by Gina Scarpa

 

Last week may go down as the most dramatic, shocking week of The Biggest Loser we've ever seen. When the final five heard that past contestants would be returning for a spot in the finale, they walked off set and Mark and Buddy ended up leaving the competition altogether. Jeremy, Conda, and Kim stayed to compete and stay above the dreaded red line at the weigh-in but Jeremy fell short. Now, he'll go up against 14 other people to grab that last spot in the live finale and today, we talked to him about it all in an exclusive interview.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to go on The Biggest Loser and what made you decide to do it?
A. Jeremy: It was my idea to go on. Conda and I had thought about going on a while ago but the timing was bad. Then, my grandma had passed away from weight complications, and my friend had asked me to go to the beach but I didn't want to go because of the embarrassment I have with my body. At this point, I knew I had to make changes and that is when I saw there was a casting call for the show. I called Conda and asked if she wanted to go. She said yes and the rest was history.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and Conda seemed to fare pretty well, being on separate teams this season. Did it bother you, initially, that you wouldn't be partners in the game?
A. Jeremy: It absolutely did bother me. I think my emotions were pretty well described with the bleeps that followed after I found out this news. I went there with Conda and it felt like my only comfort zone I had was Conda and it was taken away from me, but in the end, it worked out for the good.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: No one really seemed to target you or your sister to get you out of the game. Tell us about the social game that you played that, along with your weight loss, helped get you far in the competition.
A. Jeremy: I feel like I am a very likeable person so in the beginning of this game, I just went in with the mindset to make friends and be myself and help provide comic relief for everybody. I did not want to be perceived as a leader or a threat in the beginning because that was just not the smart way to go about it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You seemed, understandably, very uncomfortable during the walkout. Where were you at in terms of actually leaving? Did you come close?
A. Jeremy: I was very close to leaving. My bags were packed and I thought for sure that is what I was going to do. There was a lot of behind the scenes conversations that had taken place that went into my decision to stay, but at the same time, I want to make it clear I supported everybody's decision. Mark and Buddy felt like leaving was the right thing for them and I support that.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I thought for sure Alison was going to announce that all three of you would be staying this week. Were you surprised that there was still a red line at the weigh-in?
A. Jeremy: I was a little surprised. I thought they would just say with all the twist that had happened, we were all safe or give us a goal to reach so that we all could have the option to be safe but that didn't happen. And it is ok; no one was at a disadvantage with the red line so I had just as good of a chance to stay above it as everyone else.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you saw the past contestants come back and knew that you still had a shot at the finale, how were you feeling?
A. Jeremy: Honestly, I was still very upset. I had just been eliminated and at the time and didn't care about the chance to get back in the game because I figured it would be a long shot and did not want to play against all these people I had already beat. At the same time, I did not have a choice, and I didn't want one of the other contestants take a spot that I felt was mine so I was forced to compete.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Would you want to go up against Conda in the finale or, in a way, is it better if you're competing for the at home prize and she's competing for the grand prize?
A. Jeremy: I want nothing more than to go up against Conda in the finale. Neither one of us went there for the money so I don't care about the at home prize. I went there to lose as much weight as possible and prove I could be The Biggest Loser. I personally think it looks better for me and Conda if we are both finalists versus the at home winner and the grand prize winner.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You have changed so much throughout your time on The Biggest Loser. What's the biggest change that you notice about yourself?
A. Jeremy: The biggest change I have made is how I view food. I used to search for the most delicious food I could find. Now, it is a matter of what you put in your body and at what time because my body is a well-oiled machine that I have to feed to keep it running.

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

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