One quick day after the finale’ of Season 6 the contestants for Season 7 have been announced.  The show started taping around the middle of September and hits the air Tuesday nights starting January 6th, 2009 at 8:pm est.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you may have received the ‘tweets’ I sent out earlier this year during the casting process stating that this would be the biggest and longest season yet!  And it turned out to be exactly true as this season will feature the largest female and the largest male contestant.  Other firsts include the youngest male, oldest couple, the largest overall cast, and the longest season.  And the contestants were really put through the ringer during the casting process to make sure that they are the most committed bunch of folk in Loser history.  Hopefully no slackers slipped through.  I can hardly wait for the new season.

And I can hardly wait to see Bob blow his top!  He has never gone off on anyone like this and it will be one for the history books!  He will have to do a lot of yoga after this day!

I must note that after never having open casting calls in the lovely state of Michigan before 2007, NBC now has picked 4, that’s right count ‘em, 4 teams from the Great Lake State in the last two Seasons: The sexy Purple team Amy and Shellay on Season 6 and 3 teams this upcoming season 7.

All the Michigan teams attended an open casting call for Season 6 or Season 7.  It may have taken them hours to be seen for only a few minutes but they are proof positive that it was worth it.  I am proud to say that Michigan has some awesome people with great personalities (yes I meant how that last sentence was written – it is a little inside humor   Oh, and beside great people we have just a little girth!

Before I forget, you have got to watch the premiere.  I heard Jillian describe her shock at seeing one of the contestants at the weigh-in.  Oh yeah, your weight never bothers Jillian so tune in to see what is so shocking to her.  I will blog about it later. Oh, and how the teams were selected was neat as well.

Here are the contestants and their team colors and trainer – I reserve the right to correct this later in case I am wrong about any of it.  Also check the videos at the bottom from NBC.

BEST FRIENDS:

Carla Triplett (Assistant bank manager), 36, and her best friend Joelle Gwynn (Non-profit founder), 41, Southfield, MI. Bob’s Team and Biggest Woman

Daniel Wright (Student), 19, Willow Spring, NC, and his best friend, David Lee (Student), 23, Fuquay-Varina, NC. Jillian’s Team and Biggest Man

COUSINS:
Sione Fa (Owner, landscape company), 28, Maricopa, AZ and his cousin, Filipe Fa (Lube technician), 26, Mesa, AZ. Bob’s Team

Blaine Cotter (College counselor), 27, Gilbert, AZ and his cousin Dane Patterson (Real estate appraiser), 27, Mesa, AZ. Jillian’s Team

ENGAGED COUPLE:
Damien Gurganious (Industrial designer), 31, and his fiancée Nicole Brewer (Wardrobe stylist), 37, Brooklyn, NY. Bob’s Team

FORMER MODELS:
Tara Costa (Model/Finance manager), 23, New York, NY, and her friend Laura Denoux (Model/Sales director), 24, Miami, FL. Jillian’s Team

FATHER/SON:
Ron Morelli (Retired food distributor, currently City Councilman), 54, and his son, Mike Morelli (Student), 18, South Lyon, MI. Bob’s Team and Youngest Male

GRANDPARENTS:
Estella Hayes (Retired nurse), 63 and her husband, Gerald “Jerry” Hayes (Retired engineer), 63, Wheaton, IL. Jillian’s Team and Oldest Team

MOTHER/DAUGHTER:
Helen Phillips (Retired retail manager), 47, Sterling Heights, MI and her daughter, Shanon Thomas (Massage therapist), 29, Centerline, MI. Bob’s Team

Cathy Skell (Title sales closing agent at real estate firm), 48, Shiocton, WI and her daughter, Kristin Steede (Business owner), 28, Greenville, WI. Bob’s Team

SISTERS:
Amanda Kramer (Cosmetologist), 30, Boise, ID, and her sister, Aubrey Cheney (Information and education specialist), 28, Gooding, ID. Jillian’s Team

All photo’s courtesy of NBC

Video’s – Click the picture

The Weigh In

Making The Change

The Biggest Season

I can hardly wait!

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s a Winner Within You!