THE BIGGEST LOSER ASIA FINAL - WHO WILL BE THE WINNER?

The Biggest Loser Asia is a reality television series that began broadcasting on the Hallmark Channel in Asia on November 24, 2009. The show is a spin-off of the American programme The Biggest Loser, in which overweight and obese contestants attempt to lose weight for a large sum of money. The winner of this show will win US$100,000 and a car sponsored by Renault. Live auditions are closed and the filming of this show has already started at a secret location in Malacca, Malaysia during late 2009.

It is hosted by Malaysian television personality, Sarimah Ibrahim, who claimed to be a fan of the show and has struggled with her weight before. The trainers are Kristy Curtis, who is the Group Exercise Manager from Fitness First Australia and Dave Nuku, who is the Fitness First Asia’s Regional Fitness Manager will train the red and blue team, respectively.

THE FINALISTS

David Gurnani, 25
Team: Blue
Starting Weight: 157 Kg
Nationality: Indonesia

Standing tall at 6 feet, David is successful salesman who prides himself on his ability to convince others. This confident young man considers himself a kind person, also admits to being easily angered and having a short fuse.

David grew up with a big loving family, which has always supported him in every endeavor. He lives with his father and 2 siblings and he recently became engaged to a beautiful woman whom he loves dearly.

Ever since he was a small child David has been extremely overweight and has loved eating more than anything. As a result of excessive eating he has gained a huge amount of weight and is at the point where he feels heavy and uneasy carrying his weight around. Being a sports lover, David is disappointed that his weight has impaired him from playing lots of sports.

David loves his work, which sees him traveling around Indonesia as part of his job, and is actively involved with his local church ministry. He is concerned that being overweight is abuse to his body and is in contradiction to the teaching of his faith.

What is motivating him to lose weight for good? David reveals, “I want to honour God with my body, to look compatible to my fiancée, have good health and a long life, and make my family proud.”

Aaron Mokhtar, 30
Team: Blue
Starting Weight: 159 Kg
Nationality: Malaysia

Married and a proud father to two beautiful daughters under 2 years old, Aaron is a loving family guy who used to be an active sportsman. Aaron too loves his job as a copywriter but finds the long hours tough as they take him away from his little girls who are asleep when he leaves for work and asleep when he gets home.

Aaron wasn’t always overweight and was actually a very active child. One year he was sent to stay with his grandparents for a few months and that’s when things changed. When his mom saw him next he had gained a bit of weight and had developed a ferocious appetite. As much as he loved swimming, running, cycling, football, and climbing, he also loved his food. This ensured that he was always a few kilos heavier than his peers. Being overweight did not stop Aaron from representing his school and college in field hockey, rugby and football. He even played rugby for the state league.

Aaron gained the most weight in the last 4 years and now feels anxious to live a healthy lifestyle as he feels a need to be around for his children so that they have the best childhood. He says, “The Biggest Loser Asia came around at the perfect time. I just hit 30 and I can’t afford delaying my weight loss any more. The fat has to go. I’m nervous about joining the show, but at the same time, I’m excited to be given the opportunity to beat the kilos and start living life to the fullest.”

Martha Lai, 19
Team: Blue
Starting Weight: 127 Kg
Nationality: Hong Kong

This animal lover works as a pet shop sales assistant and groomer. Martha says this is the only job that she could get because of her weight. Like most young people she wants to be accepted and not victimized by others because of her size. A kind and loving person, it is sad that when she looks in the mirror “she wishes she'd never been born.”

The daughter of a Brazilian Father and Chinese mother, she feels stuck between cultures and rejected by her father who now lives in Macau and whom she feels “doesn't really seem to care if I'm alive or not.”

Martha feels the constant arguing with her mother is making her very unhappy and her life has become very boring. She feels she has nothing to be proud of and wants to start a new chapter in her life.

She thinks that everyone in Hong Kong is thin and that it is hard to find overweight people there. Because of this she feels extremely self-conscious and alone. Martha is upset that people stare at her and make hurtful comments and she doesn't understand why people don't seem to care about her feelings.

The fact that she flew from Hong Kong to Singapore to audition for the show and created a very moving online application, shows her intense commitment to change and is both courageous and impressive. Martha is a very loving, sensitive and caring person and will no doubt find the love that she yearns for as she gains confidence in herself. She hopes to be 85kg and be the first winner of the Biggest Loser Asia.

Carlo Miguel, 32
Team: Red
Starting Weight: 132 Kg
Nationality: Philippines

An easy-going and soft-spoken guy, Carlos was born into a family of chefs and foodies. His mother is an excellent cook whose dishes are featured in magazines, and his great grandfather was a famous pastry chef in Manila in the early 1900s.

When he was 11, he learned how to cook, helping his mom with her catering business. When his older brother became a chef, he quickly followed in his footsteps and has now been a professional chef for 14 years.

Having lived in major cities Sydney, Australia and San Francisco, California, USA, Carlo has cooked in many prestigious restaurants, like Luke Mangan’s Salt Restaurant, and David Rayner’s Vault in Sydney. He moved back home to the Philippines in 2003 and is currently the executive chef of award-winning restaurants Sala Restaurant and Sala Bistro in Manila.

Being around food all the time has caused Carlos and his entire family to be overweight. And now that Carlos is married, his new bride is encouraging him to live healthily. The newlyweds are keen to start a family and Carlos wants to have the health and energy needed to cope with small children.

He heard about the show from his sister-in-law who is currently battling cancer. The Biggest Loser is her favorite show. He was excited to be a part of the show as he has already been trying to lose weight and saw it as his golden opportunity.

Diagnosed with hypertension, high cholesterol and obstructive sleep apnea, Carlos now sees that he is killing himself slowly on a diet of pork belly, duck confit and foie gras! Carlo says, “I want to be Asia’s first Biggest Loser to be a better husband and chef!”

THE FINAL RESULTS

WINNER OF HOME TRAINING: ZENNY (MALAYSIA)