The third season of the Australian version of the original NBC American reality television series The Biggest Loser premiered on 3 February 2008 on Network Ten, and was screened for 6 nights a week over 12 weeks. It was won by Sam Rouen on the finale broadcast on 1 May 2008
Host Ajay Rochester and trainers of the previous season, Shannan Ponton and Michelle Bridges returned to this season of the show, as did US trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, and part-time trainer The Commando (Steve Willis).
Applications opened at the end of the previous season with over 6,000 people applying and primary photography was shot between October 2007 and February 2008. As with the two preceding series of The Biggest Loser, the winner titled "Australia's Biggest Loser" was eligible to win $200,000.
New elements to this season included "The Warehouse", where contestants choose their diet for a week, and a rival team of contestants trained separate from the main contestants in the United States. The season started with 30 contestants, of which 19 were selected to compete for the main prize (15 for the white house, and 4 for a secret black team).
Season Overview
List of episodes
Game variations Black team: Of the unsuccessful 15 remaining contestants, 4 were selected by the Commando to become the new black team to be flown to USA and be trained by Bob and Jillian with the added benefit of having no temptations or challenges. Contestants were weighed in at the Biggest Loser campus where earlier US seasons of the Biggest Loser in the USA were filmed. The contestants in the black team are Michelle, Carrianne, Bryce and Steven. Steven quit in week 3 because he felt too homesick for his daughter, he was replaced by JJ, the second eliminated contestant. The Warehouse: An addition to this season is a dark room with contestants being given the choice of two or three types of foods to have as their diet for the week with contestants having to use their knowledge of food to make the best decision. Except for the first week, in which everyone decided on one or the other for all contestants, the biggest loser of the week would choose the two or three options for the teams. Hidden camera in the kitchen: In week 5, the trainers and their teams got a package that contained two DVDs stating "Red/Blue Team in Action." It turns out that for the past four weeks, a hidden camera was placed in the kitchen, watching the contestants go to the refrigerators and pantries. There were two refrigerators and two pantries in the kitchen, one of each for the blue team and one of each for the red team. The red team was up first, and showed Sam (a former blue team member who would later return to the blue team) stealing chocolate topping, Cosi stealing ice cream, and Garry taking out a half-dozen soda cans, all from the blue team's refrigerator and pantry. The Blue team was up next, and showed Michael taking kangaroo meat out of the red fridge, and then shows Kirsten stealing cheese to make a toasted cheese sandwich for herself and Alison. There were only two slices left, so she took them for herself and put the empty pack back in the fridge. Alison then came in looking for more ingredients, Kirsten showed what she did, and Alison was horrified. Finally, Michael is shown looking around, trying to figure out where the camera was (although how he knew that there was a camera there is unknown). All contestants are allowed to order in any food to have in addition to the food that the Warehouse picks for them, and they can order anything they want, so if one contestant in the house orders any junk food, everyone in the house would be faced with a real-life temptation. After watching the videos, Michelle threatened her team, saying that if anyone on her team is caught eating ice cream again, they will get a punishment that they don't want to know about. Mid game prize money: With half the contestants remaining in the game, the walk revealed a game twist where the contestant with the most weight loss for the week had the chance of winning $50,000 with the condition that they must leave the game. This amount was to be taken from the total prize pool of $200,000. It happened later when there were only five contestants left. Every contestant was offered this opportunity, the amount of cash being the same percentage of $100,000 that the percentage of each contestant's starting weight that they had lost to that point in the game. The first contestant to accept their own amount would leave the game, the others would not.
Team arrangements White team: All 30 contestants were competing as individuals until 15 were selected to be in a temporary White team. Twelve eliminated contestants also returned wearing white shirts toward the end of the game. The Final four wore black shirts at the time. Teams: The 3 main teams are Black, Red and Blue. Black was the first team to be formed with 4 contestants chosen by the Commando to have a second chance and train with Bob and Jillian in the US as part of a surprise twist. 14 out of the 15 contestants in the White group were dissolved into Red and Blue teams chosen by Sam (Blue) and Cosi (Red) as a reward for winning the first major challenge. Monica was the only contestant eliminated as a white team member because the two teams needed to start out even.
Game elements The episodes and elements of the show are screened on a weekly rotation in the following set up: Sunday: Conclusion of the Major Challenge, Last Chance Training and Weigh-In Monday: Elimination Tuesday: The Warehouse Wednesday: Temptation Thursday: The Walk Friday: Major Challenge
The Weigh-Ins
At the beginning of the season and beginning of each week, contestants are weighed and compared to their previous weight. When the contestants are in "teams", their total weight losses are combined for a combined weight loss percentage. The team with the lowest weight loss percentage face elimination. When the game shifts to "singles", the two players with the lowest weight loss percentages are eligible for elimination. After the finalists are decided, they go home for a certain amount of time to continue their diets at home until the live finale where they are weighed in one last time and the winner, the "Biggest Loser", is crowned. The contestant's weekly results can be seen below, and are listed in chronological order of elimination, with the exception of the finalists, whose results are listed in order of their position on the leaderboard.
