The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation premieres January 4 and contestants are going to have to make a huge decision that could change their lives immediately upon arriving at the ranch.
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NBC has announced that Season 17 will debut with a "health or wealth" theme as well as the return of Season 16's beloved trainer Jessie Pavelka in a special new online role.
The entire season will be about facing temptations head on so contestants can better navigate their lives in the real world. When first meeting The Biggest Loser's new host Bob Harper, the players will hop on treadmills outside the gym and then be forced to choose between participating on the show or receiving $25,000 to call it quits and go home.
If contestants resist the money temptation, they'll be welcomed into the gym, where trainers Dolvett Quince and Jen Widerstrom must choose their teams and then lead them through a grueling first workout. One contestant will apparently butt heads with her new trainer.
After sit-down, heart-to-heart discussions with Bob in which the players will reveal what brought them to the ranch to begin with, the contestants will compete in the season's first challenge and be required to race up a ladder to the top of a tall building in downtown Los Angeles.
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The winning team will be faced with another financial temptation afterwards in which they must choose between a cash prize of $40,000 or an eight-pound advantage on the scale at the weigh-in. The episode will conclude with the Red Team and Black Team weighing in and seeing the results of their hard work. Two players will fall below the yellow line and one will go home.
As for Jessie's new role on the show, he'll be sharing his fitness expertise across NBC digital platforms to help viewers at all stages of their own fitness journeys. Jessie will teach effective, quick workouts and offer advice on exercising with injuries or without the use of a gym. He'll attempt to motivate and energize The Biggest Loser audience.
The Biggest Loser premieres with a special two-hour episode Monday, January 4 from 9-11PM ET/PT.
The series 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.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski