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SALT LAKE CITY -- People from all over Utah lined up outside the KSL Broadcast House Saturday to audition for the hit NBC reality show "The Biggest Loser."
Energy was up, lines were long and hopes were high.
"I want to cut myself in half and be the thin, gorgeous me that is screaming to get out right now," said show hopeful Kariann Hibbard of Taylorsville. "It's going to happen. Hopefully it happens on the ‘The Biggest Loser.'"
"The Biggest Loser" is a weight loss reality show profiling the struggles and stories of everyday Americans wanting to change their lives.
Sloane Stoddard drove all the way from Filer, Idaho. She was one of more than a thousand people who stood in line to audition for Season 10.
"I really need the help, I need the knowledge and I need the education," she said. "I just want to get healthy so I can live long enough to see my kids and grandkids."
People wore shirts and made signs, all begging the attention of NBC casting directors, who were blown away by the turnout. When the doors opened at 10 a.m., lines stretched out the doors, down the street and all the way around the building.
Once inside, show hopefuls got a pre-audition pep talk from Heather Hansen, a Utah finalist from season three.
"This was me three years ago, at KSL, waiting outside, being freezing and thinking ‘this is it,'" Hansen said. "My advice for everybody here today is to have fun, be yourself and let them see why you want it so badly. Because yes, this will change your life forever."
For the actual audition, groups of 15 had six minutes to make their impression. Casting director D.J. Feldman liked what he saw.
"We're looking for personality, we're looking for stories and we're looking for people who are motivated and who want this," Feldman explained. "Based on what we've seen today, there are some definite standouts. I don't want to guarantee anything, but there are some great possibilities."
When the auditions ended at 5 p.m, the casting directors said they interviewed 1,250 applicants, but many more didn't make it into the building.
NBC officials said the Utah casting session drew one of the biggest turnouts in the nation.
E-mail: bwalker@ksl.com
