The astonishing true story of Rulon Gardner, a dairy farmer from Wyoming who shocked the world at the Sydney Olympics, overcoming 2000 to 1 odds by defeating a Russian wrestler who hadn't lost a single match in 13 years. Months after winning his gold medal, Rulon's toe was amputated from severe frostbite after a near-death wilderness stranding in sub-zero temperatures. Then with 9 toes - and after surviving a near-fatal motorcycle accident, Rulon won another medal at the next Olympics, only to survive a plane crash by swimming two miles in a freezing lake. Finally, after ballooning to 500 lbs., Rulon won America's heart competing on a season of The Biggest Loser only to lose his life savings and retreat into obscurity after getting swindled in a real estate deal that cost him his Olympic medals.
Matthew Todd Lauer ( born December 30, 1957) is a former American television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the news anchor for The Today Show from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, he was moved from the news desk to the host's chair, and served as the co-host of NBC's Today show from 1997 to 2017. He was also a frequent contributor for the evening news magazine Dateline NBC. With NBC, Lauer hosted the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games. Following allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior, Lauer's contract was terminated by NBC in November 2017 after the network reported receiving "a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace" and added that the network had "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident".