Characters

• 

  Contestant: Norizana Binti Mohamd Azmi

  Yana

  Malaysia

  Weight: 146 kg

  Age: 24

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Yana, who is from Seramban, Malaysia, has just graduated and is currently unemployed. She has been overweight most of her life. Not only has her weight caused her problems socially, it has also made it more difficult for Yana to control her asthma.

   

  Her condition is now so severe that her doctor has told her that she must lose weight to live. Her current unemployment leaves her stuck at home on a daily basis, adding to her weight gain and lack of motivation.

   

  She has tried various ways to lose weight on her own, such as diet pills, supplements, exercise and dieting. However Yana has been unable to achieve sustainable weight loss.

   

  Yana calls herself “a simple country girl” and feels that because of her weight, she has little to no self confidence, unlike her slimmer friends. Yana would like to meet a man and fall in love, but feels that she first needs to gain confidence, and lose weight.

   

  Yana can eat two packets of Nasi Lemak for breakfast and she loves her junk food. She has one goal in Biggest Loser Asia; she wants to look hot, hot, hot.

• 

  Contestant: Viveganandam Deveraj

  Raj

  Singapore

  Weight: 144 kg

  Age: 24

  Occupation: 3D Modeler

   

  Raj holds a degree in business marketing from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and now works as a 3D Modeler in Singapore. He is very tech savvy and loves computer games. He blames poor eating habits , and many hours spent playing online games, like World of Warcraft, for his weight gain. s. He has decided to be healthy and active, aiming to apply his tactical gaming skills towards winning BLA 2.

   

  Not one to be idle, Raj snacks in order to keep himself occupied. His favorite food is Doritos, which he eats at least once a week.

   

  This is Raj’s second time auditioning for TBLA. After auditioning for the show’s first season, Raj grew even more determined to make a change. He already goes to the gym three times a week, and has joined the “Lose Big” program with Fitness First. This time around, he is determined to make it all the way: Raj recently found love through an online dating site, and now wants to lose weight not just for himself, but for his new girlfriend.

• 

  Contestant: Desiree M Vinoya

  Desiree

  Philippines

  Weight: 123 kg

  Age: 31

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Desiree is a qualified respiratory therapist, who has spent the past few years taking care of her grandparents until they passed away earlier this year. Desiree is a caring and selfless person who puts others’ needs before her own. However Desiree feels that it is now time for her to start living her life, and focus on taking care of herself.

   

  Desiree finds that her weight would prove an obstacle for her in the workplace, an environment full of emergency situations that demand quick reaction time. She would like to be able to do her job more efficiently and help to save more lives.

   

  Desiree’s family is small but very close knit, and she would one day like to find love and have a family of her own with ”lots of little Desirees.“ Despite having very supportive family and friends, she admits to feeling lonely at times. She has been teased and made fun of by strangers, which has been a big blow to her self-confidence. She is sick and tired of the restrictions that being overweight have put on her life, and has come to The Biggest Loser to help teach her how to put herself first. She wants to dedicate herself to losing the weight and gaining a new life.

• 

  Contestant: Nurhafiza Bte Mohammed

  Fish

  Singapore

  Weight: 96 kg

  Age: 26

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Affectionately known as ‘Fish’, the smallest girl in this year’s group of contestants describes herself as shy and unaccustomed to fitting in with others. Fish considers herself the ugly duckling in her family, always being compared to her three sisters. Whilst Fish knows that her smaller size may work against her, she believes that her weight has affected her just as it does any other obese person.

   

  Fish left her job 5 months ago to care for her elderly mother,who suffers from Diabetes. It was her mother who inspired Fish to join TBLA. Fishhas also always wanted to be a stewardess, but finds that her weight stands in the way of her dream job. She is currently in a relationship of 7 years, and wants to lose weight not only to gain her self confidence and land her dream job...one day, Fish would also like to look beautiful in a wedding dress.

   

  She is one of four girls in a loving and supportive family, yet when she is unable to share clothes and exercise routines with her three sisters, Fish ends up feeling left out.. She says it will be a struggle to give up her favorite Nasi Lemak and creamy smoked salmon pasta as she starts to compete on TBLA. She is however, determined to stick to her guns and work hard to become Asia’s next Biggest Loser.

• 

  Contestant: Pattanavadee Soonsinpai

  Patty

  Thailand

  Weight: 191 kg

  Age: 27

  Occupation: Secretary and Undergraduate student

   

  Patty is works as a secretary in Bangkok, whilst studying to be a lawyer. Despite her large size, Patty is a happy and confident woman. She explains that as she has been laughed at or teased for her size for most of her life, she is immune to people’s judgements.

