(left) Trainers Curtis and Nuku with host Sarimah (right).

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Helmed by the bubbly Sarimah Ibrahim, the series will see 30 Asian contestants being holed up in an undisclosed location somewhere in Malaysia and whipped into shape by no-nonsense personal trainers Dave Nuku from New Zealand and Kristy Curtis from Australia.

The Biggest Loser Asia, sponsored by Fitness First and Malacca-based A’Formosa, is the Asian version of the hugely-successful US reality show which is now well into its eighth season.

Aired in over 90 countries worldwide, The Biggest Loser has spawned local versions in Australia, Britain, Hungary, New Zealand, Brazil and Germany.

It is understood that the taping of The Biggest Loser Asia started about six weeks ago but the producers are keeping mum over the contestants’ details and the exact venue where all the action is taking place.

"You’ll know everything when the show premieres," says Riaz.

Will the Asian edition be just as exciting and inspirational as its other counterparts?

"Even more I think," says Riaz. "Given what I have seen over the past few week, we have more drama on our show. Viewers can expect more from this show because of the Asian element."

Hopeful contestants at an audition in Kuala Lumpur.

But aren’t Asians more restrained and reserved about expressing their feelings and emotions openly?

Riaz, however, feels otherwise. "We are becoming as outgoing and open about things as westerners. I think we’re heavily influenced by American TV as well."

The executive producer (below) pointed out that during the auditions, some of the contestants broke down while talking about why they wanted to be on the show. Some got so carried away that they started singing!

The good news is viewers will get to see footage of these auditions when The Biggest Loser Asia debuts next week.

As with the American version, the contestants are divided into two teams and each week will see one of them being eliminated from the show based on votes cast by their team mates.

The person who loses the highest percentage of weight wins the grand prize of US$100,000 (RM336,251) and a Renault car.

Executive Producer, Riaz Mehta.

Asked if trainers Nuku and Curtis will turn out to be as iconic as American’s Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, Riaz said enthusiastically: "Absolutely! Without a shadow of a doubt."

He added that the two share similar traits with their US counterparts.

He guaranteed that the Asian version was worth watching. "You ain’t seen nothing yet. Every moment is worth waiting for!"

Asked if Nuku and Curtis were selected because they worked for sponsor Fitness First, he clarified that there was no clause which stipulated that the trainer’s job had to be given to someone from the sponsoring company.

"We just cast the net wide looking for trainers in Asia and Australia. It just happened that the best were attached to Fitness First."

He also said that whether or not Malaysia would be chosen as the host country for the next season of The Biggest Loser Asia depended on the availability of sponsors.

When Hallmark announced a few months ago that contestants were being sought for the very first Asian edition of The Biggest Loser, over 2,000 people from across Asia showed up for auditions that took place in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.

The Biggest Loser Asia premieres on Hallmark (Astro Channel 702) on Nov 24 at 9pm and will air every Tuesday at 9pm.