MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Hundreds hoping to be "The Biggest Loser'' showed up Sunday to audition for the NBC television show.

"We want sexy back,'' said Pamela Ivory, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom from Milwaukee. She was the first to line up, arriving at the Rock Bottom Brewery on Saturday night.

Others joined her, hoping to shed pounds put on with the help of the city's famous frozen custard, bratwursts and beer.

"The Biggest Loser'' gives $250,000 to the contestant who loses the most weight. Last season's winner, Erik Chopin, dropped 214 pounds.

Heidi Saidai, 25, a dance teacher from Chicago, brought coffee and doughnuts Sunday to share with the teachers, construction workers, office managers and others who waited with her. Women outnumbered men by 10-to-1.

"It's time to change my life,'' said Amanda Price, 27, a fourth-grade teacher from Sun Prairie. "I need to show my family that it can be done. I have to be a better role model to my students.''

Price said she has dieted since she was 11.

"I'll tell you what my driver's license says: 175 pounds,'' she said. "I got that when I turned 16.''

Bouncer James Cook, 48, of Milwaukee, weighs at least 425 pounds.

"Last time I went to the doctor, they couldn't even move that last bit over on the scale to weigh me,'' he said.

Martin Booker, a casting director for the show, said applicants' personalities are as important as their weight because the contestants have to make people root for them.

"We look for dynamic, charismatic people,'' Booker said.

Sunday, the applicants sat in groups of six, answering rapid-fire questions about their diets, weight and living large in the U.S.

One woman pulled a fast-food hamburger and fries from her purse. A man said it's "more socially acceptable'' to be overweight in Wisconsin.

"Here, with winter coats on, we don't feel so out of place,'' he said.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com