NBC has announced a new reality series focusing on weight-loss. Caroline Rhea will host “The Biggest Loser” a show that pits overweight contestants against each other to see who can lose the most weight. The show will debut October 19th.

The show capitalizes on the success of recent makeover shows such as “Extreme Makeover” and “The Swan” but in this show no one receives any surgery. The contestants work with personal trainers and nutritionists to attempt to meet their weight loss goals. The program will feature twelve participants (six male and six female) who will be divided into two teams of equal weight. Each team will be assigned a trainer and be given a different diet and fitness plan. Weekly competition will come in the form of a group challenge and a weigh-in. The team that loses the least amount of weight must eliminate a member. The winner of the entire competition wins $250,000.

Most reality shows have veered away from casting overweight people as contestants so it will be interesting to see how this show does. Weight loss without surgery is often a slow process and viewers may get bored with watching people lose a few pounds each week, especially since they are accustomed to seeing a person be completely transformed in the course of an hour.