Extreme Weight Loss Episode Guide, Season 4 - Pazsaz Entertainment Network

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Ty And Charita
Charita is a 32-year-old hairstylist who stands 5'6" and weighs 310 lbs. Raised in a strict, religious family, she turned to food to cope with a bad decision she made at 19. She works two jobs, struggling to support her husband and three sons. 19-year-old Ty is a 6'4", 480-pound baseball phenom who's struggled with his weight since he was 10. Then already over 300 pounds, Ty was nearly twice as big as everyone else on his baseball team. Baseball agents and coaches have informed him that the only thing standing between him and a professional contract is his weight. Coached by Chris and Heidi, Ty and Charita's transformations will be filled with both turbulent moments and amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ty will get a chance to work out with Major League Baseball All-Star Josh Hamilton (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), who is one of his heroes. Charita will start a new career as a Zumba instructor, and get the chance to spend time with her favorite R&B group T.G.T. (Tyrese, Ginuwine & Tank). She also gets to meet with celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito to help show her "How To Lose A Pound A Day." Everything changes when Chris and Heidi uncover surprising information about one of the two participants. Ultimately, one of them will quit, unable to handle the pressure. Who will make it to the final weigh-in, and who will go home?

Kathie And Josh
Kathie (52) and Josh (21) are from Charlotte, NC. She is 5'2" and weighs 255 pounds, while Josh is 5'7" and weighs 345 pounds. After an unexpected and messy divorce rendered Kathie a single mom, she became depressed and didn't date at all for the next 20 years. Food was her comfort. With Josh by her side, hurting from the absence of his father, whom he felt disconnected from even though they live in the same town, they both became dangerously overweight as Kathie continually consoled them both with food. With little money to spare, the fast food "dollar menu" became their daily go-to meal (in fact, they keep a giant box full of Happy Meal toys as a reminder of their bad habits). Now, Kathie harbors so much guilt over Josh's childhood, she can't bring herself to kick him out of the house. Josh, in turn, is so dependent on his mother that he won't leave. Hoping to break this cycle, Kathie wrote a letter to Chris Powell, asking him to take them on as clients. Chris chose to help them in a very surprising, public way: on national television. While in the audience at a taping of "The View," Chris told Kathie and Josh they'd been chosen, and they joined Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and then co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on stage for a live weigh-in to begin their yearlong journey. Neither Kathie nor Josh knew what to expect when Chris recruited his wife, Heidi, to assist with their transformations, she insisted they focus not only on their health, but on their careers and personal lives as well. While Kathie welcomed a new man into her life, Josh struggled to move out and to do the most difficult thing he's ever done: confront his absent father. Also in the episode, Chef Rocco Dispirito teaches Kathie and Josh how to break away from their chronic fast food habits and turn to a new way of eating and healthier food choices.

Jayce
Jayce got married very young. Though the marriage was good for the first couple of years, after having a son things took a turn for the worse. Jayce attributes his largest weight gain to his eventual divorce and the ensuing custody battles he continues to fight against his ex-wife to this day. After his divorce, Jayce moved to Nashville to actively pursue his dream of becoming a musician. In his first year there, he wrote a song, "Country Boy's World," which was featured on country star Jason Aldean's album, "My Kinda Party." Aldean's album went on to become the top-selling country album of 2012. Jayce is currently one of the most in-demand songwriters in Nashville, but now he also wants to be the guy on the stage. However, he knows his current weight makes that dream physically impossible. Determined to finally make his dreams come true and become a man his son can be proud of, Jayce reached out to Chris Powell to help change his life. Jayce will chase his dreams of finally being on stage, with help from surprise visits by country music stars Casey James and Gretchen Wilson. Additionally, Chris will force Jayce to face his childhood fear of being in the water (he almost drowned at six years old) in an unbelievable swimming challenge with Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte.

Bruce
Bruce (29) is from Salt Lake City, UT. He is 5'10" and weighs 382 pounds. A high school football coach, Bruce is adored by his players and friends, and wants to set a better example for his team. However, he struggles with a dark secret from his past: as a child, Bruce turned to food for comfort after he says he was a victim of mental and sexual abuse by his dad. His father has never admitted to molesting Bruce, though he is currently in jail for his crimes against other children. It took Bruce nine years to finally admit that he was also abused. Realizing he needed to take his weight loss to the next level, Bruce wrote a letter to Chris Powell asking for help. Now, in one of the most powerful episodes in "Extreme Weight Loss's" history, Chris takes on the challenge of not only helping Bruce lose 50% of his body weight, but also urging him to confront the issue behind his weight gain. Chris stands with Bruce as he struggles to decide whether or not he will attend his father's first parole hearing. If he does, will Bruce take the opportunity to finally speak out against the person who ruined his childhood? During his journey on "Extreme Weight Loss," Bruce will also be offered some amazing opportunities, including a VIP visit to meet his favorite football team: the Oakland Raiders. His visit includes a one-on-one workout with Raiders and NFL legend Jerry Rice, as well as a chance to meet his favorite player, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, whom Bruce always looked up to because they share a common past - Rocket says he was also a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

Melissa
Following Mike's PTSD diagnosis, 46-year-old Melissa and her family struggled to return to their normal, everyday lives. As Mike became quieter and more emotionally withdrawn, Melissa never knew what to expect. Then one day, Mike didn't come home - he had committed suicide at work. After Mike's death, Melissa turned to food for comfort, and as an escape to avoid dealing with the pain of her loss. Five years later, Melissa decided it was time to take action before her bad habits made her children orphans. Feeling a kinship with Heidi, also a working mother, Melissa reached out to ask for help. Melissa quickly realized she didn't know what she had gotten herself into in working with Heidi. Though Chris is known as an affable encourager, Heidi is much more of a "bulldog" calling Melissa out on all of her excuses during their year together, and forcing her to confront her demons. With encouragement from Heidi, Melissa also will spend the year figuring out how to celebrate her husband's life, rather than mourn his death. Additionally, while at "EWL" boot camp, she'll get the opportunity to learn proper nutrition from celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito.

David
As a child, David often served as caretaker of his younger brothers and sister while his parents were at work. When he was 17, David eschewed his responsibilities for one night and went to a party with his friends. While he was gone, one of his two younger brothers broke into their father's gun cabinet and accidentally killed David's other brother. Mere weeks later, David fell asleep before giving his epileptic sister her medication and she died of a seizure in her sleep. Unable to deal with the guilt from their deaths, David became an excessive eater, eventually reaching 413 pounds. David's yearlong physical and emotional transformation will be documented.

Brandi
As a child, Brandi fell in love with beauty pageants after watching them on television with her mother. A born performer, she took ballet plus tap lessons and competed in pageants for years. By the time she was 12, Brandi weighed more than 250 pounds, and comment cards from pageant judges told her over and over that she was too heavy to compete. Crushed by the criticism, Brandi quit competing and continued to put on weight throughout high school and well into her 20s. After reaching 329 pounds, she wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking him for help. Brandi's year-long physical and emotional journey will be documented.

Georgeanna
For the past 20 years, 44 year-old Georgeanna has devoted her life to her husband, who is a local pastor, and their two daughters. Often referred to as "Martha Stewart" by her family and friends, for whom Georgeanna bakes, decorates, sews and crafts, she neglected taking care of herself and is now more than 150 pounds overweight. Georgeanna will take on the challenge of losing half her body weight during her year-long transformation.

Cassie
Cassie, who was physically fit throughout her childhood and adolescence, became pregnant unexpectedly at age 21, ultimately making the heart-wrenching decision to give her son up for adoption. That decision has haunted her for the past 18 years, and she punished herself by overeating, gaining nearly 200 pounds in the process. Though Cassie desperately wants to meet her son for the first time, she is ashamed to reach out to him before losing her excess weight. Last year, Cassie wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking for help. Her yearlong transformation will be featured.

Sara
Though she often jokes about being "vertically challenged" (at 4'5"), Sara has faced a lifelong struggle with her height - and her weight. At 39 years old, Sara is nearly 150 pounds overweight. Believing her weight is holding her back from her true potential, Sara wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking him for help. Her yearlong physical and emotional journey will be documented.

Kenny And Christy
Kenny (410 pounds), a former Marine, and Christy (380 pounds), a caretaker for her ailing mother, both hope to improve their lives by losing up to half of their body weight, but only one of them will make it to the final weigh-in. The other will become the first participant ever to be kicked off the show for bad behavior.

Rod
9-year-old Rod is a fun-loving drama coach who always wears a big smile on the outside to hide the self-doubt and unhappiness he keeps buried deep down. He longs to audition for roles on Broadway, but his 448-pound frame has made achieving that dream impossible. Additionally, though Rod serves as a caretaker for his elderly parents, he's never told his father that he is gay. Realizing that his excess weight and his hidden sexuality have kept him from fully expressing who he really is, Rod wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking for help.

Jeff And Juliana
At 423 pounds, 55-year-old Jeff is 200 pounds overweight. 265-pound Juliana is bullied and ostracized at high school over her size. Chris and his wife, Heidi, team up to try and help repair the strained relationship between father and daughter while challenging Jeff and Juliana to lose over 330 pounds together. Along the way, Chris and Heidi will make some of Jeff and Julian's dreams come true. Jeff will get the chance to meet and work out with his favorite football team, the Denver Broncos -including Pro Bowl stars Terrell Davis and Karl Mecklenburg, plus current star Demaryius Thomas and former Bronco Eric Decker (who is now a member of the New York Jets). Meanwhile, Juliana will realize her lifelong dream of riding roller coasters with her dad at Disney World, where they'll also run a half-marathon together. However, their journey doesn't always go smoothly. After noticing that Jeff and Juliana aren't losing as much weight as they should be, Chris and Heidi place them under surveillance, and discover that both father and daughter are cheating on their diet and exercise plans. Will Jeff and Juliana come clean and earn a second chance? Or will Chris and Heidi kick them out of the program for their dishonesty? Also in the episode, Rocco DiSpirito will show Jeff & Juliana how to make double chocolate cookies that taste great and have fewer than 100 calories each.