   

  She spends time regularly with her many friends, and in fact contributes some of her weight issues to her social drinking. She lives with her large family, and as well as large family meals, Patty enjoys indulging in American junk food, her favorite being a double cheese burger.

   

  Patty wants to lose weight not only to regain her health, but also to move forward in a career in law. ‘I want to be a prosecutor’ says Patty, ‘but my superiors have advised me that I should lose weight if I want to succeed.’ She also wants to be able to do the activities she enjoyed when she was thinner. While an exchange student in Montana, she liked spending time in the mountains, hiking.

   

  Determined to regain her health and move forward with her life, Patty’s confidence and determination make her a perfect candidate to be the next Biggest Loser Asia!

• 

  Contestant: Scott Hanna

  Scott

  Indonesia

  Weight: 160 kg

  Age: 30

  Occupation: Mining Executive

   

  Scott is from the United States, but has been living in Jakarta, Indonesia for the last 4 and a half years. He’s married with 2 young children and works as a mining executive. As a college football player and wrestler, Scott found that his size was an advantage. Sadly he suffered a knee injury, and despite two operations, his days as an athlete were over. Yet he continued to eat as if he was training, and the pounds piled on.

   

  He now has problems getting around, and says that his weight is wearing hard on his heart and knees. Scott also has trouble fitting into airplane seats and moving around at work.He desperately wants to be able to lose weight, not only to be around for his wife and children, but to be active in sports again. ”Enjoying your kids, enjoying the outdoors, enjoying activities. And that's really what I miss,” says Scott.

   

  Scott’s solid athletic training could most definitely pose a threat to the other contestants. He is extremely competitive, and a natural leader. Nearly fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, Scott says that his background in politics will see him become be a mediator in the house. He is determined to win the title and set a good example for his children. “My daughter saw the The Biggest Loser on TV,” says Scott, “and she said, ’Hey, that looks like Daddy.’”

• 

  Contestant: Saw Liang Wei

  Saw

  Malaysia

  Weight: 180 kg

  Age: 23

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Saw is likely to be the Kung Fu Panda in the house, always smiling and yet aching to know how it feels to be thin. He has always been overweight, due perhaps to the pampering that followed when Saw lost his mother at the age of two. He comes from Penang and the wonderful variety of food in his home town is a constant temptation to indulge.

   

  Shy and inhibited, Saw feels more comfortable by himself. He says, “The world outside is not meant for people like us.” Saw feels that The Biggest Loser Asia is his only chance for change and a full and healthy life.

   

  Having recently returned from a stint working in London, England, Saw has decided that enough is enough. He has come to terms about his addiction to food, and with the support of his loving family, has put his journey into the hands of the Biggest Loser team.

• 

  Contestant: Genghis Khan Enrique

  Genghis

  Philippines

  Weight: 161 kg

  Age: 34

  Occupation: Internet Cafe owner

   

  Genghis Khan stands out wherever he goes, as his large frame, big smile, and an unusual name make him hard to forget! But underneath that happy exterior are deeply rooted insecurities about his health and his size. Being big was never considered taboo in his family. ”To me food is not just delicious nor does it just look good,” Genghis says, “Butut it's life. It brings family and people together. It's an art form.” His passionate love for food and eating becomes a problem once he steps out of the comfort of home.. ”Then it’s like being in another world,” Genghis says. ” I become different, I become the abnormal one.” In social situations, he feels unwelcome, like he is “just unwanted baggage.”

   

  At 34 years old, he feels as though he hasn’t lived life to the fullest. He can’t wait to start living on his own terms and do the things that other people do easily – whether it is bungee jumping or sky diving, or walking into a mall and buying clothes off the rack!

   

  Genghis blames his lack of willpower for his obesity, which is what inspired him to audition for the Biggest Loser Asia. He doesn’t want to make repeated rounds of hospitals for different ailments and is sick and tired of being “a walking time bomb”. He believes that with the trainers and his team to motivate and guide him, he is sure to achieve a healthy lifestyle for the first time in his life.

• 

  Contestant: Atikom Laksanpanai

  Nai

  Thailand

  Weight: 136 kg

  Age: 26

  Occupation: Insurance Agent Trainee

   

  Living in Bangkok, Thailand, glib, confident Nai is not your average overweight contestant. He is not self- conscious about his size. He finds that his daily struggles with weight have little to do with t finding clothes that fit him, or being able to travel on public transport. The real struggle is shyness and insecurity.

   

  This is in part due to Nai’s upbringing, as well as perhaps the society that raised him. ”Thai society seems to accept big people,” Nai observes. Nai comes from a part Chinese, part Thai family where food is a big part of all family gatherings. As Nai puts it, ”Most Chinese assume that they love fat people, they think that it's good, that it's a sign of wealth.”, His Chinese grandmother always encouraged him to fatten up while he was growing up. He is also an avid online gamer, and blames his sedentary lifestyle for the weight gain. Nai has tried to lose weight before. However the exercise routine he completed did not work for him, and he resorted to taking diet pills. He ended up in the hospital due to severe chest pain.

   

  Nai finds food comforting, and is very honest about how grumpy he tends to get when anything interferes with his meals! However his father’s death due to obesity was a wake-up call for Nai to take action. This family tragedy has inspired him to face his bad lifestyle and eating habits, and turn to the Biggest Loser for help. Determined, confident and strong, Nai believes he will work hard enough to stay in the game for the long run, change his life around and become Asia’s next Biggest Loser.

• 

  Contestant: Picharatch Phunthawornnawin

  Peachy

  Thailand

  Weight: 99 kg

  Age: 28

  Occupation: English Tutor

   

  Bubbly, energetic, vivacious Peachy has a lot to say. She is determined to lose her excess weight to look “sexy” and wear “nice clothes”. A fashionista, Peachy gives a lot of importance to her outward appearance. She enjoys dressing up and taking care of herself to look great, but has deep rooted insecurities about her weight and health.

   

  Growing up, Peachy weighed 69 kilos in grade 6 and never thought about the fact that she was overweight. As she comes from a big family, she didn't think it odd that she weighed as much as an adult!

  She is currently studying for her masters, and tutoring in English. Despite her outward confidence, her obesity has caused her problems in her social life, and she tends to avoid seeing her university friends. She ends up making up excuses so as not to be ‘the centre of attention due to my size’.

   

  Peachy does not think there is too much stigma attached to being a big person in Thailand. She does however recount one embarrassing moment when she walked into a restaurant and the waiter immediately changed the chair she had meant to sit on. “He changed it from a plastic chair to a wooden one in case I broke it.”

   

  Being the sole breadwinner in her family and tasked with looking after her mother, Peachy feels that she must lose weight and maintain her health to continue to provide for her family and make her mother proud.

• 

  Contestant: Rico Michael

  Rico

  Indonesia

  Weight: 171 kg

  Age: 36

  Occupation: Actor/Comedian

   

  Rico is an actor and comedian, eloquent, entertaining, and determined to win. His favorite foods are pizza, (”I can eat 3 large boxes in 5 minutes“he comments,) spaghetti, and fried rice with Ikan Bilis (anchovies).

   

  He comes from a close-knit family and is the only one struggling with obesity. He cares for his elderly parents, and needs to be healthy to make sure he’s around for a long time to do so. Rico feels he let himself go, and is unhappy with the way he looks. His weight also hinders him from participating in sports and physical activities.

   

  Being obese has also prevented Rico from moving forward in his acting career, although he is active behind the camera. However, his true passion is acting and losing weight would allow him to pursue that passion. Rico’s frustration with his inability to take control of his life and regain his health motivated him to join the show. He feels that The Biggest Loser Asia is his only route back to a happy, healthy lifestyle.

• 

  Contestant: Izana Shakira Mohd Isa

  Shakira

  Malaysia

  Weight: 111 kg

  Age: 29

  Occupation: Engineer

   

  Shakira was born in KL, but moved around a great deal as the only daughter of a Malaysian military official. She has spent the last five years working as an engineer with little time for a boyfriend or active lifestyle. She admits that she also pushes people away due to her lack of confidence in herself, commenting: ‘I've been pushing people away from me because I feel that if you can't love yourself, how on earth other people can love you?’

   

  Confident and calm, Shakira owes her positive outlook on life to her early years spent in a boarding school. The all girls environment taught her to “love herself” over and above all else, and learnt that whatever size you may be, you are beautiful. Despite this outer confidence, Shakira fears that her weight affects her personal relationships and how people see her. Shakira is a sweet and friendly girl, ready to offer a shoulder to cry on. Her primary goal on the show is to get her health back and look beautiful – inside and out. Although Shakira comes from a very loving close knit family, she is determined to win The Biggest Loser Asia for herself, to prove that she has the willpower, ability and determination to go the distance.

• 

  Contestant: Manjit Kaur

  Manjit

  Singapore

  Weight: 128 kg

  Age: 24

  Occupation: Student

   

  Manjit is a student from Singapore who has currently put off graduation to participate in the show. Majnit was inspired to join the Biggest Loser Asia by her sister, Nikki Kaur, who was in the first season of the show. Despite leaving the show in the first episode, sister Nikki has since gone on to lose 20 KG on her own at a Fitness First gym. It’s up to Manjit to prove that she can lose weight fast, and match her sister’s healthier lifestyle. Manjit doesn’t like working out by herself in the gym, and is looking to her team mates and trainers to take her the extra mile in shedding her excess weight. She hopes not to been seen as a threat to the other contestants because of her sister’s previous exposure on the show. But Manjit has been doing some strengthening work at her local Fitness First, and feels she has a secret weapon in training!

