Auditions Start Today - For the BL12 Hopefuls

The casting team for the Biggest Loser season 12 are busy today searching among countless thousands of hopefuls trying to get noticed for a chance to be on the show.  I don't envy the casting directors. They must have an incredibly difficult job. Right now, I can't try out for the show because if I did make it, it would run into my brother's wedding, which I won't miss for the world. For now, I will cheer my friend Courtney (Go Aqua!) from my couch and be content with the brief airtime I had in last season's premiere.

At least I'm not the only one wearing pink.

What an opportunity this could have been! "Bobby was in a cameo on Season 10! He's now a contestant for Season 12!" Oh well. There's a reason for everything, and to be honest, I don't want to go back in front of the producers without something in my life being drastically different. I mentioned previously that I had tried out for season 8. The whole experience took me all the way to LA. I didn't make the cast, but I wasn't ready to go anyway. Any BL12 Hopeful is probably going to want to kill me when I say that I tried out totally on a "Yeah, let's try it out and see what happens" vibe. But honestly, I think that was part of the key to making it as far as I did. I never really expected to make it. To be honest, I don't even think I wanted it as bad as the ones who did make it. I saw it as an adventure, and I knew that if I did get rejected, I'd at least have this amazing experience to talk about once my confidentiality agreement was up. Tragically, I lost all my photos from that experience in a computer crash. I have a few tickets and some papers that prove I was totally there. Such is life.

I'm praying for those trying out. I hope that you remember that your audition experience should be as fun as possible. Bring coats and gloves and your own seating, because if you're at a live audition, the wait is usually horrendous. I stood in line in freezing temperatures for six hours without gloves or seating. Now, my hands cramp up in cold weather. If you're trying out at a live audition or submitting a tape, my advice is the same. Talk to the camera or the casting director like they were your best friend. Tell them everything. Don't ever leave that table or submit a tape thinking that you left something out. Finally, accept that getting rejected is part of the process. Don't expect to be rejected. Visualize success. But, if it happens, don't take it personally. There's always next season.

One more thing: I never auditioned for  Biggest Loser thinking it was a magic pill that would cure me of my obesity. Ultimately, we all have to decide what we really want and go for it. I knew the entire time that if I wanted to lose the weight, only I could take the action to make it happen. My biggest regret is waiting this long to start. I'm 40 pounds away from losing 10% of my original body weight. The other day, I cried to myself because I was finally able to look in the full length mirror that hangs on my door and be proud of the person I saw there. My journey has only just begun and I know I'll stumble, but I'm not going to stop moving. This audition process is a step in your life change. Don't stop no matter what happens. Keep going until you get exactly what you want.

Good luck!