LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Life has a way of presenting chances and opportunities to us when we need them the most and our our future often hinge on how we handle the chance. For former Delta State University offensive lineman Patrick House, the chance to get back in the game is coming this season as a contestant on NBC's hit series "The Biggest Loser." The season premiere is set to debut with a two-hour special on Tuesday, September 21 at 7 p.m. Delta State Athletics will be following his progress throughout season 10.
"If you want to play the offensive line, you're going to need to get bigger." That's what coaches told Patrick when he arrived at Delta State University. And so he gained weight. But then he was sidelined by a back injury requiring surgery. He stopped playing football and stopped all that training, but continued eating. And the weight piled on.
A 2005 graduate of Delta State, House is currently unemployed and believes that being an overweight salesman does not send a message of confidence to potential clients and employers. He said he needs to lose the weight so he can return to doing what he needs to do to support his family.
"Mississippi is the fattest state in America. And America is the fattest country in the world. That makes us the biggest people in the world," House stated. The Vicksburg native wants to make the most of this opportunity by paying it forward to raise awareness about the dangers of obesity and "sharing the wealth" of knowledge he has gained from "The Biggest Loser."
The 6-foot-2 Vicksburg resident weighed in at 415 pounds when filming began for this year's competition.
Season 10 will feature a theme, "Paying it Forward." A total of 21 contestants will be competing for the $250,000 grand prize.
This year's contestants include:
Jesse Atkins (Law clerk), 28, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Montana Cooper (Professional singer/songwriter), 35, Houston, Texas.
Jessica Delfs (Professional bridal consultant), 27, Tucson, Arizona.
Richard Deroque (Pediatric physical therapist), 54, Conway, Arkansas.
Alfredo Dinten (Futures commodity trader), 43, Staten Island, New York.
Sandy Dolan (Stay-at-home mom and student), 30, Ft. Worth, Texas.
Brendan Donovan (Special education teacher), 32, Boston, Massachusetts.
Tina Elliott (Retired homemaker), 58, Boring, Oregon.
Sophia Franklin (High school counselor), 28, Germantown, Maryland.
Patrick House (Sales representative), 28, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Adam Hurtado (Non-profit manager), 26, Santa Ana, California.
Allie Ishcomer (Student), 22, Moore, Oklahoma.
Burgandy Keel (Stay-at-home mom), 35, Eagle Mountain, Utah.
Shanna Masten (Math teacher), 38, Pima, Arizona.
Lisa Mosley (Sales representative), 31, Norman, Oklahoma.
Mark Pinhasovich (Bartender and recruiter), 31, East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Corey Pinkerton (Life coach), 27, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Elizabeth Ruiz (Medical assistant), 31, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Aaron Thompkins (Graphic designer), 29, Kent, Ohio.
Ada Wong (Project coordinator for high teach company), 27, San Francisco, California.
Anna Wright (Administrative assistant and songwriter), 39, Atlanta, Georgia.
NBC Universal and the LA Times contributed to this article.
