The Biggest Loser's Dan on Life After the Ranch

At 454 pounds, Daniel Wright was the heaviest contestant in Biggest Loser history. He quickly proved that he was in it to win it -- if only his partner, David, had felt the same. Instead, David made it clear that he would rather continue his weight-loss journey at home. Just one week shy of the return of the at-home contestants, Daniel was voted out. TVGuide.com asked the 19-year-old student about his favorite healthy recipe and how it felt to have a "5 foot-nothing" woman terrify him. The Biggest Loser: Couplesairs Tuesdays at 8pm/ET on NBC.

TVGuide.com: How did it feel to find out that while you were working your butt off at the ranch, Dave was at home eating fried foods and smoking?
Dan Wright: I know how hard it is to try to [lose weight] at home. I've tried for years and I haven't been successful yet. So my heart was just hurt knowing that he was going through the same struggles that I had been going through a month earlier.

TVGuide.com: What's the biggest lesson you learned on the ranch?
Wright: To understand what food is, and to put it in its place. I use it as a crutch. The ranch helped me realize that I can turn to completely different things — not just food.

TVGuide.com: Going back to that last work-out with Jillian, what went through your head when you fell and she just kept screaming at you to get up?
Wright: I was thinking that I'd like to be at home eating ice cream on my couch. What in the world? Where does that thought come from? For some reason, I was really scared of her. I mean, she's 5 foot-nothing and I'm terrified of this woman. I'm on The Biggest Loser, I'm in a hot and sweaty gym, I'm getting beat up by Jillian for two hours. That really helped me realize that when I'm afraid of things or when life gets difficult, I run to food. That was a big realization for me because I never wanted to admit that I was an emotional eater, and that right there proved it. I was really mad at her for continuing to yell, but she actually was able to help me out.

TVGuide.com: How have you kept the weight off at home?
Wright: It has been harder at home because of the distractions that rise up. It's just staying determined and trying to make every day as much like the ranch as possible.
TVGuide.com: So do you have a favorite healthy recipe?
Wright: I've got a couple. One of them, believe or not, is in The Biggest Loser cookbook. It's called The Winning "Fried" Chicken. It's spanking awesome.

TVGuide.com: And it gets the job done when you're craving real fried chicken?
Wright: Oh,absolutely.