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Suburban man in Thursday night's 'Biggest Loser' finale

A Bloomingdale man could win the title of "The Biggest Loser" Thursday on NBC's weight loss competition show, and if he does, he'll become the fourth suburban winner in the show's 16 seasons.

Toma Dobrosavljevic, who has shed 137 pounds to make it to the final three, will weigh in during tonight's live finale, which begins at 7 p.m. The winner will get a $250,000 prize.

Dobrosavljevic weighed 336 pounds when he started the season, and as of last week's episode, was down to 199 pounds.

Past winners of "The Biggest Loser" were Bartlett's Michael Ventrella, Wheeling's Danni Allen and Wheaton's Jerry Hayes, who won the at-home prize. Over the years, nearly a dozen more suburban residents have been contestants, and this season, one of the trainers was Lisle native Jen Widerstrom.

What does this say about the suburbs? Other than that some of us can stand to lose a few pounds?

"I don't know if it says something about the suburbs, but it's pretty crazy," said Dobrosavljevic's longtime friend, Eddie Imbrogno of Elgin.

Dobrosavljevic, 33, grew up in Addison, the son of Serbian immigrant parents, and was an athlete at Addison Trail High School. He's now a senior project manager for a technology company.

Some of Dobrosavljevic's friends and family flew to Los Angeles this week to be in Thursday's live audience, where they'll wear #TeamToma T-shirts and wave signs. About 100 friends turned out for a viewing party and rally at Addison Trail in October.

"I totally think he can win. In fact, I'm expecting him to win," said Imbrogno, who will be in the studio audience.

Friends describe Dobrosavljevic as "the nicest guy," saying he's the first person to help out and always supportive of others. He started packing on pounds after the death of his father, who was his best friend. He didn't show his grief around his friends, but a lot of it came out during the taping of the show. He revealed his motivation to go on "The Biggest Loser" was to keep a promise he made to his dad to lose weight.

"It's been very emotional. Every episode - I can speak for everyone about this - we always end up crying," said friend Sandra DeFrancesco of Bloomingdale.

"We knew how close Toma was to his father. It was hard to hear him talking about how he didn't want to let his dad down."

Segments of the show were taped in Hawaii and Dobrosavljevic had a makeover with style gurus Tim Gunn and Ken Paves in which they shaved off his mustache and beard and gave him new clothes.

While home around the holidays, Dobrosavljevic impressed his friends with his determination and focus, working out for six hours a day and inspiring others to work out and eat healthier foods.

"Everyone just started crying when they saw him. It was still him, but we were so happy to see him so happy," DeFrancesco said. "I asked him for workout routines and he gave them to me. I said, 'When you get back here, you're training all our butts.'"

To Dobrosavljevic's friends, it doesn't matter whether he wins "The Biggest Loser" title or not.

"I already told him, 'You know what? Whatever you go through on Thursday, you've already conquered the mountain of weight loss. Now you have the knowledge and ability to maintain this,'" Imbrogno said. "He's come such a long way ... and everything has changed for him. You can't put money on that."

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Bloomingdale resident Toma Dobrosavljevic is a finalist on this season of "The Biggest Loser." Photo courtesy of NBC/Trae Patton
"The Biggest Loser" contestant Toma Dobrosavljevic, of Bloomingdale, models his new makeover style. Photo courtesy of NBC/Trae Patton
Family photos show "The Biggest Loser" contestant Toma Dobrosavljevic, of Bloomingdale, with his girlfriend, Jamie McGowan, and her three children. Photo courtesy of Jamie McGowan
Fans of "The Biggest Loser" contestant Toma Dobrosavljevic, of Bloomingdale, wear their #TeamToma T-shirts every Thursday night when the show airs. Photo courtesy of Jamie McGowan
Toma Dobrosavljevic, right, of Bloomingdale, works out during this season of "The Biggest Loser." He's made it to the final three and will weigh-in live during Thursday night's season finale. Photo courtesy of NBC/Trae Patton
"The Biggest Loser" trainer Jen Widerstrom, who grew up in Lisle, works out with contestant Toma Dobrosavljevic, a Bloomingdale resident. Photo courtesy of NBC/Trae Patton
Toma Dobrosavljevic, left, of Bloomingdale, works out during this season on "The Biggest Loser." Photo courtesy of NBC/Justin Lubin
Toma Dobrosavljevic, who grew up in Addison and now lives in Bloomingdale, is one of three finalists on this season of "The Biggest Loser." Photo courtesy of NBC/Trae Patton
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