Television May 26, 2010
The Big Winner of 'Biggest Loser'
Michael Ventrella has a lot to celebrate. Having lost over half his body weight, he was "The Biggest Loser's" most successful finalist to date, winning the reality competition's $250,000 grand prize Tuesday night.
Ventrella, who hails from Chicago, started the season at 526 pounds, but by the end had lost 50.19 percent of his weight, coming in at a lean 264 pounds, shattering Danny Cahill's record from last year of 239 pounds.
The champ tried everything to lose weight, even succumbing to bulimia, but he saw his final chance to beat his weight problems during his 18 weeks on the "Biggest Loser" ranch.
"I realized, 'You know what? I'm going to give it everything I got to battle this and tackle this because I'm done with being like this," he told "Today's" show host Meredith Vieira on Wednesday.
Now, Ventrella has a new lease on life and is looking forward to pursuing his dreams -- and finding the love of his life.
