by Gina Scarpa

Like many parents this season on The Biggest Loser, Ken joined the show to help his son Austin but soon realized he needed to be there for himself. The pair chose immunity and Brett and Cara but Ken's experience with his trainers was a rocky road. In New Zealand, he faced his fears, found his voice, and learned that it was okay to show emotion. After his elimination from the show, we caught up with him in an exclusive interview to find out what he learned on the show how he brought those lessons back into his everyday life.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Why did you want to go on The Biggest Loser?
A. Ken: At first, I wanted to go on Biggest Loser for my son, Austin. I was driven to try so that he would not have to live the same life I had lived. Once we got into the process, I began to believe that I could change my life also.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you and Austin happy with the 4 weeks of immunity and with Brett and Cara as your trainers initially?
A. Ken: Initially, we were more than happy with our decision to take the 4 weeks of immunity. It wasn't until later when we moved on to the ranch that we realized how much of a disadvantage we had.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Clear something up: In the episode where Kaylee wanted to go home but your team didn't lose enough to be up for elimination, did you throw the weigh in?
A. Ken: Let me clear this up completely. Yes, with an explanation. Austin and Kaylee made this decision and started to act on it before they ever informed me. When I was asked to do this, I went to Moses. Moses said he didn't want his daughter to pull a 0, and said that I had better pull a 6 or 7 because if Austin or I didn't win immunity it could mean that either Austin or I would go home. I did water load. It wasn't enough to actually throw the weigh-in.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and Cara ended up butting heads later this season. Looking back on it, what do you think that was about and how is your relationship with her now?
A. Ken: The longer we were on the ranch, the more I realized how disadvantaged we were in not being able to work with Bob and Jill. Austin, Kaylee, and I were the three eidge contestants who worked with them the least. We could see the difference in training, and see the difference in our diets. Plus, the other contestants were very open about what they were doing differently. It wasn't that Cara was bad, nor was it that Brett was less of a trainer than Bob or Jill. It was the fact that for 10 seasons, Bob and Jillian had trained extremely obese people. I simply wanted us to go and ask them for help.

To be even more emphatic, I think that Brett has as much or more knowledge and understanding of training and the human body than Jill or Bob. Cara did exactly what she was brought in to do-to teach us to fight for our lives. What Brett and Cara did not have was the in depth understanding of the game of Biggest Loser.

My feelings for each trainer are such: Cara taught me to fight for my life and to find my voice; I will be forever grateful for that and I currently even have a Boxing bag hanging in my garage that I routinely pound on. Brett carried me to a place where I never thought I could go physically because I was afraid I would die if I worked that hard; Brett helped save my life. Bob encouraged me to embrace a form of exercise that I found physically painful, and now it is the number one exercise I do: spinning. He gave me a love for it and helped me to overcome my fears and my physical pain. And finally Jillian-her training was awesome, but what she did for me was so much more than training-she touched my heart. She helped bring me back to life; and I can't say enough good things about her.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the biggest fear that you conquered in New Zealand?
A. Ken: On the surface, the fear I faced was my incredible fear of heights. In past attempts at dealing with this fear, I would actually panic. In my life, only once did I ever ride on a ferris wheel because I couldn't handle it. On another occasion at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, I was unable to remain in my seat because I had so much anxiety. Even the thought of heights used to bring a feeling of illness. The feeling would start in my stomach and begin to spread outward - a numbness coupled with dizziness and nausea. It would just grip me. But my experience in New Zealand conquered more than just my fear of heights. In a way that worse fear symbolized my overall fear in life. I have found myself free from fear. It isn't that I don't have any fear, but that the fear I do have I manage. Before New Zealand my fears controlled me; now, I'm in control of them.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You said at your last final weigh-in that you didn't want to hide your emotions anymore. What did/do you want to be able to show and to say?
A. Ken: Prior to my time at The Biggest Loser, in small group settings, I would really close down anytime I felt deep intimate feelings of affection or sadness regarding a situation. It was as if I was ashamed to cry among a small group of people. This was a self-preservation behavior that essentially allowed me to disconnect from the group. When I really noticed this was the night that Marci was eliminated. I felt so sad at first, but I disconnected from the event and sat there silent. This was part of the process I went through on the show that allowed me to realize that connecting with people is part of what I needed to be healthy rather than staying disconnected with my emotions bottled up inside and then later eating to deal with my feelings.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it hard to leave Austin behind in the competition? What do you think of his progress and journey?
A. Ken: It was extremely hard to leave Austin behind in the competition. We had been a source of accountability for each other and a source of continued strength. I have never been more proud of my son. He has deeply changed his entire direction in life and has proven himself to be a man. My wife and I have always had I expectations for him, and our greatest dreams are coming true for him. He has learned how to reach deep down in himself and to draw from a source of strength he never knew he had.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've lost a tremendous amount of weight! What obstacles do you face at home and how do you deal with them?
A. Ken: One of my biggest obstacles has to do with being alone. In the past whenever I was alone that is when I would overeat the most, either late at night or in the car during the day. Now I'm going to bed when everyone else does, and I'm taking different routes to the placed I travel so that I don't drive by various fast food stops and the like. I've also picked out one restaurant to hold meetings at that are healthy and have good healthy fresh food.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What advice do you have for people who want to try out for The Biggest Loser?
A. Ken: People trying out for The Biggest Loser must first recognize that being morbidly obese is not the criteria for getting on the show. They are also looking for people with a story that is interesting and a good, entertaining personality. They are looking for someone who is honest and someone who is ready to make major changes. They also need to recognize that they shouldn't wait for the show. I have met many people who like me had tried out for the show and not made it, but they decided to lose weight. Don't wait; just do it!

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

(Image courtesy of NBC)

Follow Gina @ginascarpa