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Exclusive: Multi-hyphenate actress and comedian Lisa Ann Walter has signed with Gersh for representation.

Walter, one of the stars of ABC’s Emmy-winning comedy series Abbott Elementary, has earned a Peabody award and shares a SAG award for her role as Melissa Schemmenti on the show which is entering its fourth season. Her other credits include creator and star of ABC’s Life’s Work comedy and a starring role in Breaking News. She also has appeared on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Las Vegas, Nip/Tuck, Glow, Grey’s Anatomy and 9-1-1. She also created and executive produced Dance Your Ass Off and has won celebrity editions of The Weakest Link and Jeopardy.

Walter’s film work includes The Parent Trap, alongside Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson; Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds; Bruce Almighty, alongside Jim Carrey; and Shall We Dance, alongside Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.

Following a 20-lb. weight-loss thanks to two weeks of intense workouts at The Biggest Loser's Fitness Ridge in Malibu, Marissa Jaret Winokur let the holidays get the better of her. "I started working out like a mad woman and eating healthy," Winokur, 38, told People on Tuesday. "And then right before Thanksgiving, I was like, 'Oh, no, I'm starting to gain weight.' I can gain 20 pounds in a heartbeat." But since 2012 began, Winokur and her Retired at 35 costar Bff Josh McDermitt have been each other's support system for shedding those nasty pounds. "Being on set is really hard because there's craft service,...

Photo by Jeff Lewis (chicagophotoshop.com)

People who love reality TV should be as familiar with SallyAnn Salsano as Mark Burnett. First of all she’s produced big name shows like The Bachelorette, Dance Your Ass Off and A Shot at Love. But her real claim to fame is bringing the kids from the Jersey Shore into your living room. In a recent exclusive interview she talked about creating the controversial series and the other shows on her production company’s slate.

SallyAnn talked about a career-changing call that she got from a cable network executive, “There was a woman at VH1 named Shelley Tatro that called me and goes, ‘You’re the biggest Guido I know. We need to do a show on the Guido.’” And with that Jersey Shore was born.

An exhaustive casting process for the ideal cast of characters to share a Shore house began. Having...

Nick Jonas just keeps getting older and older with the ladies he's locking lips with -- and this weekend in Hollywood, he was kissing a woman 20 years his senior! There's no real love connection here though, as Jonas planted a wet one on 38-year-old Marissa Jaret Winokur during a celeb-cast performance of " Hairspray " at the Hollywood Bowl last night. Jonas' real-life girlfriend, 26-year-old Delta Goodrem , was in the audience for the show -- and Nick, who played Link Larkin in the production, set the young girls in the audience into a frenzy whenever he walked on stage. Winokour played originally played Tracy Turnblad on Broadway before going on to " Dancing with the Stars " and host " Dance Your Ass Off ." The show also included John Stamos , Corbin Bleu , Drew Carey , former " American Idol " contestant Diana DeGarmo and Harvey Fierstein . Check out the photos above. Read more...

Lisa Ann Walter is an actress, comedienne and creator of the TV show "Dance Your Ass Off" for Oxygen. Walter put her satirical spin on celebrity cellulite, in a short video called Celebulite poking fun at the media's insatiable and ludicrous coverage of celebrities and their bodies! It stars Lea Thompson, Zoe Deutch, Lisa Rinna, Heather McDonald, Louis Van Amstel, Rosa Blasi and MaryMargaret Humes. Actress, comedienne and creator of the TV show Dance Your Ass Off, Lisa Ann Walter has a new book out, The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It's Behind Me. It's a hilarious read about her journey to self-acceptance in size 0 Hollywood. Lisa is also a well-known name on the stand-up comedy...

Marissa Jaret Winokur is the vivacious Broadway star and cancer survivor who tackled a hosting gig on the first season of Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off, but she might be coming into her own as co-host on CBS's new daytime chatfest The Talk. Alongside Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson-Peete, Leah Remini, and Julie Chen, Winokur will offer insights on parenting and gather opinions from people on the street. We caught up with Winokur to discuss the new show (which premiered today), feeding fast food to her kids, and her opinion on Dance Your Ass Off's second season with new host Mel B.

A second season of shaking and shimmying, weighing and winning has led to the crowning of another Dance Your Ass Off champion on Oxygen's weight-loss competition. The final routines pitted the spirited Adamme against a determined Latoya. Who won? Spoiler alert! Losing close to 60 lbs. and moving with fluidity and verve, Trenton, N.J., dance instructor Latoya James, 26, became the Dyao season 2 champ on Monday night. "My future is looking so bright and it's a little overwhelming," James tells People. "You just never think in a million years that you will get a second chance to do some things you've...

Big Brother host Julie Chen is leaving one CBS show for another: She'll co-host CBS' new knock-off of The View, which has famous mothers as its cast, including a bunch of other reality stars: The Apprentice runner-up Holly Robinson Peete, America's Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne, and Dancing with the Stars contestant and Dance Your Ass Off host Marissa Jaret Winokur. Sara Gilbert and Leah Remini are also on the panel. With the new show...

See 29 clips from the second season premiere episode of NBC's "Dance Your Ass Off" with Melanie Brown Aka Mel B., Danny Teeson, Lee Wall, Rachel Beller, Jordan Geller, Md, Tiana Brown And Lisa Ann Walter. The second season airs on June 7th at 11:00 p.m. Hosted by Spice Girl Mel B, "Dance Your Ass Off" features 12 talented, full-figured contestants who struggle with their weight and dance to unleash their inner "thin." They will battle each other on the dance floor – as well as on the scale -- for a shot at a $100,000 grand prize. Frustrated by a lifetime of failed diets and workout fads, the contestants will leave their friends and family behind and live together for 10 weeks, determined to change their lives forever. The series pairs each contestant with a professional dance partner who trains the competitor for the weekly stage performances. Then they burn up the dance...

Oxygen's "Dance Your Ass Off" has moved from New York to Los Angeles for Season 2 -- and in true L.A. fashion, the show has gotten a flashier new host and doctor and enhanced its size.

The uber-fit Mel B has replaced the more shapely first-year host Marissa Jaret Winokur. In place of Dr. Rob Huizenga (who's already got a long-running gig as the doctor for "The Biggest Loser") will be the younger and very camera-friendly Dr. Jordan Geller. Nutritionist Rachel S. Beller, Ms, Rd and Crunch Fitness trainer Lee Wall will also be on-hand as "weight-loss specialists."

In other talent makeover news, actress Lisa Ann Walter and lifestyle coach and dancing expert Danny Teeson will return for Season 2, but professional dancer Mayte Garcia will be swapped out for rotating guest judges.

Three additional episodes have also been added to this season. While Season 1 only saw 10 episodes, Season 2 will get...

HollywoodNews.com: Oxygen’s hit dance/weight-loss competition series, “Dance Your Ass Off,” returns with a second season revealing the emotional and fun-filled casting process .

Also this week, Judges Lisa Ann Walter and Danny Teeson will moderate a live social viewing party for fans on WWW.Oxygenlive.Com, with Lisa Ann hosting on the East Coast and Danny hosting on the West Coast. They will dish on the behind-the-scenes excitement during the nationwide search as the episode airs live on both coasts. Hosted by Mel B (Spice Girls), the series moves into its regular timeslot the following week on Monday, June 14 at 10pm Et/Pt.

The premiere episode gives viewers a glimpse into the search for this season’s contestants “who are in need of thinspiration. ” Judge Lisa Ann Walter goes on a nationwide search with stops in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New York to find 25 hopefuls that are...

No need to worry now that some of your favorite TV shows are ending. Starting next week with ABC's "The Bachelorette" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance, to HBO's "True Blood" and Showtime's "Weeds," it's time for summer TV! Check out "Extra's" complete guide.

