Trae Patton/NBCAnd you thought The Biggest Loser was motivating before.
NBC has revealed the 21 new oversized contestants who will battle the bulge and each other in the 10th season of the reality hit. But, as always seems to be the case with shows in danger of losing their novelty, this season there's a twist…
The theme this time around is "paying it forward," and producers are doing their best to make that evident from episode No. 1. Not content with one-on-one contestant motivation, trainers this season are doing their best to get entire communities fit and will feature seven different cities take on fitness challenges on the premiere.
Detroit, Los Angeles, Portland, Atlanta, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and Boston were the lucky—if slightly unfit—locales chosen, where three would-be Losers each competed. The two who were able to complete the challenges first (a one-mile race and a 500 step-up are among the competitions) were selected to begin their transformation at the ranch.
Never mind that the person who came in last is probably thus most in need of the expertise (and yelling ability) of Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. As if reading viewers' minds, however, the contestants who don't make the initial cut will still get the chance to join the show later on this season. To learn the hows of that, well, you'll have to tune in.
As always, the contestants each bear with them hardship-overcoming tales, including a military wife and foster parent (Burgandy), the son of an alcoholic (Aaron), a former swimsuit model (Tina), a special education teacher (Brendan) and one of Beyoncé's background vocalists (Montina), among others.
All 21 contestants will compete to be the winningest loser and pocket the $250,000 grand prize—though this is one reality show that really isn't about the money. The new season kicks off Sept. 21. Here's the complete list of contestants:
• Jesse Atkins, 28, law clerk; St. Paul, Minn.
• Montina Cooper, 35, singer/songwriter; Houston
• Jessica Delfs, 27, bridal consultant; Tucson
• Richard Deroque, 54, pediatric physical therapist; Conway, Ark.
• Alfredo Dinten, 43, futures commodities trader; Staten Island, NY
• Sandy Dolan, 30, stay-at-home mom; Ft. Worth, Texas
• Brendan Donovan, 32, special education teacher; Boston
• Tina Elliott, 58, retired homemaker; Boring, Ore.
• Sophia Franklin, 28, high school counselor; Germantown, Md.
• Patrick House, 28, sales representative; Vicksburg, Miss.
• Adam Hurtado, 26, nonprofit manager; Santa Ana, Calif.
• Allie Ishcomer, 22, student; Moore, Okla.
• Burgandy Keel, 35, stay-at-home mom; Eagle Mountain, Utah
• Shanna Masten, 38, math teacher; Pima, Ariz.
• Lisa Mosley, 31, sales representative; Norman, Okla.
• Mark Pinkhasovich, 31, bartender and recruiter; East Brunswick, NJ
• Corey Pinkerton, 27, life coach; Fairbanks, Alaska
• Elizabeth Ruiz, 31, medical assistant; Lawrence, Mass.
• Aaron Thompkins, 29, graphic designer; Kent, Ohio
• Ada Wong, 27, project coordinator for high tech company; San Francisco
• Anna Wright, 39, administrative assistant and songwriter; Atlanta
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