| Season Number: | 1 | ||
| Starring: | Jillian Michaels Bob Harper Adro Sernalli (Winner) | ||
| Num Episodes: | 53 | ||
| Network: | Network Ten | ||
| Module1: |
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The first season of the Australian version of the original NBC American reality television series The Biggest Loser premiered at 7pm each week night on Network Ten for 10 weeks from 13 February to 27 April 2006. The eventual winner, as decided by percentage of weight lost, was Adriano "Adro" Sarnelli, who won . The host was announced as Ajay Rochester, who had previously gone through weight loss herself. American trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels reprised their roles from the previous American version. Applications closed on 11 November 2005 with over 6,000 Australians having applied to take part. The finale was watched by 2.310 million Australian viewers.[1]
At the beginning of the season, all contestants were given one 'last meal' of their favourite meals such as steak, spaghetti, chocolates, lasagna, lollies, alcohol, and other items.
The following is a list of contestants and their weekly weight losses.[2] [3]
| Contestant | Age | Height | Starting BMI | Current BMI | Starting Weight | Week | Finale | Weight Lost | Percentage Lost | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Adro | 26 | 174 | 44.5 | 27.8 | 136.5 | 128.8 | 126.9 | 124.4 | 122.8 | 122.2 | 114.9 | 112.5 | 108.9 | X | 102.6[4] | 85.2 | 51.3 | 37.58% |
| Harry | 35 | 190 | 49.2 | 31.0 | 178.9 | 166.7 | 162.6 | 156.8 | 155.5 | 147.5 | 132.4 | 112.7 | 66.2 | 37.06% | ||||
| Kristie | 32 | 164 | 38.4 | 24.3 | 104.8 | 95.4 | 94.6 | 92.5 | 90.8 | 90.2 | 85.6 | 91.5 | 83.4 | X | 80.5 | 66.1 | 38.7 | 36.80% |
| Fiona | 22 | 175 | 34.9 | 24.7 | 101.1 | 94.8 | 94.9 | 92.9 | 91.5 | 94.4 | 86.6 | 86.3 | 87.1 | X | 81.4 | 71.6 | 29.5 | 29.15% |
| 38 | 170 | 53.3 | 34.6 | 154.0 | 145.2 | 140.6 | 136.6 | 131.2 | 133.8 | 127.9 | 122.6 | 119.8 | 119.8 | 100.4 | 53.6 | 35.00% | ||
| Ruth | 28 | 169 | 53.6 | 45.7 | 155.2 | 150.4 | 147.9 | 144.5 | 141.5 | 140.5 | 137.2 | 135.5 | 132.3 | 130.9 | 24.3 | 14.62% | ||
| Wal[5] | 42 | 196 | 46.2 | 28.8 | 176.7 | 161.2 | 157.5 | 150.6 | 150.1 | 145.3 | 140.1 | 140.8 | 110.4 | 66.3 | 37.52% | |||
| Artie | 42 | 177 | 49.5 | 36.9 | 156.4 | 147.8 | 144.8 | 142.9 | 140.5 | 138.7 | 132.4 | 116.4 | 40.0 | 25.51% | ||||
| Tracy | 44 | 175 | 35.7 | 28.1 | 109.8 | 103.6 | 101.8 | 100.1 | 98.6 | 98.1 | X | 86.0 | 23.8 | 21.49% | ||||
| Cat | 27 | 169 | 54.5 | 36.0 | 157.8 | 151.0 | 146.6 | 144.2 | 130.6 | 104.1 | 53.7 | 33.91% | ||||||
| Jo | 33 | 165 | 39.9 | 28.1 | 108.0 | 101.8 | 100.7 | 88.6 | 76.7 | 31.3 | 28.58% | |||||||
| David | 33 | 172 | 66.0 | 49.9 | 196.7 | 189.3 | 175.1 | 148.8 | 47.9 | 24.42% | ||||||||
The order of elimination was: David, Jo, Cat, Harry, Tracey and Artie, Wal, Ruth, Shane, Adro (with Harry and Adro returning to be part of the final four contestants).
