by Gina Scarpa

 

The Biggest Loser finally returned this week after taking some time off to make room for the Olympics. When we last left the contestants, Cheryl and Darrell had fallen below the yellow line at the weigh in and had to face off in a challenge to determine who stayed and who left. The two had to balance torches on their head and unfortunately, Darrell's was the first one to fall. He was immediately eliminated from the competition and sent home. Today, he spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about his experiences on the show and what he's doing to prepare for the upcoming live finale.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Biggest Loser and what made you want to be a part of the show this season?
A. Darrell: It was my idea to go on the show. I was basically a Biggest Loser junkie. I've watched season after season and couldn't grab hold of what was going on in California at the ranch that I couldn't do here. Contestants were losing all this weight and I was struggling to do it at home.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was it like to be teammates with your daughter? How did it change your relationship?
A. Darrell: Andrea and I have always been close and we've always been able to talk and connect. Being part of The Biggest Loser with her, I got to see a side of my daughter I never thought would happen, to see her as a mature woman, to see her make decisions and carry through with her ideas and see how independent she was.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: We didn't get to see a whole lot of you on the show. Do you think America got to know you?
A. Darrell: With my personality coming on to the show, it was real for me to drift into the background and I was okay with that, I never wanted to be the center of attention. The focus was more on the drama going on in the house, and I wasn't really part of that.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Which teams or players did you and Andrew grow close to?
A. Darrell: I was close to the grey team, brown team, and yellow team.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: There seemed to be some gameplay going on this season. What is your opinion of using gameplay to get ahead on The Biggest Loser?

A. Darrell: The harsh reality for me is that The Biggest Loser is also a game. I never went into it with that idea, but it's also a game show, so I sensed the gameplay was going on and I believe people were playing the game to the best of their abilities.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your reaction when you found out you needed to face off against Cheryl in order to stay on the ranch?
A. Darrell: Before knowing exactly what the challenge was going to be, I thought I'd fare pretty good. I thought it would be a pretty even thing, not knowing what it was.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How difficult was it to say goodbye to Andrea and head home?
A. Darrell: When the torch bottom fell off my head and my experience on the ranch was over, it was overwhelming for me. Saying goodbye to Andrea was very difficult because we'd grown and been so close together for so long.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the toughest part about the transition from The Biggest Loser to your everyday, regular life?
A. Darrell: The most dificult thing was going back to work and still being goal oriented for my weight loss, to incorporate work and the stresses of everyday life, and still maintain my goal.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you doing in preparation for the live finale?
A. Darrell: My goal weight when I hit it puts me in the running for the at-home prize so my life revolves around getting to that goal weight of 200 lbs. by finale.

 

The Biggest Loser airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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