Hampton Roads, Who's ready to gain by being a NBC's big 'loser'?

NORFOLK

We're big.

In fact, we're big enough for "The Biggest Loser."

The fat-to-fit reality show is coming to town in March seeking contestants willing to fight the battle of the bulge on network TV.

"The city of Norfolk is pretty heavy," said Roman Grandy, a municipal worker who has become something of a fitness guru among city staffers after losing about 150 pounds. "Obesity is such a problem, and it's time for Hampton Roads to step up and do their contribution."

Tad Patrick Frank, the show's casting director, is "specifically looking for police officers, firemen, nurses, doctors, teachers," he said in an e-mail to the city.

The city offers employees wellness incentives, like gym discounts, Grandy said, "but you have to be motivated to get up and go."

"Loser" casting calls are mostly being held in large cities, like Boston, Dallas, Chicago and New York City, according to the NBC Web site. Norfolk is one of only a few smaller cities, including Nashville, Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio.

"I think it indicates our desire for continuous improvement," city spokeswoman Terry Bishirjian said of the "Loser" visit.

She brought up the city's other weighty accomplishment, being named the nation's second-fattest city - after New Orleans - in a 1997 study.

"We won the honor of being the second-fattest city then," Bishirjian said. "We attribute that to having the second-best restaurants, after New Orleans."

She cited economics as a factor in Norfolk's fat fight.

"We're not a rich city," she said. "For those who are financially stressed, food provides a release, a comfort."

On the show, which is casting for its sixth season, contestants are housed for several months at a location that can range from a luxury resort to a Spartan camp. They work out with trainers and learn to make healthy food choices, facing regular weigh-ins that determine who stays and who is booted off. The ultimate winners take home $250,000.

The Norfolk casting call will be held March 1 to 7. Times and location have not been announced.

In an e-mail to Norfolk's marketing office, Frank said "Loser" had received an "overwhelming number of e-mails from the citizens in and around Norfolk."

For the new season, the show seeks "Loser" teams, including spouses, siblings, couples, friends, teammates and co-workers.

The season four finale in December gave NBC a first-place finish for the night, with Nielsen ratings estimating that 11.4 million viewers tuned in.

For information about the casting call, the show directs would-be contestants to logon to www.nbc.com/casting. Video applications are also accepted, if postmarked by Feb. 29. Guidelines and an application form are on the Web site. For info, e-mail thebiggestloser6@yahoo.com.

Most contestants on the show are seriously overweight, and often lose 40 to 100 pounds during the taping.

"It's the only reality show I've ever watched, period," Bishirjian said. "I've been fighting the same 40 pounds, up and down the scale, for years. I'm thinking of trying out because I think I'm too thin to make it on the show, and I've waited all my life for someone to tell me that."

Roberta T. Vowell, (757) 446-2327, roberta.vowell@pilotonline.com