With a final weight loss figure that represented nearly half his original body weight, Matt Hoover, 28-year-old from Marion, Iowa, was crowned The Biggest Loser's second season winner during last night's live finale broadcast of the NBC reality show.
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Matt, a former NCAA wrestling champion who had attended Iowa State, had begun the competition weighing 339 pounds. After losing 109 pounds during the show's production (more weight than any other contestant lost during filming), Matt lost another 48 pounds after returning home, giving him a total weight loss of 157 pounds and a finale weigh-in weight of 182 pounds -- a 46.31% weight loss percentage.
Unlike The Biggest Loser's first season finale, The Biggest Loser 2's finale weigh-in did not include a body fat index measurement. As of Wednesday afternoon, the show's NBC spokesperson had not responded to a Reality TV World inquiry about the reason for the change.
As The Biggest Loser 2's "biggest loser," Matt won a $250,000 cash prize. Although they didn't win the show's grand prize, Suzy Preston and Seth Word, The Biggest Loser 2's other finalists, also received surprise cash prizes.
As the show's runner-up, Seth, a 24-year-old from Sacramento, California, received $50,000. Seth had started the competition at 291 pounds and lost 87 pounds during filming. He lost another 36 pounds after returning home, giving him a total weight loss of 123 pounds and a finale weigh-in weight of 168 pounds -- a 42.27% weight loss percentage.
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Suzy, a 28-year-old hairdresser from Des Moines, Washington, received $25,000 for finishing third. Suzy had begun the competition at 227 pounds and lost 66 pounds during filming. She lost another 29 pounds after returning home, giving her a total weight loss of 95 pounds and a finale weigh-in of 132 pounds -- a 41.85% weight loss percentage. Had Suzy lost one more pound, she would have finished in second place ahead of Seth.
Prior to The Biggest Loser 2's finalist weight-in, the show's previously eliminated contestants participated in a $100,000 weigh-in of their own. Noticeably absent from the weigh-in was Nick Gaza, a 39-year-old stand-up comic from Glendale, California.
Although he had managed to lose 41 pounds before being eliminated at the end of The Biggest Loser 2's third episode, Nick had argued with trainer Jillian Michael and frequently ignored her diet and exercise recommendations. During a follow-up segment broadcast at the end of the third episode, Nick had called the show his "worst experience ever" and boasted that he didn't know his current weight and no longer weighed himself.
Pete Thomas, a 36-year-old from Ypsilanti, Michigan, won the loser weigh-in's $100,000 prize. After beginning the competition at 401 pounds, Peter lost 185 pounds and weighed 216 pounds during his final weigh-in -- a 46.13% weight loss percentage. Interestingly, had Pete been allowed to compete in the finalist weigh-in his weight loss percentage would have placed him just behind Matt for second place -- and by only one pound -- so perhaps it was aptly fitting that Pete's $100,000 prize was double the $50,000 finalist runner-up prize that Seth received.
Just behind Pete in the previously eliminated contestant weigh-in was Mark Yesitis, a 36-year-old San Francisco police officer. After beginning the competition at 358 pounds, Mark lost 165 pounds and weighed 193 pounds during his final weigh-in, a 46.09% weight loss percentage that -- similar to Suzy's finish behind Seth -- left him a single pound short of finishing ahead of Pete. However unlike Suzy, Mark received nothing in return for falling just short -- unlike the finalist weigh-in, The Biggest Loser did not announce any runner-up prizes for the previously eliminated contestant weigh-in.