SEASON 10 OF NBC'S POPULAR SERIES "THE BIGGEST LOSER" KICKS OFF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (8-10 P.M. ET) WITH A NEW THEME OF "PAYING IT FORWARD" AND 21 CONTESTANTS VYING FOR A SPOT AT THE RANCH TO GET HEALTHY AND CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - August 24, 2010 - NBC announces 21 contestant hopefuls eager to transform their bodies, their health and their lives in the must-see premiere of "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday, September 21 (8-10 p.m. ET). The theme for season 10 of the popular series is "paying it forward."

With obesity now one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, "The Biggest Loser" wanted to broaden their reach this season, pay it forward and motivate communities - not just contestants - to get healthy. So trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels and host Alison Sweeney travel to seven cities in the premiere episode, with each trainer leading community fitness challenges like a one-mile race or a 500 step-up competition. In each of the seven cities - Detroit, Los Angeles, Portland, Atlanta, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and Boston - there will also be three contestant hopefuls competing in the challenges. The two candidates who complete their fitness challenge first win a spot at the ranch. Those who don't make it will get a chance to vie for a spot on the show in a later episode.

The new season players include Burgandy (Eagle Mountain, Utah), a military wife, foster parent and mother of five, Aaron (Kent, Ohio), the son of an alcoholic who hopes to be a better role model to his own son and Montina (Houston, Texas), a background vocalist for Beyonce who wants to look as good as she sounds. Viewers will also meet Tina, a 58-year-old retired homemaker who was a swimsuit model in her younger years, and Adam (Santa Ana, California), who hopes to lose weight and honor his mother, who died at age 51 from heart failure brought on by complications of diabetes and obesity.

Other new contestants include Sophia (Germantown, Maryland), a high school counselor who lost her brother last year in a tragic car accident, Patrick (Vicksburg, Mississippi), a former college football player who continued to consume large quantities of food long after an injury forced him to stop playing, Ada (San Francisco, California), who longs to "finally be happy" after a difficult childhood with unsupportive parents, and Brendan (Boston, Massachusetts), a special education teacher who wants to practice what he preaches to his students about the importance of exercise and a healthy diet.

The new contestants hoping to make it on the ranch and compete for the $250,000 grand prize are:

JESSE ATKINS (Law clerk), 28, St. Paul, Minnesota.

MONTINA COOPER (Professional singer/songwriter), 35, Houston, Texas.

JESSICA DELFS (Professional bridal consultant), 27, Tucson, Arizona.

RICHARD DEROQUE (Pediatric physical therapist), 54, Conway, Arkansas.

ALFREDO DINTEN (Futures commodity trader), 43, Staten Island, New York.

SANDY DOLAN (Stay-at-home mom and student), 30, Ft. Worth, Texas.

BRENDAN DONOVAN (Special education teacher), 32, Boston, Massachusetts.

TINA ELLIOTT (Retired homemaker), 58, Boring, Oregon.

SOPHIA FRANKLIN (High school counselor), 28, Germantown, Maryland.

PATRICK HOUSE (Sales representative), 28, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

ADAM HURTADO (Non-profit manager), 26, Santa Ana, California.

ALLIE ISHCOMER (Student), 22, Moore, Oklahoma.

BURGANDY KEEL (Stay-at-home mom), 35, Eagle Mountain, Utah.

SHANNA MASTEN (Math teacher), 38, Pima, Arizona.

LISA MOSLEY (Sales representative), 31, Norman, Oklahoma.

MARK PINHASOVICH (Bartender and recruiter), 31, East Brunswick, New Jersey.

COREY PINKERTON (Life coach), 27, Fairbanks, Alaska.

ELIZABETH RUIZ (Medical assistant), 31, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

AARON THOMPKINS (Graphic designer), 29, Kent, Ohio.

ADA WONG (Project coordinator for high teach company), 27, San Francisco, California.

ANNA WRIGHT (Administrative assistant and songwriter), 39, Atlanta, Georgia.

"The Biggest Loser" is a production of Reveille LLC, 25/7 Productions and 3Ball Productions. Ben Silverman (NBC's "The Office," "Ugly Betty"), Dave Broome ("A Model Life with Petra Nemcova," "Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope"), JD Roth ("Age of Love," "Beauty and the Geek"), Todd A. Nelson ("Unan1mous," "Beauty and the Geek"), Mark Koops ("MasterChef," "Losing It With Jillian") and Todd Lubin ("30 Days," "Nashville Star") serve as executive producers.