Q&A

Hollywood

Q: Am I crazy or was there originally a different host of “The Biggest Loser,” other than the woman from “Days of Our Lives”?

A: Former soap star Alison Sweeney is still the face of “The Biggest Loser” for many people, even though she’s not the current host — she was succeeded by trainer Bob Harper — and despite the fact that she wasn’t the first host, either. She was preceded by comedian Caroline Rhea (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”).

Rhea actually hosted the first three seasons of the show, from 2004 to 2006. It’s a testament to its longevity (its 18th season wrapped in 2020, though there’s no word yet on a 19th) that three seasons can seem like a blip.

There was a small amount of controversy when Sweeney replaced Rhea. NBC’s various spokespeople both said Rhea left “to pursue other interests” and that Sweeney would “bring not only a great, fresh face to the show but a huge, loyal fan base.” Those statements, of course, don’t contradict each other, but gossip sites nonetheless used them to suggest that essentially Rhea was pushed out for someone younger.

For whatever reason, NBC showed much more faith in Sweeney, keeping her in the host’s seat (maybe “job” is a better word — sitting down is off message for the weightloss show) for 13 seasons.

As for the reason behind Sweeney’s own eventual exit, that, too, is a bit shadowy.

The best answer available is a slightly enigmatic statement she gave to People magazine a few weeks later: “It’s a tough time in TV and producers have a lot of tough choices to make in the landscape. We talked and it wasn’t an easy decision. It was just the right time for me to do something different.”

Q: I've recently been watching episodes of “Heartland” and noticing that a number of people can also be found in Hallmark movies. Can you tell me what the connection is between “Heartland” and Hallmark?

A: The connection is Canada.

“Heartland” wears its location on its sleeve, so to speak — the story is set in the sprawling Alberta countryside, where the filming takes place. However, a number of films and shows produced by Hallmark are secretly Canadian as well — they either dress up a Canadian location to stand in for an American one or else they just make a point of not mentioning the setting at all.

Movie magic can make anywhere look like anywhere, but movie practicality will show through if you look hard enough. It’s easier when filming in Canada to use Canadian actors — this isn’t always true for the stars, but it definitely is for the smaller roles.

If you’re looking for a more direct link, you could look at Sharon and Susan Forrest and Rhonda Fisekci — they’re the casting directors for “Heartland” and for a large number of Hallmark productions as well. And, yes, for the record, they’re Canadian.

That brings us to the other factor at play here: loyalty (though Canadians might tell you the two are related). Casting directors will select the same people time and time again if they were good in the past.

However, a few actors have said this is particularly true of the people who do Hallmark productions (such as Fisekci and the Forrests).

“In this industry, you get used to the disposability of everybody because we’re all replaceable,” Canadian-born actor Colin Ferguson said. “These guys seek us out and go, ‘Do you want to do another one?’ That goes a long way with actors.”