The finale was broadcast as a live contestant reunion on 27 April 2006, where the remaining four contestants were weighed to determine the first Australian Biggest Loser. Although commenting "I'm gonna win this", and losing 66.2 kg (37% of his body weight since his first weight-in), Harry lost out to Adro's marginally better 37.58%, who in total lost 51.3 kg. Adro had the highest percentage of weight loss, making him Australia's Biggest Loser for 2006 and the winner of . For Harry's efforts, he won $30,000. Third place went to Kristie, who lost 38.7 kg (36.93% - only 0.07% below Harry and within a percent Adro). She won a total of A$20,000. Coming in fourth was the lightest and youngest contestant, Fiona, who lost 29.5 kg (29.18%) and won A$10,000.
At the end of the show, Adro could only manage to yell, "this is unreal", as the stage was invaded by loved ones and eliminated contestants. As Wal shouted 'Young Bull' at the top of his voice and the crowd cheered. On the Sunday night following the finale, 30 April 2006, a special episode of the show aired to reveal Secrets of The Biggest Loser which includes all the diet and nutrition tips which were used as part of the show as well as a behind the scene look at the show itself.
All previously eliminated contestants were also weighed for the chance of the runners-up prize of A$50,000. Wal lost 66.3 kg (37.52%) of his original weight, making him the biggest loser of those eliminated. The remaining contestants achieved the following results:
| Contestant | Start Weight (kg) | Finale Weight (kg) | Total loss (kg/%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADRO | 136.5 | 85.2 | 51.3 (37.58%) | 1st place, won |
| HARRY | 178.9 | 112.7 | 66.2 (37.00%) | 2nd place, won |
| KRISTIE | 104.8 | 66.1 | 38.7 (36.93%) | 3rd place, won |
| FIONA | 101.1 | 71.6 | 29.5 (29.18%) | 4th place, won |
| Contestant | Start Weight (kg) | Finale Weight (kg) | Total loss (kg/%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAL | 176.7 | 110.4 | 66.3 (37.52%) |
| SHANE | 154.0 | 100.4 | 53.6 (34.81%) |
| CAT | 157.8 | 104.1 | 53.7 (34.03%) |
| JO | 108.0 | 76.7 | 31.3 (28.98%) |
| ARTIE | 156.4 | 116.4 | 40.0 (25.58%) |
| DAVID | 196.7 | 148.8 | 47.9 (24.35%) |
| TRACY | 109.8 | 86.0 | 23.8 (21.68%) |
| RUTH | 155.2 | 130.9 | 24.3 (15.66%) |
(In Order of Elimination)
| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| David "The Ox" Hilyander | 33 | Sydney, New South Wales |
| "Jo" Cowling | 33 | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Catherine "Cat" White | 27 | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Tracy Moores | 44 | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Arthur "Artie" Rocke | 42 | Hervey Bay, Queensland |
| Vladimir "Wal" Milberg | 42 | Townsville, Queensland |
| Ruth Almeida de Campos | 28 | Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Shane Giles | 35 | Ballarat, Victoria |
| Fiona Falkiner | 23 | Geelong, Victoria |
| Kristie Dignam | 33 | Perth, Western Australia |
| Harry Kantzidis (Runner-up) | 38 | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Adriano "Adro" Sarnelli (Winner) | 26 | Newcastle, New South Wales |
A number of The Biggest Loser records were set during the first week, with contestant Wal losing 15.5kg (34.2lb), the most weight lost by any contestant in one week; together with the greatest total weight loss for all contestants with 97.8kg (215.6lb); and the Blue team losing the most weight by a single team with 56.4kg (124.3lb). Kristie lost the most percentage of body weight in the first week of any show. In later shows, Shane, Fiona and Kristie were the only contestants to gain weight, Shane gaining 2.3kg (05.1lb) and Fiona gaining 2.6kg (05.7lb) - both "Water Loaded" so they could lose more weight the following week. Similarly, a contestant on US season 4 utilized the same strategy, water loading to gain 7.7kg (17lb) in one week and then losing 14.9kg (32.8lb) the following week, although unlike Kristie, he did not have immunity, and gained the weight not to lose extra the next week, but to sabotage another player.