Biggest ‘Biggest Loser’ Ever Crowned

This year’s “The Biggest Loser” winner is a record setter!

Michael Ventrella, 31, from Bartlett, Illinois, won NBC’s “The Biggest Loser: Couples” and $250,000 on last night’s exciting live season finale.

Michael began season nine as the heaviest contestant in the series’ history at 526 lbs., and lost 264 lbs., breaking the record for the most weight lost by any contestant in the history of the show. Weighing in at the finale at 262 lbs, Michael lost 50.19 percent of his body weight to claim the prize.

Michael and Ashley Johnston, 28, from Knoxville, Tennessee, were two of the finalists, while America voted to determine who would be the third finalist. In the first part of the live finale, viewers learned that Daris George, 26, from Ardmore, Oklahoma, had beaten Koli Palu, 29, from Rohnert Park, California, to become the third finalist.

The winner of this season’s $100,000 “at home” prize among eliminated contestants went to Koli Palu. He started the show weighing 403 lbs. and ended at 188 lbs. He lost 215 lbs. and 53.35 percent of his body weight.

Also on Tuesday’s finale, Shay Sorrells, the heaviest contestant from season eight, weighed in and claimed her own impressive prize. She reported that she had received an offer from Subway restaurants during the season eight finale to earn $1,000 for every pound she lost between the season eight and season nine finales. She began her weight loss journey in season eight weighing 476 lbs., and weighed 304 lbs. by her December 2009 finale.

Last night, she weighed in at 252 lbs., and Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle was on hand to present her with a check for $52,000 – $1,000 for every pound she has lost since December. He also surprised Shay with a new challenge: if she completes a marathon with him later this year, Subway would double that amount and pay Shay an additional $52,000.