Every season the “honor,” if you will, of being the most controversial contestant on The Biggest Loser is bestowed upon one player who seems to get underneath the skin of fellow contestants, fans and in the case of Melissa Morgan, even the trainers.
It all started in week two, when one of the quickest signs of game play in the show’s history appeared on the scale with Melissa. She and husband Lance Morgan had earned immunity, and Melissa gained weight that week. Trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper immediately called her out on throwing the weigh-in while she stood dumbfounded on the stage wondering what could have gone wrong. In an almost impossible replay a week later, the same scenario played out again, only this time Michaels called her a liar. Fans went crazy wanting to know the truth while Melissa vehemently denied having thrown either weigh-in, even swearing on the lives of her children that it was nothing she’d done, a position she maintains today.
After that, the relationship between the Morgans and Michaels was strained, but Melissa kept her head in the game and continued to do what she’d gone to the ranch for – to lose weight.
Hear our exclusive post-elimination interview with Melissa, in which she talks about how the issues with the trainers may have hindered her weight loss and what she thinks is the biggest benefit of her new lifestyle.
Melissa left the ranch in week six, in a game twist that sent the lowest weight loss home immediately without deliberation; Melissa gained a pound. She returned home to her two young children where she juggled the healthy new lifestyle with the pressures of playing a single mom, while Lance continued on the show. She makes it work by taking the kids with her to the gym – which is ideal for everyone involved; Melissa is able to squeeze in gym time and she’s actively showing her children the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
For now, we wait to see if Melissa meets her goal weight by finale. Given her tenacity, fighting spirit, and commitment to herself, we have no doubt she will.