‘The Biggest Loser’: Week 1’s Eliminated Contestant Robert Richardson II – ‘I’m Standing Up Tall’
Last night was the premiere of The Biggest Loser on USA and the reality show brought in twelve contestants, each bringing their individual “whys,” revealing the back stories to their weight loss journeys that were, in some cases, life-or-death situations.
This first episode also saw its first contestant eliminated: Robert Richardson II. Showbiz Cheat Sheet sat down with Richardson to find out what his experience was like on the show and how he’s doing now that he’s home.
What happened
By the end of each episode of the show, those contestants who end up with the lowest weight loss percentage, below the scale’s ‘yellow line,’ are eliminated.
With a weight loss percentage of 3.18%, Richardson fell below the yellow line and was eliminated.
“Trust me, I think everybody was shocked, including myself,” Richardson told us today. “I did a really good job going into it and the results, losing 13 pounds [by the end of the week], I thought, ‘I’m good to go’, you know? Because I pushed hard that week. When I saw my name going to the yellow line, I thought, ‘ok’.”
“It was definitely heartbreaking, it was tough. Because it’s a bond, it’s a family there. And being a leader, I was the leader of the team, I still am the leader, they call me ‘leader’ every time they call or text me, it was tough to just leave them. It’s kind of like I left the battle.”
Richardson was sent home but he feels he has a lot to prove
The contestant that is sent home and loses the most weight wins a $25,000 prize. Aside from the cash prize, Richardson hasn’t rested on the laurels of his thirteen-pound weight loss on the campus. He clearly feels he’s nowhere near done.
“The exciting part is going to be to see how I came back. I always tell people, ‘sometimes a setback is a great set-up for a comeback for success.’ So I’m excited to see how the show is going to go.”
“I’m also excited to show everybody, ‘yeah, I went home first, but look what happened when I went home.'”
Richardson is leading by example
The 32-year-old’s mind is in the game, clearly. One can hear the focus and dedication in his voice. Plus, he sees that, as the first one eliminated from the show, he has the opportunity to be an example to the next contestants eliminated, to keep pushing on as though they were still on campus.
“When you’re a leader, and people are watching you, are you going to sit down and give up? Or are you going to stand up and be the example. So I decided to stand up and be the example when I got home. Because I know there are eliminations and I know every week somebody’s coming home, whether it’s my team or it’s the red team, everybody looked up to me in some way.”
“And it was just a leadership way because of my size. I have an overpowering size, but I also have a great sense of humor, a loving personality, and I love to see people win and succeed. I knew going home, I had to be that example.”
How much weight has he lost at home, and what’s next for Richardson?
The end of Biggest Loser‘s first episode, Richardson was shown at home in Dec. 2019, celebrating a 48-pound weight loss. We asked him how his progress was going.
“Since then, I’m down almost 20 more [pounds] since the show.”
“I know I wanted to play football, but now I want to become a trainer or do boot camps or hold nutritional seminars, trying to get certification for the nutritional part, so I can teach people how to eat and enjoy life.”
The Louisiana resident during last night’s show said at one point, “Just being here [on campus] one week, I feel old Rob coming back.” So we asked him if old Rob is still here with him?
“Oh, you’re talking to him right now. The guy that you saw on the show had no voice, he was very shy and he kind of let everybody walk all over him a little bit. Now, I’m back to that guy where I’m confident, I’m standing up tall, and I’m pushing back. If I feel like something’s not right, I say something.”
“Old Rob is back.”
