Two fitness and health experts stood out from the sea of applicants from around the world: Kiwi expatriate living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dave Nuku and vivacious Aussie Kristy Curtis.

Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now” music video hit the nail on the head when he showcased a winded obese guy sitting on a park bench after a short walk. For those who haven’t seen the video, it basically tells the story of how man evolved from a single celled organism to the upright, walking-talking, face-stuffing mammal it is today. “I’m #1 so why try harder?” reads the statement shirt of the fat guy in the video. This is exactly why statistics on obesity are on a mercurial rise.

Good thing that medical experts, the fitness industry, and the media has been trying to raise awareness on such ‘heavy matter’ (pun intended) and how to reverse its terrible consequences for quite some time now.  Hallmark Channel is one of the champions for this cause as well as it partners with the ‘Biggest Loser’ franchise and Fitness First for its first Asian edition.

Since its 2004 U.S. debut, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) show has grown to become a stand-alone health and lifestyle brand. It has become a worldwide hit airing in over 90 countries and produced in 25 countries.

For its Asian spin off, the life-changing reality-based show where overweight participants go on a rigorous program for weight loss and undergo physical makeovers, a contestant will win the coveted grand prize of US$100,000.

Real stories, real people

Before the show made its world debut last November, an exclusive preview was held at Fitness First in Makati.  And in the tradition of reality-based shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘American Idol,’ the auditions for the Biggest Loser Asia’s proved to be one of the major highlights of the program. 

With more than 2,000 hopefuls auditioning to become part of the final team of 30 contenders, Fitness First gyms in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Manila opened its doors to people who wanted to give themselves another chance.

Among the stand outs in the Manila leg were comedienne Ruby Rodriguez and writer-cum-mixed martial arts coach Delfin Bacho III.  While Ruby, in between sobs — recounts an incident where her child is being teased in school because their mother is fat, Del managed to make people laugh with his witty lines and wacky antics. However, one of the more touching stories in the craziness of the auditions belonged to father-and-son tandem of Kenneth and Kevin Yue who topped the weighing scale at 218 kg and 215 kg, respectively.

In an interview, Kevin recounts his childhood and how he had to stop going to school because he couldn’t fit into a chair. His father Kenneth was misty-eyed while relating Kevin’s story. “Kevin wants to change and I’m doing this for him” says the older Yue.

There were several other stories in the audition process that would make any heart melt. A number of them wanted to change because of health reasons. A few others tried out to lose the weight so that people can look past their appearance.  Most of the people who came to the auditions saw the reward money as a bonus – the real prize for them is a new lease on life, without the excess baggage and health risks that obesity brings.

Blue vs red

To aid the participants in their path to weight loss are fitness trainers Dave Nuku and Kristy Curtis whom members of the press had the pleasure of chatting with via phone patch days before the show's TV debut at the Hallmark Channel.

As the trainer of the Blue Team, Dave has tucked under his belt a book entitled “Bodyfirst,” a Fitness First step by step guide to fitness, nutrition and healthy living.  No stranger to television and movie production, the ever-positive and gregarious Dave once worked as a personal trainer in his native hometown in Wellington, New Zealand training the cast and crew of the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

“Half way into it, we are concentrating on body weight exercises and intense cardiovascular training.  I have a guy on my team who already lost 32 kg!” Dave tells.

When asked if he plans to incorporate advance functional exercises and modalities such as kettlebells, tire flipping and rope exercises, Dave reveals: “I just might. I’m a big fan of kettlebells and other functional tools, but remember, most of these contenders couldn’t actually brisk walk because of their poor physical condition. Once I see improvements in their strength and physique I will incorporate tire flipping and basic kettlebell lifts, probably in the latter stages of the program.”

A firm believer in adopting strength, power, agility and quickness training techniques to build a functional physique that can withstand all of life’s challenges, Nuku has the contenders eating all organic food rationed in several small meals in a day. Basic supplements also come in to play for the contestants’ diet. Dave has the “losers” taking multi-vitamins alone. “There is no need to take anything else besides multi-vitamins since all of the nutrients that these contestants need are in the organic food that we have them eat.”

Meanwhile, challenging Dave’s group is another leading health and wellness expert from Down Under Kristy Curtis as she heads the Red Team.  Kristy has been hooked to fitness since she was a teenager. And now the personable and friendly 31-year-old has turned her passion into a successful career.

“I am not good with idle time. I have to be running, riding, boxing, surfing (badly), or just simply moving otherwise I start to go crazy,” Curtis confesses.

One of Curtis’ favorite quotes is, “It’s not just about exercise” and she intends to bring that to The Biggest Loser Asia in cutting the fat of the contestants.  When asked if the cultural differences will play a big factor in how the contestants will get along with each other, Kristy was quick to reply: “Not at all. They are getting along just fine. We have a good group that continuously motivate and look out for each other. However, there was a bit of an issue regarding the menu. Some contestants were not too keen on spicy foods, so we had to change it up a bit.”

In conclusion, Curtis shares some interesting insights she’s recognized along the way, “I’ve been dealing with fundamental issues… what it made me realize is weight is relevant to how a person feels.”  She further adds, “You have to have a good understanding [of that] and get them to tell you their stories.  [And in return] do not hold too much pressure on somebody, you have to positively motivate and inspire them.”

(Produced by Imagine Group, “Biggest Loser Asia” boasts of 14 weekly one-hour episodes on Hallmark Channel hosted by Malaysian celebrity Sarimah Ibrahim.  Hallmark Channel is Channel 37 on Sky Cable, 38 on Global Destiny Channel and Channel 43 on Dream Satellite.)

(Write the author at wellbeing@mb.com.ph.)