| Season Number: | 2 | ||
| Starring: | Jillian Michaels Bob Harper Michelle Bridges Shannan Ponton Steve Willis | ||
| Num Episodes: | 68 | ||
| Network: | Network Ten | ||
| Episode List: | List of The Biggest Loser Australia episodes | ||
| Module1: |
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The second season of the Australian version of the original NBC American reality television series The Biggest Loser premiered on Sunday 4 February 2007 at 7pm on Network Ten, with the finale on 26 April 2007. The show features 14 overweight contestants competing for A$200,000 and the title Australia's Biggest Loser for 2007. The eventual winner was Chris Garling, one of "The Outsiders", who lost 70.1 kg (46.89% of his start weight). Eliminated contestants also had the chance to compete for a runners-up prize of $50,000, which was won by Michael losing 70.0 kg (42.37% of his start weight). Five episodes were screened each week night, with a sixth episode introduced on Sunday nights. Industry experts were skeptical of its success screening on this competitive night. The show averaged more than 1 million viewers each night, peaking at 1,995,000 viewers for the finale and 1,560,000 viewers for a weigh-in show.[1] Over 10,000 Australians applied, 2,000 more than the 2006 season.[2] The show is licensed and produced by FremantleMedia Australia in association with Reveille.
14 contestants (2 more than the previous season) competed in 2 teams, later becoming pairs and then playing individually. An additional four being introduced throughout the game as part of twists or as replacement contestants. In the first two weeks, one contestant voluntarily quit and one withdrew on medical advice.[3]
Two new Australian trainers, Michelle Bridges and Shannan Ponton, were introduced to replace the previous American trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels who reprised their role temporarily.[4] Although Michelle states she doesn't like the format of the reality television show, she feels in the end it is helping change people's lives.[5] Jillian was ridiculed for participating in the Australian version and not the American version, she stated that the Australian show represented her more accurately.[6] Contestants were also introduced to former SAS soldier Steve Willis, dubbed "The Commando". Bob and Jillian left at the end of the second week, revisiting in the eighth week for a final time.
Two main new elements were introduced to the game including "The Walk" which gave contestants power to change the outcome of the game and a further two contestants were "secretly" trained outside the house and entered as "The Outsiders".
Before going to air, there were various allegations that Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan had applied to be a contestant and had been rejected. Network Ten argued that Donovan had simply not survived the application process.[7] Further criticism was received by exercise experts, saying the show promoted risky weight loss techniques and may endanger the show's viewers.[8] There was also much criticism of contestants leaving on medical advice after multiple health scares.
Immunity: A small change to immunity was that the contestant to win immunity retained it for the following week if no other contestant gained immunity.
"The Walk": A new element known as "The Walk" involved the winner of the immunity challenges having a random choice of four game-altering options. Some options included a 24-hour training prior to the first weigh-in, choosing replacement contestants, swapping team members, giving up immunity, and immediate mid-week elimination.
New Trainers: Two new primary Australian trainers were introduced, who appeared to replace the previous American trainers. A third element was former SAS soldier Steve Willis dubbed "The Commando" who was used for rewards or penalties in challenges. The Commando trained "The Outsiders" at a secondary training secret ranch before they entered the game.
"The Outsiders": Two contestants called "The Outsiders", Chris Garling and Kimberlie Stewart, entered the game in week 7, having been weighed in the white house at the beginning of the game without the knowledge of all other contestants. They were trained with the Commando during the 6 weeks before entering the house and formed a pair upon entering the game.
"Wild card" contestant: As with the previous season, all previously eliminated contestants were invited to return to the game for a second chance "wild card" entry back into the game. The difference with this game element was that only 5 out of the returning 10 contestants could enter the game by winning a qualification weigh-in. All eliminated contestants returned except for walk-out contestants Sarah, Jules and Sam. P'eta chose not to return, similar to Tracy from the first season.
