Anna Kournikova made her debut last night on “The Biggest Loser.” Kournikova and Dolvett Quince joined Bob Harper on the 12th season of the weight loss reality show, replacing fitness expert Jillian Michaels.
“The Biggest Loser” started by dividing the weight loss contestants into three groups by age. The contestants then ran a mile in order to decide who would get first pick when it came to trainers. Bob, who was everyone’s top choice, was picked first by the middle age group. The young team, under 30, chose Quince next. While the above 50 group got stuck with Kournikova. With all three trainers picked, “The Battle of the Ages” was set to begin.
Kournikova, who obviously keeps herself in shape and has worked with some of the best trainers in the world, has never worked as a trainer herself. Kournikova will get to prove her fitness worth this season, but she didn’t do the greatest job last night. Her group came in last place at the end of the first episode.
Before the debut episode, Kournikova said:
“I’ve worked with the best psychologist sports psychologist, the best nutritionists, the best trainer, the best coaches… I know that I didn’t have a lot of experience or much experience working with obese people, but that’s why we have an amazing support system. Really, it’s basic science and math.
“The most important trick is explaining it to the contestants and motivating them. It’s not rocket science.”
Season 12 debuts in the U.S. tonight. Anna is the coach of the “Blue team.” We’ve seen a preview and she is one tough cookie! Ouch, glad I’m not there… No water? Ok, bring on the cramps and make your contestants sick?
I’m a huge. “Anna K.” fan. Why? A few reasons: is she a “DIVA”: yes! Is she nice? Maybe… Garry likes her …is she a friend of Tennis: Totally… she has for sure given more to the sport than she gained from it. She spends more than half of every year playing and schelping herself to charity tennis events everywhere … She raises millions! She is a spokesperson for The Boys and Girls Club of America… I’ll keep going…she never forgot where she came from. How lucky and blessed she was, and how she didn’t starve to death one winter in her homeland because crates of food were being sent over by the USA….she never forgot that ….
So why do I like her you ask again. Now you know. She wasn’t always sweet. Actually rarely, but she could fill “the house” (any stadium on earth) and she was a great player that almost won….
Anna was hot. Anna is hot. Anna good luck on your T.V. Show!
All about Anna Kournikova:
Beautiful Anna Kournikova… the great tennis playing beauty is set to preview tonite on Americas Biggest Loser.
Season 12 debuts in the U.S. tonight. Anna is the coach of the “Blue team.” We’ve seen a preview and she is one tough cookie! Ouch, glad I’m not there… No water? Ok, bring on the cramps and make your contestants sick?
I’m a huge. “Anna K.” fan. Why? A few reasons: is she a “DIVA”: yes! Is she nice? Maybe… Garry likes her …is she a friend of Tennis: Totally… she has for sure given more to the sport than she gained from it. She spends more than half of every year playing and schelping herself to charity tennis events everywhere … She raises millions! She is a spokesperson for The Boys and Girls Club of America… I’ll keep going…she never forgot where she came from. How lucky and blessed she was, and how she didn’t starve to death one winter in her homeland because crates of food were being sent over by the USA….she never forgot that.
Kournikova, a longtime fan of "The Biggest Loser," pursued her new gig with determination, expressing her passion for fitness in meetings with producers. "They invited me to do a guest appearance on Season 10. I led the contestants through a tennis workout, and it went really well. I knew that day that this was the perfect fit for me. At that point we started talking more seriously and I was fortunate that there was an opening for me to work with the contestants on a consistent basis and I jumped at it. This is beyond my dream job," she says, calling the weight loss show "very inspiring. I love how its message is about changing people's lives and helping them lead a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day, it's not about me or what I hope to achieve, it's about the contestants. I'm here to help them achieve their goals of losing weight, eating right and maintaining that healthy lifestyle beyond the show."
For Kournikova, the most challenging element has been the non-training aspects of shooting the episodes. "Even though this is truly reality TV, you still have to stop at certain times to do interviews and talk about specific moments. It can be a little distracting when you really just want to be in the gym with your team and burn calories," she explains.
The Russian-born Miami resident hasn't given tennis up totally, and still plays two or three times a week, "a bit more if I have a tennis event or exhibition coming up. I still love getting out on the court. It's been such a huge part of my life, and I love getting the contestants out on the court, too!" she says. Not surprisingly, her favorite workout is "anything that involves getting out of the gym. I love any physical activity like tennis, soccer or water sports," she notes. "I always recommend to people that they should try to do something that they love to do, and then it won't feel like a workout.
All about Anna Kournikova:
