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Bob’s the Boss in Season 17 of The Biggest Loser

Good news, Bob Harper fans — your favorite tattooed trainer has moved out from his hideaway in Comeback Canyon to host The Biggest Loser, which has its season 17 premiere tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

“I’m very excited about this season,” Harper said in a conference call. “I’ve been on the show since season 1, and I felt like doing season 17 was my very first season.”

This season promises to be very Bob-centric.

NUP_170842_2045“When I was first asked about my thoughts of being the host for the show, my initial thought was I want to make sure that I get to really bring my personality in,” said the 50-year-old Harper. “I get to bring in the history that I have of being on the show for a long time. I wanted to bring something completely different to that role, and I really feel like we accomplished it.”

Harper won’t be your typical show host — he said he’s very hands on in the process.

“You’ll see it in the first episode and it’s very emotional; it’s very eye opening,” he said. “I wanted to sit with the group and give them a voice, let them talk about why they got to the weight they’re at, what struggles they’ve had, being able to get the voices out of their head and out into a room.

“I really do feel like it’s very cathartic and it’s very liberating to kind of get those demons that are in so many of us out in the open because it makes the demons not as powerful.”

Harper is not only excited about his new role but the upgrades to the show format as well.

“It’s got such a different feel; it’s fresh, it’s new and it’s exciting,” he said. Among the changes, there’s a new show logo, dueling scales in the weigh-in room and a revamped gym. With a nod to trendy cycling palaces and Orangetheory Fitness, the gym will feature monitors on the walls that will track contestants’ calorie burns and heart rates.

Harper will be joined by returning trainers Dolvett Quince and Jennifer Widerstrom, who each will train eight contestant teams of two. 

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Photo: NBC

Each duo will have some history with each other — friends, siblings, relatives — but one team only has reality-show celebrity in common. Original Survivor champ Richard Hatch will be teamed up with Erin Willett, who was a semi-finalist on season 2 of The Voice.

This season’s theme is one that viewers can relate to: temptation. From candy displays at the office-supply store to cupcakes in the conference room, games on your phone to smart TVs set to binge watch, food and distractions seem to be everywhere.

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Photo: NBC

“We are bringing up any temptation that we have found that not only the people that have had on our show but people in general have had — be it money, food, luxury, be it time restraints,” he said.

“We did it carefully so you’re going to see in the very first episode being tempted by money, and I think so many people can relate to that. And it’s like what they do when they’re tempted by it.”

But it still all comes back to food, he said.

“It’s having that moment to be able to say no to that food really empowers you,” he said. “It starts to plant that seed in your brain of ‘You know what? I can say no to this right now and not like I’m going to say no to it every single day.’ But it does something — it changes the way you think about that food and it takes the power out of that food.”

Are you a Bob Harper fan? What are you hoping he brings to the host job? —Gail

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Comments

2 Comments
  1. Shaun says:

    I wondered when or if it was coming back on. Its NOT just results as someone above said…its healthy eating habits/excercising, etc. If ya don’t like the show don’t watch it! Unfortunately it is not available in my country so I have to access The Biggest Loser on NBC using Purevpn.

  2. Shay says:

    I really like him and am glad to hear he is back! It should be an interesting season with all those temptations.

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