Last fall, Alison Sweeney had the pleasure of informing the eleven teams that make up Biggest Loser season 11 that they were being invited to the ranch. She also had the task of informing Vance Jackson and Leann Jackson that they were team number 12 on the list, and would not be venturing to the ranch. However, she said that it raised an interesting question: what happens to team 12? Do they give up? Do they go ahead and start they journey on their own?
Alison gave Vance and Leann the news that during this season they would have a chance to earn their spot on the ranch. And tonight, in week 13, that chance came.
This mother-son team, who became this season’s white team, live in Ogden, Utah. At age 20, Vance is a certified nurses assistant pursuing a career as a life flight technician. But at 379 pounds he says he’d take up too much space in the helicopter. “I want to make my quality life a whole lot better,” he says. Leann, a 52-year-old teacher, said she applied for the show because her son asked her, too.
The only thing you can expect on Biggest Loser is the unexpected, and this week, the remaining season 11 contestants met Leann and Vance for the first time. Shocked to hear one of them might be joining their group, they watched Leann and Vance head to the scale.
The qualifier? The one who could beat Kaylee‘s percentage of weight loss for the season, 25.6%, would join the game.
Vance needed to lose 95 pounds, but missed the mark. Confidently, he announced “I’ll be that 95 soon enough.”
Starting: 379
Current: 349
Total Loss: -30
Leann needed to lose 79, but also fell short. However, she’s happy with the progress she’s made on her own at home. “I’m thrilled,” she says. “I’m doing this in my life. It’s slower, but I’m making it work.”
Starting: 315
Current: 270
Total Loss: -45
We’ll get a chance to see Leann and Vance at the live Biggest Loser finale in May.
Have you fixed your sewing machine yet?