dingoRUE

The Biggest Loser is returning for season 10, Pay It Forward, Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC starting September 21. The 21 (that’s an odd number) contestants competing are:

Aaron Thompkins
29
Kent, OH

Ada Wong
27
San Francisco, CA

Adam Hurtado
26
Santa Ana, CA

Alfredo “Fredo” Dinten
43
Staten Island, NY

Allie Ishcomer
22
Moore, OK

Anna Wright
39
Atlanta, GA

Brendan Donovan
32
Boston, MA

Burgandy Keel
35
Eagle Mountain, UT

Corey Pinkerton
27
Fairbanks, AK

Elizabeth Ruiz
31
Lawrence, MA

Jesse Atkins
28
St. Paul, MN

Jessica Delfs
27
Tucson, AZ

Lisa Mosley
31
Norman, OK

Mark Pinkhasovich
31
East Brunswick, NJ

Montina Cooper
35
Houston, TX

Patrick House
28
Vicksburg, MS

Richard “Rick” Deroque
54
Conway, AR

Sandy Dolan
30
Fort Worth, TX

Shanna Masten
38
Pima, AZ

Sophia Franklin
28
Germantown, MD

Tina Elliott
58
Boring, OR

Tina Elliott
Age: 58
Height: 5’7″
Starting Weight: 263 pounds
Hometown: Boring, OR
Occupation: Retired homemaker

NBC Bio
Currently Tina is a retired happy homemaker with two daughters and eight grandchildren. The 58-year-old spent most of her working years in retail selling high-end clothes. She was thin and fit growing up, and worked as a swimwear model in her early teens and 20s. Tina really didn’t start putting on weight until her early 40s, when a string of emotional events took a toll on her. The end of her marriage, the loss of her beloved father, and her daughter becoming pregnant as a teen all led to emotional eating, bad food choices, and her current unhealthy weight of 263. She’s now happily remarried, but with one overweight daughter, and health issues such as high blood pressure and sleep apnea, Tina knows she has to get healthy for herself and her family. She’s looking forward to the day when her weight does not determine what she can physically accomplish – and she can’t wait to visit her favorite retail-clothing store and have everything fit.

Sophia Franklin
Age: 28
Height: 5’7″
Starting Weight: 272 pounds
Hometown: Germantown, MD
Occupation: High school counselor

NBC Bio
Twenty-eight-year-old Sophia has always been overweight, but life has been an even bigger challenge recently after the loss of her brother in a car accident, while juggling a very busy work and academic schedule. She works as a high school counselor, a cheer coach and a spin instructor, while also pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy with a focus on higher education. She was born in Montgomery Village, Maryland, and grew up the second oldest of four children. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Morgan State University, and earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently weighing 272 pounds, Sophia wants to get healthy for herself, and hopes to inspire her family, friends and students to live a healthy active lifestyle. She says she looks forward to losing the weight and “being the athlete I have always known I am.”

Shanna Masten
Age: 38
Height: 5’5″
Starting Weight: 242 pounds
Hometown: Pima, AZ
Occupation: Math teacher

NBC Bio
A busy, working mother of four boys, Shanna has struggled with her weight for the past 10 years and currently weighs 242 pounds. She was born in Safford, Arizona, and grew up the youngest and only girl with four brothers. She got a bachelor’s degree in teaching and a master’s degree in educational leadership at Northern Arizona University, and has been a high school math teacher for the past 15 years. In 2009, Shanna was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer. She knew she was in for the fight of her life but was determined to survive for her husband and children. Now that she’s beaten breast cancer, 38-year-old Shanna is ready to battle obesity, and is well aware that maintaining a healthy weight will help decrease the odds of her cancer recurring. She wants to inspire other cancer patients and show them they can live a healthy life after cancer, and looks forward to participating in the 60-mile three-day Walk for the Cure in November 2010.

Sandy Dolan
Age: 30
Height: 5’9″
Starting Weight: 259 pounds
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom and student

NBC Bio
Sandy’s primary motivation for getting healthy was the loss of her brother, who died suddenly of obesity-related heart failure just five days after auditioning in Dallas for Season 10 of The Biggest Loser. That was her wake-up call to finish what her brother Mike started and lose weight. She was born in Dallas and raised in Quinlan, Texas, the youngest of four children. A student and stay-at-home mom to four children, she’s currently pursuing a degree in elementary education at Brookhaven College in Dallas. Now 259 pounds at age 30, she attributes her weight gain to poor eating habits, no exercise and living in a fast-food society. Sandy says she was inspired by Season 8 contestant Abby Rike, and hopes to honor her brother by getting healthy. She looks forward to being able to keep up with her kids, taking more active vacations like hiking and skiing trips, shopping, and being able to wear whatever she wants.

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.