Trainer's Choice Award: At the end of the series a Suzuki Grand Vitara was awarded to Jules by the trainers, recognizing her for "handling herself exquisitely throughout the whole show".[9]
See main article: List of The Biggest Loser Australia (Season 2) episodes.
There were a total of 68 episodes that followed the general weekly format of Elimination, Minor Challenge, Temptation, "The Walk", Major Challenge, and The Weigh-in. In some instances, episodes were replaced with specials where major twists were introduced, or previous events were explained for viewers missing information. Some of these special episodes included:
At the end of each week, contestants must be weighed to determine how much weight they had lost since the previous week or weigh in. Generally the person with the highest weight loss receives immunity. With teams, the total percentage of weight loss for the team must be highest to avoid elimination. With pairs and individuals, players must come in "above the yellow line" which is usually the 2 lowest weight losers of the week. Weigh-in episodes were generally screened on Sunday nights, or left as a cliffhanger and combined with elimination episodes.
| Contestant | Age | Height | Starting BMI | Ending BMI | Starting Weight | Week | Kilos Lost | Percentage Lost | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Finale | ||||||||||
| Chris | 23 | 198 | 149.5 | 118.2 | 111.8 | 104.8 | 101.0 | X | 93.1 | 89.9 | 79.4 | 70.1 | 46.89% | ||||||||
| Marty | 38 | 193 | 160.6 | 150.2 | 146.0 | 141.6 | 136.8 | 130.1 | 122.5 | 119.9 | 121.0 | 117.5 | 109.9 | 105.0 | 94.7 | 65.9 | 41.03% | ||||
| Pati | 26 | 172 | 120.2 | 114.9 | 111.5 | 108.9 | 105.1 | 101.4 | 96.3 | 94.1 | 92.6 | 90.0 | X | 85.4 | 84.8 | 72.2 | 48.0 | 39.93% | |||
| Munnalita | 32 | 170 | 127.3 | 119.4 | 116.4 | 113.5 | 110.5 | 106.9 | 97.9 | 97.9 | 95.3 | 92.9 | X | 86.6 | 85.0 | 74.1 | 53.2 | 41.79% | |||
| Kimberlie | 32 | 173 | 141.8 | 121.5 | 119.4 | 114.6 | 110.4 | X | 105.2 | 95.0 | 46.8 | 33.00% | |||||||||
| Courtney | 21 | 185 | 139.2 | 133.5 | 130.3 | 126.9 | 123.5 | 117.2 | 111.2 | 110.5 | 108.7 | 107.9 | 107.9 | 98.3 | 40.9 | 29.38% | |||||
| Damien | 34 | 188 | 216.3 | 203.2 | 201.0 | 193.8 | 187.1 | 179.7 | 174.5 | 170.6 | 173.0 | X | 167.0 | 141.7 | 74.6 | 34.49% | |||||
| Laura | 20 | 175 | 109.2 | 105.2 | 103.8 | 101.2 | 95.7 | 94.4 | 93.1 | 88.9 | 84.2 | 25.0 | 22.89% | ||||||||
| Mel | 24 | 183 | 108.4 | 100.7 | 98.7 | 96.4 | 94.7 | 90.2 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 78.0 | 30.4 | 28.04% | ||||||||
| Greg | 33 | 175 | 148.8 | 138.7 | 134.8 | 132.3 | 126.6 | 121.2 | 114.7 | 110.6 | 99.9 | 48.9 | 32.86% | ||||||||
| Jules | 34 | 170 | 126.5 | 120.2 | 118.2 | 115.1 | 111.4 | 106.9 | 91.6 | 34.9 | 27.59% | ||||||||||
| Gerard | 43 | 175 | 133.5 | 126.1 | 122.1 | 120.6 | 116.4 | 104.0 | 90.2 | 43.3 | 32.43% | ||||||||||
| P'eta | 27 | 179 | 131.6 | 127.7 | 126.3 | 106.7 | 24.9 | 18.92% | |||||||||||||
| Michael | 28 | 192 | 165.2 | 155.6 | 151.0 | 145.7 | 120.9 | 95.2 | 70.0 | 42.37% | |||||||||||
| Kelly | 28 | 174 | 117.1 | 112.7 | 108.7 | 94.4 | 89.1 | 28.0 | 23.91% | ||||||||||||
| Sam | 37 | 171 | 128.0 | 121.0 | 87.4 | 40.6 | 31.72% | ||||||||||||||
| Alex | 37 | 167 | 155.2 | 144.6 | 121.3 | 113.4 | 41.8 | 26.93% | |||||||||||||
| Sarah | 37 | 170 | X | 153.3 | Did not attend | ||||||||||||||||
Each week, after a weigh in, contestants must cast a vote against another contestant and avoid elimination. The contestant that received the most votes left the game immediately. Contestants can avoid elimination by their team or themselves losing the most percentage of weight loss, winning immunity at a temptation challenge. Contestants make themselves an elimination target if they are a threat of losing a lot of weight by the end of the show. Elimination episodes screened on Mondays. Below is a table of voting history for what each contestant voted.
