NBC’S “The Biggest Loser!”

MEET THE CASTING DIRECTORS IN DETROIT THIS SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011!!

Click Here to Download the Detroit Open Casting Call flyer

Casting Nationwide!
Click Here to download the flyer with a city near you!

Click on the Image Below to Get Your Copy of my “21 Tips to Getting Cast on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”

Additional Open Casting Call dates have mostly positive but some negative implications for anyone who has already applied for or is thinking of applying for The Biggest Loser. Let’s start with the negative implications of NBC opening up additional Open Casting Calls.

Negatives
If you have already applied to be cast on the show and received a call back or ‘On Camera Interview‘ then you will now have more competition for being cast on the upcoming season of show. This should just make sense since more open casting calls equal more potential contestants equal more competition.

More competition is bad for current applicants right?  Well, if competition from other potential applicants worries you then your probably not going to make it on the show anyway. The casting directors typically cast ‘Type A’ personalities and we tend to think the planet revolves around us – lol!  So actually additional Open Casting Calls are not really a negative if you’ve done a good job with your casting video or have made a great impression on the Casting Directors at an Open Casting Call.

Positives
If you have not yet applied to become a contestant on The Biggest Loser and even if you have applied but did not receive a call back,  right now may be the perfect opportunity to make a great impression. Now is the time to make an impression that stands out above everyone else. Here’s why:

A couple of years back a casting director told me that when NBC – 3-Ball schedules a late Open Casting Call they are obviously looking for additional potential contestants. But it also means they are looking for ‘specific’ people or groups of people.

For example, Casting knows what potential contestants they have. To use a card game analogy they know what cards they have in their hand. Now they just need to ’round out the deck’ so to speak with a few specific cards.

Here’s another way of saying it: Lets hypothetically supposed that NBC is casting for teams and they are missing a Mother – Daughter team. Then additional Open Casting Calls are announced. Well at those additional Open Casting Calls they are looking at everyone but specifically they are looking for a Mother – Daughter team. Make sense? In other words casting may be looking for that final piece of the casting puzzle.

An example of this was the last minute Open Casting Call in the winter of 2008. I remember the day. The weather was horrible, single digits and a snowstorm to boot. I remember that a guy flew all the way from the west coast and ended up being the very first person in line.

Well this ‘last minute’ open casting call ended up casting Mother – Daughter team, Amy and Shellay Cremins and Father – Daughter team Jerry and Colleen Skeabeck all for that upcoming Season 6. In addition Mother – Daughter team Helen Phillips and Shannon Thomas were noticed and eventually were cast for Season 7 and of course Helen ended up the eventual champion of Season 7. That means that 6, count them 6, contestants were cast from one Open Casting Call that happened to be a last second addition to the schedule.

In conclusion, if you are serious about being cast on The Biggest Loser then one of the late or recently added open casting calls could very well be your best opportunity to make it on the show. Check here for the dates of the upcoming casting calls including the one here in Michigan.

Make sure you check out my website for the newsletter andFor the whole series of articles and Casting Call tips:

Also be sure to connect with me on on Facebook and Twitter as I Tweet from the Casting Calls here in Michigan.

Lastly, if you dont get cast you can still Lose Weight Like a Biggest Loser.

Talk to you soon and remember,
There’s a Winner Within You!

Pete Thomas

LOSING IT …WITH JILLIAN MICHAELS

This time…there are no more excuses!

Families, this is your chance to have America’s top health and wellness expert, Jillian Michaels move in, kick butt and change you and your loved ones’ lives!

Since this is the same production company that casts for The Biggest Loser, including some of the same casting directors, I would highly recommend that you follow the casting tips that I have posted here:

Our local Newspaper ran a story on the Casting Call today:

‘Loser’ trainer looks for families for her new show

Kimberly Hayes Taylor / Detroit News Health Writer
Imagine how much weight you would shed if Jillian Michaels, the tough-as-nails fitness trainer and wellness expert on NBC’s “Biggest Loser,” lived in your house for a week. She’d not only tell you when and what to eat, she’d whip your body into shape as well.

It’s not such a far-fetched notion. Michaels will star in a new eight-episode NBC television show for 2010, “Losing It With Jillian,” when she invades the home of a different family every week to give them her own brand of tough love, and fitness and nutrition transformation. The show is looking for Michigan families to star on it, and a casting call is being held Dec. 8 and 9 at Gardner-White Furniture in Macomb Township.

“When your health is out of balance, everything else suffers — finances, relationships, work and family dynamics,” Michaels says in a release. “I’m moving in with families across the country, getting down and dirty and rooting out bad habits in every corner of their lives that are preventing them from health and happiness. Get ready America, because I’m heading out and you never know, I might just end up on your doorstep, so watch out.”

Helen Phillips is the Season 7 winner from Sterling Heights who reduced from 257 pounds to 117 during the course of the show. She says Michaels will prove to be a blessing for any family, even if she remains with them only for a day or two.

“She would be able to restructure the whole family,” says Phillips, who ended up working out with Michaels after losing a challenge on the show and is now traveling the country helping others to become big losers. “She will get to the emotional part of the overeating as well, and bring them closer together as a family unit.”

Michaels will continue to work with “Biggest Loser” contestants too.

Ann Arbor’s Pete Thomas, the At Home Season 2 winner who took away a $100,000 prize after losing the most weight after being eliminated from the show, also will never forget the lessons Michaels taught him. He shed 85 pounds on the show in seven weeks, and then went home and lost another 102 pounds with Michaels’ instructions. In nine months, he shed a total of 185 pounds — and has kept it off.

Thomas says he admires Michaels because she once weighed 180 pounds as a teen. As a result, she developed a gift of getting to the core of what drives a person to abuse food and helps them overcome that.

“We had a food addiction, and food addiction had a root. That’s what Jillian helped to deal with,” says Thomas, who now coaches and trains people on fitness on wellness and offers free weight-loss tips on his Web site, www.winningman.com.

“It really is going to be a gift from God to have her come into someone’s home.”

ktaylor@detnews.com (313) 222-2058

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s A Winner Within You!!

A NEW WEIGHT LOSS SHOW FOR ABC THAT WILL TAKE TRANSFORMATION TO A NEW LEVEL!

Since this is the same production company casts for The Biggest Loser, including some of the same casting directors, I would highly recommend that you follow the casting tips that I have posted here:

3 Ball productions, the production company behind some of television’s most transformational programs, is producing a new weight loss show that will take the weight off right before your eyes. And this time around, participants don’t need to leave their house to lose the weight. We are bringing the trainer to you!

NOW CASTING:
MEN WHO HAVE 200LBS (or more) TO LOSE!
WOMEN WHO HAVE 150LBS (or more) TO LOSE!

If you’re ready to try and lose that weight and you need inspiration to show up at your door, then come be a part of what could potentially be the most remarkable transformation of your life.

Our expert trainer will show up at your door and work with you throughout the process.

Finally, a show that will capture what hopes to be the most important year of your life – the year you get your weight off and your life back!

EMAIL: weightlosscasting@gmail.com
(mention you heard about the show from Pete Thomas)
Send your name, age, height, weight, contact phone number, city you reside in and your story. Please include a photo of yourself.
You must be a legal US Resident 18 years of age or older.

ATTEND AN OPEN CALL NEAR YOUR CITY!

OPEN CALLS

**You must bring a non-returnable photo of yourself to the open call***
*Please do not line up prior to 8am

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14th

NASHVILLE, TN
BUFFALO BILLIARDS
154 Second Ave. North
Nashville, TN 37201
10:00am – 4:00pm

MESA, AZ
SUPERSTITION SPRINGS CENTER
6555 E. Southern Ave.
Mesa, AZ 85206
10:00am – 4:00pm

NEW YORK, NY
MILLENNIUM BROADWAY HOTEL
Gallery 8 on the 8th Floor
145 W. 44th St.
New York, NY 10036
9:00 am – 3:00pm

SATURDAY, NOV 21st

CHICAGO, IL
LION HEAD PUB/THE APARTMENT
2251 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
10am to 4pm

ATLANTA, GA
DAVE AND BUSTERS
4000 Venture Dr. Ste. 15
Duluth, GA 30096
10:00am – 4:00pm

DALLAS, TX
DAVE AND BUSTERS
10727 Composite Dr.
Dallas, TX 75220
10:00am – 4:00pm

Saturday December 5th

LOS ANGELES, CA
SADDLE RANCH CHOPHOUSE
8371 W Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
9:00am – 2:00pm

*IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND AN OPEN CALL, THEN GO TO:
http://www.3ballproductions.com/weightlossproject.html
to download an application and submit an application and a videotape

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s A Winner Within You!!

Another Detroit Open Casting Call has come and gone and here are a few of my basic observations.

