'The Biggest Loser' crowns John Rhode twelfth-season champion

The Biggest Loser crowned John Rhode its champion during Tuesday night's live finale broadcast of the NBC reality weight-loss competition's twelfth season.


The 40-year-old special education teacher and football coach from Mesa, AZ -- who had the highest percentage of weight-loss on-campus this season -- began the competition at 445 pounds and weighed-in at 225 pounds during the finale, giving him a 220-pound weight-loss and a 49.44% weight-loss percentage that won him the show's $250,000 grand prize.

"I'd like to think that the biggest change [in me] is that I have hope again. I re-discovered the ability to be successful. It didn't happen over night... I haven't achieved a whole lot as an adult. I have an amazing wife and children and family to support. I made the most of every moment at the ranch because I knew she was at home struggling as a single parent. And with our two boys and our youngest is autistic, I knew she was going through a rough patch, and I gave it 100% percent day in and day out. And baby, I didn't waste a single minute on the ranch -- not a single minute. The sacrifices I made on the ranch will never parallel what you did for me... I owe you a debt of gratitude forever and I thank you from the bottom of my heart," John tearfully told his wife before he weighed-in.

"It's unreal... It's ridiculous. I have my loved ones and my good friends and that man over there [veteran trainer Bob Harper] played his role. I did my work; I did my work. I look good! I'm going to win anyways. I need to weigh-in?" he joked.

Antone Davis, a 44-year-old restaurant manager and former NFL player from Knoxville, TN -- who had the lowest combined average body fat of 15% percent in the finale, setting a new The Biggest Loser record -- started the competition weighing 447 pounds and currently weighs 245, finishing as the runner-up. He shed 202 pounds and posted a 45.19% weight-loss percentage.


"I felt like I had a bigger mission. I knew what I was getting ready to face coming to the ranch, but I knew that in the back of my mind, if I opened myself up and let everyone see who Antone is, then it's going to help a lot of players. There's a lot of players out there that are just like me and are probably needing to lose quite a bit of weight and are afraid to ask for help -- too proud to ask for help -- and if they see me crawling and crying on the ground, then maybe they'd courageously say, ‘You know what? I need to do that to,'" Antone said when The Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney asked why he had allowed himself to get so emotional throughout the season.

Ramon Medeiros, a 27-year-old tattoo artist from Florence, CO, began the competition weighing 355 pounds, and he finished in third place after dropping down to 201 pounds. He lost 154 pounds and posted a 43.38% weight-loss percentage.

"[My girlfriend Jessica Limpert] and I, our news is that we're loving life. We are wonderful, better than ever -- two healthy hot people. That's how we do it," Ramon said before stepping on The Biggest Loser scale for the last time.

Ramon became the season's third finalist after defeating all of the other previously eliminated twelfth-season contestants in a marathon, which aired during last week's penultimate episode, held at the same desert location where they had all begun their The Biggest Loser journeys. This season was unlike prior editions in that the third finalist was not determined by a home viewer vote.

With Ramon, John and Antone fighting to win as this season's three finalists, it was the first time in The Biggest Loser history three male contestants ever competed against each other for the grand prize in a season's live finale.


Jennifer Rumple, a 39-year-old television producer from Alameda, CA, won the weigh-in of The Biggest Loser's previously eliminated twelfth-season contestants and claimed the $100,000 at-home consolation prize.

Jennifer started off the competition weighing 330 pounds. She lost a total of 145 pounds and weighed-in at only 185 pounds, posting a 43.94% weight-loss percentage.

For the first time in the show's history, The Biggest Loser's previously eliminated twelfth-season contestants were weighed-in prior to the finale and only the top three players who had posted the highest percentages of weight-loss were weighed-in during the live broadcast for the studio audience and home viewers to determine the at-home winner.

The other two contestants who weighed-in and competed for the at-home prize during the finale were Vencent "Vinny" Hickerson and Patrick Ferrari.

Vinny, a 27-year-old songwriter and entertainer from Nashville, TN, started off the competition weighing 426 pounds. He lost a total of 184 pounds -- only three pounds shy of beating Jennifer And winning the money -- and weighed-in at 242 pounds.


Patrick, a 26-year-old mental health adult foster care worker from Albany, OR, whose starting weight was 387 pounds, shed 151 pounds. He dropped to 236 pounds, posting a 39.02% weight-loss percentage.

Also in the finale broadcast, a video montage was shown of what The Biggest Loser's next edition will feature. The thirteenth-season contestants will be comprised of family-member partners in a season of "no excuses."

However, the pairs will be separated and end up competing against each other, as one member of each team will train with Bob and the other player will work under the guidance of Dolvett Quince -- who will be returning as a trainer for his second season on the show. New trainer Anna Kournikova will not be returning to the series and leave The Biggest Loser after only a single edition.

The finish weights and final weight-loss numbers of the other previously eliminated contestants are as follows. Sunny, currently weighing 171 pounds, almost got to compete for the $100,000 prize but just fell short of making the top three. She landed less than 1% percent below Patrick's weight-loss percentage after losing 106 total pounds.

John "Johnny" Forger, a 65-year-old realty company owner from Canton, MA, currently weighs 231 pounds after losing 97 pounds.


Rebecca "Becky" Comet, a 51-year-old math teacher from Benton, AR, lost 88 pounds and currently weighs 150 pounds.

Jessica Limpert, a 26-year-old travel nurse from San Francisco, CA, shed 80 pounds and currently weighs 174 pounds.

Bonnie Griffin, a 63-year-old retired payroll supervisor from Picayune, MS, currently weighs 177 pounds after losing 77 pounds.

Courtney Rainville, a 24-year-old internet marketing specialist from Scottsdale, AZ, lost 87 pounds and currently weighs 183 pounds.

Deborah "Debbie" Lounds, a 60-year-old senior administrative assistant from Ann Arbor, MI, currently weighs 206 pounds and shed 33 pounds.


"Coach" Mike Danley, a 62-year-old high school teacher and football coach from Spencerville, IN, lost 86 pounds and currently weighs 223 pounds.

Joe Mitchell, a 46-year-old home health therapist from Knoxville, TN, currently weighs 215 pounds after losing 133 pounds.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski