Former "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard joins new season of "Biggest Loser"

[SuperMillionaire]

Ruben Studdard is confident on Biggest Loser | Mail Online

?Biggest Loser? season 15 premiere recap: We?ll have the Ruben - National weight loss | Examiner.com

Former American Idol winner Ruben Studdard has joined the 15th season of The Biggest Loser, making him the first celebrity contestant to participate on the show. Weighing in at 462 pounds, he is the heaviest contestant this season. Since winning American Idol ten years ago, in 2003, he continued to struggle with his weight, and he does not want his career cut short by his health issues. He is on the red team, and is trained by Dolvett Quince.

The first episode of the new season premiered last night, and a new feature this year is the "trainer's save," in which, if a contestant falls below the red line, the trainer may save them once. It was used last night, as Jillian's white team lost the weigh-in, and she decided to use it to save the member of her team that fell below the red line.

The new season premiered last night, and I wonder if "Big Ruben" can win this show like he did before with American Idol ten years ago.

[Quindiana Jones]

Celebrity?

[Jinx]

Career?

[noxious.sunshine]

*giggles* He fell into oblivion just like every other American Idol winner minus Carrie Underwood & Kelly Clarkson.

[Freya]

I was gonna comment about Adam Lambert but he didn't win so ha. He's fronting for queen lately

[noxious.sunshine]

rofl yeah. Wasn't that the season Kris Allen won? My sister knows his wife, and I didn't see the finale 'cuz AI is st00pid now and it's boring. But my fav. morning radio show was talking about it and they said that Kris didn't look to happy that he won.

'Cuz it's almost always the runner ups (or even people in the top 10 sometimes) that have better careers. XD

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

Best of luck to Ruben on his weight loss journey.

He's trying to do something that will impact his life for the better. Can't fault him for that. Sorry to say I won't be joining the bad joke wagon.

[Shlup]

I'm rooting for him. I think he's adorable.

[Calliope]

Good luck to everyone who has decided to make their long-term health a priority at the expense of their privacy and dignity; I think that they are quite brave. I'd argue that Mr Studdard shows even more courage in presenting himself to the nation as a "big loser" a decade after he was voted an "American Idol". I'm sure he didn't "fall into oblivion" in regards to his friends and family, and certainly hasn't in regards to his own aspirations.

I consider The Biggest Loser a form of torture porn. I seriously doubt it's healthy to take sedentary, obese people with a myriad of health problems and make them suddenly do excessive, intense exercise for hours every day - that actually sounds like a recipe for multiple injuries. On the other hand, it's nice to show that weight loss and lifestyle changes in general take discipline and hard work, and it may just be that the "real" workouts are edited out, although I am skeptical. Between the bullying tactics, emphasis on numbers as an indicator of health/success and extreme levels of transparency and accountability in contestant behaviour, there have to be some mind games and anxiety that accompany the "weight loss journey". Normal, or even "just not extremely high" rates of weight loss are treated like failure.

I do wonder what the "relapse" rate is once these people are back juggling the demands of work/family in a real environment where they don't have professional athletes as personal trainers and no one is monitoring what they are eating. Hmm.

[Jinx]

I don't have any links, but I've read a couple of accounts of contestants on the show and how they faced a lot of physical abuse (through over-work) and mental abuse from the trainers on the show.

[Bunny]

I saw a commercial for this during the Broncos game. Why is a fat guy joining a weight loss program a big deal?

[fire_of_avalon]

I do wonder what the "relapse" rate is once these people are back juggling the demands of work/family in a real environment where they don't have professional athletes as personal trainers and no one is monitoring what they are eating. Hmm.

My understanding is that most participants and winners of the show go right back into old habits because they can't maintain a lifestyle of working out 6 hours a day and gain most or all of the weight back. I read an article or something about it a few months ago.

[Slothy]

My understanding is that most participants and winners of the show go right back into old habits because they can't maintain a lifestyle of working out 6 hours a day and gain most or all of the weight back. I read an article or something about it a few months ago.

There are even more reasons behind it than that if what little nutrition advice they give on the show and the products they're paid to shill are any indication.

But true, these people didn't get where they are because they had an abundance of willpower when back home and with family and friends.

[noxious.sunshine]

Usually the thing with Biggest Loser contestants, or at least, this is my belief..

If that person is obese, chances are, the family is struggling with general health and weight issues as well. I'm not saying this is always the case. I could probably even be way off base, but it's been so long since I've watched the show, I can't remember.

If one person is trying to better their health, then those closest have to get involved as well. Otherwise, it's just setting up for failure. Yes, I'm a firm believer in this. Being active together, making healthy choices together. That's what keeps the momentum going.

Like with the bf and I.. I try my damnedest to eat healthy - low carb, low sodium, mostly veggies, but we can't afford to have 2 separate dietary requirements. He actually -needs- to eat a lot of all of that stuff, and sure, I can get away with putting extra veggies into everything (and I always do), but it's hard cooking 2 separate meals everyday for us. Like I've said before, I snack around on stuff throughout the day anyway - and especially whatever I'm cooking, but it adds up and stuff.

Anyway. That one chick Ally kept the weight off - she has her own health show on some oddball channel that I never knew existed (that we got via antenna lol)..

And that other girl.. I can't remember her name, but she was in the WWE Diva training camp when a stunt went wrong and she broke her back or something. She didn't win, but she had the most dramatic change out of all of the contestants that season.

[SuperMillionaire]

Ruben Studdard was eliminated on this week's episode, so he won't be the biggest loser.