CONTESTANTS TEMPTED BY OFFERS OF $25,000 AND MORE IN MUST-SEE PREMIERE OF "THE BIGGEST LOSER: TEMPTATION NATION" AIRING JANUARY 4 ON NBC

And Season 16 "Biggest Loser" Trainer Jessie Pavelka Returns to Provide Exclusive Fitness Content to NBC Digital Platforms and Help Viewers On Their Own Fitness Journeys

Universal City, Calif. - December 17, 2015 - On 'The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation," season 17 of NBC's popular weight loss series, it's all about temptations and how to navigate around them in the real world. And the contestants' willpower is put to the test right from the start when host Bob Harper welcomes the new players with a money temptation before they even set foot in the gym on the season premiere airing Monday, January 4 (9-11 p.m. ET),.

'The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation" kicks off with contestants arriving at the ranch and getting on treadmills lined up outside the gym. Once they're all moving, Bob has the eight contestant teams of two choose wealth - or their health, offering $25,000 to any team who wants to call it quits and go home. But if they resist the temptation, they'll be welcomed in to the gym, where trainers Dolvett Quince and Jen Widerstrom choose their own teams.

Later, after a grueling first workout, in which one contestant quickly butts heads with her new trainer, the contestants meet with Bob for a very raw and emotional 'rehab' session. One by one, they reveal what led to them coming to the ranch and to their health spiraling out of control.

Then it's time for the season's first challenge in which contestants race up a ladder to the top of a tall building in downtown Los Angeles. The first team to finish faces another money temptation - choosing between a cash prize of $40,000 or an 8 lb. advantage at the weigh-in. Then Dolvett's red team and Jen's black team weigh-in on side-by-side scales to see the results of their hard work before two players fall below the dreaded yellow line and one is sent home.

In addition to the new host, gym, theme and format changes, the new season of 'The Biggest Loser" will also feature season 16 "Biggest Loser" trainer Jessica Pavelka returning in a special online role. He will be sharing his fitness expertise exclusively across NBC digital platforms to help viewers at all stages of their fitness journeys. From effective exercises that target trouble areas to great 10-minute workouts easy to fit into a busy schedule, to advice on working around injuries or without the use of a gym, Jessie will motivate and energize viewers to get and stay in shape, with exclusive videos shared on nbc.com and other NBC digital platforms every week of the new season.

"The Biggest Loser" is a production of Endemol Shine North America and 25/7 Productions. Ben Silverman, Dave Broome, Eden Gaha, Alex Katz, Joel Relampagos, Michael Brooks, JD Roth and Todd A. Nelson are the executive producers.

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