by David McAlpine

For the contestants on The Biggest Loser, losing the weight they do wouldn't be possible without the show's notorious trainers. From screaming in their faces to making the drag things (or people) across a room, the Biggest Loser training team is always with the contestants every step of the way on their weight loss journey. After the live finale, RealityWanted spoke to retiring trainers Jillian Michaels and Cara Castronuova about their time on the ranch and what's next for them.

Q, David, RealityWanted: How did it feel going through a season of this show?
A, Cara: The season was a crazy, crazy experience. I was thrown into it and it just flew by. The fact that some of the contestants are half the size now and Deni (season 11's at-home winner) is the same as me is nuts. When I met her six months ago, she was more than twice my size and now she's actually my size, so I'm so proud of her and I told her I was going to give her one of my dresses. It was so rewarding because we met these people and they were broken and they didn't want to fight anymore and they had totally given up, so to see them up on stage and knowing we were there every step of the way was a great feeling.

Q, David, RealityWanted: What surprised you most about your experience?
A, Cara: What was surprising was how I would cry every time a contestant got eliminated! I got really close to them and I was very surprised with how close I got with everyone. They became like family, you know? You watch the show and you might think it's a little fake and you might ask yourself if these people really get close to these trainers, but we really do. It's almost like we're in the army and we're always bonded together.

Q, David, RealityWanted: What's the biggest thing you learned while on the ranch?
A, Cara: I've learned a ton about training. You know, I have my own style, then working with trainers like Bob, Jillian and Brett, getting to understand different types of training, different styles and different opinions, that's been really great. Also, getting to train different types of people has been good experience. You know, Deni was 59, Moses was 40, Austin was 20-something, everyone works differently. You have to cater to each person, both physically and mentally. It took a lot of street smarts to figure out what everyone needed and everyone was so different that I learned a lot.



Q, David, RealityWanted: What's it going to feel like now that you're not going to be training on the ranch anymore?
A, Jillian: I think when you're ready to transition, you're ready to transition, and for me, I've really been craving a platform where I have a direct relationship with the audience, and daytime in my opinion is the only place to do that. And, in daytime, you can not only convey inspiration, which the contestants do so well here, but you can also convey information, and it's tough in primetime to do that, so that's where I need to be.

Q, David, RealityWanted: Who was your pick to win?
A, Jillian: I thought it was going to be Rulon. I was like, "Oh, well, that's over."

Q, David, RealityWanted: What was your reaction to Olivia and Hannah making the final two?
A, Jillian: It was absolutely amazing to see two women make it to the final two, it showed how far they came and how hard they worked to get to this point. I think it's a perfect way for me to wrap up my last season on Loser.