| Week | Wk 1[10] | Wk 2[11] | Wk 3[12] | Wk 4[13] | Wk 5[14] | Wk 6[15] | Wk 7[16] | Wk 8[17] | Wk 9[18] | Wk 10[19] | Wk 11[20] [21] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliminated | Alex | Kelly | Michael | P'eta, Gerard | Marty | Greg / Mel | Laura | Marty | Damien, Courtney | Kimberlie | Munnalita |
| Arrived Wk 7 as an "Outsider" | Courtney | Marty | Courtney | Kimberlie | Munnalita | ||||||
| Alex | X | X | X | Courtney | Laura | X | Pati | Munnalita | |||
| Alex | X | X | X | Munnalita | Greg / Mel | Laura | ? | Courtney | X | X | |
| Alex | X | X | P'eta | Marty | Greg / Mel | X | Marty | X | Kimberlie | Eliminated Wk 11 | |
| Arrived Wk 7 as an "Outsider" | Laura | ? | ? | X | |||||||
| Alex | X | X | X | Marty | Greg / Mel | X | Marty | X | Eliminated Wk 9 | ||
| X | Kelly | Laura | ? | X | X | X | X | X | Eliminated mid Wk 9 | ||
| X | Gerard | Gerard | X | X | X | Eliminated Wk 7 | |||||
| X | Kelly | X | Gerard | X | X | Eliminated Wk 6 (Double elimination) | |||||
| ? | X | X | X | Courtney | X | Eliminated Wk 6 (Double elimination) | |||||
| X | Kelly | Michael | Gerard | Withdrew mid Wk 5 (on medical advice) | |||||||
| X | Michael | Michael | ? | Eliminated Wk 4 | |||||||
| bgcolor=palegreen | ? | Michael | ? | Eliminated mid Wk 4 "The Walk" | |||||||
| X | Damien | Gerard | Eliminated Wk 3 | ||||||||
| X | bgcolor= white align="center" | Mel | Eliminated Wk 2 | ||||||||
| X | Withdrew mid Wk 2 (on medical advice) | ||||||||||
| Munnalita | Eliminated Wk 1 | ||||||||||
| Quit mid Wk 1 | |||||||||||
Immunity
Immunity, unable to vote
Below yellow line, unable to vote
Finished last in the elimination challenge, eliminated
Not in elimination, unable to vote
Vote not revealed
Eliminated or not in house
Last person eliminated before the finale
Valid vote cast
Contestants must compete in challenges to earn individual or team rewards. These rewards often lead to giving contestants power to change the outcome of the game with weight advantages or penalties, or individual personal prizes generally awarded by the shows advertising suppliers or sponsors. Generally, minor challenges were screened on Tuesday nights.
