For what age: 8+
How many episodes in 15 season: 15 episodes
"The Biggest Loser" returns with 15 inspiring contestants - including the show's first celebrity player, Ruben Studdard, an uplifting "Second Chances" theme and powerful new roles for trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Dolvett Quince. For the first time ever in the show's history, trainers sat in on casting sessions and helped select the new contestants, and also received a "trainer save", allowing each one to save one eliminated contestant from going home. Contestants eager for a second chance to reclaim their health and re-write their futures include "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, this season's heaviest contestant at 462 pounds, David Brown, who lost his first wife to an almost decade-long battle with cancer and is now fighting for his life so he can be there for his daughters, and Tanya Winfield, a single mom addicted to food who grew up with a teenage mom addicted to drugs, who is eager to break the cycle of addiction in her family. Also competing this season will be Olympic weight lifter Holley Mangold, hoping to get in the best shape possible for a second chance at gold in the 2016 Olympics, and Matt Hooper, who postponed his wedding to be on the show so he could give his fiancé the best physical version of himself.
The dreaded "week 2 curse" is on all the players' minds, especially when they learn that only one person's weight on each of the three teams will count at this week's weigh-in. And they won't know who it is beforehand, only when a roll of the die at the scale determines who will represent the red, white and blue teams. One lucky group will get a weigh-in advantage if they win the first challenge of the season, a water-bucket race that ties each team's fate together in more ways than one. Also this week, one player gets sobering health news from Dr. H, another contestant connects with a very special family member and the show catches up with one of last season's popular child ambassadors to see how they are doing now.
This week, the contestants are surprised to find that the gym is empty - and the only equipment they'll be able to use is equipment they've successfully bid on with "Biggest Loser" bucks in the show's first ever auction, run by host Alison Sweeney. Trainers Bob, Jillian and Dolvett and the players have to get creative to make the most of their limited equipment. Later, one player opens up to her trainer about her difficult childhood, and all of the contestants re-charge their spirits with a very special treat - getting to skype with their loved ones back home in emotional, heartwarming family visits. Then it's time to head to the gym for a very emotional weigh-in. Also this week, the show catches up with season 12 fan favorite Vinny Hickerson.
It's Halloween at the ranch, and that means a pumpkin challenge and the contestants' first temptation of the season. Off the players go into a field of 100 pumpkins filled with candy treats, cash prizes and a winning ticket giving one lucky player one of the biggest prizes ever awarded in a challenge - immunity for their whole team. Later, one trainer brings a special group of people to work out with his team, while another trainer has a heart-to-heart talk with a contestant about their challenging childhood. "The Biggest Loser" catches up with last season's child ambassador, Biingo, to see how his life - and the lives of his family members - have changed since he was on the show. And later, the players get a motivational boost with coveted letters from home before heading to the weigh-in, where another player is eliminated.
Last season's kid ambassadors Biingo, Lindsay and Sunny return to the ranch and are joined by the White House Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition, Sam Kass, for a fun cooking challenge with the contestants. Well aware that kids are often the toughest food critics, the red, white and blue teams race against the clock to prepare a nutritious and tasty dish that will be a hit with the kids - and earn the winning team members an incredible prize. Also this week, one team works out with a very special and inspiring group of women who have survived or are battling cancer. Later, it's time for the weigh-in and saying goodbye to another contestant.
It's a busy week at "The Biggest Loser" ranch, which kicks off with a fun bouncing ball challenge that will award members of the winning team a welcome cash prize. All of the contestant take an emotional walk down memory lane watching their casting audition videos, reminding them why they are at the ranch - and how far they've come in just six weeks. Ruben and Dolvett visit music icon and 16-time Grammy Award winner David Foster at his home, where Ruben isn't the only one stepping up to the microphone. And the show's most recent "Biggest Loser" winner, Danni Allen, stops by for lunch and a pep talk with the contestants. Then it's time for another tense weigh-in, where one more contestant will face elimination.
The contestants celebrate Thanksgiving week with a special challenge - racing to load boxes of Thanksgiving food into trucks headed to help tornado victims in Moore, Oklahoma, where one player has a special connection. Members of the winning team are very thankful for their prize - a holiday dinner shared at the ranch with loved ones flown in for the celebration. Emotional reunions follow, as the winning team, their trainer and their family members gather for a Thanksgiving feast and share what they are most grateful for. Also, one player gets encouragement from his trainer to talk to his family about a long-kept secret, and the show catches up with one of season 14's child ambassadors, Sunny, to see how she is doing today. Then it's time for weigh-in and another elimination, which leaves one trainer giving a very tearful and emotional farewell to one of their players.
