hollywood Q&A

Q: Am I crazy or was there originally a different host of “The Biggest Loser,” other than the woman from “Days of Our Lives”?

A: Former soap star Alison Sweeney is still the face of “The Biggest Loser” for many people, even though she’s not the current host — she was succeeded by trainer Bob Harper — and despite the fact that she wasn’t the first host, either. She was preceded by comedian Caroline Rhea (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”).

Rhea actually hosted the first three seasons of the show, from 2004 to 2006. It’s a testament to its longevity (its 18th season wrapped in 2020, though there’s no word yet on a 19th) that three seasons can seem like a blip.

There was a small amount of controversy when Sweeney replaced Rhea. NBC’s various spokespeople both said Rhea left “to pursue other interests” and that Sweeney would “bring not only a great, fresh face to the show but a huge, loyal fan base.” Those statements, of course, don’t contradict each other, but gossip sites nonetheless used them to suggest that essentially Rhea was pushed out for someone younger.

For whatever reason, NBC showed much more faith in Sweeney, keeping her in the host’s seat for 13 seasons.

As for the reason behind Sweeney’s own eventual exit, that, too, is a bit shadowy.

The best answer available is a slightly enigmatic statement she gave to People magazine a few weeks later: “It’s a tough time in TV and producers have a lot of tough choices to make in the landscape. We talked and it wasn’t an easy decision. It was just the right time for me to do something different.”

Q: I’ve recently been watching episodes of “Heartland” and noticing that a number of people can also be found in Hallmark movies. Can you tell me what the connection is between “Heartland” and Hallmark?

A: The connection is Canada. “Heartland” wears its location on its sleeve, so to speak — the story is set in the sprawling Alberta countryside, where the filming takes place. However, a number of films and shows produced by Hallmark are secretly Canadian as well — they either dress up a Canadian location to stand in for an American one or else they just make a point of not mentioning the setting at all.

Movie magic can make anywhere look like anywhere, but movie practicality will show through if you look hard enough. It’s easier when filming in Canada to use Canadian actors — this isn’t always true for the stars, but it definitely is for the smaller roles.

If you’re looking for a more direct link, you could look at Sharon and Susan Forrest and Rhonda Fisekci — they’re the casting directors for “Heartland” and for a large number of Hallmark productions as well. And, yes, for the record, they’re Canadian.

Q: Did any of the winners of “The Contender” go on to actually win any boxing belts?

A: “The Contender,” the oncehyped reality show that was basically “Big Brother” for boxers, was always itself something of a contender — it had the goods to be a champ but never quite made it.

As such, though it’s been around since 2005, it’s only yielded five seasons, and therefore five winners. As for whether those winners went on to earn pro belts, the short answer is yes, but any boxing fan will tell you that it gets really complicated from there.

There are four major boxing organizations that grant belts, in a broad range of weight divisions. Two “Contender” winners have earned these top-level belts — Season 1 winner Sergio Mora (light middleweight) and Season 3 winner Sakio Bika (super middleweight).

But there’s more to it than that; Season 2 winner Grady Brewster won belts from a couple of the smaller, less-recognized organizations, and there’s still hope for Brandon Adams, who won the fifth, rebooted season that aired in 2018. Adams is still fighting, and he lost a fight for a middleweight title in 2019. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided.