200,000 a Year Audition for “The Biggest Loser”

The winner of the program’s first season, Ryan C. Benson [pictured below], who lost 122 of his 330-pound starting weight…is now back above 300 pounds but he thinks he has been shunned by the show because he publicly admitted that he dropped some of the weight by fasting and dehydrating himself to the point that he was urinating blood.

At least one other contestant has confessed to using dangerous weight-loss techniques, including self-induced dehydration. On the first episode of the current season, two contestants were sent to the hospital, one by airlift after collapsing from heat stroke during a one-mile race.

Full story in The New York Times.

Ryan-Benson

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Comments (6)

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  1. Bret says:

    Hey. Why don’t they give the guy a break? Like other serious efforts in life there has to be some risk taking here. If you don’t lose a few contestants along the way, you’re not trying hard enough.

  2. Larry C. says:

    I tend to agree with Bret. No pain, no gain.

  3. Liz says:

    If your weight is 300 pounds, you will need about 3000 calories a day to maintain that weight. Isn’t it a waste of time to eat that much? Isn’t it a financial waste to spend that much money on food? I think Ryan should find another hobby to occupy his time.

  4. Bruce says:

    I don’t know that it’s all that time consuming or all that expensive, Liz. Have you ever been to a Krispy Kreme donut shop?

  5. Kiana says:

    Actually Liz, eating “unhealthy” is less expensive than eating “healthy”.

  6. Liz says:

    Point taken. He may save even money and if he multitasks, I guess it doesn’t waste time.

    What about the lack of satisfaction one gets from looking in the mirror and feeling attractive? Personally, that would be worth the effort of not consuming 3,000 calories a day. Call me shallow…