The Biggest Loser Reboot - Details We Know So Far

Fans of The Biggest Loser, rejoice! The seminal weight-loss reality show is finally being resurrected and re-branded! After going off of the air in 2016 amid mounting controversies, The Biggest Loser is returning to television on the USA network. That means we're sure to see more dramatic transformations, plenty of inspiring moments, and, of course, a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But hopefully, this time around we'll see less of the ugly stuff, such as the vomit buckets. Yuck.

While it might bear the same name as its predecessor, this version of The Biggest Loser is going to be different in a variety of ways. But don't be afraid: not everything will be completely re-written, as there's already at least one familiar face confirmed to be returning for the reboot. 

So what can fans expect to see in The Biggest Loser 2.0? Who will be returning, and what new faces will viewers see? And what other juicy details are there to know?  Read on to discover what you should know about the new and exciting The Biggest Loser reboot.

There's been no shortage of reboots that have either been announced or are already on television, showing that everything old can indeed be made new again. For example, the '90s teen sensation Beverly Hills, 90210 has come back to life (sort of) as BH90210 on the Fox network. Additionally, both Saved by the Bell and Battlestar Galactica will be rebooted and available on NBC's new streaming platform Peacock in 2020, according to an article in TheWrap. Even Gossip Girl will be returning to the small screen in a new iteration, according to an article in Deadline.

It's not surprising, then, that The Biggest Loser is also being brought back to life, especially given how insanely popular it was at its peak. As for when viewers can expect new episodes of the Biggest Loser reboot to premiere? Everything is on track for 2020, as reported by People. Plus casting started in June of 2019, according to a tweet from the casting team. It's happening!

The Biggest Loser wouldn't be The Biggest Loser without Bob Harper. The longtime trainer-turned-host has been confirmed as the host of the Biggest Loser reboot, which he says is going to be a step up from the original. "We're gonna have new trainers, we're gonna have a new medical team," he revealed in an interview on Today. "I mean, this show is going to be bigger and better than ever."

Harper has a newfound empathy for contestants on the show as he suffered a heart attack in 2017 and nearly died. "It's been a big adjustment, and I'll tell you this — that's why I'm so excited to come back on to The Biggest Loser, because I related to those contestants way more than I've ever related to them," he continued. "Because I went from being this CrossFit-er, working out so hard every day to not being able to walk around a city block without getting winded." That would certainly give you a whole new perspective!

Meet Erica Lugo and Steve Cook, the two trainers who will be working with 12 contestants in the Biggest Loser reboot. Both of them are excited to work with people in-person, as most of their work beforehand was done on the internet. "You forget how nice it is to actually work with somebody and get to know them and have them train right before your eyes and transform," Cook shared in an interview with People magazine. "You get to see people every day, their highs and their lows, and it feels like a family in there."

Additionally, Lugo wants to make sure she's setting the contestants up for long-term success, so they can stay healthy once the show is over. "I just try to simplify it for them because they're eventually going to be away from us and we want to make sure they can implement these workouts on their own," Lugo explained. 

That sentiment is echoed by Cook as well. "Ultimately, you want to leave them with the tools so that they can go do it themselves," he added. That's a nice change from the original!

Bob Harper isn't the only person who will have empathy for contestants in the Biggest Loser reboot. That's because new trainer Erica Lugo has been on a serious weight loss journey of her own, which endears her to the contestants in a very special way. "They just trust me because I was there," she revealed in an interview with People magazine. "I know when they're crying during a burpee, I've been there. I've cried the same tears." That's a far cry from the Jillian Michaels school of training, which involved a lot more berating than it did compassion.

Lugo's weight loss wasn't just a couple of pounds, either, as she went from 322 pounds at her peak to 160 pounds at her lowest. She currently maintains a weight in the low 170s, according to a post on her Instagram page, which means she kept off a whopping 150 pounds. Pretty impressive!

In the original version of The Biggest Loser, there was only one goal for contestants: to lose the most weight, and to lose it as fast as possible. And as we later learned, that kind of weight loss caused permanent changes to contestants' bodies, according to an article in The New York Times. Their metabolisms were permanently slowed down, their leptin levels had plummeted, and it became super easy for them to gain weight. That's... the opposite of what the show was about.

It looks like the folks behind the Biggest Loser reboot have taken those lessons to heart, as the approach this time around will be different. "There has been such an emphasis placed on the holistic," Cook explained in an interview with People magazine. "It's really this 360-degree approach — mentally and physically. We make sure [we're] doing this in a healthy way first and foremost." Thank goodness!

There will also be a chef and a life coach on the reboot (via Deadline), who will likely help contestants learn how to make healthy choices for life. 

Few people could argue with the fact that there were a lot of fat-shaming moments on the original version of The Biggest Loser. And, according to The Guardian, numerous experts have denounced the tactics employed by Jillian Michaels and other trainers, citing them as unprofessional and insulting. Apparently telling people who are busting their butts that you don't care if they die isn't exactly helpful.

While trainer-turned-host Bob Harper acknowledges the criticisms leveled at The Biggest Loser, he's adamant that things are going to be better in the Biggest Loser reboot. "Whenever you talk about weight loss, it's gonna be always controversial," he shared in an interview on the Today show. "But what we really want to do, we're trying to approach it in a completely different way. We want to help them while they're on the show and when they go home. The after care I think is going to be super important for them too." Let's hope that he's right!

During the first iteration of The Biggest Loser, competitors were subjected to hours upon hours of arduous physical exercise right out of the gate, as noted by an article in the New York Post. That led to numerous contestants being injured, as it's not healthy to throw people without proper training into such intense workouts.  

But the Biggest Loser reboot's trainers, Erica Lugo and Steve Cook have different plans for the reboot, which will focus primarily on weight and circuit training. "We love circuit training, we like HIIT training and we like Tabata-style workouts," Lugo explained in an interview with People magazine.

However, the six hours contestants will spend working out will be more diverse than just those exercises. "Four days a week we're in the gym doing some kind of weight training, but there's only so much high impact stuff you can do with people, especially if they're coming from a de-conditioned state," Cook added. "So sometimes we just go out and walk for two hours. That's already better than what they were doing at home."

By the looks of things, the Biggest Loser reboot is going to be kinder, gentler, and more scientifically sound than its predecessor. But for Nicole Michalik, a previous contestant on the show, there's reason to be a little bit skeptical of those claims. "They say that the new way they're doing the show is a very holistic approach, that it's very mind-body-spirit, that it's all about ... overall wellness, which is exactly what it should be," she shared in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. "[But] it's still a television show, right? So will it be that way? I'm not sure."

Michalik also has some advice for the folks who want to sign up for the reboot as contestants. "You have to be very vulnerable and tell your story," she continued. "Don't just go in there and say, 'I want to lose weight.' You really have to tell the story of who you are, what this means to you, why you want to do it, who it's going to affect." She added that self-love is the most critical component of all.

Of course, one of the most-anticipated details about the Biggest Loser reboot is who will compete on the show. Given how emotionally invested viewers get when it comes to their favorite competitors, it will be super exciting to meet the cast of people determined to get healthier and improve their quality of life.

While the USA network has not announced just who that will be at the time of this writing, there have been casting calls around the country. For example, a casting call was held in Philadelphia on July 6, 2019, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, there was a casting call in Dallas on June 29, 2019, according to NBCDFW. 

The team behind casting announced that they were finished on Aug. 7, 2019, according to a post on their Facebook page. We can't wait to meet the contestants!