Biggest Poker Winners 2016

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James Romero, who topped the field of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic $10,400 Main Event in late 2016, has scooped the largest payout this season. The player won $1,938,118 for his triumph and it is yet to be seen whether his accomplishment will be bested by the end of Season 15. Nov 26, '20 - Dec 06, '20 2020 WPTDeepstacks - Ultimate Poker Showdown Emperors Palace.

The early 2000s were ripe with reality television programs. One of the biggest premiered in 2004: NBC's The Biggest Loser. On national television, twelve contestants — six men and six women — competed against each other to lose the most weight and win a $250,000 prize. By 2005, the series selected its first winner. The Biggest Loser would continue on for another 16 seasons, raking in millions, before quietly disappearing in 2016.

Although there's no official word on why the show wasn't picked up for an 18th season, poor ratings may have been at least partially responsible. During what would become its final season, the National Institute of Health also released a study into Biggest Loser contestants. And the results weren't exactly positive. Of the 14 past contestants who participated in the study, 13 regained a substantial amount of weight — and four of them actually became heavier than when they premiered on the show. But, what of the winners? Here's how they've faired since their time on The Biggest Loser.

Season 1: Ryan Benson

When Ryan Benson joined the first season of The Biggest Loser, he weighed over 300 pounds. After five grueling months of extreme workouts and diet restrictions, Benson pummeled his body into becoming, well, the biggest loser. In the end, he lost 122 pounds and weighed just 208 pounds. But, once the cameras were off and Benson received his cash prize, he started slipping back into old habits almost immediately.

'In my mind I just thought I've been training so hard I want to eat something I craved for a few months — a burger, fries, some ribs,' he revealed to Business Insider. 'That was one of the things that propelled me to the finish line. I thought, when I'm done I'm going to get this. It was a reward.' In five years' time, Benson ended up gaining back the weight he lost on the show — plus some. In an interview with Inside Edition in June 2017, Benson revealed that he was once again dieting in attempt to lose the weight.

Season 2: Matt Hoover

Matt Hoover premiered on Season 2 weighing 339 pounds. By the time we was crowned the second-ever winner of the series, he'd lost 157 pounds. Second runner-up Suzy Preston, who initially weighed 227 pounds, lost a total of 95 pounds and took home a $25,000 prize. Unbeknownst to viewers at the time, Hoover and Preston had fallen in love during their time on the show. 'I saw him at his worst, absolutely. And he saw me at my worst,' Preston told People. In a private ceremony in Jamaica in 2006, the couple said 'I do.' In the years since, the 'losers' have welcomed two sons.

By 2010, Hoover had regained some weight. He revealed to NBC News Chicago that he weighed 237 pounds. Preston, too, had put back on over 40 pounds. In a video from 2011, Hoover and Preston revealed that they feel guilty for gaining weight, but pictures of the family shared on social media in 2019 show that they're doing great.

Season 3: Erik Chopin

In 2006, Erik Chopin became Season 3's Biggest Loser after dropping an incredible 200 pounds. Although his body went through a dramatic transformation in a matter of months, it would soon undergo another one. 'After about a year and a half, I started to put the weight on,' Chopin admitted to Us Weekly. Within two years, he gained back all but 25 pounds of the weight he lost on the show. 'I got back to 368 pounds,' he says. 'In my head, it sounds almost the same [as my starting weight],' he revealed.

Chopin ultimately decided to give dieting another go in the documentary Confessions of a Reality Show Loser, which first aired in 2010. While he's been pretty quiet about his weight in recent years, he revealed to Bucks County Courier Times in 2011 that he was working as a spin instructor and got his weight down to 245 pounds.

Season 4: Bill Germanakos

After losing 164 pounds on The Biggest Loser, Bill Germanakos was chosen as the winner of Season 4. Not unlike past winners, Germanakos revealed that he faced challenges after returning home. 'I'm a morbidly obese person in a fit body,' he explained to Todayin 2009. 'I'm hungry all the time.' The winner also revealed that he was working hard to make healthy choices.

