Michael Ventrella (right), from Chicago, who weighs in at 526 pounds.
This season of the hit reality show (that actually inspires and moves its viewers!) keeps raising the bar — all while staying true to its commitment to healthy individuals and communities in need.
Season nine of NBC’s smash The Biggest Loser kicks off tonight with the introduction of the heaviest contestant ever — Michael Ventrella (right), from Chicago, who weighs in at 526 pounds.
Add a set of identical twin brothers who weigh nearly 1,000 pounds combined, a cancer-survivor mom who’s ready to beat obesity, and the fact that this is a “couples” edition of the show pitting family members side-by-side in the competition, and there’s little doubt that this will shape up to be one of the most dramatic seasons in Biggest Loser history.
But the contestants aren’t the only ones who’ll come out winners this season. For the third season in a row, the show is partnering with General Mills, Feeding America, Subway and 24 Hour Fitness on the Pound For Pound Challenge. The premise? For every pound viewers pledge to lose on this Biggest Loser website, a pound of groceries will be delivered to a local food bank.
Over 3.5 million pounds of groceries have reached local food banks as a result of the Pound For Pound Challenge since its inception in 2007, according to NBC. And today, as food banks continue to struggle to keep their shelves full week after week, the need for pledges is greater than ever.
It’s a win-win. Viewers get involved by pledging to get in shape, and their efforts give something back to their neighbors all over the country.
December saw the show produce its Biggest Loser ever, when season eight winner Danny Cahill dropped 239 pounds. As Cahill told Tonic, “You have to believe you can do it before you can do it. And I believed.”
Here’s hoping season nine contestants believe big, too—and that plenty of viewers believe in the hope and relief they can bring to some of the 49 million Americans now struggling with hunger by joining the Pound For Pound Challenge.
Scott Cutshall has them all beat !
