'The Biggest Loser: Glory Days' Premiere: Damien Woody, Scott Mitchell Featured

On tonight's season premiere of NBC's "The Biggest Loser: Glory Days" twenty former athletes, including Olympic gold medalists and NFL players, aimed to change their lives around by dropping the pounds they've put on since their competition days ended.

Throughout the season the contestants will work with the show's veteran trainers Dolvett Quince (@Dolvett) and Bob Harper (@MyTrainerBob), as well as new trainers Jessie Pavelka (his Twitter)and Jennifer Widerstrom (her Twitter).

The contestants, introduced by host Alison Sweeney, are led by former NFL players Damien Woody and Scott Mitchell, as well as Olympic gold medalist and former tennis star Zina Garrison.

Other contestants striving to achieve massive weight loss include three-time Olympic softball gold medalist Lori Herrigan-Mack, former WNBA star Vanessa Hayden, and a mix of former college and high school sports stars.

Mitchell played 12 seasons at the physically demanding position of quarterback in the NFL. Once his career ended the pounds started to pile on and the father of five starts this season weighing in at 366 pounds.

His main motivation for losing the weight is because his father passed from obesity-related causes and he could be headed down that same path if he doesn't change his lifestyle now.

Woody (his Twitter) also played 12 seasons in the NFL as a lineman, winning two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots along the way.

The ESPN football analyst also came close to approaching 400 pounds, weighing in at 388 pounds. The father of seven looks forward to losing the weight to live a long healthy life with his wife and kids.

Zina Garrison was once ranked fourth in the world in the women's tennis game, and she won an Olympic gold medal in the 1988 games. After her retirement the pounds started to pile on and she begins this season at 263 pounds. Herrigan-Mack is also an Olympic medalist, winning three gold medals in 1996, 2000, and 2004 with the USA Women's Softball team.

She retired in 2004 and since then the pounds have begun to pack on because of a poor diet and depression from multiple miscarriages.

She weighed in at 301 pounds, and is using her husband and six-year-old son as inspiration to lose weight.

Zina and Vanessa were the first competitors to be eliminated because they weren't able to complete the first challenge of the season. However a new twist to the show starts this season, where trainer Ben Harper gives a second chance to eliminated contestants.

Instead of heading home after being eliminated, they will go to a place called "Comeback Canyon" where they will be trained by Harper.

They will participate in secret weekly weigh-ins for the chance to return to the competition and seek "The Biggest Loser" title and grand prize of $250,000.

At the first week's weigh-in Dolvett's red team lost the most amount of weight, with Jen's white team finishing second, and Jessie's blue team coming in last.

Because of their last place finish the team members had to eliminate, and in the end they voted off Andrea.

The next episode of "The Biggest Loser" airs Thursday Sept. 18th at 8 p.m. on NBC. For more information and content from the show visit nbc.com