The Biggest Loser Australia (Season 2)

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Current logo of 'The Biggest Loser'

The Biggest Loser Australia 2007 is the second series of the Australian version of The Biggest Loser. It began airing on 4 February 2007.

1 Overview
2 Contestants
3 Mini and Major Challenges
4 Twists and Controversies
- 4.1 The Outsiders
- 4.2 Temptation challenges & The Walk
5 Finale
6 Notes and References
7 External links

[edit] Overview

The second season of The Biggest Loser began airing on Sunday 4 February 2007 at 7:00pm. Season 2 expanded episodes to six nights a week, with weigh-ins moving to Sunday nights to become even more pivotal to the week.

Both American trainers from the first season, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, initially returned for the second season, and were joined and eventually replaced by Australian trainers Michelle Bridges and Shannan Ponton. Contestants were also subjected to occasional training sessions by former SAS soldier Steve Willis, dubbed "The Commando".

By having two primary Australian trainers, it was speculated that in the success of the first two seasons, future seasons of The Biggest Loser would no longer require Bob and Jillian, thus maintaining the series with a full Australian cast. Bob and Jillian departed at the end of Week 2, but returned at the start of Week 8.

Some controversy occurred when allegations emerged that overweight singer and Australian Idol Series 2 winner Casey Donovan had applied to be a contestant in Season 2 and had been rejected. Network Ten dismissed these allegations, arguing that Donovan had simply not survived the application process; however, at the time, Donovan's father asserted that he was certain that she would independently try to make healthy life choices^[1].

[edit] Contestants

In contrast to the first season of 12 contestants, the second season initially consisted of 14 contestants. After two female contestants withdrew in the first two weeks, another two were later chosen to replace them. In week 7 two "secret" contestants, who trained outside the house were introduced to the game as "The Outsiders" making the total number of contestants 18.

Again the contestants were initially divided into Red and Blue teams, with team members being swapped occasionally to maintain balanced numbers.

Pairs

When 8 contestants were remaining, the red and blue teams were broken into 4 teams of two of male/female combinations. Damien won the power to choose the teams, which were:

Damien and Laura
Greg and Mel
Courtney and Munnalita
Marty and Pati

Key:
Biggest Loser
Immunity
Both (Immunity and Biggest Loser)

