Extreme Weight Loss

Over the past 21 years, Kathie and her only child, son Josh, have slowly eaten their way into obesity as a way of dealing with the absence of Kathie's husband - Josh's father - who abandoned the family when Josh was only nine months old. Last year, Kathie wrote a letter to Chris Powell asking for help. Ultimately, both Kathie and Josh will have to work separately to become stronger people together during their year-long transformation.

Jayce grew up dreaming of becoming a famous musician. His father was a songwriter, but Jayce always dreamed of performing on stage. As a child, Jayce was dyslexic and struggled in school. Shy and introverted, he started overeating, weighing 175 pounds by the end of sixth grade and 320 pounds by the time he finished high school. By the time he ballooned to 417 pounds as an adult, Jayce knew it was time to ask for help.

As a child, Bruce turned to food for comfort after allegedly suffering mental and sexual abuse by his now-jailed father. In this episode, he'll take on the challenge of losing half his body weight and confront the underlying issue behind his weight gain during his year-long transformation.

When Melissa's military husband, Mike, returned from Afghanistan, he seemed to have become a different person. Later diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), he committed suicide in 2009, leaving behind Melissa and their two sons, one of whom has also been diagnosed with PTSD. In the years following Mike's death, Melissa turned to food for comfort, eventually reaching 301 pounds. Last year, Melissa wrote to show trainer Chris Powell's wife, Heidi Powell (also a trainer and transformation specialist), asking for help. Melissa's yearlong physical and emotional journey will be documented.

As a child, David often served as caretaker of his younger brothers and sister while his parents were at work. When he was 17, David eschewed his responsibilities for one night and went to a party with his friends. While he was gone, one of his two younger brothers broke into their father's gun cabinet and accidentally killed David's other brother. Mere weeks later, David fell asleep before giving his epileptic sister her medication and she died of a seizure in her sleep. Unable to deal with the guilt from their deaths, David became an excessive eater, eventually reaching 413 pounds.

As a child, Brandi fell in love with beauty pageants after watching them on television with her mother. A born performer, she took ballet plus tap lessons and competed in pageants for years. By the time she was 12, Brandi weighed more than 250 pounds, and comment cards from pageant judges told her over and over that she was too heavy to compete. Crushed by the criticism, Brandi quit competing and continued to put on weight throughout high school and well into her 20s. After reaching 329 pounds, she wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking him for help.

For the past 20 years, 44 year-old Georgeanna has devoted her life to her husband, who is a local pastor, and their two daughters. Often referred to as "Martha Stewart" by her family and friends, for whom Georgeanna bakes, decorates, sews and crafts, she neglected taking care of herself and is now more than 150 pounds overweight. Georgeanna will take on the challenge of losing half her body weight during her year-long transformation.

Cassie, who was physically fit throughout her childhood and adolescence, became pregnant unexpectedly at age 21, ultimately making the heart-wrenching decision to give her son up for adoption. That decision has haunted her for the past 18 years, and she punished herself by overeating, gaining nearly 200 pounds in the process. Though Cassie desperately wants to meet her son for the first time, she is ashamed to reach out to him before losing her excess weight. Last year, Cassie wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking for help.

Though she often jokes about being "vertically challenged" (at 4'5"), Sara has faced a lifelong struggle with her height and her weight. At 39 years old, Sara is nearly 150 pounds overweight. Believing her weight is holding her back from her true potential, Sara wrote a letter to trainer and transformation specialist Chris Powell asking him for help.

Kenny (410 pounds), a former Marine, and Christy (380 pounds), a caretaker for her ailing mother, both hope to improve their lives by losing up to half of their body weight, but only one of them will make it to the final weigh-in. The other will become the first participant ever to be kicked off the show for bad behavior.

Jeff and his daughter Juliana have a strained relationship. Juliana was born to Jeff and his wife late in life (her two siblings are more than a decade older). As a result, Juliana struggled to connect with her father, and often felt ignored and overlooked. Now 15, Juliana can no longer keep her resentment toward Jeff buried inside. Realizing he needed to be a better father and role model to his daughter, Jeff wrote a letter to trainers and transformation specialists Chris and Heidi Powell asking for help. Jeff and Juliana's yearlong physical and emotional journey together - an inspiring story of the importance of family, love and perseverance.