Marissa Jaret Winokur

Dancing and weight loss are two popular reality show themes these days, so why not combine them?

That's the idea behind Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off [Mondays, 10 pm/ET], a competition show in which 12 plus-size players will compete on the dance floor for a $100,000 prize while also shedding pounds. Host (and former Dancing with the Stars contestant) Marissa Jaret Winokur and producer Sally-Ann Salsano spoke to TVGuide.com about why dancing peels off the pounds.

TVGuide.com: Is Dance Your Ass Off more about the dance or the weight loss?
Sally Ann Salsano: It's a complete combination, [which] makes it fun. People that love a straight stage-competition show are going to love it, but then the weight-loss element gives it...

What do you get when you combine elements of Dancing with Stars and The Biggest Loser? A whole lot of bodies shaking and rattling on Oxygen's upcoming series Dance Your Ass Off.

What do you get when you combine elements of Dancing with the Stars and The Biggest Loser? A whole lot of bodies shaking and rattling on Oxygen's upcoming series Dance Your Ass Off.

The new series, which was announced during Oxygen's upfront presentations on Wednesday in New York, follows overweight contestants who compete to lose weight by literally dancing their asses off.

Marissa Jaret Winokur, best known for her Tony Award-winning performance in Hairspray, hosts the show, which is... read more 2 Comments

Marissa Jaret Winokur may not have won a disco ball, but she might be winning over dance and fitness converts with her new TV series.

The Dancing with the Stars alumna will be helming Oxygen's new weight-loss reality show, Dance Your Ass Off. Winokur will introduce new dance routines to the contestants each week, as well as help usher them toward healthier lifestyles.