Note: Contains spoiler info. Missed the show? More "The Biggest Loser" air times.

With 2010 warming up, it's time for another season of "The Biggest Loser." This season, inspired by the statistic that a third of Americans are obese, the popular weight-loss show recruited 11 family teams of 2 to motivate and inspire each other to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Season 9 of "The Biggest Loser" began with a twist as the contestants did their first weigh-ins from their hometowns, rather than the BL ranch. Though having to do this process in front of their family, friends and community had its own challenges, the contestants were sent off with nothing but support from back home. As they arrived at the ranch, host Alison Sweeney greeted the gang with their first challenge.

Before even getting the chance to unpack, the hopefuls were called to participate in a stationary bicycling competition. Hinting at the previous season's end, in which the contestants ran a marathon, each new team had to tackle a 26.2 mile ride. The first 9 teams to complete the challenge would officially move in to the house — with the first-place team winning immunity, ensuring them at least a week in the competition —while the last 2 teams would be sent packing.

Green team, mother and daughter Migdalia Cancel and Miggy Sebren, took first-place honors, but local hopefuls Darrell and Andrea Hough were among the other qualifying teams. And in yet another surprise, the bottom 2 teams (yellow's father/daughter team of O'Neal and Sunshine; and blue's mother/daughter team of Cherita and Vicky) were sent home for 30 days to continue their weight-loss pursuits, at which point they'd be invited back to see how they compared to the 9 teams at the ranch.

After the challenge, it was meet-the-participants time, when Ann Arbor-based father/daughter team Darrell and Andrea Hough talked about what inspired them to apply for "The Biggest Loser." Both sought to break their family's generations-long cycle of obesity, press operator/mechanic Darrell saying that his addiction to food greatly detracts from his ability to live life to its fullest, while executive assistant/softball coach Andrea explained that her weight has made dating difficult and she worries that if she has a family she won't be able to keep up with the kids.

Get to know Darrell and Andrea Hough:

"Biggest Loser" trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels didn't let the contestants off easy with their first workouts. Andrea was one of many of the hopefuls who seemed pushed to the limit, but the support of father Darrell helped her get back on track.

Then, with the first week of workouts behind them, the hopefuls weighed in at the ranch. Team Hough, who began with an overall weight of 711 pounds, shed a total of 44 pounds this week (30 pounds of which Darrell lost himself), breaking down to a 6.19% loss. Ultimately, Darrell and Andrea were among the top 5 most successful teams of the week.

At the elimination room, the contestants had to decide who would be the first individual to leave the program. On the chopping block were the brown team's members, twin brothers John and James. After a difficult deliberation, the remaining competitors sent home James.

More than a new lifestyle is at stake for the competitors: the individual who loses the highest percentage of weight by the end of the season takes home a $250,000 prize. And there's a chance for viewers to make a positive impact, too. As was the case last season, "The Biggest Loser" is partnering with General Mills, Feeding America, Subway and 24 Hour Fitness for the Pound For Pound Challenge. This initiative invites viewers to get healthy and fight hunger by pledging weight loss at biggestloser.com; for each pound pledged, a local food bank will receive a pound of groceries.

See what's in store on this season of "The Biggest Loser":

Chrysta Cherrie is the entertainment producer/copy editor for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at chrystacherrie@annarbor.com or 734-623-2526, and follow her on Twitter @chrystacherrie.