Celebrity personal trainer Shannan Ponton is willing to bare all to raise money for cancer charities in the strip tease reality show The All New Monty: Guys & Gals.
WATCH: Shannan Ponton’s heated encounter with Michelle Bridges
The 46-year-old rose to fame as a coach on The Biggest Loser Australia, but rumour has it he and fellow trainer Michelle Bridges endured a bitter feud, prior to the show being axed.
Ahead of Shannan’s upcoming big reveal, New Idea takes a look back at the trainer’s Biggest Loser days, to see whether there is any truth to the fallout rumours.
Initially, Shannan, along with Michelle and Steve “Commando” Willis joined The Biggest Loser as its trainers in the second season in 2007, replacing US stars Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper.
While the trio worked harmoniously together for several years, it was only after Michelle and Steve dumped their respective partners and hooked up in 2013 that the dynamic seemingly changed.
Most notably, tensions between Michelle and the show’s cast and crew – including Shannan – seemingly reached boiling point during the 2015 TBL Families season.
During one explosive episode, Shannan accused Michelle and Steve of “forming an alliance” with their competing teams to avoid being sent home, which he said was fuelled by their relationship.
It was first time the couple’s romantic connection had been mentioned in the long-running show, and needless to say, it didn’t go down well with Michelle or Steve.
Michelle flat out denied the allegation turning it back on Shannan, accusing him of forming an alliance with the show’s fourth trainer of Team White, Tiffany Hall.
“That’s bulls***,” Shannan replied, before he, Michelle and Steve exchanged piercing glares across the room, which left the contestants and coach Tiffany speechless.
“You guys are driving to and from work together in a car, you’re not going to sit there and go, ‘Oh sorry babe, my team voted you out today,’” Shannan said in front of everyone.
He later added: “You two are in a relationship and I’m over the smoke and mirrors … You’ve got a partner, you would never vote your partner out.”
Despite Michelle and Steve vehemently denying the claim, Shannan later said: “There’s no doubt that the alliance emerged from the relationship that exists between Commando and Michelle.”
Speaking about the on-air spat to The Daily Telegraph in 2015, Shannan defended his comments, which he said were not edited and appeared in context.
“It wasn’t contrived or edited at all. [What you saw on screen] was a fair representation to get my message across,” Shannan told the publication.
WATCH: Shannan slams Commando and Michelle for alliance on TBL
“I stand behind it, a hundred per cent. They’re a couple!” he said, before explaining that the alliance was ultimately detrimental to his team.
While it remains unclear whether the trainers were able to resolve their issues, one TV insider previously gave insight in to Michelle’s fractured relationship with the cast and crew.
“There was a pretty long-running feud between Michelle and the other trainers,” the source claimed to New Idea.
“It was always her and Steve versus them. They ganged up on everyone and helped each other’s teams.”
Seemingly not being able to get over the on-air spat, Michelle and Steve quit the show at the end of season 15, leaving only Shannan and new trainer Libby Babet to coach the contestants.
Needless to say, the shock departure of two of the show’s most popular trainers left a lasting impact on viewers, which resulted in the reality show being axed in 2017.
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