End the Battle of the Bulge Forever

WE tv Brings USA Today's Weight-Loss Challenge to Television Beginning Monday, June 12 at 10:00pm

Hosted by Kim Coles, six people vow to change their overweight eating habits and battle their temptations once and for all

NEW YORK, NY, May 16, 2006 - Everyone knows that losing the weight and keeping it off is not easy. This summer join WE tv and USA TODAY for USA TODAY's Weight-Loss Challenge beginning Monday, June 12th at 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT. This eight-part series challenges six overweight people from around the country to end the battle of the bulge forever. Hosted by Kim Coles, we watch as these participants who have battled fat their whole lives, weigh in and make the commitment to themselves to finally shed those final pounds and keep them off forever. In the process, the dieters find their will power tested (or lack thereof), and face their weaknesses in order to succeed.

The participants begin their journey at a spa retreat in Utah. Here each dieter is armed with a diet specifically selected to suit their lifestyle and a support person to help them through the journey. Some will go to a weight-loss spa, others are matched with well known programs such as the South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig. It's all work and hardly any play, but there are some pleasant surprises along the way. As a matter of fact, the Dutchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, surprises one of the dieters along their journey. Will all their hard work and determination pay off? For one lucky dieter, their weight-loss won't be their only reward - they will be treated to a one-week, all-expenses paid trip to the island of Koh Samui in Thailand.

USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge is produced by USA TODAY LIVE. The premiere and final episodes will run one hour, with the remaining episodes running 30 minutes each.

Dieters:

Jeff

A 50-year-old elementary school physical education teacher from Greenwood, South Carolina who tips the scale at 400 pounds. He has decided to change every inch of his life forever with the help of his wife, Jeanne.

Jessica

A 17-year-old high school senior and self-admitted chocoholic from Indianapolis, IN struggles to adapt to her new diet and lifestyle and be an everyday teenager while doing so.

Gillian

A 28-year-old college junior from Syracuse, NY puts her weight-loss plan into action and ends up living the ultimate dream of her life.

Tory

Skinny all her life, a bout with illness and mandatory steroid medication changed her lifestyle and eating habits for the worse. We see Tory fight to regain her old self-image that she loved.

Paulette

A 38-year-old mom of two from Chula Vista, CA, could never lose that baby weight and that was 11 years ago! She's determined this time around to finally rid of the extra weight.

Toni

A 52-year-old mom who lives on a farm and who's favorite food is cornbread stuffing, swears off the butter-heavy favorites forever. Her weight topped off in the wake of her husband's death and now Toni works to replace her comfort food with an active and balanced life.

About WE tv:

WE tv is the only cable network dedicated to helping women connect to one another and the world around them. With quality original programming including the hit series "Bridezillas," unique movie packages like "Three Men and A Chick Flick," topical specials and its public affairs initiative WE Empowers Women, the network supports women and appeals to their interests in pop culture, relationships and personal style. WE tv is a subsidiary of Rainbow Entertainment Services and is currently seen in over 58 million homes.

About USA TODAY:

USA TODAY is the nation's top-selling newspaper. It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). Included in the USA TODAY brand are USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information site on the Internet; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a weekly magazine for baseball, professional football and NASCAR enthusiasts; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.