''The Biggest Loser'' is an Australian

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show, based on the original

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

version of the same name. It is produced by

Shine Australia Endemol Shine Australia is an Australian production company and is a division of Banijay led by Rory Callaghan. Following an acquisition of shares, production company Endemol Australia merged with Shine Australia on July 26, 2015. They produce ...

and screened on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

. Since 2015, the show has been hosted by former contestant Fiona Falkiner, It was formerly hosted by

Ajay Rochester Ajay Rochester (born 1969 in Sydney) is an Australian actress, author and producer. She was the host of the Australian version of reality weight-loss television series ''The Biggest Loser'', for which she hosted a total of four series between 20 ...

from 2006 to 2009 & former Olympian

Hayley Lewis Hayley (pronounced ) is an English given name. It is derived from the English surname Haley, which in turn was based on an Old English toponym, a compound of ''heg'' "hay" and ''leah'' "clearing or meadow".Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of ...

from 2010 to 2014. The show debuted on 13 February 2006, followed by a second season on 4 February 2007 which introduced Michelle Bridges,

Shannan Ponton Shannan Ponton is a personal trainer on the Australian version of ''The Biggest Loser''. He made his first appearance during the show's second season in 2007, where he trained the blue team alongside Bob Harper. After Harper's departure durin ...

and Steve Willis. The third season began airing on 3 February 2008. A fourth season, which features couples competing as teams, started airing on 1 February 2009. A fifth season, which aired on 31 January 2010, featuring former Olympic swimmer

as the new host, and in 2011 the show introduced the new trainer Tiffiny Hall. In its eleventh season, the show introduced new trainer Libby Babet. The show did not return in 2018 due to low ratings.

About the series

The series involves contestants who are

overweight Being overweight or fat is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with mo ...

to varying degrees participating in a contest to lose the most percentage of weight, with teams and contestants voting out each other. Unlike the American version, weight loss is measured in tenths of

kilogram The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...

s instead of pounds. Personal trainers Michelle Bridges,

, Steve Willis and Tiffiny Hall are responsible for training the contestants and helping them to lose weight. Michelle and Shannan have been the main trainers since Season 2 (in Season 1 the original American trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels were used, and in Seasons 2 and 3 they appeared as guests). Seasons one to three of the show were filmed in

Terrey Hills Terrey Hills is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 25 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Forest District and ...

, one of the northern suburbs of Sydney. ''The Walk'' was filmed at Bobbin Head in

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, sout ...

Turramurra, New South Wales Turramurra is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. It shares the postc ...

. Season 4 began filming at Fitzroy Island in Far North Queensland, before moving to North Head, Sydney.

Series Overview

Winners

Hosts & Trainers

Season Guide

Season 1 (2006)

This is an Australian version of the program first aired at 7.00pm each weeknight on

from 13 February, to the final episode on 27 April 2006 where the first ''Australia's Biggest Loser'' was awarded A$200,000. The program, directed by Ian Stevenson, featured the same personal trainers as the US version, Bob Harper and

Jillian Michaels Jillian Michaels (born February 18, 1974) is an American personal trainer, businesswoman, author, and television personality from Los Angeles, California. Michaels is best known for her appearances on NBC, particularly ''The Biggest Loser (Ameri ...

with Australian host

. Over 6,000 Australians applied to take part, only 12 contestants being chosen to compete, their starting weight ranging from 101 kg (Fiona) to 196 kg (David).

Season 2 (2007)

The second season of the Australian version first went to air on Sunday 4 February 2007 on the Ten Network, the eventual winner being Chris Garling who lost 70.1 kg and won A$200,000. It was introduced with personal trainers Bob Harper and

, who were then taken over by two new Australian trainers, Michelle Bridges and

, with one extra surprise trainer, "Commando" Steve Willis. The contestants starting weights range from 108 kg (Mel) to 216 kg (Damien). The beginning of this series marked some controversy with a contestant quitting, two leaving on medical terms and the introduction of "The Walk" which gave individual immunity winners unprecedented power as to how the game is played. The latest twist in the game was revealed on 21 March 2007, where it was revealed to the competitors and viewers that there was a secret weigh-in involving two "outsiders" on the first day. These outsiders (Chris and Kimberlie) had trained daily with the "Commando" whilst still living at home and going about their everyday lives. Their entry into the house caused some upset, especially with newcomer Chris recording a big enough weight loss to see him enter the competition as the 3rd biggest loser, and eventually going on to become the season's winner.

Season 3 (2008)

The third season premiered on 3 February 2008 in a similar format as the previous two seasons, with the winner receiving A$200,000. The three Australian trainers from previous seasons return in addition to Bob Harper and

, who trained a rival team in the United States. The starting weights ranged from 111 kg (Carrianne) to 206 kg (Garry). Applications for the third season opened at the end of season 2. On 1 May, university student Sam Rouen became the show's youngest Biggest Loser.