By the end of 2010, he revealed his new weight. 'I'm at 214 — maintaining about 120 pounds off my weight loss,' he said in an interview with Newsday. Even though he was a bit above his goal weight — 205 pounds — he was regularly involved in teaching spinning classes and helping other people get fit. 'My mantra on the show was to become half the man so I could become twice the man,' he explained. 'Now, I'm trying to reach that second half by trying to educate people.' Germanakos remains fairly active on social media, but hasn't revealed the number on the scale in some time.

Season 5: Ali Vincent

For the first time in TheBiggest Loser history, a woman was crowned the winner. When Ali Vincent first premiered on Season 5, she weighed in at 234 pounds. Vincent ended up losing 112 pounds during her time on the show. Although she maintained her weight loss for seven years, she started putting weight back on in 2015.

Vincent revealed on OWN's Where Are They Now that she was sexually assaulted while getting a massage that year. While she attempted to repress the terrifying ordeal she went through, she admitted that she dealt with her feelings by staying overly busy and through mindless eating and drinking. 'I don't share this story of me being assaulted because its an excuse or something I'm dwelling on, it's something that I'm working through, but it doesn't have to be the end of my story,' she explained. And it hasn't. Since The Biggest Loser, Vincent has gotten married and, in late 2018, welcomed twin boys.

Season 6: Michelle Aguilar

In 2008, Michelle Aguilar lost 110 pounds and became the sixth winner of The Biggest Loser. People reported at the time that Aguilar lost over 45 percent of her body weight during her time on the show. At her final weigh in, Aguilar was 132 pounds.

Even though she no longer discloses the number on her scale, she has spoken about her experience in the years since winning. In an interview with Life Today, Aguilar said coming home from The Biggest Loser ranch was in many ways even more challenging than starring in the show. 'A candy bar is just 99 cents away from you and you can choose that,' she explained. 'That, I think, is when the struggle really comes in.' Aguilar also posts regularly on Instagram and, in January 2019, shared a side-by-side of her self in 2009 and 2019 — looking just as happy as she did back then.

Season 7: Helen Phillips

For the third consecutive time, a woman was crowned the winner of The Biggest Loser. At 48 years old, Helen Phillips was also the oldest person to win the competition. By the finale, Phillips also lost the most of any other woman in Biggest Loser history up until then. With 140 pounds gone, her end weight was just 117 pounds. 'Never in a million years did I think I was going to win,' she told Today in 2009. 'I thought I was either going to die here the first month or they were going to send me packing. Maybe I was going to lose 50 pounds, maybe 60, but here I am.'

By the time Phillips turned 51, she revealed she was still exercising everyday. It's been some years since Phillips has updated the world as to how she's doing, other than posting an occasional picture here and there, but we can only hope she's doing well.

Season 8: Danny Cahill

When Danny Cahill was announced as the Season 8 winner of The Biggest Loser, he was 239 pounds lighter than when he started. This dramatic weight loss resulted in Cahill not only being crowned the eighth winner, but also the only contestant, up until that time, who'd lost that much weight during their time on the show. Hey may have been headed into 2010 feeling like 'a million bucks,' but he would soon begin to gain weight. By 2016, he put back on over a hundred pounds.

Through the process of losing and regaining weight, Cahill's metabolism has essentially come to a screeching halt. As The New York Times reported, the Season 8 winner has to eat a whopping 800 fewer calories than men of the same size, otherwise it will result in gaining fat. Michael Rosenbaum, an obesity researcher at Columbia University explained, 'The difficulty in keeping weight off reflects biology, not a pathological lack of willpower affecting two-thirds of the U.S.A.' Cahill revealed that the 'shame that was on [his] shoulders went off' after learning that.

Season 9: Michael Ventrella

At 526 pounds, Michael Ventrella was the heaviest contestant to participate in The Biggest Loser. By the end of Season 9, Ventrella had lost over 50 percent of his body weight, making him the winner at 262 pounds. Although Ventrella expected this life to change exponentially after being titled the Biggest Loser, much of it remained the same. He went through his prize money quickly and struggled to find footing in Los Angeles, California. 'I have no money coming in and a lot of money going out,' he told Chicago Magazine in December 2010. 'That scares me to death.'

He hoped to do something related to his success on the show, but was unable to find a reputable agent. Ventrella also started gaining weight immediately after returning home. Despite putting on 20 pounds, though, Ventrella said he wasn't so focused on his weight, but on bodybuilding. As of at least 2018, Ventrella is an independent associate of Isagenix, a multi-level marketing company that specializes in weight loss products.

Season 10: Patrick House

'Had it not been for Biggest Loser, I could be 500 [pounds]. I could be dead, I could have had a heart attack,' Patrick House, Season 10 winner, told People. During his time on the show, House lost a total of 205 pounds and got down to a slim 219 pounds by the season finale. Six years after starring on the show, he'd gained back nearly 50 pounds, but he doesn't hold The Biggest Loser responsible for slowing down his metabolism or causing him to regain some weight. 'The weight I have gained back is directly proportional to my time focused on diet and gym time. The only place to point the finger is at the man in the mirror,' he explained. 'Maintenance is tough, but it's not impossible.'

In 2017, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series shared a video of Patrick House participating in their 2017 New Orleans, Louisiana marathon and confirmed that the Season 10 winner 'continues to embrace an active lifestyle.'

Season 11: Olivia Ward

Olivia Ward, winner of Season 11, premiered on The Biggest Loser weighing 261 pounds. By the season finale, she had lost nearly half of her body weight and weighed 132 pounds. Ward is one of the very few Biggest Losers who has managed to maintain their finale weight. In June 2017, she shared before and after photos of herself on Facebook: one from 2001 when she was 25 and one from 2017 at 41 years old. 'It's never too late ... if you want a change go and get it...' she told her tens of thousands of fans on Facebook. 'I feel better at 41 than I ever did at 21 ... which is the BEST gift ever!!'

As of January 2019, Ward continues to work on her fitness goals by not only taking fitness classes, but also working as a senior SoulCycle instructor in Atlanta, Georgia.

Season 12: John Rhode

When Season 12 began in 2011, contestant John Rhode stepped onto The Biggest Loser scale weighing 445 pounds. America would soon be entranced by his fast and dramatic 220-pound weight loss. When Today spoke with Rhode in 2014, he revealed that he'd gained 50 pounds since the big finale, but also became the owner of a CrossFit gym in Mesa, Arizona. He also told the site that his life is 'action-packed and non-stop,' but that he was still actively trying to make the healthiest choices possible when out and about. 'Usually something quick is not the best choice,' Rhode divulged.

In 2014, he also revealed that he was working on writing a book about his experience on the show, but it never came to fruition. In the years since his interview with Today, he hasn't spoken publicly about his weight, but Rhode does remain active on social media.

Season 13: Jeremy Britt

Nearly 200 pounds — 199 to be exact — lighter, Jeremy Britt walked away the winner of The Biggest Loser Season 13. When Digital Spy asked Britt how he planned to keep the weight off after the show, he explained, saying, 'All these things that I've learned have helped me to do that going forward here.' He further added, 'Definitely if I do something that keeps me in the public eye, it just keeps me accountable and that will be good for me just to try and keep at it.' Though, he wasn't sure he even needed the public accountability at the time.

However, in the years since his big win — or rather, loss — Britt has kept an incredibly low profile. Even online, he keeps pretty quiet. According to a Christmas photo he posted to Facebook back in 2017, though, Britt is likely just busy raising his four children alongside his wife.

Season 14: Danni Allen

For the first time since Season 11, a woman took home the win. Danni Allen started her weight loss journey at 258 pounds and weighed 137 by the finale. The Season 14 winner revealed to Today that, by 2014, she'd gained a little over ten pounds back. All the while, though, Allen became a managing partner of a yoga and fitness studio, a motivational speaker, and even ran her first marathon.

Allen continues to encourage others to get fit and works on her own fitness goals, despite having been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in 2016 — a condition she's likely had her whole life. In an interview with Fox 32, Allen also revealed that 'losing so much weight so quickly' on The Biggest Loser had some unintended consequences. 'Your fat cells are full of estrogen — I lost over 140 pounds of estrogen,' she explained. Despite her challenges, she continues to live a healthy lifestyle and strives to bring awareness to PCOS.

Season 15: Rachel Frederickson

Rachel Frederickson, arguably the most controversial winner of The Biggest Loser, took home a $250,000 grand prize after going from 260 pounds to 105 pounds in Season 15. Many viewers were concerned that she'd lost too much weight. After losing 60 percent of her body weight, her Body Mass Index (BMI) was considered below normal and many thought she slimmed down too much. After the finale aired, she sat down with Peopleand divulged, 'Maybe I was a little too enthusiastic in my training to get to the finale.' She also denied having an eating disorder as some had speculated at the time.

