For season 15 of "The Biggest Loser," the show's trio of trainers — Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Dolvett Quince — took on a role they've never tackled before. In addition to putting the constants through their paces, this time around, they actually picked the contestants.
As Harper explained during a Tuesday morning visit to TODAY, it was a process that appealed to some trainers more than others.
"I hated it!" he confessed. "I absolutely hated it, because all these people would come in with these stories that were just heartbreaking. I'm like, 'Why can't we take all of them? Please!' Of course Jillian loved it. She was like, 'I'm in control of who gets to be on the show!"
Harper's the only trainer who's been on the show for every one of the 15 seasons, and while he joked that it's left him tired, he's obviously not tired of inspiring people to get fit. But he believes one of the most important parts of what he does on "The Biggest Loser" is inspiring them to stay fit.
"I really think that people are always looking for some sort of information to (help them) stay motivated," he explained. "That's the one question that I get all the time — 'Bob, how do I stay motivated.' Because getting the weight off, that's the easy part. It's keeping it off. So I think our show does our part to really kind of help people stay on track."
As for "the easy part," Harper will be helping all the season 15 contestants with that, including past "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, who the trainer promised will show his "vulnerable side."
See how Studdard and the other contestants fare when "The Biggest Loser" kicks off Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. on NBC.