By Alex Needs
The Biggest Loser trainer takes us on a Hawaiian adventure.
Hold on to your seats, Australia, we may be about to score a new resident. And he’s pretty easy on the eye too. Speaking exclusively with Woman’s Day at Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii, The Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper reveals he considers Sydney his second home. So much so, he’d love to buy a pad in Sydney’s posh Palm Beach.
Taking time out from filming the show’s upcoming Face Your Fears special in the Pacific paradise, the 42-year-old takes us for a tour round the resort, posing for shots while taking many of his own. The keen photographer and genuine nice guy is so eager to make the most of our shoot, he jumps in the water fully clothed, to give us some see-through shirt action.
Brimming with energy, the California native then relaxes over a tequila and soda — fresh lime, no cordial — to talk candidly about The Biggest Loser and his first book.
What are the main differences between the Aussie and US contestants?
OK, I want to be very clear here. When it comes to the Australian people, they definitely have more of a laid-back attitude. Whereas the Americans … we’re Type A people, meaning we’re aggressive and we’re loud and we’re go-go-go. The Aussies are more like, “Are you going to the gym? I’ll go if you go …” More laid-back. In America, I’m like, “You’ve worked out enough, let’s get out of the gym and go back to the house.”
Are the Americans more competitive?
I think that as competitive as the Aussies are, the Americans are 10 times more competitive. When they get in that house they’re like, “What do I have to do to win? I’m gonna win at all costs.” In Australia it’s more of a love fest at first … and then the competition starts.
Do the contestants try and get you involved in their games?
Oh, yeah, all the time. They really want to use the trainers against each other. They do that a lot with Jill and I. Saying to her things like, “Well, Bob did this for us. What are you going to do?” and vice versa.
So, do you and Jillian make a joint plan of attack?
Yeah, we always sit down with each other and go, “OK, here’s what I’m going to do. You tell me what you’re going to do so they can’t manipulate us!” You have to understand when you are shooting the show, be it in Hawaii, Australia, wherever, your world is really tiny and limited, so people react in really exaggerated ways. You’re hysterical. You cry over the least or the biggest things.
Tell us more about the book.
Everyone was very interested in me writing a book, but they just wanted me to put my name and face on something. I didn’t want to do that. The thing I’ve learned with all these contestants is that these guys are just off-track. They are in need of support and someone to guide them back onto the right path. It’s like throwing a life preserver into an ocean of people who need help. I had someone turn those words around and say, “You’re a lifeguard, because you’re teaching these people how to swim”, and I was like, “Yes, you’re exactly right.” I’m really proud of it and excited to talk about it, because at the end of the day, it’s about getting people to feel better about themselves.
Do you find that the people who come to you are in dire straits?
They are at their wit’s end. They just don’t know what to do any more. They have been bombarded by book after book telling them how to “do this, do that, do eat this, don’t eat that. Stand on your head for two hours a day and then you’ll lose all the weight.” People are confused. So I get them to slow down and try not to stress out. I remind them this is a lifetime journey that we are on. This is not going to end once you get into your skinny jeans and your wedding dress. This is going to continue.
Can you see yourself doing a photography book next?
Yeah, I’ve been wanting to do a coffee table book. I mean, there’s not a lot of money in coffee table books, but it’s a passion of mine. I actually had an idea to do one in Australia. See, I love that every time I drive around in Australia I see all these kids waiting to go on the bus and they are all in these school uniforms. We don’t wear uniforms at school in the US and I love the juxtaposition of these modern-day kids with their iPods in and their haircuts and then they’re in all these traditional uniforms. I see a book there. I see some really great photography.
The Biggest Loser screens weeknights at 7pm and Sunday nights at 6.30pm on Network Ten. Bob’s book Are You Ready! is out April, published by Random House.
Pictures: Delmar Galicinao.
For more of this exclusive interview, see this week’s issue of Woman’s Day (on sale March 17, 2008).
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