Host Alison Sweeney kicks off this week's episode with a shocker - one of the contestants is going home and taking their trainer with them, and their weight will be the only weight that counts for their team when they return in time for the weigh-in. A simple spin of the wheel determine who will be chosen among the players, who would love to reunite with loved ones but are understandably anxious about the intense pressure they'll face trying to lose enough weight to keep their whole team safe another week. Meanwhile, one trainer brings their contestant back to a sport they once loved, and two players celebrate milestones at the weigh-in before another contestant is sent home.
This week, the contestants take a pop quiz about obesity in the workplace after meeting host Alison Sweeney in a diner. The location proves significant since that's where the losing team will be working all week while still trying to eat healthy and exercise with much busier schedules. While the losing team stays busy waitressing, cleaning up, doing dishes and squeezing in workouts, they still find time to bring "treats" from their day job back to the ranch to tempt other players. Meanwhile, one trainer works closely with his contestant to determine what has been holding him back from bigger weight loss numbers, and another tries to help one player's family member get started on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Then it's time for another contestant to head home after a weigh-in that yields surprising results.
The 10 remaining contestants reach a milestone this week, as the competition goes from teams to singles. Wearing their new individual color shirts, the players meet host Alison Sweeney for a night-time "ring of fire" endurance challenge that involves holding a percentage of their individual weights. Alison also shares exciting news about an upcoming event that will be a "Biggest Loser" first for contestants, and sobering news that this week's weigh-in will end with a double elimination. Now that the teams have been disbanded, trainers Bob, Jillian and Dolvett are eager to switch it up and work out with new contestants this week. One player struggles with self-sabotaging negative thoughts, and two contestants make it to the coveted "One-derland" at weigh-in and say goodbye to weighing over 200 pounds. Then it's time for the dreaded red line, which will determine which two players will be going home.
This week kicks off with all of the eliminated contestants returning to weigh-in, and one lucky player getting the chance to return to the competition. Then it's off to a grueling kettle bell beach challenge that promises the winning player a hefty prize. Fan favorite and former "Biggest Loser" contestant Abby Rike pays a visit to the ranch and inspires the players with her own "Second Chance" story. Later, the contestants head to the race track for words of encouragement and a fun workout with popular NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. Then one player reaches "One-derland" at the weigh-in and another is sent home before host Alison Sweeney gives the remaining contestants some very exciting news.
The contestants are off on the adventure of a lifetime, headed to Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, where they'll train like champions and get to meet some incredible Olympic athletes. Dolvett introduces the players to Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno, who talks about his own "Second Chance" - this season's theme - and works out with the contestants inside the spectacular Olympic Oval arena. Then the contestants get to compete in the sport of curling, after an introduction to USA Curling team members Jessica Schultz, Debbie McCormick and Anne Swisshelm. The fun continues at the base of the bobsled track, where words of motivation from USA Bobsled Team members Lolo Jones and Jazmine Fenlator get the remaining seven players fired up about the fast-paced sport. But for this week's challenge, they won't be racing down the track. Instead, they will be running more than a mile up the bobsled track, a challenge made far more difficult by the elevation of over 7,000 feet. Also this week, Bob designs an Olympic-inspired workout that puts all the players to the test, and Jillian tries to help a contestant still struggling to embrace her self-worth. Travelling and being away from the ranch environment leaves many contestants worried about their weight loss this week. Those fears intensify at the weigh-in, where surprising results push two players below the yellow line and the other contestants must decide which player is going home.
It's one of the most eagerly-anticipated episodes of "The Biggest Loser" season - the makeover episode! The fun begins with fashion expert Tim Gunn, who works his magic helping the contestants select stylish new outfits to flatter their new slimmer selves. Then celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, whose clients have included Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Lady Ga Ga and Eva Longoria, crafts incredible new looks for each of the remaining seven contestants, leading to amazing and dramatic transformations. Then they are whisked away to enjoy a special night out and heartwarming, emotional reunions with loved ones flown in to celebrate their big day. Later, it's back to reality and the ranch, where two players fall under the red line at the weigh-in and are eliminated, revealing the final five contestants of the season.
The stakes are higher than ever when the five final players compete in a "Biggest Loser" first - a sprint triathlon, requiring them to swim ? a mile, bike 12 miles and run three miles. The triathlon winner will secure a coveted spot as a finalist, as well as a brand new Ford Fusion. Then it's an emotional trip down memory lane as the contestants watch footage of their journeys with their trainers, and see firsthand how far they've come since arriving on the ranch. Later, it's time for the last weigh-in before the finale, where two players will fall below the red line and go home, and two more will become finalists, joining the triathlon winner to compete for 0,000 and the title of "The Biggest Loser" at the season 15 finale.
In this must-see, exciting live finale, the 15 contestants from this season return for a special reunion and a chance to weigh in one last time - and show America how much weight they've all lost since beginning their weight-loss journeys. Those who have been eliminated will compete for the 0,000 "at home" prize. Then it's the moment viewers have been waiting for, when one of the three finalists will be named this season's "Biggest Loser" and win the coveted grand prize of 0,000.
