(S03E01) I don't watch that much reality television, but I like this one because it seems to work for the contestants. And maybe for viewers too: last season I watched and got inspired, losing fifty pounds myself. So I've been looking forward to this.

But wait a minute: Jillian Michaels -- the tougher of the two trainers in earlier seasons is gone, much to my disappointment. Had I paid attention when she announced her departure months ago, maybe I wouldn't have tuned in tonight. I really like how she drove the men's team last year, and they seemed to love her too. That, and this time there are fifty contestants to wade through. One from each state in the union. The obese nation theme gets a lot a play early on. But fairly quickly they're whittled down to a manageable group of 14: seven men and seven women. Unlike last year, they are not divvied up into teams based on gender. The other 36 will continue the challenge on their own at home. However, the parade of fifty hopeful contestants marching down the hill to the Biggest Loser Ranch is an impressive sight. (Spoilers after the jump.)

Rebecca Jarvis, who lost out during last season's Apprentice, has been hired by CNBC as an associate reporter. The 24 year old will begin work at the cable business channel on April 3 and is apparently jumping in feet first (or is that "head first?" Well, whichever sounds better to you). She'll be working alongside every department, as well as developing and reporting on stories of her own. Jarvis first got into the news biz at the age of sixteen when she worked on Whatever, a news show for kids that still airs here in Minneapolis.