Season 4 (2009)

On 24 June 2008, it was announced on the official website that there would be a fourth season of the show, The Biggest Loser Australia: Couples. After complaints from neighbours "The Biggest Loser" was kicked out of the house known as the White House in Duffy's Forest, near Mona Vale. Neighbours complained to the council of smells coming from the property, even though they only use the property for around 4 months. Filming for Season 4 of The Biggest Loser Australia took place on Fitzroy Island off the coast of Far North Queensland and in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The fourth season premiered on 1 February 2009. It featured ten couples who all have some kind of relationship and are overweight, their weights ranged from 102 kg (Mel) to 178 kg (Sharif). Each couple competed against the other couples, temporarily replacing the regular format of two teams of individuals. On 27 April, Bob Herdsman, at 57 years old, with a record weight loss of 87.6 kilograms (52.2%), became the show's oldest Biggest Loser. On 16 May it was revealed that the 2009 season of the Biggest Loser was the last to feature host

Season 5 (2010)

Biggest Loser Season 5 was the second series to feature couples. Applications opened after the fourth season aired, and filming started at its regular time in mid-January.

hosted season 5, replacing

. Trainers Michelle Bridges,

and Steve Willis returned for this season. Season 5 began on Sunday 31 January 2010 at 6:30pm on Ten. Deryck James Ward and his sister left the show under a cloud when he was charged with child pornography offences. All references to the couple were hastily edited out before the show aired. Ward was subsequently jailed for two years. The original grand prize amount was $200,000, with the possibility of being doubled to $400,000 by the Double bracelet. However, Chris Galea took $15,000 out of the grand prize amount by leaving the game during Temptation in Week 6. On 18 April 2010, Lisa Hose was crowned with The Biggest Loser 2010. Earning the grand prize of $185,000, but due to the double bracelet she was wearing, this prize money increased to $370,000. She is also the first female winner of The Biggest Loser.

Season 6 (2011)

Michelle Bridges, Tiffiny Hall and Hayley Lewis 2011

The sixth season of the series, The Biggest Loser Australia: Families, began airing on 30 January 2011. Host

announced during the Series 5 finale that they were taking applications for the sixth season of the series and that it would be family contestants, Teams of four family members compete for the title of the Biggest Loser in this round. The teams are the Westrens, the Challenors, the Duncans and the Moons. Emma Duncan was crowned the Biggest Loser 2011, with a total weight loss of 62.1 kg (46.38%). Sharlene Westren took The Eliminated Contestants prize of $20,000. The Westren Family won the title of the Biggest Losing Family. Emma and the Westrens won $100,000.

Season 7 (2012)

The seventh season of the series, The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles, began airing on 23 January 2012. During Network Ten's 2012 Programming Launch on 17 August 2011; it was revealed that the show would be reverting to its original singles format. The show premiered to rather soft numbers receiving 897,000. However the show was put up against ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'' and the ''

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

''. The series was won by Margie Cummins who lost 73.2 kg a total percentage of 46.01% winning $220,000. The original prize pool was $250,000, but $30,000 of this was taken by James Moore in Week 2 by leaving the game during Temptation. Lydia Hantke took home the eliminated contestants prize of $20,000.

Season 8 (2013)

Ten confirmed during August 2012 that The Biggest Loser Australia would return for an eighth season in 2013. Dubbed "The Next Generation", every team will be made up of a parent-child team. Tiffiny Hall is the only trainer not returning. The 2013 season premiered on 17 March and was shown every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. This season has introduced the heaviest contestant on ''The Biggest Loser'' worldwide, Kevin Moore. Kevin weighs 255 kg (562 lbs). The show was won by Robyn and Katie Dyke.

Season 9 (2014)

It was confirmed during the season eight finale that The Biggest Loser would return for a ninth season titled 'The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia'. The 2014 season started on 19 January. The show was won by Craig Booby.

Season 10 (2015)

In April 2015, it was confirmed that ''The Biggest Loser'' would return in late 2015, with season 10 to be titled TBL Families, with former contestant Fiona Falkiner taking over as host from Hayley Lewis. In addition, Bridges, Ponton, Willis and Hall were announced to all return as trainers. The season premiered on 13 September 2015. Daniel Jofre was crowned ''Biggest Loser'', which saw him awarded $100,000, In addition, the Jofre family received $100,000 for being the family to lose the most weight.

Season 11 (2017)

The season, titled "The Biggest Loser: Transformed", premiered on 14 March 2017, Shannon Ponton returned as a trainer, along with new trainer Libby Babet, with previous trainers Michelle Bridges, Steve "Commando" Willis, and Tiffany Hall not returning. Fiona Falkiner returned as the host.