2010 Summer TV GuideThe Bachelorette

When: Monday, May 24, ABC Who:Ali Fedotowsky What:Last season of the "Bachelor," Ali made the difficult decision to leave the show early, choosing her job over love.

Having announced the lion's share of its 2010-11 development slate during the Television Critics Assn. press tour, Oxygen Media had few significant surprises in store for its upfront presentation Tuesday. But if the sales pitch was short on intrigue, network brass kept things lively with moxie and research.

On the heels of Oxygen's most successful quarter since it launched a decade ago, Gm Jason Klarman talked up the recent ratings gains and advertising-sales momentum. Speaking before an audience that included NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker, Klarman said the network closed first-quarter 2010 at No. 18 in primetime among women 18-34, averaging 115,000 members of the demographic. Before NBC Uni acquired the network, a much older-skewing Oxygen averaged about 53,000 women 18-34, according to Nielsen ratings data.

Hard data aside, the network's lineup of brassy unscripted series received top billing Tuesday. Amy Introcaso-Davis, senior vp original programming and development, introduced former Spice Girl...

Warren Workman has a B.S. in Communication from Southern Utah University with an emphasis in broadcasting. He has worked on a large variety of films and was cast in the Oxygen channel’s smash hit “Dance Your Ass Off”. Warren is marred with three children and lives in Utah. On top of his writing duties, Warren also runs a [...]...

The news has emerged that Mel B is now going to host Dance Your Ass Off, replacing season one host Marissa Jaret Winokur. I know it's not a case of "heavier host gets pushed aside for nameless skinny host" -- Mel B certainly brings star power, Spice Girl fans, and honed dancing skills to the job. But I, for one, will miss seeing Marisa as a great curvy role-model herself in all her fa-fa-fa-fabulous sparkly outfits on the show. Winokur's rep tells People that it was a mutual decision for her to leave the show -- partly because of the...

Losing weight in a fun way, "Dance Your Ass Off" will be back with a new face. Instead of welcoming back Marissa Jaret Winokur, the program by Oxygen Network has found a new host in Melanie Brown. The ex member of Spice Girls will be running the show effective immediately in second season.

Executive Producer Dan Cutforth said some people do not feel connection with Winokur although the show received great feedback. "We didn't produce the first season of 'Dance Your A** Off,'" he said. "Oxygen considered it a huge success. They looked at some things they wanted to change."

He added, "Marissa was a fabulous host. She was great hosting the show and got great press, but they found in talking to the audience that there was a portion of the audience who loved her and a portion who didn't connect with her. The core Oxygen audience grew up as Spice Girls fans,...

A replacement for David Hasselhoff on "America's Got Talent" has been confirmed.

"Yes, David is leaving 'America's Got Talent.' And yes, I believe Howie Mandel is replacing him," NBC Universal Television Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin told the Television Critics Association Sunday morning (Jan. 10).

The "Deal or No Deal" host will be stepping in to sit on the panel of judges that includes Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne. Hasselhoff had previously announced that he was leaving the summer talent competition show so he could pursue his own series, the details of which have yet to be released.

Over on Oxygen, another switcheroo is happening. The new host of the weight loss-dance competition show "Dance Your Ass Off" is former Spice Girl Mel B.

"After the birth of my second daughter, I wanted to find a fun and effective way to drop the pounds and get back in shape," says Mel B,...

NBC Universal cable networks Oxygen and Bravo announced a slew of programming moves Sunday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour.

Oxygen unveiled several new series in development, the expansion of its original programming to a second night of the week and a new host for its freshman hit "Dance Your Ass Off."

Meanwhile, Bravo announced the series pickups of previously announced-in-development projects "Bethenny's Getting Married?" with "The Real Housewives of New York City's" Bethenny Frankel, and "Thintervention With Jackie Warner," starring the celebrity trainer from "Work Out."

Oxygen said it has tapped former "Spice Girl" Mel B to host the next edition of "Dance," which will return in the summer on a new night of original programming for the network, Mondays. The return of "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" will launch the new night in the spring.

