When Michael Ventrella showed up at the Biggest Loser ranch as the largest contestant in history, imagining himself $250,000 richer and weighing half his body weight a few months later was not so easy.
Despite starting out as 526 pounds, Michael's charm, willpower and competitive nature got him to the live finale, where he won after losing a higher percentage of bodyweight (50.19 percent) than his fellow competitors Ashley Johnston and Daris George.
The Biggest Loser finale: And the winner is...
Michael told TVGuide.com that teaming up with his mother Maria on the show was "amazing ... because she's not just my mother, she's my best friend."
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[SPOILER ALERT! The following story reveals the winner of The Biggest Loser]
After four months on campus and weeks spent at home, it came down to four finalists to be the Biggest Loser: Ashley Johnston, Michael Ventrella, Daris George and Koli Palu. While Ashley and Michael had already secured their spot in the live finale, it was up to America to decide if Daris or Koli would join them.
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Daris and Koli walked out as their new fit selves and Alison revealed that the last member of the final three would be 25-year-old Daris.
Before they weighed in, the at-home prize of $100,000, for the highest percentage of weight loss, went to Koli for losing 215 pounds, 53.35 percent.
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With only the live finale left in The Biggest Loser, the competition is fiercer than ever and the contestants are headed home for the remainder of their time. Before they hop on the plane, each of the four players rewatch their initial weigh-ins, interviews and the triumphs they've had along the way.
Upon arrival to their hometowns, Michael, Koli, Ashley and Daris each weigh in at the location of their first live weigh-in. What a feeling it must be to be in the same spot months later with such accomplishments under their belts this time. It isn't long before Alison pops up on-screen and alerts each of the four that their final challenge is going to be a full marathon where the winner receives $10,000 for the charity of their choice.
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It's been exactly three months since entering the Biggest Loser ranch and the stakes are getting high. Alison reveals yet another twist that can result in immunity for the week with the push of a button. As Ali presses it, lights go on, sirens go off and the scale is revealed. The first player to lose two percent of their body weight gets the reward, but the trick is, a contestant can only press the button to weigh-in once. So it's essentially a guessing game. Everyone is shocked when after only a short amount of time working out, Victoria takes her shot at immunity. She steps on the scale needing to lose 6 pounds, but doesn't do it.
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