There is no rest for the trainers of NBC's The Biggest Loser.  Just weeks after wrapping up filming of season 4, they went right back to work on the fifth season.  Alison Sweeney returned as host as did Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels as trainers.  Kim Lyons did not return for the fifth installment of the reality show.  This time, the show changes things up by having contestants compete in pairs.  Contestants are connected either through friendship, family, or marriage with the exception of one.  One pair will be complete and total strangers.  Today, Bob Harper talked to BuddyTV, dishing on the exciting new season and the challenges he and the contestants will have to face.

Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.

Hey everybody. This is Gina from BuddyTV, and today I'm talking to Bob Harper, one of the trainers on NBC's The Biggest Loser. Well, gee, you're right back in. The Biggest Loser 4 ended, and you're now promoting the fifth season. You don't get a break at all!

The season just ended and I'm here again.


Yeah, you got right back into it. How long in between tapings of season 4 and season 5 did you have off?

Not very long, Gina. Probably, I think about a month, five weeks. The thing about The Biggest Loser, it's the longest-running production show, a reality show. I mean, it takes four months of shooting, and in those four months, I mean, you're putting in seven-day weeks. It's 24/7. I mean, it's a lot.


What is it about the show that keeps you going for so many seasons?

Well, I gotta tell ya, I love it, I love what I do. And people are always asking me, does it ever get old for you? It never gets old for me because what happens is, every season, I have a new group of people that are going on this whole process for the very first time, so it keeps the new in it for me. So, all of a sudden, when I go to work that first day, and I've got six or seven people standing in front of me going, "Just tell me what to do," I get my new kids. That's always my joke, like these are my new kids. I am definitely the kind of person that would do anything for my kids.


Will season 5 take place at The Biggest Loser campus, like season 4 did?

We have a new set. We're in Malibu this season. It's a different environment. We have just a whole, different location because this season, it's all with couples.


Yeah, and how was that for you? Is it just you and Jillian training this season?

Yes, it's back to being Jillian and I. We decided, it's going to be couples, we're going to be the dynamic duo.


So are you assigned couples, or do you both train everyone?

We get assigned couples, but there's definitely a blurring of the lines. We're really sort of working side-by-side. Because it was a good change.


Now, when family members or spouses have to rely on one another, how does that add to the drama or the stress of the situation?

Well, it's interesting because when I was working with contestants in the past, it's all about working with that husband so he can go home and try to get his wife on board. Now, all of a sudden, I have a husband and wife together. They could really be helpful to one another, or they could hold each other back, which a lot of couples tend to do in real life. So, all of a sudden, you're just going to get a spotlight put on that and kind of see the mechanics of the relationship and how it can be kind of fun, couples trying to work out together and lose weight together. Because normally, when I've worked with people one-on-one, you don't ever want to work out a couple together because there's a whole other kind of dynamic that's brought in.


So, do you feel like on top of training them, you also have to counsel them through situations?

Oh, absolutely. From season 1, I realized that this job is not just about personal training. For me, you've got to be not only their trainer and nutritionist, but you've got to be a life coach, you've got to a psychologist, you've got to be a friend, you've got to be a mother, a father. I mean, it's a lot.


Is it difficult for you to stay in touch with all the contestants after each season ends because the list just must keep getting bigger and bigger.

The list just keeps getting longer and longer. But you try the best you can and you realize that... I always tell my people from past seasons that I will always be that touchstone for them anytime that they need to just reach out or they just need to get grounded again. And I'm always going to be there. And thank goodness for emails and MySpace and all that kind of stuff because it's a better way to keep in contact.


Is there one aspect of the new season that really has you excited?

Well, I definitely think that the couples brings in a whole other dynamic. But I gotta tell you, at the end of the day, the audience for The Biggest Loser just loves seeing the weight loss, and for me, that's what I get excited about and that's what I get really motivated to see and be a part of. So, it's going to be crazy weight loss and it's going to be drama every week too. But at the end of the day, it's just going to be watching people that you feel like are in such hopeless situations taking charge of their lives. It's so exciting for me. I actually wrote a book about this that's coming out in April called "Are You Ready!" It's all about just talking to these contestants and getting them to like themselves again.


Well, I'm glad you brought that up because I was wondering about what other projects you have going on. Can you tell us a little bit more about the book?

Yeah, I've written my first book. It's so interesting. When I first started on this show, and I worked on The Biggest Loser book, everyone's always been asking me, "Where's your book? When's your book coming out?" And it just wasn't the time. I wasn't ready to put what I've learned into a book until now. And the one common denominator I've found when it came to the contestants that I've worked with is that they're just too hard on themselves. They spend their whole days, every day, avoiding themselves. And that's what my whole book is about. It's about getting people to like themselves all over again and getting them back on track. That, to me, was such an eye-opening experience. My book is so not about, you know, "Get a six-pack in six weeks." It's not about that.


We can't wait to see that, and we love watching you on the show. We'll be watching the premiere on January 1st. I just wanted to thank you so much, Bob.

Thank you. I really appreciate it.


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of NBC)