"After the birth of my second daughter, I wanted to find...

It was wrap-up-in-your-warmest-outdoor-gear cold in New York City the day of the "Dance Your Ass Off" auditions, but even so, the hopefuls came from miles to audition for a chance to dance off their pounds on the second season of the Oxygen series. "It is frigid and they are lining up around the block," creator/exec producer Lisa Ann Walter tells Et. "They came from Atlanta, Toronto and Brooklyn. The show inspired them." Also on hand was season one contestant Alicia Duque, who made it to the semi-finals and has lost 110 pounds since her first weigh-in on the show tipped the scales at 257 pounds. "This is the thinnest I have ever been in my entire life and the feeling inside of me and outside of me is just phenomenal," Alicia says. "I just feel very happy and very blessed right now." The contestants auditioning for the second season of the...

Reality show "Dance Your Ass Off" is looking for contestants. Oxygen.s inspiring and popular weight loss/dance competition series, .Dance Your Ass Off,. begins nationwide search for contestants to compete in the upcoming second season. Open calls for men and women interested in taking the stage and the scales in the hit series will begin November 21 in Los Angeles. This will be the first of several open calls in cities across the country including Dallas, Chicago and New York. In attendance at each casting session will be executive producer and judge Lisa Ann Walter, as well as fan favorites from season one. The show is looking for people who love to dance and are ready to...

Marissa Winokur is trying to shed some pounds at the Biggest Loser Resort in Utah -- and she's documenting her busy schedule just for "Extra" viewers.

Winokur confesses to the camera, "I've done more this morning than I did for the entire month of October."

Watch the video to hear what activities are keeping the "Dance Your Ass Off" host so busy!

By Josef Adalian

Oxygen has picked up a second season of its successful reality competition series "Dance Your Ass Off."

The move is hardly a shocker: "Dyao" gave Oxy its best ratings ever for a first-year series.

Magical Elves ("Top Chef") will return is coming on board as producers of the series (replacing 495 Prods.). Conspicuously absent from Oxygen's release: Any mention of season one host Marissa Jaret Winokur.

The fact that Mjw isn't in the release doesn't necessarily mean she won't be back again, but it could indicate Oxy and the host haven't c...

Oxygen is bringing back its popular weight-loss show, Dance Your Ass Off, for a second season in 2010. “We loved watching as contestants danced off nearly 500 pounds,” says Amy Introcaso-Davis, Senior Vice President of Original Programming and Development for Oxygen Media. The show, which premiered earlier this year, paired a dozen professional dancers with overweight contestants, who competed to dance off the most weight. Ruben Permel of Las Vegas ultimately won the competition when he shed 73 lbs. "On the show, we learned choreography, a routine. Now I can go social dancing. I can do the fox trot, I can do the salsa, I can do a swing dance with a complete stranger,” he told People. “It’s kind of cliché to say, 'Oh [the show] changed my life,' but actually it did.” The show’s second season will be produced by Magical Elves, the production company responsible for Bravo’s Top Chef.

Jen Lowery/Startraks Celebrities were out in force last weekend for the Emmy Awards, and a few made appearances at the Boom Boom Room Celebrity Baby Gifting Suite.

Marcy Rylan, whose show Guiding Light ended its run earlier this month, showed off her almost-full-term belly in an abstract-print gown at the event.

Marcy, 28, and fiancé Don Money expect their first child — whom she refers to as a he! — in mid-October.

See photos of Laila Ali, Scott Baio, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Joey McIntyre and more below!

Jen Lowery/Startraks Former boxer and Dancing With the Stars alum Laila Ali stopped by with son C.J., 13 months, strapped to her back!

Jen Lowery/Startraks Entourage’s Constance Zimmer and her little cutie, 20-month-old daughter Colette Zoe, share a laugh on the floor.

