Photo courtesy of NBC.com
After losing more than half of his body weight Tuesday night, curly-headed Michael Ventrella became the ninth Biggest Loser in the show’s history. And boy, did he deserve it. Michael started the contest at 526 lbs, making him the heaviest contestant that season. It tugged at my heart strings every time he would tell America that, as much weight as he was losing, he was still weighing in at the same weight that other contestants had started the competition at. But his 264 lb weight loss at last night’s finale blew all other previous contestants’ victories out of the water and had me jumping up and down in my living room clapping with the rest of the audience.
What really made Michael stand out to me at the start was that incredible hair of his. Sure, it was slicked back during weigh-ins, but once it was time to work out, there it was, sticking out on top of his sweat headband like a giant puffball. I was worried that they’d just give up and shave it all off during makeover week, but the end result was a clean-cut, short curly style (I can’t say the same of the pompadour they gave Daris that week, but it looked much better at the finale”>.
I was pleasantly surprised to see lots of textured love at the season finale, from fellow finalist Ashley’s loose waves to Sunshine’s long, gorgeous curls. Check out the finale photos on the official website.
What do you think of the contestants’ hair at the finale? Did anyone stand out? Who’s transformation did you think was most dramatic?
Also, did anyone else realize that if America had not voted to keep Daris in, Koli would have won the whole thing with his 53% weight loss?
—Stephanie Hein