Don’t be a drag

The more upbeat you are the better your chances.  Not obnoxious but upbeat.  Have plenty of energy.  Want to be here.  We had three casting directors in Detroit and they took about 5-7 minutes per table. You actually bore the casting directors if you are boring.

Don’t be a dum dum!

Read, read, read all my blog articles about the open casting call process.  Read everything online.  Watch the casting directors videos, listen to the podcast we did. Take it all in!

I am surprised how many people still come in looking shabby and unkempt.  Do you really think your going to make a good impression wearing an oily t-shirt?  Even if your a ‘good ‘ole boy’, look good!  I know this may conflict with the advice you hear about being yourself. Well maybe it doesn’t.  If oily t-shirts are what you wear regularly then come on down… Just don’t expect a call back.

Go it alone

If I really really wanted to be on the show I would come alone even if they were casting teams of eleven.  But I am like that.  I believe in myself and if they are casting a Biggest Loser football team I would come with the intention of making a great impression on the Casting Directors.  Even if they did not pick me this season, they would next season!  If you are desperate enough and have the ‘goods’ then you don’t let anything stop you. Come alone if need be.

No Pick Up Lines

People that meet in line and ‘pair up’ have never made it on the show. There is no story there. I don’t even know if they have ever gotten a call backs. Enough said.

You only get one shot, do not miss your shot to blow

At the call back you have one shot to impress the people that matter most.  Be very upbeat and energetic.  Review the videos and tips that are online. You are on camera.  This is not a job interview.  If your energy is low and your personality do not show through then your blowing it.

Special Thanks

I want to extend special thanks to the productions assistants Jason, Denise, Shelia and Pam as well as Contestants Amy and Shellay from Season 6 and Carla from Season 7 who were at the Casting Call for most of the day!  Ron and Mike from Season 7 had to fly to Boston on the day of the Casting Call and drove over a 1.5 hours north just to come by the Casting Call to encourage the fans who were in line before driving an hour back South to get to the airport.  Michigan’s  Losers give back!

Highlights

I did not take video this year because some good friends did the work for me.  Check out the great footage Jenny DiDinato and Chris of MadeFitTv put together.  Check out their blog MadeFitTv.com for comments and motivation as well.

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s A Winner Within You!

Check out this interview that Jessica Nunez of Mlive.com did with Helen Phillips, Ron Morelli and Carla Triplett. Michigan rocks! Enjoy.

Click Here

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s A Winner Within You!

Now some of you may be thinking ‘But Pete, you were cast from a video so how can you help me with the Open Casting Call process?’ Good question. That’s why I am giving you this introduction.

Prior to 2008 Biggest Loser had never come to the big, sexy State of Michigan for casting.  Then in March of 2008 they came to town.  The expectation was that there would only be a couple hundred people with only a few call backs.  Well even with a fresh snowstorm blasting the state, along with truly freezing temperatures, more than 800 people from Michigan and all over the country showed up in force.  This was the second largest turnout in the country that cycle This was even though the Casting Call was announced with very short notice!  Shellay and Amy Cremen were cast from that first Michigan open casting call.

So here is the deal.  I have personally been in attendance, from start to finish, at the last two open casting calls in Michigan and I have tried to say hello to everyone in the line.  If they have to stand in line all day I might as well stand with them right?

Also, I have tried to make it a point of actually making the call to those applicants that have been selected for a private call back. I truly love the excitement in people’s voice as I inform them that I am calling to schedule them for a call back interview in the next couple days. I also try to give them a couple of tips to get them ready for the private call back

At the private call backs I have met with the vast majority of potential contestants.  I made it my goal to give every potential contestant advice on what to expect at the private call backs.  My goal, at least in my mind, is to ease the applicants nerves and allow the ‘real’ person to shine through.  I am probably not really needed since the Casting Directors are professionals and put people at ease naturally, anyway.  But hey I want to feel like I am contributing

I have actually been in the room with the casting directors during some of their private casting call interviews. That means I have been blessed enough to actually have been on both sides of the casting call camera.

I have met and hung out with, and asked questions of, 4 different casting directors.

The results of the Michigan casting calls have been astounding!  Eight – count’em 8 – contestants have made it on to the ranch the last two seasons from the Michigan call alone!  I have met them all at the open call or the call backs or both.

Eight!  From Michigan!

