When The Biggest Loser returns for Season 17, it will have already lost something, and it’s got nothing to do with pounds. For the first time in over ten seasons, the hit reality series will not have host Alison Sweeney bringing out the contestants, as the actress is leaving the show. Pardon us while we eat an entire gallon of ice cream as a way of saying farewell.
The news of Sweeney’s departure comes from Access Hollywood, who shared the following statement from The Biggest Loser producers.
After an incredible run together, Alison Sweeney will not be returning as host of The Biggest Loser next season.
Something tells me that no one was attempting to make a pun by calling it an “incredible run.” They should have also said that “things just didn’t work out,” and that we will now have to “weight and see what new host might join the show.” I’ll stop now.
No reasons were given for why Sweeney wanted to step away from The Biggest Loser, where she’s been a host since Season 4, which began in 2007. It’s possible she just wanted to move on and further her career elsewhere, or it’s possible she wanted to exit the show before it became even more ratings-challenged. The past season, subtitled Glory Days, averaged fewer than 5 million weekly viewers and was a marked downturn from the previous seasons. It’s unclear what, if anything, would get NBC to put an end to The Biggest Loser, but we know it’s not coming soon, and creator David Broome has another series already in development at the network.
Sweeney, who was an award-winning cast member for many years on Days of Our Lives, has appeared on other TV shows like Friends and Tales from the Darkside, and was last seen in an episode of Mercy in 2010. She’s been pretty busy making Hallmark Original Movies, as well, with Second Chances in 2013, and this year’s exquisitely named Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery and Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Murder Mystery. She’s currently filming Love on the Air for the network. Behind the scenes, she’s been working as a director on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
So now the hunt is on for a new Biggest Loser host, as NBC apparently doesn’t have anyone ready to go just yet. Comedian Caroline Rhea was the host for the first three seasons, so it’s possible we could see someone else from the comedy world take the spot, or maybe another daytime TV actress will get called in. Whichever way it goes, the network is reportedly going to make the announcement in September, ahead of the Season 17 premiere.