| Week | Challenge | Reward(s) | Penalty | Winner(s) | Loser(s) | Notes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cinema | Massages | Spend the night outside | Blue team | Red team | Contestants were taken to the Cremorne Orpheum Cinema where they raced against each other, choosing food products that were lower in calories. | |
| 2 | Beach Volleyball | 3 course banquet | go on frozen meals and TV dinners for 24 hours | Red team | Blue team | The Blue team won the 1st set. The red team won the 2nd set and won the final match point equalling victory | Contestants played beach volleyball against each other. |
| 3 | Treadmill | A cardiology gym, and team session with the commando | Red Team (Greg) | - | Greg walked for over 2 hours, walking an extra 5 minutes after the second place holder | 3 contestants for each team competed to see who could last the longest on a treadmill going 8 km/h | |
| 4 | Jump and Duck Obstacle | The choice of training with the Commando or an afternoon at a Baha'i Temple, giving either other to the other team. | Red Team | Blue Team | The red team won and chose to do to the temple leaving the blue team to face the Commando. Also the red team got a bonus DVD on what happens in the kitchens in the house when no one is looking. | Teams had to duck and jump over spinning bars, beating 5 contestants in a row. | |
| 5 | Basketball match | Messages from home | Commando training | Red team | Blue team | The Blue team were in the lead the entire game until red caught up in the dying minutes of play. | Teams competed against each other in a game of basketball game, each team coached by a member of the Sydney Kings. |
| 6 | The Power balls Challenge | The power to choose duos, LG 32-Inch Plasma TV, LG Notebook Computer | no choice of the pairs | Damien | - | Duos were to be picked with male and females paired. This would single out one female to be alone. | Contestants each had 10 heavy balls in their enclosure and had to get all balls in their area to win. |
| 7 | Commando Challenge | 1 kg advantage | 1 kg penalty, outsiders lose immunity | Courtney and Munnalita | Damien and Laura | Courtney and Munnalita received the Commando as part of The Walk | |
Contestants compete in more demanding physical, mental or tempting challenges giving contestants more significant prizes than those awarded with minor challenges giving contestants power to change the outcome of the game, change team setup, or earn immunity. Generally, major challenges were screened as a cliffhanger episode on Friday nights.
| Week | Challenge | Reward(s) | Penalty | Winner(s) | Loser(s) | Notes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Tower Climb | Choice of lunch at restaurant or paddle on a kayak boat | 5 kg team weigh-in penalty | Blue team | Red team | The Blue Team chose lunch | Teams were taken to Sydney Tower where they raced against each other- 50 laps round the tower |
| 2 | Plane pull | Power to choose what team the new contestants would be placed, Letters from Home | lose their dignity, letters from home and choice of team member | Blue team | Red team | The Blue team chose P'eta | Teams raced to pull a 9-tonne DC3 aircraft 150 metres, stopping periodically for individual running sequences. |
| 3 | Beach obstacle | Phone calls to loved ones | No trainer for the last chance workout. | Blue team | Red team | Blue won only by a narrow margin and also let the Red team call | Teams compete on a beach obstacle course to fill up sacks with sand and dig holes to get through the course. |
| 4 | Moving house | An LG product for each team member, and the power to decide which member of the red team will become a blue. | No choice of whom to swap to oppisite team | Red team | Blue team | The Red team chose to swap Mel, who was previously swapped into Red from Blue. | Teams competed against each other to remove all contents from one house into another. |
| 5 | Heartbreak Hill | The choice between returning gym equipment or training with the Commando | - | Red team | Blue team | Teams had to run a relay 200 times up and down a steep hill with weights | |
| 6 | Hangman Challenge | 1 kg weigh-in advantage | 1 kg weigh-in penalty | Damien & Laura | Courtney & Munnalita | 2nd place: Greg & Mel, 3rd place: Marty & Pati | Contestants had to fill a 15-liter container with water by raising and lowering their paired contestants using a pulley system and transferring water from a container on the ground using just 1 cup. |
| 7 | Wood Challenge | Massages and two Vanuatu holidays | 24 hours lock down, no trainer or gym | Marty and Pati | Damien and Laura | 2nd place: Chris and Kimberlie, 3rd place: Courtney and Munnalita. Marty and Pati finished in 4 hours, 50 minutes. | Contestants had to shift 4 tonnes of wood from one spot to another by hand while being chained to their pair. |
Contestants competes in a temptation challenge to secure their place in the game for another week by gaining immunity making them unable to be voted out unless they gain weight. Challenges are generally psychologically based and gave contestants the choice to act against temptations they would otherwise participate in. This is a strategic part of the game. Temptation challenges were generally screened on Wednesday nights.
