The Biggest Loser eliminated no one during Tuesday night's NBC broadcast of the reality weight-loss competition's fifteenth-season premiere.

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Craig Arrington, a 30-year-old pharmaceutical company warehouse supervisor from Wilson, NC, was supposed to be automatically ousted after his White Team lost the season's first elimination weigh-in and he fell below the red line by posting the lowest weight-loss percentage of all the team's members.

However, his team's trainer Jillian Michaels chose to utilize her one "trainer's save" of the season to keep Craig in the competition.

The Biggest Loser's fifteenth-season premiere began with Jillian and fellow trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince selecting 15 contestants out of 50 finalists who were flown out to Los Angeles for personal interviews. The 50 finalists were initially selected out of hundreds of thousands of applicants during the casting process. This marks the first time in The Biggest Loser history the trainers had any say in whom they would be working with all season.

Once the lucky 15 contestants were picked to compete and arrived at the ranch, they were greeted by The Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney who told them they'd be participating in their first workout, after which the trainers would pick their own teams. Alison told the contestants they'd each receive a free Planet Fitness gym membership once they got home.

David Brown, a 43-year-old construction company project manager and phone company social commerce leader from Edmond, OK, got so exhausted during the first workout he left the gym. Jillian didn't allow him to come back in until he got an attitude adjustment and truly wanted to be on the ranch and make a lifestyle change.

For her White Team, Jillian ended up selecting Craig, Tumi Oguntala, a 41-year-old brand strategist from Clifton Park, NY; Jay Sheets, a 38-year-old food company marketing associate from Farmington, MO; Fernanda Abarca, a 32-year-old 3D animation artist and cake sugar artist from Montrose, CA; and Marie Pearl, a 30-year-old senior staff accountant at a community college from Springfield, MO.

For his Blue Team, Bob wanted Holley Mangold, a 24-year-old Olympic weightlifter and caterer from Columbus, OH; Chelsea Arthurs, a 28-year-old clinical research professional and event planner from Raleigh, NC; Bobby Saleem, a 28-year-old attorney from Chicago, IL; Matt Hooper, a 38-year-old retail manager from Georgetown, MA; and Hap Holmstead, a 26-year-old sales consultant and entrepreneur from Pleasant Grove, UT.

For his Red Team, Dolvett picked David; second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, a 35-year-old singer from Birmingham, AL; Jennifer Messer, a 42-year-old clerk and bookkeeper from Abingdon, VA; Rachel Frederickson, a 24-year-old voice-over artist from Los Angeles, CA; and Tanya Winfield, a 41-year-old restaurant franchise chief operating officer from Plainfield, IL.

After taking on their first last-chance workout of the season, all the contestants met with their trainers and Alison for the first weekly elimination weigh-in.

Alison explained there would be a red line and no voting, as the person on the losing team -- the team to lose the least amount of weight overall -- to post the lowest percentage of weight-loss would be eliminated. However, Alison described the "trainer's save," which Jillian immediately told her team not to expect or anticipate.

Bob's Blue Team weighed-in first. Holley lost 16 pounds from her starting weight, going from 351 pounds to 335 pounds. She was followed by Hap, who dropped 17 pounds and went from 403 pounds to 386 pounds; Chelsea, who lost 12 pounds and went from 241 to 229 pounds; Matt, who shed 23 pounds and went from 356 to 333 pounds; and Bobby, who dropped 20 pounds after going from 358 pounds to 338 pounds. The Blue Team lost a total of 88 pounds and posted a total weight-loss percentage of 5.15%.

The Red Team members weighed-in next. Ruben was the first member to step on the scale and dropped 21 pounds, going from 462 pounds to 441 pounds. He was then followed by Jennifer, who lost 11 pounds and went from 266 pounds to 255 pounds; Tanya, who lost 16 pounds and declined from 262 to 256 pounds; Rachel, who shed 21 pounds and went from 260 pounds to 239 pounds; and David, who lost a whopping 38 pounds in the first week. David went from 409 pounds to 371 pounds. Altogether, the Red Team lost 107 pounds and posted a total weight-loss percentage of 6.45%.

The White Team was the last team to weigh-in. Tumi went first and lost 14 pounds, going from 319 pounds to 305 pounds. She was then followed by Fernanda, who dropped 12 pounds and went from 250 pounds to 238 pounds; Marie, who shed nine pounds and went from 249 to 240 pounds; Jay, who lost 23 pounds and went from 297 pounds to 274 pounds; and Craig, who dropped 13 pounds and went from 385 pounds to 372 pounds.

Combined, the White Team lost 71 pounds -- giving them a total weight-loss percentage of 4.73%. The results left the White Team in jeopardy due to the fact they lost the weigh-in.

Alison then revealed Craig had posted the lowest weight-loss percentage on the White Team, resulting in his automatic elimination.

"It's disappointing. I know it's tough for me to lose weight. I just gotta get that right chemistry, whatever it's going to take, to lose that weight. Thirteen pounds sounds really good when you're at home. Here, in the competition, the number 13 wouldn't save my team. It was devastating," Craig explained. "I came in here feeling like I would be a leader and then I turn out to be the weakest link."

"Jill, you have the opportunity to use a 'trainer's save' tonight. I know that's a lot to think about. Have you made your decision?" Alison asked Jillian.

"You're not going home tonight. It's not going to happen -- not going to happen," Jillian announced. "There's no way. You don't deserve it, you worked your ass off, that is not a reflection of anything that you did this week. So you guys better work harder moving on!"

"Jillian, I thank you. You'll get the best out of me day in and day out," Craig said.

"I already am. That's why I gave you the 'trainer's save,'" Jillian noted.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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