We all love to hate it but reality television is some of the best entertainment out there.
Mostly featuring desperate people who are willing to do anything to be famous, every now and again, reality television does actually change someone for the better.
It may be rare, but I can promise you, it does happen.
A decade ago, Australian Sam Rouen won the reality television series The Biggest Loser – a competition featuring obese or overweight contestants.
Competing to win a cash prize, the winner was the contestant who lost the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight.
Weighing 154kg when he appeared on the show, Sam lost a whopping 71kg and has managed to keep the weight off for the past ten years.
The 29-year-old took to his Facebook page yesterday to reflect on the milestone, sharing an astonishing before-and-after post.
Now working as a fireman, Sam wrote:
Wasn’t sure if I was going to do this post?
However, 10 years hey. What a time. So much has happened, good, bad, everything between.
Highest highs and lowest lows. All I know is I’ve got some amazing people in my corner and I’m unconditionally appreciative of that.
In his post Sam shared a photo of himself when he first appeared on the television show at 19-years-old.
Alongside this is a recent photo showcasing Sam’s incredibly ripped and muscular body.
Looking astonishingly unrecognisable, it could be a completely different person.
Since his appearance on The Biggest Loser, Sam has fully embraced his transformed figure, even stripping off several times for the New South Wales Firefighters Calendar.
He’s also found love – with flight attendant, Daniella Schot.
The two got engaged last year.
However, despite his weight loss, Sam was still nervous about taking his shirt off.
He told The Daily Telegraph:
I still don’t like taking my shirt off — even at the beach.
I’m still extremely self-conscious… I just tried to keep in mind that it was for a good cause.
Sam also admitted he still gets flak from people over his appearance but this time, it’s from his work colleagues.
He added:
I was pretty lucky in high school and had a good group of friends who were really supportive, so it was never too bad then.
It’s worse now. I’ve been getting a bit of a ribbing from the guys at the station, they’ve been calling me ‘calendar boy’ and stuff like that, but it’s all in good fun.
I’m addicted to working out now, I definitely love running and working out with my brother.
I play a bit of sport to stay in shape and also work out in the gym.
I managed to knock five kilograms off. Can’t say it was fun — particularly when the guys were eating pizza and I was having steamed cauliflower.
It certainly sounds like it takes a lot of work to keep that physique!