| Week | Challenge | Reward(s) | Winner(s) | Notes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choice | Immunity and power of The Walk | Courtney | Contestants had to decide whether to eat the food or not in private. Last one left wins. Courtney only ate one slice of watermelon after everyone else backed away for immunity. | |
| 2 | Pizza | Immunity, an LCD TV courtsy of LG and power of The Walk | Gerard | The pizza got smaller in slice and the challenge can only happen if all eight slices are taken. Gerrard was the only one taking part in the challenge and ate a whole pizza after it shrunk in size. | Contestants must pick a slice of pizza for a 1 in 8 chance of immunity. |
| 3 | Chocolate | Immunity and power of The Walk | Pati | Pati participated as part of a team strategy, only one other contestant participated and that was Michael. Pati chose celery pieces in the temptation. | Contestants ate sticks of food dipped in chocolate. The winner was determined by the one who ate the most. |
| 4 | Sushi Train | Immunity and power of The Walk, 5 massages, a $4000 barbecue, a trampoline, a DVD player & a home video from the contestant's family | Munnalita | This was the first and only temptation challenge where all contestants participated in this temptation | Contestants must choose random plates of meals from a sushi train. |
| 5 | Food deli | Immunity and power of The Walk | Courtney | Other contestants chose to eat certain foods also. Unfortunately, after the trainers found out about the challenge, Munnalita cried when Michelle told her off that she ate two Mars bars. Munnalita countered saying that why she couldn't eat Mars bars after able to resisted eating other foods like chips and very high calorie foods. | Contestants were individually tempted with their favorite foods, the winner being the one who consumed the most calories. |
| 6 | Chris & Kimberlie | Chris and Kimberlie would lose immunity if they came last in the challenge. | |||
| 7 | Chocolate | Marty | Marty was stripped of his immunity after gaining weight. | ||
As an addition to receiving immunity, contestants also receive the power of "The Walk" which gave them the choice to change the game from options provided to them. "The Walk" was generally screened on Thursday nights.
| Week | Contestant(s) with power | Options | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Courtney | 24-hour training prior to the first weigh-in | Alex received additional training with Jillian. |
| 2 | Gerard | To choose 2 new contestants to enter the game | Laura and P'eta were chosen to enter the game, Jess and Kelli could not participate any further in the game. |
| 3 | Pati | To swap 1 member of the blue team for 1 member of the red team. | Pati switched Laura from the Red Team for Mel from the Blue Team. |
| 4 | Munnalita | To immediately vote out a player | Munnalita had to vote out a female. Other options included you must vote someone from the red team, the blue team, or a male. Munnalita voted out P'eta. |
| 5 | Courtney | To give immunity to a Blue team member | Other options included to give up immunity to a red team member, male or female. Courtney lost immunity and gave it to Damien. Originally, Laura wanted it knowing that she would be the next to go. The other members of the blue team made a pact that they would take Courtney to the finals if they picked Mel for immunity. Courtney selected Damien by random pick and angered all the members from the blue team. |
| 6 | None | ||
| 7 | Chris & Kimberlie | To give the Commando to another duo for the next challenge | Other options included, a team will receive a five-minute time advantage, a five-minute time penalty, or to give anyone (including themselves) the Commando. Courtney and Munnalita received the Commando. |
The finale was a pre-recorded show which aired on 6 April 2007.