By April 2014, Frederickson revealed to Us Weekly that she had put on around 20 pounds. 'I think I'm at my perfect weight!' she announced. Frederickson has stayed out of the limelight since 2016, but she was still looking happy and healthy at that point in time.

Season 16: Toma Dobrosavljevic

'I feel incredible,' Toma Dobrosavljevic told Us Weekly after being named the winner of Season 16. 'It's so mind-boggling and overwhelming, I look in the mirror and I still have a hard time recognizing myself. Knowing that I've lost, in the last year, over 200 pounds, it's just amazing.' Dobrosavljevic revealed that he started the show at 366 pounds, but he was 377 pounds at his heaviest. 'It's unbelievable,' he said of his extreme weight loss.

By January 2016, though, Dobrosavljevic revealed in a Facebook post that his weight was 'starting to creep up' on him after sustaining a calf injury a few months prior. In an effort to 'never go back to where [he] was,' he hosted a diet bet to lose the weight he'd gained. The Season 16 winner hasn't spoken publicly about his weight since, but shares pictures of himself from time to time on Instagram.

Season 17: Roberto Hernandez

Although viewers weren't exactly aware of it at the time, Roberto Hernandez would be the last person to ever win The Biggest Loser. Hernandez weighed 348 pounds when he first premiered on the 17th and final season, but by the end he'd lost 160 of those pounds and weighed a total of 188 pounds. Six months after the finale aired, Hernandez told Chicago Tribune that he'd put back on about 40 pounds, but had also just ran his first half-marathon.

The weight didn't worry him, he revealed, because he had been eating more carbs and building muscle. And while many have faulted the show for the seemingly inevitable weight gain that (more often that not) follows, Hernandez said he's 'holding [himself] accountable' instead. Hernandez revealed that 'keeping the weight off' has been the most difficult thing he's had to overcome in his life, but he also disclosed in 2019 that he's determined to keep on keepin' on.

Biggest Poker Winners 2016 List

Online poker tournaments are bigger than normal on Sundays at 888poker. In addition to normal tournaments featuring larger guarantees than what take place during the week, the online poker room showcases a few special tournaments, including the $120,000 Mega Deep and the $100,000 Sunday Challenge each weekend and the $150,000 Whale and the $100,000 Baby Whale on alternating Sundays.

While many players pulled down huge cashes in March, three players stick out the most by taking down at least one of the marquee Sunday events on 888poker and appearing on the final table in another one.

Dutch player Pim 'SuprNintend0' de Goede notched a win in the Mega Deep on March 6 for $28,920. He followed this up with another big score on March 27 when he took seventh in the Baby Whale for $4,651.

Argentina's Ivan 'ivanascasubi' Vilchez cashed for a bit more than de Goede after first taking second place in the Baby Whale on March 13 for $20,958 before outlasting a huge 1,018-player field in the Sunday Challenge on March 27 to take home $24,729.

We saved the biggest of the trio for last, as Hungary's Peter 'breeth' Turmezey first took third place in the Whale for $19,259 on March 20 before taking down the Baby Whale a week later for a haul of $27,189.

While these three players landed two big scores for big wins, other players scored big by simply winning one. Due to the big $600 buy-in, the Whale generates some huge prize pools. On March 6, 'fiestafiesta' outlasted a field of 324-players to win $35,422, while two weeks later 'CrystalMad' played his way to the top of a bigger field of 437 players to win $46,912.

Here is a look at the results of the biggest Sunday tournaments in March on 888poker:

The $150,000 Whale

The $120,000 Mega Deep

$100,000 Sunday Challenge 1R

The $100,000 Baby Whale

The $120,000 Mega Deep

$100,000 Sunday Challenge 1R

The $150,000 Whale

The $120,000 Mega Deep

$100,000 Sunday Challenge 1R

Biggest Poker Winners 2016 Results

The $100,000 Baby Whale

Biggest Poker Winners 2016 Agt

The $120,000 Mega Deep

$100,000 Sunday Challenge 1R

_{*Special thanks to PocketFives.com and Poker Pro Labs for some of the data in this article.}

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