Jen Lowery/Startraks Actor Scott Baio was accompanied by his trio of ladies — wife Renee, daughter Bailey DeLuca, 22 months, and stepdaughter Kalyn,...

Maxa/Landov After a whirlwind surrogate pregnancy during her stint on Dancing With the Stars, followed by the juggling act of first-time motherhood while hosting Dance Your Ass Off, Marissa Jaret Winokur has finally found the perfect solution to spending uninterrupted time with her 13-month-old son Zev Isaac.

“I love going in the pool with him where no one can call me,” she reveals.

“I can’t answer the cell phone, and I can’t get an e-mail. It’s really, really good private time where nothing can get in my way of just being alone with him. There’s nothing too important — because when you’re in the pool you have to give 100% attention.”

Much like she discovered the secret to quality mother-son time together, Marissa and her husband Judah Miller are still learning the ropes of parenthood. However, while still considered relatively new parents, the 36-year-old laughs she...

The first season of Oxygen’s hit show Dance Your Ass Off has been a surprise pleasure and a surprise hit. A mixture of two popular and familiar reality TV genres – the weight loss show and the dance competition – the show featured not one, but two out gay contestants. And on Monday night’s episode, one of those gay men – Ruben – was named the winner.

A Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil wardrobe manager, Ruben entered the competition despite knowing John, his partner of 17 years, was in the midst of a battle with cancer, a storyline featured prominently on the show. Indeed, Dyao audiences saw something rarely shown on television – a same-sex couple showing love and affection for each other just like any other couple.

In episode 108: "We are Family" Ruben (center) is visited

by his brother (left) and partner John (right)

Throughout the season, 44-yeard-old Ruben was a strong...

Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off ended its first season run with a huge finish Monday night, becoming the most watched freshmen series in the network's history. Ruben, a 43-year-old wardrobe designer from Las Vegas, was crowned the winner of Dance Your Ass Off with a total weight loss of 74 pounds over the course of the season. But it doesn't stop there. Fans can see Ruben again when he and the rest of the cast return during the Dance Your Ass Off Reunion special premiering Monday, September 7th at 10pm Et/Pt. Series creator Lisa Ann Walter and Ruben recently teamed up for a chat about the series and what it could mean for Oxygen in the future. Here is what they had to say:

Can you tell me what the experience was like to actually find out you won? I mean all that tension must have been crazy.

Ruben: As...

We call in sick in life, so why can't we call in fat? That's the question Marissa Jaret Winokur asks in the new installment of her weekly People.com weight-loss blog.Here, the Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, dishes about why family time with her husband Judah and 1-year-old son Zev took priority over "me time" - and why there's nothing a great new pair of shoes can't fix. Sorry I skipped out on my People.com blog last week. I called in fat - I figured I had about 10 days saved up, so decided to use seven of them...

What could be better than a summer barbecue? That is, of course, unless you're on a diet. Marissa Jaret Winokur recently hosted an outdoor meal with pals that she refers to as "Temptation City." Here, in her weekly People.com weight-loss blog, the Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, dishes about staying relatively strong in spite of the food fest and how seeing Sherri Shepherd's bathing-suit body in People gave her hope. Okay, I had an awesome week. I actually went to the gym and worked out about an hour a day except for Saturday when - dum dum dum...

Oxygen Network show Dance Your Ass Off has been criticised for offending larger people and promoting ineffective methods of weight loss. The reality show, hosted by actress Marissa Jaret Winokur, challenges contestants to get fitter through diet and intensive dance. Participants are scored on their performances and amount of weight lost, Radio 1 reports. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance said: "Overwhelming data has proven 95% of the time, people who diet for the purpose of losing weight, never reach their goal." Manhattan doughnut shop owner Gaz added: "I find the show very offensive to fat (more)...

Marissa Jaret Winokur has faced this temptation before: the spectre of being left alone in a hotel room with a stocked minibar. But recently, the Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, opted to stay strong and vanquish that diet demon by locking it up. Here, in her weekly People.com weight-loss blog, she shares her hilarious strategy for not letting that minibar get the best of her and how Twitter is becoming a friend in her fight to lose weight.I went back to New York City this week for three nights (sadly, away from Zev and Judah). You may remember...

