Finally, the day has come. Finally, a girl has got it. Lisa is the first woman in Australia to take out the title of The Biggest Loser! This amazing mum from Perth finally beat the boys to claim the crown by a margin of just 300g. I predicted she was one to watch in my first blog of Series 5 and now history has been made. Congratulations, Lisa!
I must say that Western Australian mums have been working hard to grab The Biggest Loser title since Series 1 when Kristy from Perth just lost to Adro. Then there was me, also from Perth, who was pipped at the post by young Sam in Series 3. Tiffany, another Western Australian, lost to the wonderful Bob in Series 4… and now, four years later, finally a female has finished the job! I just loved hearing Hayley say, “Lisa, you are The Biggest Loser!”
Finale is such a special day for the contestants. After months of pain, tears, facing fears, triumph, and disappointment – the crazy roller coaster ride that is The Biggest Loser – every contestant gets a moment to shine, stand proud and celebrate all they have achieved.
This is the moment contestants get to swap sneakers for high heels and Lycra for a pretty dress or a suit. I just love seeing these awe-inspiring transformations. While each and every contestant looked amazing, standouts for me were: the brother twins Joe and Rick, runner-up and winner of the eliminated contestants respectively; the sister twins Elise and Teneale, who both lost over 36 per cent of their body weight; Jarna, who I agree with Hayley is Australia’s hottest principal; and aunt Jenni, who went home in the early days and has done an amazing job to lose 46.3kg.
It was also a treat to see Commando in his civvies (and yes, I agree with all you girls on the forums – hubba hubba!).
Last year I watched Finale from the audience but this year I had the honour of being part of the event along with old friends from series past including Sam, Sean, Bob, Sharif and Sammy. I say this was an honour because there is no other way to describe how it feels to be asked to be a part of such a special moment.
Being backstage, watching and listening to the contestants, brought back such wonderful memories for me. The Series 5 contestants have now become part of a very unique and special ‘Biggest Loser family’.
The bonds you make throughout The Biggest Loser are life-long, but it’s not just contestants whom you start to think of as family. I would like to thank you, the members of The Biggest Loser Club, for your continuous support. I receive many emails from you all in regards to being an inspiration to you… I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that you are a constant inspiration to me. The support from you has helped me to maintain my Finale weight for two years now. I hope this season that by watching the show, reading the blogs and using The Club, you have discovered that you can achieve anything and everything you dream of.
Remember: you will always be presented with two paths – it’s up to you to choose which way you head. You can choose to continue down the same path you usually take or you can choose to take a new direction and chase your dreams. Let’s face it, what have you got to lose? You only have one crack at this life so make sure you are truly living, not just existing.
It has been a pleasure and an honour to be with you all for Series 5 and I look forward to the next crazy ride of The Biggest Loser Families in 2011.
Finale highlights
It's worth replaying the final four contestants' weigh-in, just to see Lisa scream when she discovers that she is the 2010 Biggest Loser!