ContestantAgeStartingBMIEndingBMIStartingweightWeekKilograms LostPercentage Loss 123456789101112Finale Sam19 47.725.6154.6143.7136.7135.7127.9121.9119.2116111.5108.8103.3100.097.882.9 71.7 46.48% Alison3443.623.8121.7114.9112.3110.8103.697.895.091.689.787.983.479.979.3 66.555.245.35% Kirsten32 40.022.7126.8120.8116.0113.1105.4100.197.393.490.688.984.182.281.5 71.954.943.30%Garry32 48.131.6206.2197.5191.7184.4177.1168.7165.0158.9153.6155.1147.0141.4140.1135.370.934.38%Bryce2440.225.1139.2130.3127.5125.2121.1115.2109.5107.2101.5100.1 97.8 93.7LEFT 8752.237.50%Michelle2040.329.9120.7116.1114.6113.0110.7105.0101.8100.498.996.6 94.0 93.9 89.731.025.68%Cosi2841.128.7140.8131.3129.4122.4116.5109.2107.8102.298.996.291.5 98.242.630.25%Nicola2139.028.2112.6108.6105.4101.6 97.692.592.288.287.3 84.5 81.631.027.53%Carrianne2340.829.8111.0105.9104.7102.599.497.395.192.2 90.2 81.229.826.84%JJ3337.6X131.6127.9 119.1116.8 LEFT X XXXNicole2347.234.4136.3131.1130.2124.9121.7116.3114.6 108.4 99.436.927.07%Michael2548.534.3175.0167.1160.5156.7148.9142.6 131.9 12451.029.14%John4444.931.3150.3139.7133.2130.7124.8LEFT X 104.745.630.33% Sheridan2641.626.1120.1115.4112.7107.3103.4 84.7 75.344.837.30%Sean4550.527.4174.6162.0155.7152.3LEFT 115.3 94.879.845.70% Debbie3946.831.9135.2129.5125.4123.0 103.2 92.143.131.78% Steven2949.239.4166.6158.3155.1154.6 X 133.533.119.86%Rachel2042.636.4134.7131.7128.0 120.5 115.119.614.55%Monica20XX116.8LEFT 96.8 96.120.717.72%
Teams Member of Shannon's Team Member of Michelle's Team Winners Winner (among finalists) Winner (among eliminated) Last person eliminated before finale Results from Eliminated Players' Weigh In (Ep 63) Below the Yellow Line BMIs Healthy Body Mass Index (less than 25.0 BMI) Overweight Body Mass Index (25.0 – 29.9 BMI) Obese Body Mass Index (30.0 – 34.9 BMI) Clinically Obese Body Mass Index (35.0 – 39.9 BMI) Morbidly Obese Body Mass Index (40.0 or above)
Notes *In week 4, the Blue Team lost the challenge and the penalty was to immediately eliminate someone from the team. Thus, Sean was eliminated. In week 5, John was eliminated from the game because he broke medical guidelines he had to follow, and thus could no longer compete in the White House. In week 6, in addition to the team weigh in, it was also an individual weigh in, because due to "The Walk" earlier that week, the winner of the weigh in, the individual with the highest weight loss percentage, would get the chance to win $50,000. (this money would only come if the winning contestant were to give up their spot in the competition, and it would be deducted from the total grand prize). Due to a penalty at the week's challenge, Cosi and Bryce were unable to compete for the money, and their weights would not count for their team's total. Bryce had the highest weight loss percentage, but because he wasn't eligible to win the money, his weight did not count; therefore, Michelle won the individual weigh-in. JJ was put on and originally eliminated under Michelle's Red Team. However, when the Black Team arrived in week 5, due to Steven quitting in Week 3, he was allowed to return as the fourth Black Team member, and then left in Week 7. In week 8 Michelle had gained immunity in Temptation (The Breakfast Bar) by eating a yoghurt (95 calories). In week 9, Garry gained , but due to his prize from the Walk, his results were switched with Kirstin's weight loss. In week 10, Michelle was eliminated because she came last in the Super Challenge. She then returned in week 11 with Bryce and was eliminated via a formal elimination. In week 12, Bryce took a cash temptation for $34,000, and thus surrendered his place in the finals.
The Warehouse Contestants must choose between two foods to have as their diet for the entire week. Except for the first week, the biggest loser from the previous weigh-in is the only person to choose on behalf of their team, the other team(s) must take the remaining item(s).
Week 1 – Seafood vs Red Meat: Contestants were required to choose between seafood and red meat, which would form the basis of their diet for the next week. Initially, 12 contestants were in favour of the seafood, whereas 3 contestants made it clear that they would prefer the red meat. The discussion quickly degenerated into an argument, caused by a strong personality clash between JJ and Sheridan. The contestants were eventually unanimous in their decision to choose seafood. Week 2 – Cabbage vs Can Food: Contestants were required to choose between cabbage and can food (without any labels on) for the next week. However, since the contestants were in teams, one team would have cabbage and the other team would have can food. The food cannot be shared between the two teams, from this choice onwards. For being the Biggest Loser at the first weigh-in, Sean had the power to decide what the red and blue teams would have. He decided to pick cabbage before discussing it with his teammates, causing some friction between some members of the blue team. This meant that the red team was forced to take the can food where some of them consist of carrots, peas, potatoes, luncheon meat and condensed milk.