Recently, Marissa Jaret Winokur realized she needed a military intervention on her quest to lose weight. After reaching her low point when she scarfed down too much candy for son Zev's first birthday party, the Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, decided to head to boot camp. Here, in her weekly People.com weight loss-blog, she writes about how her early morning call to drop and give 'em 20 inspired her. Ten hut!It's been hard to motivate. On Monday and Tuesday I ate in line with my 1,200-calorie goal, but working out was hard. After last week's debacle, I had to do something.

Maxa/Landov Happy Birthday Zev Isaac!

Dance Your Ass Off host Marissa Jaret Winokur splashed in the pool with her baby boy as they celebrated his first birthday on July 23rd at their home in Toluca Lake, Calif.

After their dip in the pool, the pair joined dad Judah Miller for some delicious cake on the deck.

Mom covered Zev in kisses, but he was more interested in checking out his candle (see extended post)!

Click below for a photo of the family.

Albert Michael/Startraks Posted in Babies, Dads, Main, Top News...

On every dieter's weight-loss journey, there are triumphs and trip-ups. For Marissa Jaret Winokur, planning for her son Zev's first birthday party on Saturday presented a major stumbling block. In planning for his big celebration, the Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, found temptation, well, a little too tempting. Here, in her weekly People.com weight loss-blog, she writes candidly about not being able to resist a house full of candy.I sit here Monday morning with my People.com blog overdue. It was a bad week here, and I kept thinking about how I could spin it! This week was...

Roger Karnbad/Celebrity Photo For Marissa Jaret Winokur, it’s either go big or go home. After winning a Tony Award in 2003 for her performance in the Broadway musical Hairspray, she turned her attention to waltzing her way into the hearts of America on Dancing With the Stars, where she was eliminated after a nine-week stint on the show. Although she may not have won the prized disco ball trophy, Marissa took home a different grand prize only months later: her baby boy Zev Isaac!

The journey to motherhood was not an easy road for Marissa. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer during her time on Broadway, she was forced to let go of her dreams to become pregnant. Despite the rough patch in her life, however, Marissa refuses to dwell on the past; Instead, she often gives thanks for where she is today. “If it weren’t for being...

She's danced to Beyoncé, battled a minibar and tried to say 'no' to fries. And now Marissa Jaret Winokur is getting 11-month-old son Zev into the act of helping her lose weight. The Dance Your Ass Off host, 36, recently loaded up her little guy into a wagon along with a pal's son to lug them around the neighborhood - her version of a fun Biggest Loser challenge. Here, in her weekly People.com weight loss-blog, she shares her triumphs and her trip-ups on her quest to shedding pounds.It's week four of my People.com weight-loss blog and I can...

It's every dieter's nightmare: You're alone in your hotel room with a fully stocked minibar. Do you dive in or ignore it? That's exactly the dilemma Marissa Jaret Winokur, 36, faced on her recent trip to New York City to promote her Oxygen show Dance Your Ass Off. Here, in her weekly People.com weight-loss blog, she shares her diet disaster (and how she rebounded) - and how being surrounded by larger-than-life look-alikes can be great for your self-esteem.What happens when it's 2 a.m. and you're alone in a hotel room with the devil's minibar? Minibar - one; Marissa - zero.

Oxygen.s "Dance Your Ass Off" is a hug hit for the network on Mondays @ 10/9C. .Dance Your Ass Off. has assembled a world-class team of weight loss specialists, including Dr. Robert Huizenga (NBC.s .Biggest Loser.), nutrition specialist Meg Werner Moreta, R.D. and Crunch trainer Lee Wall. This team will give the contestants a chance to reach their maximum weight loss potential and undergo the ultimate lifestyle transformation. But even with all this support, it won.t be easy. In a nod to real-life temptations, the contestants. kitchen contains a .Cheat Pantry. loaded with the very snacks and goodies that helped land the contestants on the show. With $100,000 and a healthier life on the line, who...

