Local 'Biggest Loser' contestants say real prize is a healthier life
The last time a national television audience saw Gerald "Jerry" Hayes, the Wheaton resident was making an early exit from NBC's "The Biggest Loser."
While Jerry, 64, and his wife, Estella, 63, are the oldest couple ever to compete on the weight-loss competition/reality show, they both were sent home by the end of the second episode.
Even when a noticeably slimmer Estella made a midseason appearance, her progress wasn't enough to get her another chance at the $250,000 grand prize.
But with the show's three-hour finale set to air live Tuesday night, the Hayeses say "The Biggest Loser" fans might be surprised by the physical transformation they've undergone over the nearly seven months off camera.
"Hold on to your hat," Jerry said.
Does that mean Jerry or Estella could have a shot at winning the $100,000 that will be awarded to the eliminated contestant who has the highest percentage of weight loss?
The couple's personal trainer, Amanda Roush, says she believes they will "definitely be contenders."
"When people see them at the finale, it is going to be, I think, the biggest shocker in 'Biggest Loser' history," Roush said.
Local viewers will have to tune in to WMAQ-TV, Channel 5, at 7 p.m. Tuesday to find out whether Roush's prediction is correct.
No matter what happens, Estella and Jerry say they are living healthy and feeling great.
"So in a lot of ways, we've already won so much," Estella said. "We won back a lot more years for our future."
Estella, a retired nurse, and Jerry, a retired engineer, auditioned for the popular show because they were looking for a way to lose weight.
A longtime yo-yo dieter, Jerry says he needed to do something to address his weight, which was causing an array of health problems.
When the show started taping on a California ranch, Jerry weighed 369 pounds and Estella weighed 242 pounds.
Despite fainting after his initial workout, Jerry lost an impressive 25 pounds leading up to the first weigh-in.
But in the first episode's plot twist, Estella was sent home for at least 30 days to lose weight on her own. Then Jerry was eliminated during his second week.
"We didn't want to come home," Jerry said. "There's no question about that."
Still, being home had its advantages. For starters, the couple got to be with each other and their family. And when Estella arrived a week before Jerry, she got everything in place so they could follow a diet and exercise plan.
Then the Hayeses signed up for a membership at Wheaton Sport Center and started training with Roush, committing themselves to achieving their goals.
"I have never seen this kind of compliance and work ethic in anybody," said Roush, who has been a personal trainer for 10 years.
"There have been times where I think they were probably cursing my name under their breath," she added. "But they always adhered 100 percent."
That meant following a strict diet and doing up to six hours of daily exercise.
"We don't wait for dinner and then go, 'Can you buy me a burrito on the way home?' " Estella said. "We don't do that anymore."
Roush said what's impressed her the most is that Jerry and Estella have consistently lost weight.
"There were very few weeks where we had a double-digit loss with either one of them," she said. "But at the end, it didn't matter. Slow and steady can give you the same result."
Along the way, the Hayeses got plenty of encouragement from family, friends and other members at Wheaton Sport Center.
They even have fans who recognize them as they are running errands around Wheaton. Of course, Jerry points out that's been happening less frequently lately because the couple's appearance has "changed quite a bit."
Some people have asked them for autographs. Others just want to know what they ate that day.
"For some reason when they see you on TV," Estella said, "all of a sudden you're an expert."