Am I typing this to brag?  Not at all. The things I have witnessed will help you but I have had nothing to do with any contestants actually making it on the show. I do not get paid by NBC or the production company 3-Ball.  I don’t do it to be ‘recognized’.  Most folk I meet don’t even remember me from way back on Season Two.  I donate my time for only one reason; To try to give to others a little of what was given to me.  Biggest Loser changed my life and hopefully I can give a couple of tips to others to help them make it onto the ranch and in-turn change their lives.

So over the next few days I will will endeavor to give you the following:

• A brief intro of the open casting call process.  How the line works – how much time you have to talk etc.
• The most important things you should know about the open casting call process.
• How to guarantee your will not get cast.
• And a set of tips specifically for the private call back.

So check back over the next couple days and since I am a slow typist pray for me that I get these posts done quickly so folk outside of Michigan can benefit. Although, maybe I should keep them secret since we have such a great record?!

For the whole series of articles click here

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s a Winner Within You!

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NBC’S THE BIGGEST LOSER IS BACK AND CASTING

FAMILY MEMBER TEAMS OF 2!

ARE YOU READY TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER AND COMPETE WITH A FAMILY MEMBER? DO YOU EACH HAVE AT LEAST 100 LBS TO LOSE?

IF SO, WE ARE NOW CASTING FAMILY TEAMS OF 2 INCLUDING:

PARENT/CHILD • SIBLINGS • MARRIED • COUPLES • COUSINS • IN-LAWS

Are you and your partner outgoing with personality? Do you have the WANT, DESIRE and COMPETITIVE EDGE to vie for this once in a lifetime opportunity to change your lives forever and compete for $250,000?

IF SO, APPLY TOGETHER TODAY AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER!

Open Calls:

Chicago

NBC Tower

454 N. Columbus Dr.

Chicago, IL 60611

10 am – 6 pm

Detroit

Gardner White Furniture

45300 Hayes Rd.

Macomb, MI 48044

10 am – 6 pm

San Jose

24 Hour Fitness

1610 Crane Ct

San Jose, CA 95112

10 am – 6 pm

Tampa

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place

Tampa, FL 33602

10 am – 6 pm

Atlanta

Dave & Buster’s

4000 Venture Dr

Duluth, GA 30096

10 am – 6 pm

Mobile

Veets Bar and Grill

66 South Royal Street

Mobile, AL 36602

10 am – 6 pm

New York City

NBC Experience Store

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York City, NY 10112

10 am – 6 pm

San Antonio

TBA

Dallas

Dave & Buster’s Stemmons

10727 Composite Drive

Dallas, TX 75220

10 am – 6 pm

Kansas City

Nebraska Furniture Mart

1601 Village West Parkway

Kansas City, Kansas 66111

10 am – 6 pm

Philadelphia

StudioTEN Creative Group

(inside the NBC10 building)

10 Monument Rd.

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

9 am – 5 pm

Phoenix

TBA

Oklahoma City

TBA

Des Moines

TBA

Los Angeles

CITADEL OUTLETS

100 Citadel Dr.

Los Angeles, CA 90040

9 am – 2 pm

•Please do not line up more than 3 hours before the open call start time

•We will do our best to see the first 500 people in line

•If you cannot attend an open call you may submit an application and tape with your partner at: thebiggestlosercasting.com

•If you do not have a partner, you may audition on your own

For Casting Tips – Don’t be a dum dum! Read the following:

http://www.winningman.com/category/biggest-loser/casting/casting-tips/

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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The BIG THREE

I have included this audio file for you to listen to so you can maximize your Open Casting Call Experience.

Here are the BIG THREE summarized.

1. Your Look – Come looking beautiful or handsome. Men (and women) should come shaven and looking neat, clean and beautiful. If you’re a slob this is the wrong show for you. We may be fat but you should still have a level of self confidence and respect that shows through in how you carry yourself.  No need to dress for a wedding but Erik from Season 3 bought new clothes. listen to his interview.
2. Your Team – Think about this; Who has a stronger team ’story’ – Two Fat Camp Counselors or Two Third Cousins? Get it? How you ‘relate’ to your teammate makes a big difference since this is part of your story. If you’re an individual don’t worry about this since even on ‘team’ seasons there may be some twist that gets you on the show (think Bernie and Brittany from Season 4). Quick thought – Why haven’t I ever seen a team of 3 or more on the show? 4 fat family members maybe? Hmmm – sounds like an option for someone out there to try!
3. Your Job – Assassins need not apply. Interesting or regular jobs only please.

For the whole series of articles click here

Talk to you soon and remember,

There’s a Winner Within You!

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