Name	Age	Height (cm)	Start Weight (kg)	Target Weight	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6^[2]	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Percent	Total Lost (kg)
Chris (Sydney, NSW)	23	198	149.5	90	Arrived Wk 7 as an "outsider" (lost 31.3kg prior to arrival)						6.4 (5.42%)	7.0 (6.26%)	3.8 (3.63%)	32.44%	48.5
Munnalita Kyrimis (Mount Gambier, SA)	32	170	127.3	60	7.9 (6.21%)	3.0 (2.51%)	2.9 (2.49%)	3.0 (2.64%)	3.6 (3.26%)	9.0 (8.42%)	0.0 (0.00%)	2.6 (2.65%)	2.4 (2.52%)	27.02%	34.4
Pati Singe (Bayview, QLD)	26	172	120.2	70	5.3 (4.41%)	3.4 (2.96%)	2.6 (2.33%)	3.8 (3.49%)	3.7 (3.52%)	5.1 (5.03%)	2.2 (2.28%)	1.5 (1.59%)	2.6 (2.81%)	25.12%	30.2
Courtney Jackson (Varsity Lakes, QLD)	21	185	139.2	90	5.7 (4.09%)	3.2 (2.4%)	3.4 (2.61%)	3.4 (2.68%)	6.3 (5.1%)	6.0 (5.12%)	0.7 (0.63%)	1.8 (1.63%)	0.8 (0.74%)	22.49%	31.3
Kimberlie (Sydney, NSW)	32	173	141.8	99	Arrived Wk 7 as an "outsider" (lost 20.3kg prior to arrival)						2.1 (1.73%)	4.8 (4.02%)	4.2 (3.66%)	22.14%	31.4
Damien Wicks (Larrakeyah, NT)	34	188	216.3	110	13.1 (6.06%)	2.2 (1.08%)	7.2 (3.58%)	6.7 (3.46%)	7.4 (3.96%)	5.2 (2.89%)	3.9 (2.23%)	+2.4 (+1.11%)	Eliminated Wk 9^[3]	20.02%	45.7
Marty Barrett (Cleveland, QLD)	38	193	160.6	95	10.4 (6.48%)	4.2 (2.8%)	4.4 (3.01%)	4.8 (3.39%)	6.7 (4.9%)	7.6 (5.84%)	2.6 (2.12%)	+1.1 (+0.92%)	Eliminated Wk 8^[4]	24.66%	39.6
Laura Kufersin^[5] (Melbourne, VIC)	20	175	109.2	70	Arrived Wk 2	4.0 (3.66%)	1.4 (1.33%)	2.6 (2.5%)	5.5 (5.43%)	1.3 (1.36%)	1.3 (1.38%)	Eliminated Wk 7		14.74%	16.1
Greg Koutsovidis (Glynde, SA)	33	175	148.8	90	10.1 (6.79%)	3.9 (2.81%)	2.5 (1.85%)	5.7 (4.31%)	5.4 (4.24%)	6.5 (5.36%)	Eliminated Wk 6			22.92%	34.1
Mel Russell^[6] (Wollongong, NSW)	24	183	108.4	75	7.7 (7.10%)	2.0 (1.99%)	2.3 (2.33%)	1.7 (1.76%)	4.5 (4.75%)	2.2 (2.44%)	Eliminated Wk 6			18.82%	20.4
Jules Condon (Gordonvale, QLD)	34	170	126.3	75	6.3 (4.99%)	2.0 (1.67%)	3.1 (2.63%)	3.7 (3.22%)	4.5 (4.05%)	Withdrew Wk 5 (on medical advice due to irregular heart patterns)				15.52%	19.6
Gerard Fleischer (Bentley, WA)	43	175	133.5	85	7.4 (5.54%)	4.0 (3.17%)	1.5 (1.23%)	4.2 (3.48%)	Eliminated Wk 4					12.81%	17.1
P'eta Phelan (Melbourne, VIC)	27	179	136	75	Arrived Wk 2	3.9 (2.96%)	1.4 (1.1%)	Eliminated Wk 4^[7]						3.90%	5.3
Michael Hinde (Adelaide, SA)	28	192	165.2	99	9.6 (5.81%)	4.6 (2.96%)	5.3 (3.51%)	Eliminated Wk 3						11.80%	19.5
Kelly Donaghy Lewis (Caringbah, NSW)	28	174	117.1	70	4.4 (3.76%)	4.0 (3.55%)	Eliminated Wk 2							7.17%	8.4
Sam Birrell (Bell Park, VIC)	37	171	128.0	79	7.0 (5.47%)	Withdrew Wk 2 (on medical advice due to deep vein thrombosis)								5.47%	7.0
Alex Tsao (Ringwood North, VIC)	37	167	155.2	95	10.6 (6.83%)	Eliminated Wk 1								6.83%	10.6
Sarah Peak (Carlingford, NSW)	24	170	153.3	75	Quit Wk 1
All contestants
Minimum	20	167	108.4	60	3.76%	1.08%	1.1%	1.76%	3.26%	1.36%	0.00%	+1.11%	0.74%
Maximum	43	193	216.3	110	7.10%	3.66%	3.58%	4.31%	5.43%	8.42%	5.42%	6.26%	3.63%
Average	31	177	139	82	5.66%	2.66%	2.33%	3.09%	4.36%	4.56%	1.97%	2.02%	2.67%

[edit] Mini and Major Challenges

Contestants must compete in minor and major challenges to earn individual or team rewards. These rewards often lead to giving contestants power to change the outcome of the game with weight advantages or penalties

Episode	Week	Challenge	Reward(s)	Penalty	Winner(s)	Loser(s)	Notes	Description
2	1	Cinema	Massages	Spend the night outside				Contestants were taken to an Cremorne Orpheum Cinema where they raced against each other, choosing food products that were lower in calories.
6	1	Sydney Tower Climb	Choice of lunch at restaurant or paddle on a kayak boat	5kg team weigh-in penalty	Blue team	Red team		Teams were taken to Sydney Tower where they raced against each other- 50 laps round the tower
9	2	Beach Volleyball			Red team	Blue team	The Blue team	Cotestants played beach voleyball against each other.
12	2	Plane pull	Power to choose what team the new contestants would be placed		Blue team	Red team	The Blue team chose P'eta	Teams raced to pull a 9-tonne DC3 aircraft 150 metres, stopping periodically for individual running sequences.
15	3	Treadmill	A cardio gym, and team session with the commando		Red Team (Greg)	-	Greg walked for over 2 hours, walking an extra 5 minutes after the second place holder	3 contestants for each team competed to see who could last the longest on a treadmill going 8km/h
18	3	Beach obstacle	Phone calls to loved ones		Blue team	Red team	Blue won only by a narrow margin and also let the Red team call	Teams compete on a beach obstacle course to fill up sacks with sand and dig holes to get through the course.
21	4	Jump and Duck Obstacle	The choice of training with the Commando or an afternoon at a Baha’i Temple, giving either other to the other team.					Teams had to duck and jump over spinning bars, beating 5 contestants in a row.
24	4	Moving house	An LG product for each team member, and the power to decide which member of the red team will become a blue.		Red team	Blue team	The Red team chose to swap Mel, who was previously swapped into Red from Blue.	Teams competed against each other to remove all contents from one house into another.
27	5	Heartbreak Hill	The choice between returning gym equipment or training with the Commando	-	Red team	Blue team		Teams had to run a relay 200 times up and down a steep hill with weights
30	5	Basketball match	Messages from home		Red team	Blue team	The Blue team were in the lead the entire game until red caught up in the dying minutes of play.	Teams competed against each other in a game of basketball game, each team coached by a member of the Sydney Kings.
34	6	The Powerballs Challenge	The power to choose duos, LG 32-Inch Plasma TV, LG Notebook Computer	-	Damien	-	Duos were to be picked with male and females paired. This would single out one female to be alone.	Contestants each had 10 heavy balls in their enclosure and had to get all balls in their area to win.
36	6	Hangman Challenge	1kg weigh-in advantage	1kg weigh-in penalty	Damien & Laura	Courtney & Munnalita	2nd place: Greg & Mel, 3rd place: Marty & Pati	Contestants had to fill a 15 liter container with water by raising and lowering their paired contestants using a pulley system and transferring water from a container on the ground using just 1 cup.
	7	Wood Challenge	Massages and two Vanuatu holidays	24 hours lockdown, no trainer or gym	Marty and Pati	Damien and Laura	2nd place: Chris and Kimberlie, 3rd place: Courtney and Munnalita. Marty and Pati finished in 4 hours, 50 minutes.	Contestants had to shift 4 tonnes of wood from one spot to another by hand while being chained to their pair.
40	7	Commando Challenge	1kg advantage	1kg penalty, outsiders lose immunity	Courtney and Munnalita	Damien and Laura	Courtney and Munnalita received the Commando as part of The Walk