Final 3 Contestants: Non-eliminated contestants competed for the "crown" and official label of "Australia's Biggest Loser for 2007", the winner being Chris losing a total of 70.1 kg (46.89% of his start weight).
| Contestant | Start Weight (kg) | Starting BMI | Ending BMI | Finale (kg) | Total loss (kg/%) | Goal (kg) | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris | 149.5 | 38.1 | 20.3 | 79.4 | 70.1 (46.89%) | 90 | -10.6 |
| Marty | 160.6 | 43.1 | 25.4 | 94.7 | 65.9 (41.03%) | 95 | -0.3 |
| Pati | 120.2 | 40.6 | 24.4 | 72.2 | 48.0 (39.93%) | 70 | 2.2 |
Runner-up Contestants: All other contestants (excluding Sam, Jules and Sarah) weighed in against each other for the runner-up prize of A$50,000. The winner by a small margin was Michael, closely followed by Munnalita.
| Contestant | Start Weight (kg) | Starting BMI | Ending BMI | Finale (kg) | Total loss (kg/%) | Goal (kg) | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | 165.2 | 44.8 | 25.8 | 95.2 | 70.0 (42.37%) | 99 | -3.8 |
| Munnalita | 127.3 | 44.0 | 25.6 | 74.1 | 53.2 (41.79%) | 60 | 14.1 |
| Damien | 216.3 | 61.2 | 40.1 | 141.7 | 74.6 (34.49%) | 110 | 31.7 |
| Kimberlie | 141.8 | 47.4 | 31.7 | 95.0 | 46.8 (33.00%) | 99 | -4.0 |
| Greg | 148.8 | 48.6 | 32.6 | 99.9 | 48.9 (32.86%) | 90 | 9.9 |
| Gerard | 133.5 | 43.6 | 29.5 | 90.2 | 43.3 (32.43%) | 85 | 5.2 |
| Courtney | 139.2 | 40.7 | 28.7 | 98.3 | 40.9 (29.38%) | 90 | 8.3 |
| Mel | 108.4 | 32.4 | 23.3 | 78.0 | 30.4 (28.04%) | 75 | 3.0 |
| Alex | 155.2 | 55.6 | 40.7 | 113.4 | 41.8 (26.93%) | 95 | 18.4 |
| Kelly | 117.1 | 38.7 | 29.4 | 89.1 | 28.0 (23.91%) | 70 | 19.1 |
| Laura | 109.2 | 35.7 | 27.5 | 84.2 | 25.0 (22.89%) | 70 | 14.2 |
| P'eta | 131.6 | 41.1 | 33.3 | 106.7 | 24.9 (18.92%) | 75 | 31.7 |
Disqualified contestants: Contestants Jules and Sam weighed in at the Finale but their results were not counted towards the runners-up prize as they were disqualified from play as they withdrew from the game, even though it was for medical reasons. Sarah did not make a finale appearance.
| Contestant | Start Weight (kg) | Starting BMI | Ending BMI | Finale (kg) | Total loss (kg/%) | Goal (kg) | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam | 128.0 | 43.8 | 29.9 | 87.4 | 40.6 (31.72%) | 79 | 8.4 |
| Jules | 126.3 | 43.7 | 31.7 | 91.6 | 34.9 (27.59%) | 75 | 16.6 |
| Sarah | 153.3 | 53.0 | x | DNQ | 75 | DNQ | |
Ajay Rochester returned to the second season reprising her role as host of the show. Ajay has since stated goals for herself after the completion of this season, moving into hosting a radio show.[27] Before the show went to air, Ajay was under the spotlight for her own weight.[28] During primary production of the show, Ajay appeared on Network Ten's New Years celebrations.
14 contestants started the game, 2 more than the previous season. As a result of contestant withdrawal, "The Outsiders" and replacements, the total number of contestants was 18.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Height | Goal Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Tsao | 37 | Ringwood North, Victoria | 167 cm | 95 kg |
| Courtney Jackson | 21 | Varsity Lakes, Queensland | 185 cm | 90 kg |
| Damien Wicks | 34 | 188 cm | 110 kg | |
| Greg Koutsovidis | 33 | Glynde, South Australia | 175 cm | 90 kg |
| Gerard Fleischer | 43 | Bentley, Western Australia | 175 cm | 85 kg |
| Kelly Donaghy Lewis | 28 | 174 cm | 70 kg | |
| Mellisa "Mel" Russell | 24 | Wollongong, New South Wales | 183 cm | 75 kg |
| Marty Barrett | 38 | 193 cm | 95 kg | |
| Patima "Pati" Singe | 26 | 172 cm | 70 kg | |
| Michael Hinde | 28 | Adelaide, South Australia | 192 cm | 99 kg |
| Munnalita Kyrimis | 32 | 170 cm | 60 kg | |
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Height | Goal Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher "Chris" Garling | 23 | 198 cm | 90 kg | |
| Kimberlie Stewart | 32 | Sydney, New South Wales | 173 cm | 99 kg |
The replacement contestants were selected from a choice of four people as part of "The Walk".
The two people that did not become contestants were Jess and Kelli. Laura and P'eta joined the team.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Height | Goal Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelli Harvey | 26 | 180 cm | 68 kg | |
| Jess | ||||
| Laura Kufersin | 20 | 175 cm | 70 kg | |
| P'eta Phelan | 27 | 179 cm | 75 kg | |
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Height | Goal Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jules Condon | 34 | Gordonvale, Queensland | 170 cm | 75 kg |
| Sam Birrell | 37 | 171 cm | 79 kg | |
| Sarah Peak | 25 | 170 cm | 75 kg | |
Teams: The show started with two teams, "Blue Team" trained by Bob and Shannan and "Red Team" trained by Jillian and Michelle. The Australian trainers entered the game and individually the contestants chose their trainers, with the heaviest contestant choosing first (Damien) and the lightest choosing last (Mel). Bob and Jillian then entered and joined the Shannan and Michelle respectively as co-trainers. As teams became uneven throughout the game, some challenge rewards or penalties were to swap team members which retained even numbers for teams to compete fairly.
Duos: With 8 contestants remaining, teams were broken into 4 pairs of male and female contestants. Damien won the power to choose teams as a result of a minor challenge. At this stage of the game, Jules left the game making an uneven number of contestants, leaving Damien with the decision to leave one contestant to compete by themselves. The pairs grouped together were: Damien and Laura, Greg and Mel, Courtney and Munnalita, and Pati was left by herself which introduced a new twist. The biggest weight loser of all eliminated contestants returned to the game, this being Marty who was only just eliminated the day before. Greg and Mel were eliminated as part of a double elimination, and were replaced by new contestants Chris and Kimberlie, introduced as "The Outsiders".
Individuals: With 7 contestants remaining (including the new "The Outsiders"), pairs no longer existed and contestants competed in all challenges individually.
Final 4: The final four contestants were Chris, Kimberlie, Pati and Munnalita. As a result of the "wild card" challenge, contestant Marty returned to the game and replaced eliminated contestant Kimberlie, making Marty part of the final 4 contestants.
Filming of The Biggest Loser was primarily located in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The main filming locations seen throughout the show are the White House (where contestants reside and train), the "Outsider" training ranch (where "The Outsiders" trained before entering the house), the elimination room (a room inside the house where votes are cast for contestants to be eliminated from the game) and the diary room (a studio set up for contestants to leave video entries of their time in the house). Other game locations include "The Walk" which was filmed around Bobbin Head National Park, Turramurra, NSW. Other filming locations include areas around the house gardens for individual contestant interviews. There are also filming locations at South Sydney beaches and other areas where challenges take place. Areas of Queenstown, New Zealand were also primary filming locations as part of the New Zealand Super Challenge, the focus points being the hike and sprint up Coronet Peak and the Super Challenge at Paradise. There are also the studios for the live finale reunion.
