Tag Archives: Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition

Meet and Greet the Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Casting Directors Before the 13 City Casting Tour Begins

ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition hits the road this April for a live casting call tour in 13 cities nationwide. It’s an exciting opportunity to be on one of the most popular weight loss reality shows, but more importantly to change your health and life with the help of leading experts.

 

You’ll have an exclusive opportunity to meet the casting directors for the show and win a front of the line pass to the casting call of your choice during our G+ Hangout on April 2 at 8:00p EST. We’re hosting this event with Holland Weathers and Brandon Nickens, as well as season two success Jacqui McCoy. There are five open seats and we want to put you in one! GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

At the live casting calls, you’ll meet one-on-one with casting agents, interviews that could land you one of a few coveted spots on the show’s fourth season. Unlike other reality weight loss shows, Extreme Makeover is not competition based and follows an individual’s journey from start to finish for 365 days under the direction of trainer Chris Powell. (more…)

Ashley Johnson Loses 156 Pounds on ‘Extreme Makeover’

Sunday night America was able to witness Ashely Johnson’s extreme transformation that took a year to accomplish. With the help of Chris Powell, the trainer on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” Johnson went from 323 pounds to 167 pounds on her final weigh-in.

Her journey wasn’t easy and she had to deal with challenges that included her family. They would bring junk food into the house and holiday meals were full of unhealthy entrees.

On the show she talked about trying to get her family to understand how they were making it difficult for her and they would reply that she just needed to have more willpower. Her family’s lack of support may be because Ashley was the only one in her family who struggled with weight. Arguments between Johnson and her mother also added to the stressful environment.

All of theses issues had Powell concerned when Ashley failed to reach her first weigh-in goal. A friend of Johnson’s offered her to move-in rent free. Being away from all the negative influences of her family, Johnson was able to really focus on her weight loss and succeed.

Powell also had her meet with a therapist so she could find out why she gained the weight in the first place. Through the therapy she discovered the root of her problem and was finally able to admit she was a compulsive eater and had an addiction to food. This helped her begin the inner-healing she needed that was just as important as the weight-loss itself. (more…)

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Audition Casting Calls this Weekend

logo for weight loss television showThe casting team of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition is making its way to several locations across the U.S. for an open casting calls this weekend. They will be looking for candidates to appear on the show’s third season under the guidance of trainer and host Chris Powell. On Saturday, February 11th, they will be in New York, Chicago and San Diego, below are the location details.

New York City, NY
Time: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Address: Dave and Busters, 234 W. 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036

Chicago, IL
Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Address: Dave and Busters, 1030 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60610

San Diego, CA
Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Address: NTC Promenade – Command Center at Lierty Station, Point Loma, 2640 Historic Decatur Rd. San Diego, CA 92106

Addtionally, the following open calls will be held on Saturday, February 18th.

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Now Casting for New Season

ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition is now casting for the upcoming season. The highly successful transformation show will air its new season Monday nights on ABC. They currently are holding open casting calls around the country in various cities along with accepting applications.

The show will select a few individuals who will be documented as they set out to lose half of their body weight in a year’s time. Trainer Chris Powell will be by their side as the participants learn how to properly eat, exercise, and live healthy for the first time. Viewers watch all this take place in the course of an hour. The transformation is so surprising that it is properly called the “metamorphosis.”

Individuals who want to apply are encouraged to either see if an open casting call is coming to their city or submit their application online. Formal applications must be accompanied by a video. The video is intended to help the producers get to know the applicant. They explain the elements they’re looking for on the website. “For example, if there is a high school letterman’s jacket, military uniform or wedding dress you hope to wear again, show us. If you are doing this for your kids, show us!”
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James Garrison “Blows Whistle” on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Treatment of Contestants

Anyone who watches reality television knows that it isn’t all real, after all, whether it’s Loser, Housewives, or Hills, they still have a story to tell and a show to produce. But it’s one of those things that no one talks about.  Until now. James Garrison, a participant in Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition‘s first season earlier this year, is calling himself a whistle blower and exposing what he describes as mistreatment of the shows participants.

“You read it here first… The Biggest Extreme Makeover Loser WhistleBlower,” said Garrison at the end of a nearly 2000-word diatribe against Extreme Makeover’s producers and cast, calling out by name JD Roth (the man also behind Biggest Loser) and the show’s trainer Chris Powell.

In our interview with James after his episode aired he described health problems he was having as, he says, a result of his rapid weight loss, which meant losing 313 pounds in 365 days. This month he had another rush to the hospital which resulted in the removal of his gall bladder. It got him thinking.

