Willow Springs man returns to "The Biggest Loser"

With North Carolina ranking # 12 when it comes to rate of adult obesity, it should be no surprise that we've been represented a couple of times on NBC's hit "The Biggest Loser."

This year, there are 3 folks from our great state on the show, making the stories of transformation and perseverance feel a little more personal.

The contestants are Tracey Yukich, a stay-at-home mom who was born in Raleigh; Antoine Dove, who's from Dudley; and Daniel Wright from Willow Springs. The show returns Tuesday at 8 p.m. Today, a chat with Daniel.

If you watched the show last season, you'll remember Daniel, who came on with his friend David Lee. Daniel was the heaviest contestant in the show's history, weighing 454 pounds. At the finale weigh-in, he was down 142 pounds to 312. And it was at the finale that the show's producers told him he could come back and keep losing.

"I was ecstatic," says Daniel. "It was up in the air a little bit. I had been losing on my own. But right before the finale, they told me. At 312 pounds, I have 100 pounds more to go. To have another shot and be able to take a for-sure route is great."

Already the weight loss has made a difference. "I find myself much more confident," says Daniel, who is just 20. "I'm not looking down the barrel of 200 pounds. I've lost 100 and I know I can do it, I know I can accomplish things."

Daniel believes being a 'veteran' of the show gave him a little bit of an advantage this time around. "I could be a leader. And it enabled me to be the guy they could come to about calories or exercise tips."

But don't think the road was easy, he says. "You should expect to see that even though I lost a lot of weight, I didn't have it all together," he says. "Every 20 or 50 pounds I lose, I find new layers of myself. With weight there's a lot of baggage. I had to dig deep to find out why I ended up where I am."

Daniel radiates positivity, even over the phone -- he hopes to be a youth pastor one day -- and it's tough to imagine him failing at his goal. His friend David had a different fate, and Daniel said he wasn't sure his successful journey would inspire him.

"I hope so, but I'm not sure," he says. "It's like a smoking addiction. You have to have total commitment and effort. You can't just try because your family wants you to. You have to want it for yourself. David isn't there yet. I'm not sure what will make him want to do it."