Music

*The music used in the second season's promotional advertising is an original score from Downright Music, Session 5 – Premiere Song Sampler called 'A long way to go' *The music used in the third season's promotional cinema, TV and radio advertising is ''Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime'' by

Robyn Loau Robyn Loau (; born 20 October 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. From 1991 to 1994, she was lead singer of pop group Girlfriend, Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expa ...

. *The music used in the fourth season's promotional advertising is ' Fighter' by

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

. *The music used in the promotional advertising and the opening and end credits for the first five seasons of the show is ' Lift' by

Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...

. *The music used in the eighth season's promotional advertising is ' Try' by

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

. *The music used in the ninth season's promotional advertising is ' Roar' by

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Soundtrack

The Official soundtrack for the TV series was released on 17 March 2007 featuring various artists such as

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...

, and

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

. ;Track listing #

–

Lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobil ...

–

Pump It "Pump It" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fourth studio album '' Monkey Business'' (2005). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Fergie, and produced by will.i.am. The song heavily incorpor ...

Rogue Traders Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. B ...

– Way To Go! #

– Walk Away #

BodyRockers BodyRockers were an English–Australian electronic music duo, consisting of Dylan Burns and Kaz James, which formed in 2004. Their 2005 single, " I Like the Way", reached No. 3 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart, No. 12 on the Aus ...

– I Like the Way (You Move) (radio Edit) #

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

–

Do Somethin' "Do Somethin" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'' (2004). It was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (known collectively as Bloodshy & Ava ...

–

U + Ur Hand "U + Ur Hand" is a song by American pop singer Pink. It was lined up as the third single from her fourth studio album '' I'm Not Dead'' (2006). It was released on August 28, 2006, and ignited controversy due to its explicit lyrical content and st ...

(clean) #

Charlotte Church Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter and political activist from Cardiff. Church rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching i ...

– Crazy Chick #

The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...

–

Somebody Told Me "Somebody Told Me" is a song by American rock band the Killers. It was released as the second official single from the group's debut studio album ''Hot Fuss'' (2004), and was written by band members Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Dave Keuning ...

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. The so ...

–

Redneck Woman "Redneck Woman" is the debut single of American country music artist Gretchen Wilson, released on March 15, 2004, from her debut studio album, '' Here for the Party'' (2004). Wilson co-wrote the song with John Rich. It is Wilson's only number-one ...

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of w ...

– I See You Baby #

Pussycat Dolls Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to: * Cat, a domestic feline Music Bands * Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group * The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band * The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records Albums * ''Pussy Cats'', ...

–

Don't Cha "Don't Cha" is a song written by Busta Rhymes and CeeLo Green, and produced by the latter. The chorus is an interpolation of the song "Swass", which was written and performed by Sir Mix-a-Lot. The song was originally recorded and published by Tor ...

– Hips Don't Lie (featuring

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

) #

Anastacia Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter and former dancer. Her first two albums '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001) were released in quick succession to major success. Spurred o ...

– Sick & Tired (jason Nevins Electrochill Remix Edit) #

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

– Pretty Vegas #

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

–

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

# Fergie – London Bridge #

Planet Funk Planet Funk is an Italian electronic band. The group is composed of Marco Baroni, Domenico "GG" Calipari, Alex Neri, Dan Black and formerly Sergio Della Monica who died in February 2018. In addition a number of guest vocalists joined the group, i ...

– The Switch #

–

The Rockafeller Skank "The Rockafeller Skank", usually called "Funk Soul Brother" by fans, is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, ''You've Come a Long Way, Baby'' (1998), on 8 June 19 ...

– Fighter #

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

– We are Family (opening credits)

Book

''The Biggest Loser: Change Your Life'' is a paperback book published by ''Hardie Grant Trade'' on 1 March 2007 and offers exercises, healthy diets and eating plans based on those used by the contestants. The book also includes motivational advice from the second season trainers, Shannon Ponton and Michelle Bridges, and suggestions from former season one contestants. The book has three chapters: Ready, gives a summary of exercises and diets. Set, has over 60 healthy recipes and further detail about exercises. Go . The exercise plans covered include a two-week "KickStart Plan" and a three-month "LifeStyle Program" . * *

References

External links

Official Network Ten Site: The Biggest Loser (Australia)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biggest Loser (Australian Tv Series), The

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

Network 10 original programming 2000s Australian reality television series 2006 Australian television series debuts 2010s Australian reality television series Television shows set in New South Wales Television shows set in Queensland Television series by Fremantle (company) English-language television shows Television shows set in Victoria (Australia) Australian television series based on American television series