[edit] Twists and Controversies

[edit] The Outsiders

Two secret contestants, Chris and Kimberlie, entered the game in week 7, having completed secret training with the Commando outside the house during the 6 weeks prior. They formed their own pair upon entering the house.

[edit] Temptation challenges & The Walk

The second season introduced another element to the show known as "The Walk". It involved the week's winner of the immunity challenge meeting with AJ and being presented with four game-altering choices, with the contestant choosing one at random.

The first Walk saw Courtney and Alex receive 24-hour training prior to the first weigh-in. Subsequent Walks had more impact on the teams: these included choosing and introducing replacement contestants (Laura and P'eta, who replaced Sarah and Sam), swapping members from teams, giving up immunity to another contestant, and in the fourth week, a snap elimination involving the female contestants.

Episode	Week	Challenge	Reward(s)	Winner(s)	The Walk	Result	Notes	Description
4, 5	1		Immunity and power of The Walk	Courtney	24-hour training prior to the first weigh-in	Courtney and Alex received additional training
10, 11	2	Pizza	Immunity and power of The Walk	Gerard	To choose 2 new contestants	P'eta and Laura were chosen		Contestants must pick a slice of pizza for a 1 in 8 chance of immunity.
16, 17	3	Chocolate	Immunity and power of The Walk	Pati	To swap 1 member of the blue team for 1 member of the red team	Pati switched Laura from the Red Team for Mel from the Blue Team.	Pati participated as part of a team strategy, only one other contestant participated.	Contestants ate sticks of food dipped in chocolate. The winner was determined by the one who ate the most.
22, 23	4	Sushi Train	5 massages, a $4000 barbeque, immunity (and the power of The Walk), a trampoline, a DVD player & a home video from the contestnat's family	Munnalita	To immediately vote out a player	Munnalita voted out P'eta	All contestants participated in this temptation	Contestants must choose random plates of meals from a sushi train.
28, 29	5	Food deli	Immunity and power of The Walk	Courtney	To give immunity to a Blue team member	Courtney lost immunity and gave it to Damien	Other contestants chose to eat certain foods also	Contestants were individually tempted with their favourite foods, the winner being the one who consumed the most calories.
34, 35	6			Chris & Kimberlie	To give the Commando to another duo for the next challenge	Courtney and Munnalita received the Commando	Chris and Kimberlie would loose immunity if they came last in the challenge.

[edit] Finale

The finale is scheduled as a live reunion but has yet to screen.

[edit] Notes and References

^ Casey fails as Biggest Loser, The Daily Telelgraph, Accessed 20070205
^ Both the Blue and Red teams were no longer used from Week 6 onwards, and contestants were divided into teams of two.
^ Damien was eliminated as a result of losing a pre weigh-in challenge in Week 9.
^ Marty was eliminated in Week 5, but returned to the game in Week 6 due to the departure of Jules and the need for even numbers due to the teams of two. He was then eliminated a second time in Week 8, after forfeiting immunity by gaining weight at weigh-in.
^ Laura was in the Red team prior to the Week 3 team member swap.
^ Mel started out in the Blue team until Week 3 when she joined the Red team in the Week 3 member swap, she was then sent back to the Blue team as a balance after the Week 4 major challenge.
^ P'eta was eliminated midweek by Munnalita as part of "The Walk".