Extreme Weight Loss show filming in Lovell on Sept. 20 more and more 

A one-block area of Main Street between Nevada and Oregon will be cordoned off for a few hours on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 a.m., for the filming of a segment of ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss show, which will feature the weight loss journey of  Lovell resident Jennifer Snell. The event itself will begin at 9 a.m. The street closure is expected to be in effect until around noon while the film crew documents Snell’s return home from a boot camp she has been attending in Colorado for the past several weeks.

The series, which features professional trainers Chris and Heidi Powell, documents the makeover of a number of overweight individuals, who, with the help of the show’s staff, set out to lose half of their body weight during a period of one year. Snell was selected three months ago to participate on the show, which will document an entire year of her effort to lose half her body weight, which was at an all-time high of 341 pounds when she became a participant on the television show in May.

Snell, a dispatcher for the Lovell Police Dept., is 42 years old, married, with two young children. Her goal is to lose about 180 pounds, which is roughly half of her body weight. Her husband Dan and children Hannah, 6, and Timothy, 5, have been supportive of her efforts. According to Snell, she couldn’t have done it without them.

Producer Serena Settlemier said Snell, who originally began her participation as an “alternate” candidate for the show, has now been selected as a regular and will be featured in an episode of the show. She said the decision was made because her efforts. Settlemier said the exact amount of weight she has lost so far is a carefully guarded secret that will be revealed when the show airs next summer.

 “Jen has made great strides in therapy, which has helped her to understand why she gained the weight in the first place,” said Settlemier. “She is doing great and has overcome many obstacles during her weight loss journey.”

The event on Sept. 20 is open to the public, but the producers of the show are asking the public to sign a release allowing their appearance on the show and must agree to be photographed as they enter the event. They are also asking the public not to take photographs at the event.

“We are asking people to be respectful of the surprise element we are trying to achieve by not taking pictures and posting them on social media sites until after the show has aired,” Settlemier said. “We are also asking people who do not wish to be televised not to show up for the event.”

Settlemier said the purpose of the event is to welcome Snell home and to celebrate her journey so far. She encourages those attending to bring signs bearing messages of encouragement. She said Snell will make a speech about her experience so far.

“This is an opportunity to congratulate her for making a commitment to getting healthy,” said Settlemier. “It’s also a chance to show her the support she has in her own community for the transformation she is undergoing. It’s also a chance to show the world that Lovell is the kind of community that is supportive of people who make this kind of effort.”

Snell said she was initially attracted to the show because it focuses as much on the emotional aspects of being overweight as the physical causes. She also likes the fact that her own efforts can inspire others, who may be watching the show.

“I am incredibly blessed,” said Snell. “My new self is emerging. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, truthfully, but I wouldn’t change a thing. ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss peeps are the best. I look forward to the rest of this year.”

Settlemier said Snell, who has attended two supervised boot camps so far, will be on her own for the next nine months working toward her goal at home. She said the show will film her again at the six-and nine-month benchmarks of her journey and she will be evaluated by a skin consultant after she has lost around 40 to 50 percent of her weight to determine if she will require surgical removal of excess skin as a result of her extreme weight loss. If she does require the surgery, it will be provided to her through the show.

“Now that she’s coming home, she will be on her own and need the support of her community more than ever,” said Settlemier. “We hope the whole town shows up to support her. It’s a great opportunity to put Lovell on the map, and to show the world what this small town is all about.”

By Patti Carpenter