Amy and Phil Parham are the only South Carolinians who have been on The Biggest Loser show. Together they lost 256 pounds on season six of The Biggest Loser. They recently wrote a book and created a video about weight loss. On July 31, at The Biggest Loser audition, the couple signed books and encouraged people to continue their decision to lose weight. Photo by Julia Rogers Hook The skies were cloudy and threatened rain last Saturday morning, but that didn’t deter hundreds of people from showing up at the Colonial Center for the audition of The Biggest Loser in its 11th season. They came from not only across the state but from surrounding states as well. Some came from Florida, from North Carolina, and some from as far away as New Jersey.

Chris and Jeanette Birchmore live in Columbia, and they came as a mother/son team to try and catch the judges’ eye so they could begin their weight loss journey. While they didn’t have to travel far, Chris said that he would have gone “as far as it took” to audition for the show.

People from all over the U.S. stand in line at the Colonial Center in Columbia July 31 to audition for The Biggest Loser TV show. “I’m tired of being overweight,” the 20–something young man said after his audition. “I think I did all right in there, but if I get on the show, I know I’m up to the challenge. I want to be pushed to my limits.”

His mother agreed, and she said he inspired her to come down to audition.

“We got here early this morning and I came because I know I need to get control of my weight,” mother Jeanette said. “Even more, I want to motivate my son to get in shape now while he’s young.”

Apparently, the Birchmores weren’t alone in their feelings. The line to audition stretched around the building, and more people were coming all the time.

Tiffany Hewett and Kristin Puckett met each other when they both got in line at 4 a.m. Saturday morning. They said they thought the auditions were run very well.

“For such chaos, it’s really a cool process,” Hewett said. “But it’s nerve wracking when you get in there and get your moment. You have 30 seconds to tell them why you’re here, and you’d better not stutter.”

Puckett said that ten hopeful contestants were taken in for roughly two minutes and asked a couple of questions.

“You have 30 seconds to tell them your entire life story,” she laughed. “We are supposed to know by 9 p.m. tonight whether we got on or not. It would be so awesome to be chosen. There is no better person to kick your butt into shape than Jillian.”

She was referring to Jillian Michaels, one of the trainers on the show.

Depending on the source, South Carolina is rated either number seven or number nine in the list of fattest states, but it is always in the top ten. And former Biggest Loser contestant Amy Parham said that in 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the Palmetto state was one of six that had a “prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30 percent.”

Amy and her husband Phil are currently the only South Carolinians to compete on the show. They auditioned and were chosen for season six, and while they didn’t win, they have jointly lost 256 pounds and have since devised a weight loss plan they put out in book and video form. They were on hand at Saturday’s auditions to sign books and to encourage people to continue with their decision to lose weight even if they aren’t chosen.

“Both Phil and I were overweight and unhappy about it,” she said between signing books. “I grew up literally in a Dairy Queen because my mother owned it so you can imagine my diet. I talked Phil into going to Atlanta for the audition in 2008 and after several casting calls, we were chosen.”

While both Parhams said it was the turning point in their lives, neither one said it was easy.

“You have to be willing to leave your family, your friends, and your entire life for four months,” Amy said. “And not many employers are understanding about giving anyone that much time off and holding the job for them.”

While contestants aren’t paid for being on the show, they are given a stipend of $100 a day while they are on the ranch where the show is taped, she said.

“I saw a few people today who were complaining about the heat and not being able to sit down while they waited in line,” she said. “If they are complaining now, they will never make the cut once the workouts begin.”

Because one of the prerequisites for the show is that the contestants must be at least 100 pounds overweight, Parham said it was tough to pass all of the rigorous tests to qualify.

“You have to be heavy enough to audition, but you have to be healthy enough to do the workouts,” she said. “You have to really want it. It’s hot, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s hard. There’s no room for doubt.”

Dan Samuels is a local fitness trainer, and he is getting ready to start what he calls a Boot Camp for weight loss. He was at the auditions to talk to people about really deciding to change their lives.

“People don’t want to be over- weight,” the extremely fit Samuels said. “It’s not attractive, and it’s certainly not healthy. Weight can be like a prison for a person, but if they are really motivated, they can change that.”

Samuels said the worst thing a person attending the audition could do would be to give up if they aren’t chosen.

“If they came down here to audition, that’s a great first step because they know they need to lose the weight,” he said. “Just because they don’t get on television doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to do that.”

Samuels trains private clients at gyms in the Columbia area and in their homes. He said no program consists of just working out.

“There are all kinds of crazy diets and routines out there,” he said. “But the bottom line is you have to burn off more calories than you take in. It’s just that simple.”

He said his upcoming boot camp was going to be early in the morning with a lot of cardio, and he would be watching what his clients ate as well. He said accountability was one of the main drives in any weight loss program.

“If my clients have to tell me what they are eating, then it’s a better chance of them eating correctly,” he said.

While weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, Samuels said it can be done and the weight can stay off.

“We don’t have to be one of the fattest states,” Samuels said. “With the right diet and workouts coupled with taking responsibility for our health, we can all live healthy lifestyles and look good doing it.”

Samuels’ boot camp will start sometime in August, he said. For information, call (803) 260-4781.