The Biggest Loser's seventeenth-season cast and premiere date have been revealed by NBC as well as the series' new host, theme and format.
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NBC has disclosed the identities of the 16 people who will be competing in pairs on the upcoming season of The Biggest Loser when it premieres Monday, January 4 from 9-11PM ET/PT.
With Bob Harper as the show's new host and Dolvett Quince and Jen Widerstrom reprising their roles as trainers, eight teams of two -- including two contestants with reality TV ties: Richard Hatch and Erin Willett -- all with compelling stories will lose weight under a new "Temptation" theme designed to better prep the players for life in the real world after leaving The Biggest Loser ranch.
Seven teams will be comprised of people with pre-existing relationships such as siblings or best friends, while Hatch and Willett will be matched up despite the fact they're strangers. Hatch won Survivor's first season and later competed on The Celebrity Apprentice, while Willett was a semifinalist on The Voice's second season.
The teams will consist of nutritionist Lauren Clark and her mother Vicki Clark, a women's healthcare nurse practitioner, who aspire to be better role models in their professions; and Britney Anderson and her aunt Tonsheia "Toy" Grandison, whose health deteriorated after the accidental drowning of her 20-year-old son.
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Hope Wright wants to improve her lifestyle so she can start a family with her husband and teammate Colby, who turned to food when his father committed suicide and his brother died six weeks later in a car crash; and Stephen Kmet, whose weight gain accelerated after a job layoff, the death of his father and his five-year-old son being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.
The Biggest Loser's next edition will feature a newly renovated gym -- including high-tech monitors on the walls to track calorie burns and heart rates -- split in half for "Team Dolvett" and "Team Jen." Weigh-ins will have a different appeal with double scales so opposing team members can check their weights simultaneously.
The "Temptation" theme will cover topics ranging from food to money to electronic devices, and players will spend more time off-campus than in previous seasons.
The Biggest Loser is produced by Endemol Shine North America and 25/7 Productions. Ben Silverman, Dave Broome, Eden Gaha, Alex Katz, Joel Relampagos, Michael Brooks, JD Roth and Todd A. Nelson serve as executive producers.
Below is the list of contestants who will be competing on Season 17 of The Biggest Loser for the $250,000 grand prize:
- Best Friends
Whitney Clay, a 30-year-old nanny from Raleigh, NC
Felicia Buffkin, a 29-year-old nanny from Raleigh, NC
- Parent and Adult Child Teams
Vicki Clark, a 54-year-old women's healthcare nurse practitioner from Bladenboro, NC
Lauren Clark, a 32-year-old nutritionist from Bladenboro, NC
Rob Kidney, a 56-year-old small business owner from Warner Robins, GA
Sarah Gilbert, a 27-year-old make-up artist from Perry, GA
- Relatives (Aunt and Niece)
Tonsheia "Toy" Grandison, a 35-year-old store manager and part-time caretaker at a girl's group home from Statesboro, GA
Britney Anderson, a 27-year-old health unit coordinator and make-up artist/hairstylist from Kissimmee, FL
- Siblings
Luis Hernandez, a 36-year-old physical/health/driver's education teacher from Chicago, IL
Roberto Hernandez, a 36-year-old physical/health/driver's education teacher from Burbank, IL
- Spouses
Jacky Kmet, a 42-year-old high school counselor from Hainesport, NJ
Stephen Kmet, a 43-year-old pharmaceutical sales recruiter from Hainesport, NJ
Hope Wright, a 35-year-old housewife from K'Ville, GA
Colby Wright, a 31-year-old car dealership salesman from K'Ville, GA
- Strangers
Richard Hatch, a 54-year-old television personality from Newport, RI
Erin Willett, a 26-year-old singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, NY
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski