14 DAY TRIAL // Anna Kournikiva seemed the perfect choice as host of a new season of NBC's The Biggest Loser but it turned out she was more of a “nightmare” than a dream come true. She won't return for a new season.
Jillian Michael left the show at the end of season 11, which prompted NBC to look for a new host. They thought they found it in Kournikova, a gorgeous woman and a competent athlete.
Things didn't go as planned, with unnamed sources telling The Hollywood Reporter that the stunner was actually a “nightmare” to work with and that she'd often clash with the staff and the contestants.
Her rep has confirmed that she will not be returning for a new season of the show, which documents a group's weight loss as a journey back to health – and establishes a winner in the person of the “biggest loser,” meaning the one who loses the most weight.
“I enjoyed my time on the Biggest Loser ranch. Although I will not be returning as a full time trainer on season 13, I will always be a part of The Biggest Loser family and my commitment to bettering lives through health and fitness will continue,” Kournikova says in a statement released by her publicist.
The truth behind her departure is that she simply wasn't the right person for the job, THR writes, citing unnamed insiders.
Anna may seem sweet and nice but she had moments when she was the exact opposite of that. Contestants also found it nearly impossible to relate with her.
“Staffers say they clashed with her, and some of the contestants found her a bit brash,” THR writes.
“Whereas Michaels was soothing, encouraging and even uplifting, Kournikova did not sympathize with her overweight contestants, often telling them about her own tough upbringing when they complained about training being hard,” adds the same report.
Sources even describe her as a “nightmare” and the last thing one would expect a life coach to be.
No replacement for Kournikova has been announced yet.