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Tag: Bob Harper

  • Rachel Frederickson, ‘Biggest Loser’ Winner, Addresses Extreme Weight Loss

    Rachel Frederickson came under fire for her incredible weight loss when she won the 15th season of The Biggest Loser and recently opened up about the backlash she experienced following her transformation.

    Frederickson is 5’4″ and weighed in at just 105 pounds to win the NBC reality competition, losing a remarkable 155 pounds.

    The 24-year-old reality star’s extreme weight loss caused a quite a furor. In an attempt to respond to the backlash, Fredrickson wrote a post for Today.

    “I was determined never to give up,” Frederickson said of the competition. “When I stood on stage at the live finale, I had never felt stronger. I had accomplished everything I wanted to do. I was extremely proud of myself. That moment didn’t last long.”

    “Comments during the controversial storm following my weight loss were hurtful. My self-esteem was once again affected by other people’s voices — this time, the kind that live forever in Facebook posts or written in the pages of magazines. People tried to bring me down and (privately) succeeded.”

    “There will always be other voices in life,” she conceded. “The trouble comes when you stop listening to your own. I am committed to trusting my decisions and standing strong behind them. I found strength in this struggle and I am listening to my own voice again!”

    Even Biggest Loser trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper were shocked by Frederickson’s appearance at the finale.

    After Michaels later left the program after 12 seasons in protest of her portrayal on the show, and out of concern for contestants, Harper and Dolvett Quince returned as trainers. Newcomers Jessie Pavelka and Jennifer Widerstrom joined the show for the 16th season.

    The Biggest Loser airs 8 p.m. ET Thursdays on NBC.

  • Bob Harper Comes Out of Closet on Biggest Loser

    Bob Harper of The Biggest Loser came out of that proverbial closet on this week’s episode of the show. His confession came as he encouraged contestant Bobby Saleem to come out to his father. Saleem’s dad was visiting the ranch at the time.

    “I haven’t talked about my sexuality on this show ever,” Harper said during Tuesday’s episode of The Biggest Loser. “I really do believe this is the right time.”

    Saleem’s biggest issue with coming out was his Catholic background.

    “I come from a very strict Catholic background,” Saleem said. He had admitted previously on the show that he is gay. “Homosexuality, in a sense, was wrong, so I kind of hid it. It’s just something I’ve kind of kept from my parents, or at least my dad. I always felt like there was something wrong with me.”

    Bob Harper explained to Bobby Saleem that he came out when he was just 17 years old.

    “When I came out … I realized that there was going to be so many obstacles,” he told the contestant. “But being gay doesn’t mean being weak.”

    Harper thanked his fans for all their support via Twitter.

    Bobby Saleem followed suit–but thanked Bob Harper instead.

    While it doesn’t seem like many people were surprised by Harper’s revelation, it does appear that most are supportive of both him and Bobby Saleem. A fellow Biggest Loser contestants chimed in via Twitter, too.

    Kudos to Bob Harper for publicly acknowledging his own sexuality in order to help a contestant acknowledge his. Hopefully others were helped by his candid conversation with Bobby Saleem.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Bob Harper Comes Out As Gay On “The Biggest Loser”

    Bob Harper has helped countless numbers of people of the hit reality television show, The Biggest Loser. He has helped people overcome self-esteem and weight issues for years, but he has just now opened up about being gay on the show. During Tuesday night’s episode, Harper came out as gay in hopes of encouraging contestant, Bobby Saleem.

    Saleem came out on the show as gay, but was having a hard time coming out to his father. Harper hoped that by sharing his story, that he could positively influence him. “I haven’t talked about my sexuality on this show ever,” Harper said. “I really do believe this is the right time. I want to show Bobby that he doesn’t have to live in shame.”

    Saleem said that because of his “strict Catholic background” he has had a hard time accepting that he was gay and he had an even harder time coming out. “I come from a very strict Catholic background,” said Saleem, who confessed that he was gay while on the show. “Homosexuality, in a sense, was wrong, so I kind of hid it. It’s just something I’ve kind of kept from my parents, or at least my dad. I always felt like there was something wrong with me.”

    Harper could see that Saleem was struggling, so he decided to sit down with him and share his own story. “I’m gay. I knew I very long time ago that I was gay,” Harper said. “When I came out — when I was 17 years old — it was one of those things where I realized that there was going to be so many obstacles, but being gay doesn’t mean being weak. And being gay doesn’t mean that you are less than anybody else. It’s just who you are.”

    Once the show was over, Harper received hundreds of tweets from supportive fans, including Saleem.

    [Image via Twitter]