Extreme weight loss show in the works at ABC

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If you think you've already seen the biggest losers, just wait.

ABC is teaming with "Biggest Loser" executive producer J.D. Roth for a new show, tentatively titled "Obese," on which extremely overweight individuals shed hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.

The network has taken the rare step of ordering an unscripted show direct to series a year before they'll see any footage.

"We want to witness the most important year of a human being's life, and that's the one where they get their life back," Roth said. "We can help somebody lose 50 percent of their body fat, and you'll get to see that entire 365-day journey in one hour."

Six one-hour episodes of the documentary-style series have been ordered from production company 3 Ball, which will assemble each person's story into a stand-alone episode. In each, a personal trainer (whose name has not yet been released) will work with individuals whose lives have become unmanageable because of their weight.

Roth said the show will differ from other weight-loss reality shows, which have been led by Roth's own highly rated "Loser" franchise on NBC, a brand that just announced a spin-off starring trainer Jillian Michaels.

"This is a unique story that hasn't been told yet," said Roth, who will serve as the ABC show's executive producer. "There's something great and transformative when you take the game element out of it and just focus on one man or woman over the course of a year and there's no prize at the end. The finish is their entry into the life they've always wanted."

There's no host for "Obese"; instead, "each person becomes their own host."

The series will likely hit the air in 2011.

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)