It seems that the good folks at NBC's The Biggest Loser have engaged in some creative editing. Contestant Dane, who lost 100 pounds in just eight weeks before being eliminated from the weight-loss competition, is seen running a marathon alongside his svelte and aerodynamic wife, and seen triumphantly crossing the finish line.
The minor technicality is that the dude didn't do the whole 26.2, which sticklers seem to like in a marathon finisher.
Here's the statement issued by one of the show's producers:
As the Executive Producers of The Biggest Loser we would like to make an official apology and set the record straight with regards to the claim in last nights episode that Dane completed a marathon in Arizona.
After seeing on various online blogs that this information may be inaccurate we investigated the claim and found that Dane had not indeed completed the marathon unaided. From our internal investigation we learned that Dane ran the first 17 miles before receiving a ride from the field producer for 3 miles before rejoining the race at the 20 mile mark whereupon he completed the race.
We are incredibly proud of Dane for running 23 miles and losing over 130 lbs on his weight loss journey so far and wish him luck as he continues his new healthy lifestyle. We have also taken the necessary action to ensure that there is no future misrepresentations and sincerely apologize for misleading our loyal viewers and it was certainly not our intent but an unwitting mistake.
We hope they will continue to be inspired and motivated by all of our contestants and follow them as they continue to change their lives.
It's a shame, because big fella clearly worked incredibly hard to accomplish the weight loss. Unfortunately, this - rather than his tremendous accomplishment - is what folks are gonna remember.
