When NBC’s "The Biggest Loser" returns with a new season in January, one of the competitors will be the biggest ever, a 526-pound man from Chicago, reports the New York Times.

Michael Ventrella is a 31-year-old disk jockey from Chicago and the first weight-loss contestant to ever tip the scales at over 500 pounds. The eighth season commences Jan. 5.

— Allison J. Waldman