Marissa Jaret Winokur is giving a Beyoncé hit a try on her weight-loss journey.The Dance Your Ass Off host, whose Oxygen show premieres Monday, is continuing her quest to get in shape with some boogying of her own: joining the legions of people (including Joe Jonas and Justin Timberlake) attempting the R&B star's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance, much to the amusement of her 11-month-old son Zev and husband Judah Miller. Here, in her weekly People.com weight-loss blog, she shares her Beyoncé moment - and her quest to get back in a bikini: Omg,...

Dancing and weight loss are two popular reality show themes these days, so why not combine them?

That's the idea behind Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off [Mondays, 10 pm/Et], a competition show in which 12 plus-size players will compete on the dance floor for a $100,000 prize while also shedding pounds. Host (and former Dancing with the Stars contestant) Marissa Jaret Winokur and producer Sally-Ann Salsano spoke to TVGuide.com about why dancing peels off the pounds.

TVGuide.com: Is Dance Your Ass Off more about the dance or the weight loss?

Sally Ann Salsano: It's a complete combination, [which] makes it fun. People that love a straight stage-competition show are going to love it, but then the weight-loss element gives it...

Read More >...

Dancing and weight loss are two popular reality show themes these days, so why not combine them?

That's the idea behind Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off [Mondays, 10 pm/Et], a competition show in which 12 plus-size players will compete on the dance floor for a $100,000 prize while also shedding pounds. Host (and former Dancing with the Stars contestant) Marissa Jaret Winokur and producer Sally-Ann Salsano spoke to TVGuide.com about why dancing peels off the pounds.

TVGuide.com: Is Dance Your Ass Off more about the dance or the weight loss?

Sally Ann Salsano: It's a complete combination, [which] makes it fun. People that love a straight stage-competition show are going to love it, but then the weight-loss element gives it...

Read More >...

Check out these new clips from the premiere of NBC Universal's "Dance Your Ass Off" which airs on Mondays on Oxygen from 10-11 p.m. Et. The premiere is on June 29th. The 10-episode series is produced by 495 Productions. SallyAnn Salsano, known for "Design Star" and "Tool Academy," serves as executive producer. Joel Zimmer ("Nashville Star," "America’s Got Talent") co-executive produces. Twelve finalists. 2,949 lbs. One goal…to go from an eating machine to a dancing machine! Hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur, "Dance Your Ass Off" is Oxygen’s new dance/weight loss competition series. Twelve dance enthusiasts who battle the bulge will battle each other on the dance floor And on the scale for a shot at the $100,000 grand prize. Frustrated by a lifetime of failed diets and workout fads, these contestants leave their friends and family behind and move into the "Dance Your Ass Off"...

Marissa Jaret Winokur, the host of the new weight-loss dance show Dance Your Ass Off, is on a weight-loss journey of her own. The Tony-winning actress, 36, recently admitted that though she didn't give birth to her 11-month-old son Zev (who was carried via a surrogate), she has put on pounds since his arrival. "You don't actually have to carry the baby to gain the weight," Winokur tells People. Now on a mission to get back in the shape she was in while appearing on Dancing with the Stars, Winokur (whose Oxygen show premieres June 29) has returned to exercising and has...

Marissa Jaret Winokur, host of the new weight loss dance show Dance Your Ass Off, gained baby weight while awaiting the birth of her son Zev - and she wasn't even pregnant. A survivor of cervical cancer, Winokur, 36, had her now-11-month-old son with husband Judah Miller through a surrogate and says she put on 25 pounds during and after the pregnancy. "[It was] total stress," says the actress, who won a Tony in 2003 for the musical Hairspray. "You don't actually have to carry the baby to gain weight." Before her son's birth, Winokur got intense exercise while competing on Dancing with the Stars last spring.