‘The Biggest Loser’ casts ‘American Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard for season 15

For its upcoming 15th season airing later this fall, “The Biggest Loser” is adding a dose of star power; namely, they are casting someone who is already well-known to millions of viewers around America as the “Velvet Teddy Bear”: Ruben Studdard.

Speaking to People Magazine, the season 2 champion of “American Idol” confirmed that he will be heading to the famous ranch in order to compete for the grand prize, but to more importantly take on a challenge that has him worried about his future long-term health:

“I’ve never had an issue with my weight. [But] my family has a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart-related issues – things I didn’t have to deal with yet because I’m young. But I don’t want to be worried at 40, and if I don’t fix things now, I will be.”

One thing we do want to point out here is that Studdard has been receiving hate-bombs on the internet for saying that he’s “never had an issue with [his] weight.” We don’t think he’s talking about anything here other than that he’s never let it get to him on some sort of emotional or psychological level. The guy’s had so much else going for him in his life that trifling with something like this may not seem like so great of an issue.

But one thing that we are worried about for Ruben is whether or not he will be able to perform adequately on the show, given that he is going to have a massive target on his back because of his fame, and that some other contestants may feel slighted that he has money and resources to help him lose weight, and some of them may not. Of course, we counter that with saying that maybe Ruben has tried other things and they have not worked. If they do not want him on the show, they will simply get him out early.

What do you think about Ruben being a contestant on “The Biggest Loser” this year? If you want to also check out the rest of NBC’s fall schedule, just be sure to hit up the link here.

Photo: NBC