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SALT LAKE CITY — Local football star Scott Mitchell had never watched an episode of “The Biggest Loser” before submitting an application to compete on the show.
He was on his way to the spring football event at the University of Utah in April, where he was going to play in the alumni flag football game, when he saw an article on KSL.com about the unusual amount of activity going on in Salt Lake City that weekend. Curious about what was going on, he opened the article and noticed one of the events was an audition for “The Biggest Loser” at KSL.
When he looked at the entry closer, he read the show was specifically looking for former high school, college and professional athletes. Mitchell played in the NFL for 12 years after his time on the U. football team.
“I just had this feeling inside like, ‘Scott, you really should do this,’” he said. “So I filled out an application online, submitted it, went to the spring game and as soon as it was over I went down to the station and there were just a few people in line.”
“I actually chickened out. I wasn’t going to have to wait a long time, but I just thought I didn’t want to go and expose myself in a public, national forum and deal with my private issues, especially with being a former public figure. I knew I would take a lot of criticism from people and I left. I didn’t do it.”
Three weeks later Mitchell received a call from a casting director who wanted to talk about the show. While they were talking, Mitchell said the feeling that he needed to go on the show returned and he felt like the opportunity was a gift from his dad, who died of obesity-related medical conditions in January.
Mitchell is now competing on the 16th season of “The Biggest Loser,” which starts Thursday. He weighed 366 pounds when filming began and said being on the show, which is still filming, has been a life changing experience.
“I have always been capable — I lived my childhood dream and played in the NFL for 12 years. I can do things, I’m a very talented person, but sometimes in our lives we need help and there are things that we just can’t do on (our) own,” he said. “I couldn’t do this — I couldn’t face living a healthy lifestyle on my own and I needed help. I was in really bad shape.”
Even though Mitchell was concerned about what other people would think of him if he went on the show, he said he realized he needed help after watching his father die. Of his father’s eight siblings, six have diabetes from being obese or are pre-diabetic. In addition to his father, another sibling also died of obesity-related causes.
After retiring football, Mitchell said he gained and lost weight before eventually getting to a point where he quit fighting and “decided I was going to be a fat person and that was the way it was.” He attributed his struggles with weight to emotional issues.
We always have the ability to choose a different path or move in a different direction.
–Scott Mitchell
With the help of the show, Mitchell said he realized there was still time to change the course of his posterity and take a stand against obesity. He has five children between the ages of 11 and 21.
“One of the greatest gifts we have been given in this life is our ability to choose, our agency,” he said. “My life wasn’t predestined to be fat. I could make a choice and decide to get help, even if it was in a very public forum, and anyone can. I have seen all of the contestants here; I’ve seen amazing things change in their lives because they made a choice.”
“We always have the ability to choose a different path or move in a different direction. We are not victims, we are not resigned to a fate of obesity.”
“The Biggest Loser” airs at 7 p.m. on NBC.
