Biggest Loser Asia Winner

Biggest Loser Asia Raj wins RM312k

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Vivega­nandam Deveraj (Raj) was crowned the winner of The Biggest Loser Asia 2, a popular weight-loss reality TV series at the season finale recorded in Mediacorp Studios here.

The 24-year-old yesterday walked away with the prize money of US$100,000 (RM312,000) after losing 67kg from his starting weight of 144kg – making him the contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss (46.53%) over a six-month period.

“Being on the show has taught me that anything is possible and I want to inspire others who want to lose weight,” said Raj, who planned to set up a charity organisation to help combat the rising obesity rate in Singapore

“Obesity is prevalent here, especially among young children due to their sedentary lifestyles. I believe I can help them with the knowledge I have now,” added Raj, dubbed “the snake” in the competition due to his scheming ways.

He emerged the season’s top three finalists after Hong Kong’s Lori Davis Granito, 43, was voted out.

Thailand’s Atikom Laksanapanai (Nai), 26, an insurance agent trainee came in a close second with an overall weight loss percentage of 45.99%, which is 63kg from his 137kg starting weight.

Biggest Loser Asia Winner

Genghis Enrique Khan, 34, an internet cafe owner from the Philippines, became the second runner-up with an overall weight loss percentage of 35.19%, or a weight loss of 57kg from his original 162kg.

The second season of the reality show started out with 16 contestants from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

The contestants, who have all suffered weight-related health problems, competed for the title of The Biggest Loser Asia 2 in a mansion at IOI Resort City in Putrajaya for 13 weeks.

They were divided into two teams with their respective trainers – the red team under Kristy Curtis and the blue team under Dave Nuku. The show was aired over 13 weeks but the competition actually went on for six months. Finalists had about two months to train back home after leaving the mansion for the finale.

SOURCE  http://thestar.com.my

He lost 67kg in 13 weeks

SINGAPORE – A 24-year-old Singaporean has beaten contestants from across Asia to win the second season of The Biggest Loser Asia (TBLA).

Viveganandam Deveraj, or Raj, weighed a hefty 144kg at the start of the weight-loss reality TV show. Over 13 weeks of training, exercise and dieting, he whittled down his weight to 77kg, losing 67kg (or 46.53 per cent of his original weight) in the process.

A jubilant Raj said: “I’ve gotten my life back with The Biggest Loser Asia and that’s the biggest reward possible…. Being on the show taught me that change is possible and I hope that my success here might motivate others in the same boat to challenge themselves.”

Raj is a motivational figure not just because of his success, but also because of his perseverance. He had previously auditioned for the first season of TBLA, but was not successful. Despite that setback, he tried for the second season, and overcame all obstacles to win the title.

The Singaporean beat Atikom Laksanapanai (Nai), 26, from Thailand and Genghis Enrique Khan, 34, from the Philippines, to take home US$100,000 in cash and the title of Biggest Loser Asia.

Nai came in a close second behind Raj by dropping 63kg from 137kg, while Filipino Genghis also triumphed with a big change at a current 105kg from 162kg.

The finale of TBLA2, which was filmed and broadcast yesterday, also saw Filipina Desiree Vinoya, who was eliminated in the first episode, walk away with US$10,000 as the “At Home Contestant” winner. The “At Home Contestant” competition allowed overweight individuals that joined Fitness First’s weight loss program vie for the prize money by losing the most weight. Desiree won the competition by losing 30kg.

TBLA 2 began its broadcast on DIVA Universal with 16 contestants. Each week, they had to go through arduous training regimes and strict diets guided by professional trainers, Kristy Curtis and Dave Nuku.

The programme was sponsored by Fitness First – the anchor sponsor and provider of weight-loss expertise on the series – as well as Nestle Fitnesse, Gatorade, Gardenia, TheBiggest Loser Asia Club, venue sponsor IOI Resort City, TRX, Polar, Prince Court Medical Centre, Mk Homes, Ambience, Skype, The Studio, Toni & Guy, Tiger Airways and Grand Park Hotel.

SOURCE  http://health.asiaone.com

The Biggest Loser Asia  (season 1)

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. David Gurnani emerged as the champion of the first season, winning US$100,000 and Renault  sponsored by TC Euro Cars.[1]  The filming of this show for the first season was done at the A Famosa Resort 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[2]  and Dave Nuku, who is the Fitness First Asia’s Regional Fitness Manager[3]  will train the red and blue team, respectively.

Biggest Loser Asia Contestants

After the audition, 30 contestants were brought to the filming location. From there, 16 contestants was chosen by the trainers after an elimination challenge. The other 14 who were not chosen were sent home.