.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1200?cb=20200425165841)
You remember the confetti. It was 2005, and NBC’s The Biggest Loser was at the absolute peak of its cultural power. Matt Hoover, a former NCAA wrestler with a grit that sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, stood on that scale and watched the numbers drop until he was crowned the Season 2 winner. He didn't just walk away with $250,000. He walked away with Suzy Preston, the fan-favorite runner-up who had stolen his heart—and the audience's—during those grueling weeks on the ranch.
It was the ultimate reality TV fairytale. The tough guy and the girl-next-door found love while shedding literally hundreds of pounds. But then the cameras turned off.
Honestly, the "happily ever after" for Matt and Suzy hasn't looked like a polished Subway commercial. It's been real, messy, and at times, incredibly difficult. If you’ve ever wondered why we don’t see them on every "where are they now" special anymore, it’s because they’ve been busy living a life that doesn't always fit into a neat 3-minute segment about weight loss.
The Reality of Maintenance No One Talks About
Let’s get the elephant out of the room first. Yes, Matt and Suzy gained some weight back.
In fact, Matt has been incredibly open about the fact that his weight has fluctuated significantly since he stepped off that scale at 182 pounds. At one point, he was back up over 230 pounds. People love to jump on this as a "failure," but that’s a pretty shallow way to look at it.
The biological reality of losing 157 pounds in a matter of months is a nightmare for the human metabolism. Studies, including a famous one by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on later seasons of the show, proved that contestants' resting metabolic rates often plummet and never fully recover. Basically, their bodies are fighting to get back to their original weight every single second of the day.
💡 You might also like: Elisabeth Harnois: What Most People Get Wrong About Her Relationship Status
Matt and Suzy didn't fail; they just entered the real world where you can't work out eight hours a day and have a professional chef counting your macros. They had kids. They got jobs. They lived.
18 Years and Counting: A Rare Reality Success Story
While their weight has shifted, their relationship hasn't. In an industry where reality show "showmances" usually last about as long as a TikTok trend, Matt and Suzy are the real deal.
They got married in Jamaica in September 2006. As of late 2024, they celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. Think about that for a second. In Hollywood years, that’s basically a century.
They settled in the Seattle area and started a family almost immediately. They have two sons, Rex and Jax. If you follow Matt on social media today, you’ll see he’s traded the spotlight for "dad mode." He’s a massive ski enthusiast. He spends his weekends on the slopes or at his kids' sporting events.
The Struggle with the Public Eye
There was a period where Suzy, in particular, found the public's obsession with her body exhausting. After her first pregnancy, she talked about the "mental roller coaster" of seeing the scale go back up after working so hard to get it down.
📖 Related: Don Toliver and Kali Uchis: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
"I was not ready to do it again," she once admitted regarding the weight gain of her second pregnancy.
It’s hard to be a "weight loss icon" when you’re just trying to figure out how to be a mom. Eventually, the couple stepped back. Matt shifted from being a professional "Biggest Loser" to focusing on endurance sports, even training for an Ironman at one point to prove that a "big guy" could still be a world-class athlete.
Where Are Matt and Suzy Today?
Fast forward to 2026. Matt is still active, though he’s moved away from the extreme dieting culture that defined his 20s. He’s often shared his journey under handles like "fattofitdadvsg," being transparent about the ups and downs.
He’s a guy who loves his family, his dogs, and the outdoors. Suzy has largely stayed out of the public eye, choosing a more private life focused on her kids and her career. They’ve managed to do the one thing most reality stars can't: they transitioned into being regular people.
They don't owe anyone a "before and after" photo anymore.
👉 See also: Darius Rucker with Wife: What Really Happened and Who He’s With Now
What We Can Learn from Their Journey
The story of Matt Hoover and Suzy Preston is actually more inspiring because it isn't perfect. It teaches us a few harsh, but necessary, truths about health and fame.
- The "Number" Isn't the Point: Matt has pivoted his focus from a specific weight to "functional fitness"—being able to ski, hike, and keep up with his boys.
- Metabolism is a Beast: We need to stop shaming people for weight regain after extreme weight loss. The science says it’s almost inevitable without medical intervention or unsustainable lifestyles.
- Connection Over Content: The fact that they prioritized their marriage and kids over staying "relevant" in the fitness influencer world is probably why they are still together today.
If you’re looking for a takeaway, it’s this: stop waiting for a "finish line." Matt and Suzy found out that the grand finale was just the beginning of a much longer, much more complicated, and ultimately more rewarding story.
If you're struggling with your own health journey, take a page from their book. Focus on the people standing next to you and the activities that actually make you happy. Don't worry about the confetti—it eventually gets swept away anyway.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your "Inspo": If you're following fitness influencers who make you feel like a failure for having a "normal" life, hit unfollow.
- Prioritize Sustainability: If your current health plan requires 20 hours a week of effort, it's not going to last. Aim for the "skiing on the weekend" level of fitness.
- Focus on Longevity: Like Matt, find a sport or hobby (skiing, hiking, swimming) that you actually enjoy so that movement feels like a reward, not a punishment.