There are three main dates organised around the production of the show including the application and audition process, primary photography and production and the show finale which occurs 6 weeks after the final week of primary photography (the tenth week of game play), and was filmed on Monday, 23 April (instead of a live show like the previous season).
This season began airing on Sunday 4 February 2007 at 7:00pm on Network Ten, five episodes each week night, with an additional sixth episode introduced on Sunday nights. After a total of 67 episodes (10 × 6 weeklies) the pre-taped finale episode screened on 26 April 2007.
The Biggest Loser is a trademark of Reveille LLC and is licensed and produced by FremantleMedia Australia Pty Limited. In Australia it is distributed by Crackerjack Productions, Grundy-Fremantle Media Group and Network Ten Australia. Among others, the major sponsors and suppliers that were explicitly credited were 100% Pure newzealand.com, Accredited Practising Dieticians, Air New Zealand, Brooks, Chrysler, Fernwood Health Club, LG Electronics, Workout World and Valiant Hire.[29]
Casey Donovan: Before the show went to air, there were some controversies when allegations emerged that morbidly obese singer and Australian Idol series two winner Casey Donovan had applied to be a contestant and had been rejected. Network Ten dismissed these allegations, arguing that Donovan had simply not survived the application process.[7]
Health risks:The show received further criticism, being attacked by exercise experts for promoting risky weight loss techniques that may endanger the show's viewers.[8] There was also much criticism when news leaked of contestant Jules, then unknown, was forced to quit after multiple health scares and hospital visits.[3] [30] [31] An eating disorders support group, The Butterfly Foundation,[32] commenting on Chris's achievement, warned that such a dramatic weight loss could be a health risk.[33]
New trainers:With Shannan and Michelle introduced, this was a tactic to make sure that in the future series of the Biggest Loser, the two trainers will be Shannan and Michelle. By doing this, they hope that the Australian public can appreciate them as much as Bob and Jillian and to make future series of Biggest Loser an all Australian cast.
The length of the show compared to the American version was accused of being too "bloated" with over 3 hours of extra footage for each "episode" or week, but at the same time, the type of participants used in the show are a good change from regular reality television "wannabes".[34]
The show averaged more than 1,000,000 viewers each night, peaking around 1.56 million viewers for one weigh-in show and 1.31 million viewers for one elimination show.[1] The season premiere attracted only 1.17 million viewers compared to the first-season premiere of 1.4 million, although depending on what was happening with the Cricket on Channel Nine, the total audience peaked at 1.45 million.[35] The ratings were considered a great success by the network, receiving a large portion of the target demographic (39.2% commercial share in demographic ages 18–49, and 42.6% of the 16-39 demographic).[36] The season finale was the ratings success, being the highest rating episode of the show and ranking number 1 for the day with 1,995,000 viewers.[37]
The following are some of the ratings achieved from the highest-rated episodes. Unless otherwise stated, sources are gathered from OzTAM as a primary or secondary source.[38]
| Episode name | Total viewers (Rounded to nearest 1000) | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| Season Premiere | 1,170,000 (peaking at 1.45m) | Sunday, 4 February |
| The Weigh-in (#8) | 1,560,000[39] | Sunday, 1 April |
| Elimination (#9) | 1,319,000 | Monday, 9 April |
| The Weigh-in (#10) | 1,310,000[40] | Sunday, 15 April |
| Elimination (#10) | 1,302,000[41] | Monday, 16 April |
| The Final Weigh-in and Elimination | 1,323,000[42] | Thursday, 19 April |
| The Finale | 1,995,000 | Thursday, 26 April |