by Gina Scarpa

On the season 9 premiere of The Biggest Loser this week, the contestants had to get on the scale in front of friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers and weigh in before they could go to the ranch to begin their weight loss journey.  Twin brothers John and James Crutchfield tipped the scale at almost a half ton.  John weighed in at 484 pounds, while James weighed in at 485.  After a week with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Harper, they were able to drop 23 pounds each at the weigh in, for a total of 46 pounds and 4.75% weight lost but it wasn’t enough to keep them safe.  Below the yellow line, the contestants had to decide which brother to send home and they ended up choosing James.  Today, he spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about the decision to send him home, his 100 pound weight loss to date, and how his injury affected him. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Biggest Loser and what made you want to do it? 
A. James: Overall, it was my wife’s idea as she has been trying to get me to go for several seasons.  My boss called the night before tryouts and reminded me about them.  My wife printed out the application and we stood in line for 6 hours for the chance to be seen on the show.  I wanted to do the show because it was a time to finally make a change.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your reaction when you got the call that you had made the show?
A. James: I was extremely excited but nervous because we were also told that there would be the public weigh in!
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Bob and Jillian always say there's a big difference between watching them work people out on tv and actually being there on the ranch.  Was it more intense than you expected? 
A. James: It was definitely much more intense than what it seems on tv.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Can you talk a little bit about your injury and how it affected you on The Biggest Loser? 
A. James: I don’t want to blame my injury as being the reason that I went home.  The reason is that the brown team didn’t lose enough weight.  The knee affected me more psychologically and frustrated me because I wasn’t able to do the things that the other contestants were doing.  At the time, I felt disadvantaged.  I no longer feel that way, though, and I know that I can push past the pain and compete.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The numbers at the first weigh in were pretty crazy!  Were you surprised that, despite the fact that you and your brother lost 46 pounds in a week, you were in the bottom? 
A. James: I was very surprised.  I felt that we were right at the top of the list as far as effort and time spent working out and in the gym off camera.  It just wasn’t in the cards, I guess.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It seemed like the contestants were set on keeping you, because you needed the doctors and the support here.  What changed between the meeting and the elimination that caused them to write your name down? 
A. James: You didn’t get to see the entire conversation that we had when we were pleading to the other contestants about who should go home and who should stay.  At that time, I was still in brown team mode and thinking long term.  I obviously persuaded them to send me home and changed most of their minds by explaining that I had a better support system at home.  This was a journey that I could share with my wife, who would support me 100%, and I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home from work and focus on myself.  I think that I convinced them that John did not have that same level of support so they chose me to go home.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Your weight loss home is amazing.  What did you do to lose all that weight? 
A. James: I do a lot of swimming but, on top of that, my diet plays a huge part in my weight loss.  No more fast food!  I try to eat all organic foods and I eat a lot of lean proteins and vegetables instead of double cheeseburgers. 
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's the biggest struggle you face at home? 
A. James: You have to find a way to stay motivated.  At the ranch, you have no tv, no cell phone, no internet, and you are forced to focus on yourself.  At home, it’s easy to fall into your hold habits and lose focus. 
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you doing in preparation for the live finale?
A. James:  I am hitting the gym 7 days a week in order to prepare for being the at home prize winner! 
 
 
The Biggest Loser airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on NBC.
 
(Image courtesy of NBC)

SEE ALSO

The Biggest Loser 9: Episode 1 Recap
 
 
Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa
 
For more Biggest Loser links, visit SirLinksALot.net