Pete Thomas of NBCs The Biggest Loser | Motivational Speaker, Teacher, Weight Loss Coach » Bob

How To Become a Contestant On The Biggest Loser – Pt 2

Pete — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:55 +0000

The Open Casting Call Process

In this post I will endeavor to give you an overview of what to expect at the actual Open Casting Call for NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Actual tips are still to come this week so if you have been already been to an open call then please add your comments below to assist others.

To start off with remember that your goal will be to shine enough in the open casting call that you get a private call back with the Casting Directors.

But before you meet the Casting Directors you will be waiting in line for hours! You really can’t get around it outside of getting a VIP pass. Even with a pass you may have to wait for quite a while. The line will wind its way through or around the location and you may or may not be able to sit down. Bringing a collapsible chair is not a bad ideal. More importantly, make friends, talk to people and have fun. Enjoy yourself and get to know the people around you. Heck, bring a board game if you have one.

You will notice production assistants that have been hired to lend a hand and manage the crowd etc. Listen to the assistants as they will direct you where to go, where to stand etc. They will probably not be able to provide you with any tips and if your reading this you will have all you need. Now if any former contestants are there then of course they will be able to give you some tips so tell them I told you to ask them for tips!

At some point you will finally be positioned to go into the interview area in groups. The interview area in Michigan will simply be a larger open area where there will be a couple of long tables positioned. See the pictures in this post. Once it is your turn you will be directed to sit at one of the two tables. The setup at some locations will require everyone to stand. In Michigan you may be asked to have a seat and move down so everyone can have a seat. If you coming with a teammate be sure to sit down next to them. There is no best seat. I have seen people be called back for a private casting interview from every position at the table.

You will then be asked to take your application paperwork and pictures and turn them away from you and toward the casting directors so that the casting directors can see them. Again, the casting directors need to see your pictures and then read your name so place your pictures on top of the application with your name on the application exposed. Don’t worry if you don’t remember this step as the Casting Directors will direct you and adjust the paperwork as necessary. But do not forget to bring good pictures. This is VERY important! Bring very clear very good pictures, that you can leave behind! Headshots or a full body pic where your face is clearly seen work best. If you have a cute pic from when you were young then that is great as well.

The rest varies by Casting Directors. Everyone may be asked to state their name, occupation and where they are from. This is your first (and for some the only) chance to be heard. Speak loud and clear and you will do fine. Do not look to dominate the conversation as the CD’s have to get through everyone. However, if you do have something witty then add it in. For example, if I would have gone to a casting call when I was 416 I might have said something like ‘My name is Pete Thomas and I am a big sexy brother from the great state of Michigan and my occupation is getting all this weight off!’ Now to be honest you will not lose points for not being witty but it does help to know that you can talk!

The casting director may then give you some insider information about the upcoming season of the show. This will be info that is as good as gold and probably is not even public.

Ok – this post is getting too long

For the whole series of articles click here

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s a Winner Within You!

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Biggest Loser Season 7 Week 7 Update

Pete — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:08:00 +0000

I am doing weekly video updates on the current season for my buddy John Gonzalez of the Grand Rapids Press and his Going Gonzo Blog over at mlive.com.

This week the contestants are so bored that they play in the mud! And they also get locked out of the gym, have to row for their lives, nearly die at the beach and then one of our Michigan teams fall below the yellow line! Auuuggghhhhh! Lots of good stuff and check out my Biggest Loser Casting call tips on this website. Have a watch and check out John’s blog.

Talk to You Soon and Remember,

There’s A Winner Within You!

Pete Thomas

How To Become a Contestant On The Biggest Loser – 2009 – Pt 1b

Pete — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:50:27 +0000

The Open Casting Call Process Pt 1b

In the last post I explained how what happens next varies by Casting Director.

As your sitting (or standing) in the actual interview area you may be asked some questions about the show; Who’s your favorite trainer? Bob or Jillian? What changes would you like to see on the show and so on. Will there ever be a female Biggest Loser etc etc. Intelligent answers are always best. The CD’s know if you’re a dumb, dumb just trying to stir up the pot.

You may be asked to debate with the other people at the table. Let your natural personality shine through. If you are quick witted or sharp tongue then let it fly. Your banking on yourself so be yourself. If you’re a quiet person then I hope you look gorgeous because quiet people usually don’t get cast easily.

If you have some special talent like singing or playing harmonica then let it rip. But don’t take up a lot of time with it! Be concise. It probably will not get you on the show if nothing else is going for you but hey have a little fun while your there.

Once in a while the CD’s may spend more time at one end of the table or another. They may spend more time talking to one person or team or another. It does not mean anything in particular so don’t take it personally or read too much into it. Focus on doing your best and you will be fine.

At the end the CD’s may give you more instructions about the private call back process (I have a completely separate set of advice I give people for the private call backs) and you will be thanked for coming out and instructed where to exit. The entire time you sit (or stand) in front of the CD’s may range from approx 2 minutes up to 10 minutes but on average it will take about 4-10 minutes. Later in the day it may only take 2 minutes do cover everything above.

Once you have left the area your application will go into one of three piles: ‘Everyone’, ‘Potential callbacks’ and ‘Definite callbacks’ (my terms). If you are in the ‘Definite Callback’ pile someone will call you or your teammate to setup a time when you can come back and interview, in private, with the Casting Directors. That call may come within minutes of you leaving the casting call area or within hours and on a few occasions a day or so later. So, the first thing you should do upon leaving the area is turn on your phone. Even if you’re leaving the city or state make sure your phone is turned on.

