Dozens line up in Tampa to apply for ABC reality show and shed 200 pounds

TAMPA — Some dreamed of stardom. Others were sick of buying two airplane tickets. One man said he just wants to survive the next decade.

So, clutching applications and photographs, dozens of people lined up at the Italian Club in Ybor City on Saturday to audition for a new weight-loss reality show.

The ABC show, which has not been officially named, features one person per episode in a quest to lose at least 200 pounds. Camera crews follow participants for a year as they work with professional personal trainers and dietitians.

It's not a competition; each episode plays out like a documentary, said casting director Jodi Thomas. Saturday's audition was for the show's second season. The first season is already being filmed and will likely air in 2011, Thomas said.

Thomas said she won't know how many people she can accept until producers confirm the number of episodes. Tampa was one of six cities — others were Washington, D.C.; Houston; Mesa, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; and Los Angeles — with casting calls.

Standing in the lobby, Ayla Beavers fidgeted.

"I'm really nervous," Beavers said. "I'm hoping they see that I really want to do this."

The 22-year-old, who weighs 302 pounds, said she's thinking about her 4-year-old daughter. "She tells me how beautiful I am," Beavers said. "But I want to be healthy for my family."

Wearing a bikini would be nice too, though, she admits, giggling.

A bit farther down the line was Carrie Truax, who drove all night from Georgia to make her pitch. Truax, 34, recently earned her degree in psychology, but she fears that at 400 pounds, her appearance will prevent her from getting a job.

This show could be just what she needs, she said. Plus, she'd make for great entertainment. "I'm funny. I'm hilarious," Truax said. "I'm great with people."

Maybe this will be her big break.

Michael Barbetta hopes this will be the start of a new life.

"I just realized, now is the time for me," Barbetta said. "I need to do this now because I probably won't live another nine years."

The 30-year-old moved from New Hampshire about five years ago to attend Stetson University College of Law. He's made good friends here. He's happy.

But at about 600 pounds, Barbetta loses his breath quickly. He never travels.

"The other thing is, you know, I always hoped I would find somebody and see how that goes," he said, trailing off.

Barbetta said his weight problem probably began at age 5, when a tumble off a playground slide split his leg open and left him bedridden for a whole summer.

Even when he could get up and move again, Barbetta never lost the weight he gained, and it only got worse from there.

Middle school was tough — you know how kids are, Barbetta said. High school and college weren't much different. "It was always an emotional problem for me," he said. "I found myself turning to food."

He's tried Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and diet doctors and everything else. He hates to think about bariatric surgery because the complications scare him.

The thought of following a strict diet-and-exercise routine on national television scares him, too, of course, but what's he got to lose?

"It's finally time," Barbetta said.

Kim Wilmath can be reached at (813) 661-2442 or kwilmath@sptimes.com