He used charm, others’ personal tragedies and fake celebrity endorsements. How Christopher LaVoie cast his reality show and reeled in successful entrepreneurs.
When the star of “The Biggest Loser” came for his second visit to San Diego last week, he found his audience more interested in the big fish swimming in the big pond – and the other person’s celebrity.
LaVoie was greeted like a celebrity – with a round of applause and cheering. For the last time, his real name was revealed – and his wife revealed they have three children.
His reality show, “The Biggest Loser,” which he started in 2008, ended after 23 seasons – more than 13 years after his debut episode.
“It’s nice to be the star of your reality show,” said LaVoie, 32, to a jittery crowd at a community center in San Diego Tuesday evening. “My personal journey is different than (his) but I don’t think I should take the credit, because I was very lucky.”
LaVoie has since moved on to work with a number of successful entrepreneurs, including his wife, Amanda. She is the founder of the company, Amanda LaVoie Management, which she says connects people with the right talent for their needs.
LaVoie’s real-life story is not about winning the “Biggest Loser.” He lost a business that had been a major part of his life.
A few days after he lost his business, LaVoie said he took a look back at the last few years of his life and decided it was time to get back on track.
Before taking on the reality show he lost more than $1 million in his failed company. He said he never thought about what he would do after losing the business but realized when the show started to air that others were watching.
He said he wanted to inspire others – and he got it.
“People had to figure out why I wasn’t in the finale,” he said on the stage. “They were like, ‘What happened? He lost