“Well it took another near death stay in the hospital, my second in a year, to realize exactly what I was promoting. Yes, I lost 313lbs in one year on ABC’s Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, but should you? The answer is no. No one should lose that much weight that fast and if anything I am proof positive as to why its not a good idea. Those are unrealistic expectations that in reality are more harmful than good,” is the statement Garrison wrote in the blog post that started it all.

He says that post was also followed up by personal emails to Roth and Powell, explaining his health problems, the $50,000 in hospital bills from the past year, and asking for help with it all, which he says were ignored.

“I guess what is hard to understand is, after emailing JD. Roth and Chris Powell asking for assistance with my medical and over $50,000 in hospital bills I was ignored.”

The only response he got was a cease and desist from show attorneys, which he posts a copy of on his blog. (more…)

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition’s Staci Loses 201 Pounds in One Year

This guest post written by James Garrison, who lost 313 pounds on Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.

This week’s episode of Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition (EMWLE) we meet Staci, a wonderful mother of two and wife to her disabled husband Rodney. Staci isn’t just your average wife and mother of two; she is also the caretaker for her husband and sole provider for her family. Imagine a life so caught up in the everyday struggles every family faces, now imagine most those struggles and then some falling squarely on the shoulders of Staci. All this led to a staggering weight of 456 pounds that, in her words, is a crushing statement to even say.

During a workout a revelation is made that somewhere in life she gave up on herself and ever being thin. In seventh grade she was already over 200 pounds and being made fun of, and by high school she was too big to even fit in a desk, which ultimately led to her dropping out. It’s during this workout that Chris Powell reiterates to her that she needs to stop playing the victim and take responsibility for her own actions.

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James Garrison Learns to Live More on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition

It’s hard for most of us to fathom stepping on a scale that reflects a number in the 700s, but it was very much reality for James Garrison. This 26-year-old had a high school football injury that he never quite recovered from. He self-medicated with food and was unable to workout, two situations that lead him to the first season of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

His first weigh-in with trainer Chris Powell set the scale at 651 pounds, a weight that classified James as “super obese.” The show’s nutritionist, Paulette Lambert, told us that “super obese” represents those who are more than 200 pounds overweight, which is about 10 percent of the U.S. population. However, 365 days of dietary changes and a dedicated fitness plan helped James lose about 50 percent of his body weight; his final weigh-in (which took place in February 2024) showed him down 313 pounds.

James found his way to Extreme Makeover when a casting representative for Biggest Loser told him he was too heavy for the show, but there might be a chance on EM. He says the entire process started 18 months ago and that “I never thought it would actually end,” giving a sense of relief that his episode had finally aired. (more…)

Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Changes Lives One Year at a Time

If you haven’t heard the concept behind the hit new television show, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, then you have been missing out on a very inspiring show. This show follows a different obese person each episode as they complete one of the hardest challenges of their lives: losing weight and redefining their lives in one year.

This week’s episode featured Alex, who at 23-years old weighed 459 pounds, which made him morbidly obese. Alex had battled his weight since he was a young child. Although Alex has always loved the sport of baseball, he quit playing in high school because he was afraid of being made fun of due to his weight. His lack of physical activity and  his love of fast food and hamburgers (one of his favorite meals: a hamburger with the bacon and cheese cooked into it and on top of it) showed a diet high in fat and calories that obviously lead to his obesity. Before his mother died from cancer 4 years prior, she made him promise that he would take better care of his health and lose weight. Alex finally decided it was time to honor his mother’s memory.

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The Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Diet

We had an opportunity to speak with dietitian Paulette Lambert, RD, CDE from the California Health and Longevity Institute about ABC’s new show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. She’s the dietitian behind the scenes working with the eight individuals whose journeys will be featured on the show.

The eight participants are considered super obese, a classification for those who are more than 200 pounds overweight. Lambert explains this level of obesity, and how it affects more than 10 percent of the U.S. population.

She also explains what the diet looks like for the participants – a low-calorie, balanced diet made of lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Click here to see our interview.

Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Newest Non-Competition Weight Loss Reality Show

Chris Powell, trainer for Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition

From the producers of Biggest Loser and MasterChef comes a new weight loss reality TV show, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. The season premiere will air at 10p.m. May 30, followed by subsequent episodes every Monday on ABC.

Each episode will chronicle the journey of one of eight participants in a non-competitive attempt at life-changing weight loss. All of the participants are approximately 225 percent above their ideal weight or are roughly 200 pounds overweight. They will spend 365 days gaining a new approach to what many call an unmanageable life. Trainer Chris Powell will work one-on-one with each contestant by going into their home and facilitating an appropriate diet and exercise regimen for the individual. A large emphasis will be placed on healthy weight loss in order to accomplish long-term results. With an unorthodox approach, Powell will interact intensively with each participant for 12 months. At the end of it all, viewers will share the joy of physical and emotional transformation through extreme weight loss on-screen with the participants.

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