24-year-old Singaporean, Viveganandam Devaraj (Raj) shed a whopping 67 kilograms to win Season 2 of the popular weight-loss reality show, The Biggest Loser Asia.
The Ngee Ann polytechnic graduate and 3D modeler pipped his closest rival Atikom Laksanapanai (Nai) of Thailand by a mere one kilogram in the show’s dramatic final episode taped in front of a live studio audience at MediaCorp Studios on Tuesday.
In so doing, Raj took home US$100,000 in prize money. Genghis Khan Enrique of the Philippines finished third.
Speaking after his moment of victory, Raj told Yahoo! Singapore he drew motivation to work out even harder after nasty comments criticised his gamesmanship during the 13-episode competition.
And despite beating a total of 15 other contestants on the show to claim the top prize, Raj said this was just the start: keeping the weight off, accumulated from years of bad eating habits, was going to be the real challenge.
“Yes, this is a life-changing experience, but it will not be the defining point in my life,” said a startlingly fitter and trimmer Raj.
“The defining point will be the same time next year, at the end of season 3 of The Biggest Loser Asia, when the highlight will be on me once again. Will I still remain trim and fit, or will I put back all the weight I lost?”
“Winning the prize money is definitely a very big cherry on top of this life-changing experience, but it’s not about who wins the Biggest Loser Asia 2 — it’s about taking control of your life. In this case, every other contestant’s a winner as well,” he added.
In the showdown finale, Raj weighed in at a trim 77 kilos – a massive 67kg drop from his original 144kg when he started the competition.
Needing to lose at least 64 kilograms to beat Raj’s weight loss percentage, the popular Nai of Thailand could only manage a 63 kilogram loss at the final weigh-in, thereby handing the title to Raj.
The top 3 losers (from left to right): Nai, Raj and Genghis
“At that moment, I already made peace with myself and if I had lost to Nai, it would mean that he deserved it more than me,” said Raj.
Third-placed contestant, Filipino internet cafe owner Enrique, hopes that his experience on the show will inspire others to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
“I have so many excuses not to exercise. I have diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, back problems and knee problems. I’m a ticking time bomb. But look at me now, I have all the excuses in the world not to take this step, so if I can do it, so can anybody else,” said the man, who himself lost 53 kilos throughout the entire show.
So what does Raj intend to do with his winner’s cheque of US$100,000?
“I want to use some of the money to set up a charity, to help people like me who need help in turning their lives around.”
Have a look at the before and after pictures:
Raj, 144kg, 24yrs, Singapore
The new Raj
Nai, 137kg, 26yrs, Thailand
The new Nai
Genghis, 162kg, 34yrs, Philippines
The new Genghis