   

  Nikki and Majnit’s family have traditionally consumed a diet very high in fat, consisting of fried foods and large portions of carbs. Her weak spot lies in chocolate, admitting that she can eat just chocolate for lunch and dinner… all 250 grams of it. Manjit eats more when she’s happy, but loses weight when she’s stressed.

   

  Manjit suffered greatly during her childhood and adolescence as an obese person, enduring teasing by her peers and their parents. She received little support from her teachers; who in one instance used her as an example in class of what not to be. Manjit is a strong and beautiful woman, fabulous on the inside, and yet wanting to change her body to have more chances in life...especially in love.

   

  She is determined to win and become the next Biggest Loser Asia, and use the money to help children and teenagers who are obese. It is her dream to become an ambassador for healthier living for the next generation, and share her knowledge and experience from BLA 2.

• 

  Contestant: Leonardo Capati

  Leonardo

  Indonesia

  Weight: 137kg

  Age: 30

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Leonardo was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Indonesia. He comments, ‘I am Filipino by birth, Indonesian by heart.’: He is exuberant and supremely confident., “Every group has to have the fat funny guy ,” says Leonardo, “and that’s me.” Leonardo is the youngest of 4 children in a very tight-knit family where mother's rule is law. ”If you know me well enough,” he says, “I’m pretty much a mama's boy. They don't get any worse than me. “Leonardo has been big his whole life and says he doesn’t know what he looks like thin.

   

  Leonardo’s favorite food is everything ‘meaty’. He does not eat vegetables. Food has always been his comfort zone, and Leonardo was brought up believing that it’s better to have more food than less. He has tried to lose weight through dieting, even at one point eating only boiled chicken breast and broccoli for 3 months (he lost about 8 kilos).

   

  ”It's been a struggle,” he says.”You try everything and you don't have the discipline.’ Leonardo was inspired by David and Carlo, finalists from Season One of The Biggest Loser, He believes that by taking part in the show, he will receive the discipline and guidance he needs to take the next step, and make his mother proud.

• 

  Contestant: Lori Davis Granito

  Lori

  Hong Kong

  Weight: 117 kg

  Age: 43

  Occupation: Caterer

   

  Originally from the United States, Lori has lived in Hong Kong for 20 years, and is a wife and a mother to a 9 year old girl. Lori is a very successful business woman, running her own catering business in Hong Kong. She also runs a restaurant, pizza and cup cake business, and quite clearly loves food!

   

  Lori has struggled on and off with her weight since moving to Hong Kong. ‘I wasn’t an obese child.’ says Lori, ‘In fact I was so thin in high school I used to get picked on for being TOO skinny.’ Lori’s issues with weight began through a chain of events that began with the death of her brother shortly after she relocated to Asia. This was then followed up by the birth of her daughter, and combined with the stress and time consuming role of running her own business, caused her to develop bad habits and gain weight. She has tried to eat healthy foods and exercise, but her lifestyle and habits are holding her back, and she hopes to move past these issues with the help and support of the Biggest Loser Program.

   

  Although Lori has gone through a lot of hardships in life, these experiences have given her a “thick skin” and strong, upfront personality. She likes to crack jokes and laugh a lot, is not afraid to say what is on her mind, so the other contestants had better watch out!

• 

  Contestant: Jonathan Wong

  Jonathan

  Singapore

  Weight: 191Kg

  Age: 34

  Occupation: Unemployed

   

  Jonathan Wong is a professional photographer and part time business exporter. His work has had a big impact on his unhealthy lifestyle, as he edits his pictures into the early hours of the morning, constantly snacking and eating second suppers to keep him awake! A Singaporean at heart, Jonathan loves to indulge in fried chicken, Roti John and Roti Prata.

   

  Jonathan comes from family with a history of heart disease and diabetes. However his immediate family, including his mother and sister, are slim and fit.

   

  His mother was the inspiration for joining the show, as she constantly worries about the effect his weight is having on his health and lifestyle. Jonathan feels that getting fit will ease his mother’s mind and make her proud. He would also like to be able to travel and work without the physical hindrance of being overweight. ”I have trouble moving around,“ he admits “especially on airplanes.”

   

  He likes to crack jokes even at his own expense, and describes himself as spontaneously creative and extroverted. An ambitious, independent and self-confident man, Jonathan is determined to lose the weight and become Asia’s next Biggest Loser.