. Last night was such a good ep. We (Bob, Jill and I) hosted an event with Feeding America to honor the Pound for Pound challenge. Celebrate its accomplishments and encourage people to become aware of such an amazing organization. The pfpchallenge has generated over 3 million pounds of groceries for people at risk of hunger. And over 180,000 people pledged. Really amazing.

We screened the episode at the event, and it was so incredible to witness so many people standing around the screens, moved and inspired by what Tara, Helen, Ron and Mike accomplished. I received so many tweets last night about it too. Ron had a lot of you in tears... And certainly we all felt that way, walking that last mile with Ron. All the previous contestants participating - cheering on all four of them was so awesome. Seeing everyone walking in with Ron, shows just how special Biggest Loser is and what a family it is. Heba and Bernie and Jim...
Ali, Michelle... It's so overwhelming when you think about how many lives have been changed for the better... Forever. And listening to Ron last night really spoke to me, seeing Max again, seeing him struggle...
Jillian reaching out to Mikey, bob training Max...that final weigh-in, Tara and Helen's triumph, Mike and Ron speaking to America ... There were so many moments that were truly the best of what Biggest Loser is all about. I was so proud of that episode.
So... Who are you voting for? Are you SO excited for the finale next week? I am!! Can't wait to see everyone.

Alison Sweeney

Pardon my typos, this was sent from my Sprint BlackBerry

http://blog.nbc.com/alison/the_biggest_loser/

RealityFreakWill:
Alison Sweeney Takes Her Role as Fitness Host Even Farther

Alison Sweeney may already be known as the devious Sami on Days of Our Lives, but these days she's taking her other job as host of NBC's The Biggest Loser one step further by challenging herself to new fitness goals with EA SPORTS Active for Wii. New mom Sweeney opened up to TVGuide.com about how The Biggest Loser has had an epic season, how the contestants have inspired her to lose the baby weight quickly and what advice she has for other busy moms trying to stay fit.

TVGuide.com: You're a busy woman these days. Tell me about the EA SPORTS Active product you're working with?
Alison Sweeney: It's fantastic because it's not just the workout — it's a whole journal that you do so you really get a sense of the entire health picture. It's a trainer in a box and the nice thing about the workout is that it's interactive, so it makes sure you're challenging yourself and trying to be as fit as you can. I'm trying to get back into shape after my pregnancy so it works for me, and then it also has a lighter intensity for someone who's brand-new and has never done a workout a day in their life. So it really offers something for everyone.

TVGuide.com: I have a Wii, but I always say, "If I'm going to work out, I may as well go to the gym." Do you ever have that problem?
Sweeney: With this, it keeps you on track. They're not trying to say it replaces a trip to the gym. I still do my spin class, I still do running on the treadmill when I can, [but] I don't have to go out to the gym at 9 o'clock at night anymore. If I'm exhausted after work, I can just do this, get a good fitness half-hour, burning some calories and getting some muscle tone, and then the whole day isn't shot.

TVGuide.com: Could this be featured on the next season of The Biggest Loser?
Sweeney: It won't be, but it definitely has the potential. It could really be incorporated into so many people's lives, especially the people that want The Biggest Loser as guidance.

TVGuide.com: Speaking of The Biggest Loser, how has this season been different from previous ones?
Sweeney: We call it the biggest season ever, but it's true on so many levels. It's the longest season we've ever had. We brought in the biggest contestant, male and female, the oldest, the youngest. We brought in the most amazing people. Kristin is a great example of someone [who] got to the ranch, not just for herself, but for everyone sitting at home on their sofa watching the show. Every week she'd get up on that scale, whether she succeeded or failed, and know that people are looking at her, and she wanted to reach out through that TV screen and help them and tell them you can do this yourself.

TVGuide.com: Has the show inspired you in your own life?
Sweeney: People ask me why I was so committed to losing weight after Megan was born and why I wanted to do it quickly. I felt that I owed it to the contestants, to every person that stood on that scale next to me and given it everything they had all week long to get there. I owed it to them to show them I honored what they did and how brave they are and I wanted to be a part of that.

TVGuide.com: Do you have a favorite to win?
Sweeney: I love Tara; I admire her. She's so competitive like me and I admire that drive. I mean, she was like the Tiger Woods of Biggest Loser. She came from behind so many times to win those challenges and to prove she could do it and make sure she stayed in that game.

TVGuide.com: Have you started filming the next season yet?
Sweeney: We start on Thursday. We don't mess around.

TVGuide.com: So do you have any advice for a busy mom like yourself to stay fit?
Sweeney: The No.1 thing I would say to them is that you are worth it. You're a role model now, so spending time on yourself to get healthy, spending time to go to the gym, is actually the best gift you can give your kids. And then a little more practical would be to cook home more often and to pack snacks with you. The first step you can take to cut out unwanted calories is to make sure you know what you're eating and putting it in the food yourself.

The Biggest Loser: Couples finale airs on Tuesday at 8 pm/ET on NBC.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Alison-Sweeney-Fitness-1005966.aspx

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