On Monday, 7 January, at 20:00 e.tv will launch one of its most ambitious local reality programmes yet, the weight-loss show, The Biggest Loser: South Africa.

There are 15 one-hour episodes as well as an additional 10 episodes of The Biggest Loser Extra airing on Sundays at 16:00.

The premise of this weight-loss reality drama is as follows: two experienced fitness trainers (Lisa Raleigh and Bruce Classen) help 14 overweight contestants transform their bodies, health, and ultimately their lives. Jasmyn Asvat hosts the show.

Two competing teams (red and blue) follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers.

Tough physical challenges, surprising alliances and irresistible temptations make this unscripted competition even harder for the contestants, who ultimately have to decide which player is eliminated.

Some of the difficulties to overcome include delicious food, strict weekly weigh-ins and hard-core fitness training on a thick sandy beach.

To add salt to the metaphorical wounds, the contestants are accommodated in a gorgeous seaside villa right outside Durban, where alas, the golden sand will mostly be used for exercise and not for laid-back tanning sessions.

Find out on Monday, 7 January at 20:00, why the eliminated contestant does not go home, but rather to The Biggest Loser Extra house.