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SALT LAKE CITY — This time last year, Jackson Carter was 21 years old, 150 pounds overweight, living in Layton, and looking to make big changes in his life. Little did he know that a promo spot he saw on KSL channel 5 would transform him into one of America's Biggest Losers.
"When that audition call popped up on the TV, I'm like, ‘Well, that's something new. I can do that,' " Carter said. "I went down and waited in line outside the KSL studios for what felt like forever."
The line was long, but the audition itself was very short.
"We get in, and you have 2 minutes to make an impression," Carter said. "I wore a bright pink blazer and I was really loud and animated, and that really caught their eye."
Carter said he had a good feeling leaving the audition, but that was mostly because he'd already made the decision to change a few things in his life.
"On the drive home, I really thought, 'You know what? It doesn't matter what happens with that. This is the day. This is the first step into my new lifestyle.' "
Carter got a call from a Biggest Loser producer that night, and the rest was history.
"I started the show at 328 pounds and weighed in at finale at 190 (pounds)," Carter said.
If you'd like to become a contestant on the next season of NBC's 'The Biggest Loser,' your big chance is coming up this weekend. Here are the details for the open-call auditions:
- Date/Time:
Saturday, May 4, 2014
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Location:
KSL Broadcast House
55 N. 300 West
Salt Lake City, Utah - Additional details:
CLICK HERE to pre-register for the audition.
Information on Frequently Asked Questions can be found by CLICKING HERE.
And he didn't stop working once he got home. So far, he's lost another 10 pounds, increasing his total to almost to 150 pounds lost.
"It's not the weight off my body that mattered; it was the weight off my mind," Carter said. "Being in that program and having those trainers coach us through why we're 150 pounds overweight — it's because something's wrong emotionally or mentally that we need to figure out."
Carter's advice for anyone thinking about trying out for the show this weekend: "Don't think of this as, ‘This audition is going to save my life.' "
"May 4 is the day that every person in Utah who is 80 pounds or more overweight needs to make a change," he said, "needs to step outside their regular diet habits, needs to (step) outside their regular activity levels, really re-evaluate where they're heading and where they want their life to go."
Casting directors from NBC's "The Biggest Loser" will be at the KSL Broadcast House this Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you're interested in auditioning, bring some water, sunscreen and get there early for your chance to catch their eye.
"If you're 80 pounds or more overweight and you're ready to take control of your life, I'd better see you in that audition line on Saturday," Carter said.
For more details, visit www.thebiggestlosercasting.com/open-calls.
