R.I.P. Brandi Mallory: ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Contestant Dead At 40
]br>
Brandi Mallory, best known for starring on Extreme Weight Loss Season 4, has died. She was 40.
A representative for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the sad news to People, while an obituary revealed that Mallory had died on Nov. 9 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. However, no cause of death was disclosed.
In 2014, Mallory appeared on Season 4 of the ABC show, which was a spinoff of the Extreme Makeover franchise that sought to help contestants lose weight and make significant lifestyle changes. During her time on the series, Mallory went from 329 pounds to 178 pounds.
Mallory explained in a 2018 interview with Kirby Carroll that she was inspired to join the series after her sorority sister died of a heart attack at only 29 years old.
“I was literally waking up every day like, ‘This may be my last day waking up, like, I don’t know what’s going to happen for me,’” Mallory said at the time. “When it’s playing on your mind that I might need to do something about my weight, because I’m afraid I might die too, then you might need to pay attention to something like that.”
According to the makeup artist, she initially tried to join The Biggest Loser, but she wasn’t picked. Instead, the producers sent her information over to Extreme Weight Loss.
“Literally every footstep since then has been God,” she said. “I prayed over that application before I sent it off; I prayed every step of the way.”
In the near-decade since appearing on the show, Mallory has taken to Instagram to share her fitness journey and passion for beauty with her 136,000 followers.
Days before her death, Mallory captioned a post, “The best question someone asked me was ‘Do you believe you can do it?!’ My response: ‘I can’t lose…I ONLY win! I learn lessons, gain experiences & most importantly I GROW! Pruning is a necessary step in the growth process, so embrace the suck! I believe I can do ANYTHING I truly desire to do which puts me at least 5 steps ahead!’”
The television personality’s fellow Extreme Weight Loss community has also started mourning her on social media. Kim Williams Maxile, who appeared on the show’s fifth season, posted a lengthy tribute to Mallory following news of her death.
“I’ll never forget while I was at boot camp for season 5 we watched your season and it inspired us to keep going. Your episode was my favorite because we had so much in common from pageants to being a makeup artist and just a love of life,” Maxile wrote, before later adding, “You truly made an impact on this world with your zest and your passion for body positivity. I’m blessed to have gotten to experienced you in this world. Love you so much sis.”