Blaine Cotter left Biggest Loser season seven on his own terms, and very glad his competitors respected his wishes. Blaine had a newborn son and family waiting for him at home, and with only 50 pounds left to lose, thought it was best to let teammate Dane remain on campus. After a six-week run, in which he and his cousin posted some of the best weight loss in the house, Blaine left the house at 299 pounds, a total loss of 66 pounds. Today, he is 275 pounds and working toward an iron man competition in May.
Some have questioned why Blaine chose to be a part of the show knowing his wife was expecting. He explained that he and Dane had tried for season six, and were then asked to try out again for the current season. When the call came, he says it was worth the sacrifice. “I may miss the birth of my child… but it’s a matter of living past his birth and birth of his children,” he shared. Blaine’s health was in jeopardy when he joined Biggest Loser. He had a starting weight of 365 pounds and was taking eight medications every day.
Blaine says he didn’t go in to the ranch with “a whole lot of ideas” about what was waiting for them. He says Dane was the big fan of the show and dragged him along. Which is interesting because Dane is like the invisible contestant this season. He’s dropped the most weight this season, 83 pounds in six weeks, and stands to be a formidable competitor. So where has Dane been? “We’re not sure why,” laughs Blaine, noting that they’ve noticed too.
“With his overbearing, loud-mouth cousin gone,” Blaine joked, maybe we’ll get to see Dane going forward. So we asked Blaine to introduce us to his cousin. He says Dane doesn’t create any drama and it’s amazing what he can do. Jillian doesn’t have to push Dane as hard as she did Blaine. “He’s made for the show and this environment,” said Blaine.
The other relationship the producers seemed to skim over is the one with Blaine and Tara. Her emotional good-bye during the elimination is a result of what Blaine calls “a strong friendship” that grew while the partners were at home. Blaine says he, Dane, Mandi and Tara “all got very close. The four of us pushed each other a lot.” He then explained “Even when Laura is there, Tara is still by herself. We were her partner.”