Staff from reality-TV show predicated on intensive weight loss and gains in life happiness will arrive at Liberty Station on Saturday, March 14 to cast potential San Diegan contestants. If locals have a deeply personal story to tell about recasting their lifestyles in a healthful way, casting directors for “The Biggest Loser 8” are extending an invitation to try out. On the surface, San Diego may seem an unlikely place to produce many weighty contestants, with its healthful and fitness-minded culture. One can spot joggers, bicyclists and Rollerbladers at practically every intersection and boardwalk in San Diego’s beach communities. Yet San Diego consistently makes the list of America’s top-25 fattest cities. For this reason and a few others, “Biggest Loser” executives have selected San Diego as one of the 14 cities to cast from for its next season. “We pick our cities based on geographical location and we try to give viewers a good idea of what America looks like. [San Diego] is a big resort town. It’s known for food, sights and other luxuries,” said Allison Kaz, vice president of casting at 3Ball Productions. “We are looking for those people who are ready for a life change, for their lives to unfold and to rediscover themselves as the weight comes off.” Hollie Self was one of the people who underwent personal and physical changes to her appearance in the fourth season of “Biggest Loser.” Of hundreds of thousands of people who applied to be on the show and of the 18 finalists, Self battled her way to third place. Only memories remain of her life before the show after going through a complete and drastic change. Her appearance, confidence, career and outlook on life were all affected. She also moved from Phoenix to Los Angeles to begin work in the story department of the TV show itself. “I went from a weight of 255 pounds to 150 pounds, losing 105 pounds in exactly eight months. The exercise regimen on ‘Biggest Loser’ was responsible for initiating these immense drops in weight,” Self said. “We would exercise anywhere from four to eight hours a day with mixed weight resistance, training and cardio,” she said. “Trainers would spend a certain amount of time with us each day and then would assign extra hours of exercise or activity as homework.” Self said the show’s result was life-changing. “In the beginning of the ‘Biggest Loser’ experience, it’s obviously about exercise and proper eating habits,” Self said. “But a change in consciousness toward living a healthy and active life is what the show is truly about.” Point Loma resident Jennifer White has been watching the ‘Biggest Loser’ series for the past two years. “I like watching the contestants take control of their lives and change for the better, and it motivates me to stay in shape,” White said. “The fitness and nutrition tips I get from the show are also great. “You rarely see a reality show with contestants that care about each other and who want to see each other succeed,” she said. “A contestant named Mike from last week’s episode gave his prize of free groceries for a year to another contestant, Aubrey, who he knew had a large family and could really use it.” The television show accepts contestants from all walks of life. Kaz said the producers are looking for the 18-year-old who wants to lose weight to start dating or the 60-year-old grandparent who wants to live to see the grandchildren grow up. The one thing that must be reflected in every contestant’s story is an overpowering desire to lose weight, Kaz said. “Ten potential contestants at a time will sit at a large round table to meet with two casting directors. They will have five minutes each to tell their story, so they should know their stories inside and out,” Kaz said. An estimated 1,000 people turned out to the casting session in Chicago and 900 turned out in New York City, according to Kaz. She expects a similar number of San Diegans to show up at Liberty Station on Saturday. “We do not guarantee contestants to be accepted from every city where a casting session was held,” Kaz said. “We could have no finalists or five finalists from San Diego. It just depends on the contestant’s story and how much the average viewer can relate to it.” The open casting session will be held on March 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road. Lines are expected to start forming around 7 a.m. Usually the first 500 contestants to show up are interviewed, Kaz said. For more information, visit www.nbc.com/-The_Biggest_Loser/about/casting.- shtml.