INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- The ?heaviest? of Asians are about to wave goodbye on their ?sorry no size for you? drama as the television series Biggest Loser Asia unfolds on November 24.

Among 2000 hopefuls from all over Asia, only 30 can grab the chance to win $100,000 cash prize, a Renault car and a lifetime achievement of departing from obesity with a healthy lifestyle led by fitness trainers Dave Nuku for the Blue team and Kristy Curtis for the Red team.

The weight-losing reality game show will be aired with the same format as shown in the United States - with physical training mixed with ?temptations? - but the trainers prefer a positive way of motivating the participants with less shouts since Asians are more sensitive compared to their Western counterparts.

?I don?t need to shout at them to do follow my instructions and like me, they just have to realize that health is important,? said Curtis, who used to be underweight.

Curtis also added that despite the cultural differences among Asian participants, all of them are receptive to training and some try to accommodate religious concerns, like wearing a proper fitness outfit, for example.

Curtis noted that ?low self-esteem? was the common factor among contestants and that boosting their confidence alone was a good motivation for them to lose weight and get their lives back to healthy one.

Blue team trainer Dave Nuku, meanwhile, is the personal trainer in the movie of Lord of the Rings and the author of the book ?Body First?.

During auditions held around Asia, one frequent reason people cited for joining the show is to prove that change is possible.

Local celebrity Ruby Rodriguez, who has been in show business for 18 years now, said she decided to join for her children.

?I had to transfer my child to another school after getting bullied by her classmates because I?m a celebrity and I?m fat,? said the comedienne and host of long-running noontime show.

?I sing my heart out and they just rejected me because I?m fat and I believe Biggest Loser can change my life,? said Biggest Loser Malaysian hopeful Amreek Seengh.

Malaysian single mother Nadia Yudof, meanwhile, wanted to join to win the money and lose weight so she could play with her daughter with less worries on her health. Indonesian Dameitha Maratam opted to join to make a change for herself and her upcoming wedding.

?I was an orphan after my parents died related to obesity and I?m now trying to make a change for myself and for my future kids so I can be there on their wedding day unlike me who?ll walk the aisle alone,? said Maratam.

The first pan-regional unscripted weight loss series will be aired on the Hallmark Channel every Tuesday 9p.m.