Chelsea Arthurs

"The Biggest Loser" returns with 15 inspiring contestants - including the show's first celebrity player, Ruben Studdard, an uplifting "Second Chances" theme and powerful new roles for trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Dolvett Quince. For the first time ever in the show's history, trainers sat in on casting sessions and helped select the new contestants, and also received a "trainer save," allowing each one to save one eliminated contestant from going home. Contestants eager for a second chance to reclaim their health and re-write their futures include "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, this season's heaviest contestant at 462 pounds, David Brown, who lost his first wife to an almost decade-long battle with cancer and is now fighting for his life so he can be there for his daughters, and Tanya Winfield, a single mom addicted to food who grew up with a teenage mom addicted to drugs, who is eager to break the cycle of addiction in her family. Also competing this season will be Olympic weight lifter Holley Mangold, hoping to get in the best shape possible for a second chance at gold in the 2016 Olympics, and Matt Hooper, who postponed his wedding to be on the show so he could give his fiancé the best physical version of himself.

The dreaded "week 2 curse" is on all the players' minds, especially when they learn that only one person's weight on each of the three teams will count at this week's weigh-in. And they won’t know who it is beforehand, only when a roll of the die at the scale determines who will represent the red, white and blue teams. One lucky group will get a weigh-in advantage if they win the first challenge of the season; a water-bucket race that ties each team’s fate together in more ways than one. Also this week, one player gets sobering health news from Dr. H, another contestant connects with a very special family member and the show catches up with one of last season's popular child ambassadors to see how they are doing now.

This week, the contestants are surprised to find that the gym is empty - and the only equipment they’ll be able to use is equipment they've successfully bid on with "Biggest Loser" bucks in the show’s first ever auction, run by host Alison Sweeney. Trainers Bob, Jillian and Dolvett and the players have to get creative to make the most of their limited equipment. Later, one player opens up to her trainer about her difficult childhood, and all of the contestants re-charge their spirits with a very special treat - getting to skype with their loved ones back home in emotional, heartwarming family visits. Then it's time to head to the gym for a very emotional weigh-in. Also this week, the show catches up with season 12 fan favorite Vinny Hickerson.

It's Halloween at the ranch, and that means a pumpkin challenge and the contestants' first temptation of the season. Off the players go into a field of 100 pumpkins filled with candy treats, cash prizes and a winning ticket giving one lucky player one of the biggest prizes ever awarded in a challenge - immunity for their whole team. Later, one trainer brings a special group of people to work out with his team, while another trainer has a heart-to-heart talk with a contestant about their challenging childhood. "The Biggest Loser" catches up with last season's child ambassador, Biingo, to see how his life - and the lives of his family members - have changed since he was on the show. And later, the players get a motivational boost with coveted letters from home before heading to the weigh-in, where another player is eliminated.

Last season’s kid ambassadors Biingo, Lindsay and Sunny return to the ranch and are joined by the White House Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition, Sam Kass, for a fun cooking challenge with the contestants. Well aware that kids are often the toughest food critics, the red, white and blue teams race against the clock to prepare a nutritious and tasty dish that will be a hit with the kids – and earn the winning team members an incredible prize. Also this week, one team works out with a very special and inspiring group of women who have survived or are battling cancer. Later, it’s time for the weigh-in and saying goodbye to another contestant.