Evanston brother and sister Daphne and Adrian Dortch are back home after competing on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” a reality show in which contestants compete to lose weight.
Adrian has lost 100 pounds and Daphne lost 71 pounds, according to the most recent numbers provided by NBC.
The siblings said life at The Biggest Loser Ranch was not easy. Contestants go through rigorous workouts with trainers every day and compete in special challenge events. At the end of every week there is a “weigh in,” during which a contestant from the team with the lowest weight loss is eventually voted off the show.
The Dortches joined the show during week five of its 12-week run. They lost an exercise challenge during the first episode and were sent home. However, they won a spot back on the show by losing a combined 60 pounds during their month at home.
“This experience, because of all the rivalry in the house, brought my sister and I closer, not only as brother and sister, but it helped us save each others’ lives through this journey,” Adrian said.
Born and raised in Evanston’s 5th Ward, Daphne and Adrian graduated from Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave., in 1992 and 1995 respectively. Daphne worked as a paralegal and a children’s activities planner at a health club. Adrian owned two businesses and unsuccessfully ran for 5th Ward alderman and multiple school board positions.
Adrian lost his newborn child and said he turned to eating to deal with his depression. After he suffered a heart attack at an Evanston movie theater, he vowed to change his life. Adrian also had sleep apnea but the condition went away once he lost weight.
Daphne still suffers a heart condition due to being overweight, though she said it is improving now.
“Even in the face of death, I still couldn’t lose all the weight that I needed to,” Daphne said. “I was at a standstill. I had been the same way for a couple years, and I just couldn’t do it on my own. When my brother presented the idea to me to go to the (Biggest Loser) Ranch, it was like the answer to the problem that I had all my life.”
Adrian was voted off after week six and Daphne went home after week eight. Both Daphne and Adrian said they felt that joining the show in the middle of the season gave them a disadvantage.
“Everyone else in the house had already established their bonds,” Daphne said. “When we came in, we were like the outsiders. They didn’t know us that well so it was very easy for them to vote us off.”
Adrian said in a way he was glad he didn’t start off at the Biggest Loser Ranch because he was more confident in his ability to lose weight at home.
Back in Evanston, both said they want to share what they have learned with the Evanston community. Adrian added the contestants he met on the show all went home committed to helping others lose weight.
They said they valued the support they received from their family and friends. Adrian said Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and the McGaw YMCA, 1000 Grove St., told the Dortches they would like to hold future events together.
“It lets us know that we went on the show and made where we were born and raised proud to say that we’re from there,” Adrian said. “That means a lot to us because we worked really hard to get this weight off and it’s nice to be appreciated from our community.”
Communication freshman Daphna Weinstock watches the show every week in her dorm. She said she learned about the risks of being overweight by watching the show.
“It definitely opens people’s eyes to the actual heath problems with obesity,” she said. “The problems of obesity are much more clear to me then they were before.”
Weinstock said she was surprised to hear the Dortches were from Evanston because the show said they were from Chicago.
Adrian said the lack of Evanston references annoyed him.
“We’ve been pressing for Evanston all along,” he said. “I don’t know why they said Chicago because people know what Evanston is because we have Northwestern, a Big Ten school.”
