A Cedarville University graduate and former employee will be a contestant on Season 14 of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

Michael Dorsey, 34, from Baltimore, Md., graduated from Cedarville in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, and after graduating, worked at the university for six years as the coordinator of intercultural recruitment. Dorsey, at 444 pounds, is the heaviest of the contestants on this season of “The Biggest Loser,” which will premiere in a two-night event, from 9 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, and 8 to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7.

This season, 15 adults will lose weight and compete for $250,000. The adults will be joined for the first time by three children, who will focus on getting healthy, but who will not be eligible for elimination or weigh-in on camera.

Dorsey, a professor at three community colleges and owner and communications consultant for MLD Communications in Maryland, said he auditioned two years ago for Season 13 of “The Biggest Loser” but was not selected. When a representative from the show called him and asked him to apply for Season 14, he said he was at first hesitant to be part of the “emotional” audition process. However, the birth of his son this year inspired him to make a big change.

“My wife gave birth to my first child in February,” Dorsey said. “… One day, I had a wake-up call. I went to change him in his crib. I was looking at him, and he was looking at me … and I realized that if I didn’t make a drastic change, there was a big possibility that he wouldn’t know who his dad was. That was very eye-opening.”

Dorsey said his problems with weight began around the time he was in college. Feeling homesick, he would resort to food as a coping mechanism. After college, his problems with weight became worse. He recalled an experience about two years ago when he could not fit on a roller coaster.

“I had an ‘aha’ moment,” Dorsey said. “The girl trying to put me in said, ‘All we need is one click. All we need is one click.’ I never got the click. … I remember I was one click away from getting what I wanted. … That was that moment, probably about two years ago, where I knew I needed to fix this.”

Dorsey said he hopes to lose between 150 and 180 pounds during “The Biggest Loser.” The show’s mission to fight obesity is “inspirational,” he said.

“There are so many reality shows about the drama … and the conflict,” Dorsey said. “There’s enough of those out there. This show, it’s a good story. … (The contestants) are very good people, and the stories, I’m almost positive that no matter where you are in life, you are going to be able to relate to one of these stories.”