“The Biggest Loser” will return October 8 for it’s 15th season on NBC. Premiering back in 2004 the reality competition has seen hundreds of pounds, and tears, shed over the years.
Season 14 kicked off in early January 2013 with the return of Jillian Michaels and a big, bold mission: to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic head-on by featuring kid participants (ages 13-17) for the first time ever in addition to adult contestants. Michaels joined popular returning trainers and top fitness experts Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese, with obesity prevalence among children and adolescents almost tripling since 1980. With childhood obesity at an all-time high, jeopardizing the health of kids and future generations.
Contestants were divided into three teams – supervised by trainers Harper, Michaels and Quince. Each trainer/team was paired with at least one child participant who competed with and contributed to their respective teams, but the kids were not be eligible for elimination.