I know of some people who missed their call back appointment when A) they could not be reached when we called them B) they could not figure out the time they and their teammate could come back or C) they could not get back in touch with someone when they called back into the casting director or assistant. Calling back to the Casting Directors or assistant is a very difficult process since they are very busy and an assistant may be making calls out while you’re calling in. We could not always answer the phone when they called back. I know that sucks. The answer is to be ready! Take the call and be ready to set an appointment. If you’re not ready then all available interview slots may be taken and you will miss your opportunity. Be ready!

Speaking of appointments. The vast majority of actual phone calls for Call Back appointments are made during the Open Casting Call (typically Saturdays). They are scheduled for one of the three days following the open casting call (Typically Sunday – Tuesday). If everyone in the ‘Definite Callback’ pile has not been scheduled on Open Call Day then the CD’s themselves will call or email people later that night or the next couple days. Keep your phone on and check email regularly. The CD’s have even had me personally call and set appointments with people 2 days after the casting call. One team was given a special last hour appointment and ended up making it to seclusion in California.
Next Post – More Tips

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Check back soon and remember,

There’s a Winner Within You!

A Member of the Press works out with Bob and Jillian

Pete — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:12:47 +0000

Here is a neat article from a member of the LA Times – Rene Lynch – who got a chance to workout on the Ranch with the Season 7 cast of NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

In a nutshell – Bob and Jillian put a light whooping on her Classic!

Sweating it out as a ‘Biggest Loser’

04:15 PM PT, Sep 29 2008

I’d like to take this moment to publicly apologize for all the times I watched the contestants working out on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and thought: I could do that.

I can’t.

The weight-loss reality show began shooting its seventh season outside Los Angeles last week. After a day-long press junket to introduce the new contestants, the media was invited to work out with the show’s trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.

I jumped at the chance. I was a little concerned about the heat — it was over 100 degrees — but really, how hard could the workouts be if people who are 300 to 400-plus pounds can do them?

The cavernous gym at the “Biggest Loser” headquarters is something to behold — state-of-the-art cardio equipment; medicine balls of seemingly every size, shape and color; kettle weights; balance boards — the “Biggest Loser” contestants enjoy the works.

But there’s one thing they don’t have: air conditioning. (There is some vague cooling system. But, at one point, Bob hollered at a crew member to open the doors to let some air in. Uh, thanks Bob.)

I started out the same way that the contestants do. A warm-up, followed by cardio followed by circuit training with Bob or Jillian.

Bob ordered me — and that’s the right verb — to begin running at 5 miles per hour — and at a 5% incline. That’s kind of fast, and kind of steep. It wasn’t long before I smelled something burning — my hamstrings.

When neither trainer was looking, I dropped the pace down to 4.7 mph. Eagle-eyed Bob detected it almost immediately. The giveaway? The turnover of my feet.

“You should be at 5 miles per hour,” he barked — again the correct verb. I picked the pace back up. That was followed by minute-long interval runs — I got as high as 8.3 mph on my treadmill, far faster than I ever thought I could go.

Jillian pulled me off the treadmill, but relief didn’t last long. There were burpees. Squats. Vertical leaps. High kicks. Back rows. Jumping lunges. More squats. And many, many, many incline push-ups with Jillian leaning across my upper shoulders — and bellowing directly in my ear: “C’mon. Push. Resist.”

I was gassed.

“I can’t catch my breath, Jillian, I need a break.”

She held her fingers to my neck to check my pulse. “Nah, you’re fine. No break.”

I went directly into knee-to-the-ground reverse lunges while holding a 10-pound dumbbell overhead. Midway through, my arms began buckling. I told her that I really was done.

“No, you’re not,” she said.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” I said.

“So? Throw up,” she said.

Then I said the two magic words: “I can’t.” Jillian’s green eyes flashed as if I’d smacked her — “What did you just say to me?” she snarled — and even Bob whipped his head around and said, “Did you just say ‘I can’t’?”

Jillian charged toward me and started snapping her fingers in my face. “Where’s your focus! I want it with me. Focus! Get that weight up. Strong arms, strong arms.”

Jillian’s training philosophy is to take people far beyond what they perceive they are capable of, just to prove them wrong. That’s exactly what she did with me — she wanted 10 more lunges while holding up that stupid weight.

And while I didn’t make 10, I did do six or seven. Then it was back on the treadmill for more intervals with Bob and more darn lunges.

I went looking for water at one point, but only found Brita water coolers — with no cups. I’m not proud of this, but I was so desperate that I grabbed someone’s empty, discarded water bottle out of the garbage, filled it and drank from it. I looked up and saw some of the contestants from the next season watching me. One of the women shook her head, either in commiseration or disgust.

Luckily, mercifully, I was able to cut the workout short because of another interview. As I hobbled to my car, I was proud of this much: I did not throw up.

Sure, I run and lift weights, but the reality is that the 45-minute workout Bob and Jillian put me through was easy — easy when compared to with the workouts that the “Biggest Loser” contestants endure.

They work out for hours upon hours each day. And they do it while carrying all those unwanted pounds.

America, the next time you see me I’m going to be 20 lbs. pounds lighter and able to belt out those burpees with ease. And, in the meantime, as I’m watching those contestants suffer through their workouts, I will raise a calorie-free beverage and think: I’m so glad that’s not me.

– Rene Lynch