The first season saw Indonesia's David Gurnani take the title, losing over half of his body weight and transforming his life, along with 16 of his fellow contestants. With these amazing results, The Biggest Loser Asia joins this global franchise in combating obesity worldwide and bringing help, motivation and education in health and fitness to those who need it most.
Unlike most competition shows, the heart-warming unscripted series challenges its contestants to lose to win, and promises its participants a chance at regaining their health and ultimately, their lives.
It is a dream come true for many who have been bogged down by health problems as a result of carrying extra weight on their bodies all of their adult lives.
In 13 weekly one-hour episodes on Hallmark Channel, we will get to know those who have put their faces, bodies and pride on the line, to show the world how serious they are in cutting the fat from their lives.
Facing a drastic diet and lifestyle overhaul, contestants will have to surrender luxuries in life, submitting themselves to intense training and living a life solely focused on regaining their health, whilst being taught the skills and discipline necessary to maintain this lifestyle at home.
The path to weight loss for the contestants is highly challenging and filled with temptation as it would be in real life, and the contestants will face daily mental and physical challenges, as well as being faced with tough decisions when it comes time to face the drama of elimination day!
TRAINERS
Trainer
Dave is one of the most credible motivational fitness experts highly sought after by clients in Kuala Lumpur where he’s a regional fitness manager at Fitness First.
Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, this energetic Kiwi is very familiar with diverse Asian cultures and its sensibilities, as part of his job, Dave works directly with over 1500 personal trainers and fitness managers throughout the Asia region in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
No stranger to television and movie production, the ever-positive and gregarious Dave once worked as a personal trainer in his native hometown training the cast and crew of the Lord of The Rings trilogy. But having become fascinated by the multicultural capital of Malaysia, he packed his bags and moved to Kuala Lumpur with his wife and young daughter.
As an avid fitness enthusiast competing regularly in local and international running events, Dave feels at home in any gym. He is a firm believer in adopting strength, power, agility and quickness training techniques to build a functional physique that can withstand all of lifes challenges.
In late 2006, he joined forces with international training organisations, Personal Traning on the Net, ACE (American Council on Exercise) and Premiere the U ’s leading fitness certifcation company to bring cutting edge fitness certifcation to fitness professionals in Asia, consequently lifting the standard and status of personal training throughout the industry.
Dave who holds a diploma in exercise science and is a qualified personal trainer, is also the author of the book ‘BODYFIRSTTM, a Fitness First step by step guide to fitness, nutrition and healthy living
Kristy Curtis
Trainer
One of the leading health and wellness experts from Down Under, 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.
Early on in life, Kristy was drawn into the world of health and fitness due to her own body image struggles as a teenager. Having successfully managed weight issues in her own life and went on to become a national aerobic champion. Kristy has been running her own Personal Training business for the past 17 years. She currently travels the world for Health and Lifestyle retreats and is a popular speaker on health for corporations.
Of Australian-Chinese descent, Kristy has lived in London and worked in the corporate health industry. She has a Business degree in Sport and Event Management. Currently she is a health presenter for a lifestyle show in Sydney and has consulted on The Biggest Loser Australia.
Kristy describes herself as someone who just can’t still. She’s full of energy, cheeky and sometimes too honest, she says. Her intensity, enthusiasm for fitness, and frank feedback provide an abundant source of motivation to her trainees.
Kristy strongly believes while there some things in life you cannot control, you can take ownership and responsibility of your health through eating good food, thinking positively and keeping your body moving. And it is reflected in her training style, which is best described as an integrated and holistic approach.
Finding out what lifestyle factors are affecting one’s health is the key to achieving balance. She likes to give her trainees an education as to why they should be eating something or moving a particular way for example, as they are more likely to change their behaviour if they have a reason for it. As a motivator and role model, she always has a smile on her face and often builds a strong connection with the members in her classes and her clients to lead them better in the journey towards wellness.
One of her favourite 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.
