Category: biggest loser 17

Richard “Rick” Deroque
Age: 54
Height: 5’9″
Starting Weight: 350 pounds
Hometown: Conway, AR
Occupation: Pediatric physical therapist

NBC Bio
Fifty-four-year-old Rick primary motivation for losing weight is simply that he wants to live longer and spend more time with his wife, son, four daughters and nine grandchildren. Rick was not overweight growing up with his five siblings in Moraga, California. It wasn’t until he was in college and pursuing his degrees in health science and physical therapy from the University of Central Arkansas that he began gaining weight, eventually reaching his current weight of 350 pounds. When he was active and playing sports, it was easy to keep the weight off. After college, he continued to eat the same way but stopped exercising, so the pounds started to add on. He lost 70 pounds in 2001 through gastric bypass surgery, but ultimately realized there was no easy way to lose weight – just hard work. Suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, Rick knew it was time to change his life. Now Rick is looking forward to doing the things he used to do with his wife, like playing tennis, hiking, swimming and playing golf, as well as playing with his grandkids without tiring out easily.

Patrick House
Age: 28
Height: 6’2″
Starting Weight: 400 pounds
Hometown: Vicksburg, MS
Occupation: Sales representative

NBC Bio
Twenty-eight-year-old Patrick didn’t realize he had any health issues before The Biggest Loser, but soon discovered he had sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was pre-diabetic. It wasn’t until Patrick was in college that he really started putting on weight. While pursuing his degree in business management at Delta State University, he was an offensive lineman for the school’s football team and consumed large quantities of food to maintain that position. An injury forced him to stop playing, but he continued to maintain the same diet. Now 400 pounds, married, and the father of two young boys, Patrick’s weight affects every aspect of his life – from choosing restaurants with seating that can accommodate his large size, to being unable to go on rides with his sons at the state fair. Determined to have a better, healthier life with his wife and family, Patrick looks forward to riding roller coasters at amusements parks, playing with and coaching his sons, and not using seatbelt extenders on the plane.

Montina Cooper
Age: 35
Height: 5’10”
Starting Weight: 287 pounds
Hometown: Houston, TX
Occupation: Professional singer/songwriter

NBC Bio
As a background vocalist for Beyonce for the past seven years, Montina has a career that most people would envy. A singer, songwriter and vocal producer, the busy, 35-year-old wife and mother of two is part of a professional singing group called The Mamas. She grew up in St. Louis and Houston with an older sister. She started gaining weight at age 12, medicating herself with food after her father left the family, and turning to quick and often unhealthy meals while being raised by her single working mom. She attended the University of Houston, but ultimately left school to pursue her music career. Her weight climbed to over 300 pounds when she was just 22, and lap-band surgery wasn’t the miracle cure she was hoping for. Now 287 pounds, Montina started to see her 10-year-old son gaining weight and knew the only way he would make a change was if she made the change first. She looks forward to getting healthy so she can perform at her best professionally and be able to shop anywhere she wants.

Mark Pinkhasovich
Age: 31
Height: 6’3″
Starting Weight: 421 pounds
Hometown: East Brunswick, NJ
Occupation: Bartender and recruiter

NBC Bio
At 31 years old and 421 pounds, Mark’s main motivation for appearing on the show is to get healthy and to motivate his family to do the same. Mark was an athlete in high school, which helped keep his weight down, but he really began to gain weight in college after he stopped exercising and didn’t change his eating habits. His younger brother is also going down the same path, and Mark would like to be a better role model. He knew it was time to turn his life around when his father was battling cancer, his grandmother was dying and he lost his job. At that point, he knew he had to change his life and get healthy for himself and for his family. Mark says Season 9 winner Michael Ventrella was a big inspiration for him, and he looks forward to traveling and playing sports again once he gets the weight off.

Lisa Mosley
Age: 31
Height: 5’8″
Starting Weight: 288 pounds
Hometown: Norman, OK
Occupation: Sales representative

NBC Bio
Getting healthy and being a role model for her two children is 31-year-old Lisa’s biggest motivation for losing weight. Lisa was born and raised in Oklahoma, and has lived in Norman since she was 13. She didn’t start gaining weight until she was about 20 years old, and the stress of being a single parent took its toll. A defining moment for Lisa was when she discovered her daughter had stopped eating and drinking because she didn’t want to be heavy like her mom. That’s when Lisa knew she had to change her life. Her current weight is 288 pounds, and she has high cholesterol and sleep apnea. She can’t wait to be physically fit again, and looks forward to shopping at the mall in the same stores as her daughter, and running around the park with her son.

Jessica Delfs
Age: 27
Height: 5’7″
Starting Weight: 282 pounds
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Occupation: Professional bridal consultant

NBC Bio
Twenty-seven-year-old Jessica has no memory of ever being the same size as her friends. She says food was the center of everything in her life, good or bad, and she didn’t know how to make healthy food choices. While Jessica was in high school, a rocky relationship with her mother contributed to her weight gain, and she continued to gain weight in college while pursuing her degree in social and behavioral sciences at the University of Arizona. She tried lap-band surgery in 2006, but it didn’t solve the problem, and a “culmination of several low self-esteem moments” convinced her she needed to get healthy and change her life. Professionally, Jessica has had great success, starting her own wedding planning firm at the age of 23 called Top Shelf Bridal and Special Events. She hopes losing the weight will lead to a happier personal life, and give her the confidence to get out and meet new people and create a fun new life. Now at 282 pounds, Jessica says Season 5 winner and fellow Arizonian Ali Vincent has been an inspiration to her, and she looks forward to traveling and enjoying a more active social life once she loses weight.

Jesse Atkins
Age: 28
Height: 5’8″
Starting Weight: 369 pounds
Hometown: St. Paul, MN
Occupation: Law clerk

NBC Bio
Jesse has been overweight his entire life, but has put on 90 pounds in the last two years. Lack of exercise, poor diet choices, and using food to deal with life’s problems all contributed to his current weight of 369 pounds and severe sleep apnea. High school was a challenge for Jesse. Despite lettering in football and weightlifting, he was nicknamed “Pumbaa” after the overweight animated warthog in “The Lion King,” a nickname that has stuck with him to this day. He attended St. John’s University and earned degrees in philosophy and Spanish, and attended law school at the University of Minnesota. He now works as a legal clerk, but he knows his future professional opportunities may be limited by his weight. A defining moment for Jesse was when his father told him that he missed the old Jesse – that’s when the 28-year-old realized his weight was affecting his whole life, and he couldn’t fix the problem on his own. Jesse looks forward to the day when he goes for a run not because he has to, but because he wants to.

Elizabeth Ruiz
Age: 31
Height: 5’4″
Starting Weight: 244 pounds
Hometown: Lawrence, MA
Occupation: Medical assistant

NBC Bio
The middle child of five, Elizabeth was a very active child and teenager. She was athletic and competitive in school and was part of the student council and mediation team. She became engaged when she was a junior in high school, and associates her weight gain with the abusive and unhappy marriage that followed, as well as poor diet, lack of exercise, and general self-neglect. She has asthma and sleep apnea, is pre-diabetic, and her weight and poor health left her feeling like she was close to the point of no return unless she made a change. Now 31, divorced, and 244 pounds, Elizabeth is working towards her biology degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She’s ready to make a big life change and improve her health, and looks forward to dancing, skydiving and traveling once she loses weight.