The Biggest Loser Episode 15.01 Second Chances

Bob, Jillian and Dolvett met with over 50 candidates to narrow the casting pool down to 15 contestants. It was a grueling process, but in the end the trainers found exactly what they were looking for.

Once the judges have made their final decisions, the 15 contestants are invited back to the ranch to embark on a journey of self-improvement. The theme for Season 15 is "second chances," and all of the lucky contestants were chosen because they deserve a second chance to decide their own fates and live the lives they've always dreamed of. Now it's up to the trainers to help them get there.

After some brief introductions, the contestants hit the gym for their first workouts. Over the course of the first week, the contestants will work with each of the trainers. At the end of the week, and based on the workouts, the trainers will then decide which contestants they'd like on their team for the remainder of the season. This week could determine the entire course of the season for the contestants.

Joining the list of contestants for Season 15 is former American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, who comes to the ranch as both the heaviest he's ever been and the heaviest contestant of the season. Despite the grueling workouts this week, Ruben still finds time to entertain the ladies of the ranch during an ice bath session, and he even manages to draw a smile from the usually tough-as-nails Jillian Michaels, who seems to enjoy Ruben's teddy bear sense of humor.

At the end of Week One, the trainers have developed their initial impressions of each contestant and they're ready to choose their teams. The contestants are summoned to the front of the gym, where the trainers hand out their team shirts. With their support systems in place, the contestants head out for one final workout before the first weigh-in of the season.

After their Last-Chance Workouts, the contestants head to the weigh-in room to see the results of their first week on the ranch. They take the scale one by one to log their successes. Every contestant lost a significant amount of weight this week, but David takes the trophy with a stunning 38-pound loss in a single week. Although all of the contestants are motivated and encouraged by their results, unfortunately someone still has to be eliminated.

The White Team logged the least combined weight loss for Week One, which means that the team's lowest-performing contestant, Craig, is up for elimination. Fortunately, Season 15 comes with a new rule: each trainer has one "Trainer Save" for the season, which means that he or she can choose to bring an eliminated player back into the tournament. Jillian doesn't want to use her Trainer Save so soon, but she can't let Craig leave after a great first week on the ranch. She uses the Save to keep Craig on the ranch, and the contestants gear up for an even better Week Two.