by Gina Scarpa

 

Last week on the season premiere of The Biggest Loser, teams were in for a shock when they found out that they would be split up from their partner. Ben decided to go to Bob's team, because his brother Buddy wanted to train with Dolvett. Despite dropping 15 pounds at the weigh-in, Ben's team lost and he decided that he was already ready to head home. Today, we talked to Ben to find out more about his decision to leave and his experience on The Biggest Loser.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you decide to try out for The Biggest Loser?
A. Ben: My brother Buddy and I tried out for The Biggest Loser on accident really. I was looking up something about The Office on Facebook, and when I clicked on the link to it, it directed me to NBC.com and I saw that there was an open casting call, so I called up Buddy, and we went to it the next day. We stood in line next to Jeremy and Conda, so we were happy they made the show as well.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: That first workout always seems so brutal. How did you handle it?
A. Ben: The first workout was brutal for me! The toughest part was that it was 103 degrees, and the workout was way more intense than my body could handle! I didn't fare well in the first workout.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you found out that you were going to split up from Buddy, what were you feeling?
A. Ben: When I found out I was being split up from Buddy, I didn't like it. We went together, expecting to do it together, and the thought of doing it apart was not a good one.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you guys come to the decision that you would work with Bob and Buddy would work with Dolvett?
A. Ben: I let Buddy pick who he wanted to be his trainer as, after the first workout, I was not too fond of either trainer.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You lost 15 pounds at the weigh in, which is a great number, then said you were ready to go home. What made you feel that way?
A. Ben: I decided to ask my team vote me home after the first week. I wouldn't say I was "ready" to go home, but I felt it was what was best for me. Several team members said they didn't have anything to go home to, and needed to stay. I felt with my athletic background, I had a better chance to succeed at home, so I offered myself up.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Looking back on it, do you think it was the right decision to leave so early?
A. Ben: Looking back, I feel I underestimated how hard it would be coming home and continuing to lose weight. I would have loved to stay longer, as it would have helped me lose weight faster, as well as gain more diet and exercise training. Knowing how I am though, I can't see myself making a different decision than I did. In the end, I understand it's a game show, but after watching my brother receive news about his heart and potential for an untimely end, I lost the drive to make a decision that would send someone home, to potentially being unsuccessful.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What lessons from being on The Biggest Loser did you take back home into your everyday life?
A. Ben: I took home the knowledge that working out doesn't have to be a chore. I find that I really enjoy a lot of different exercises we did. I also view food differently, knowing how hard it is to burn off calories, so I think of food in terms of fuel.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you have a weight loss goal for the finale and are you hoping to be The Biggest Loser at home?
A. Ben: I have a goal to lose 150 lbs total by the finale. This will not win me the at home prize, if past season percentages hold true this season. But as I have a large family and money is not something we have a lot of, I would absolutely love to win the at home prize, and am working very hard to lose as much weight as possible by finale.

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

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