How does ‘Loser’ cast drop so much weight?

Q: Can you tell me if one of the contestants that was on “American Idol” (not sure of his name or what season he was on) is a regular on the soap “One Live To Live” playing Duke?    —Bonnie, Illinois

A: Yep, Matthew Metzger, who didn't quite make it to the final 12 on "American Idol 3," plays Duke Buchanan, a character who had been offscreen since babyhood. It's Metzger's first acting role. Since his "Idol" days, Metzger has also married Natalie Witwer, a former Miss Ohio.    —G.F.C.

Q: What was the cause of [death for] Michael Dada of "American Casino"? Will we see more of Green Valley Ranch Casino in the future?    —Anderson

A: “American Casino” star Michael Tata died in July, 2004 at age 33. His death was discussed on episode 11 of the first season, when his fellow Green Valley Ranch employees learned of his death.

He died after accidentally overdosing on alcohol and fentanyl, a powerful opiate-based painkiller, according to the Clark County coroner. The Las Vegas Sun reported on the investigation that August, and noted that “[i]t’s not clear if Tata had a medical condition that would result in pain or if any other drugs were found in his system, but the combination of the fentanyl and alcohol were the only factors in his death.”

Despite his death, “American Casino” continued into a second season. For its third season, the show moved from the Discovery Channel to its sibling station, the Travel Channel. A new episode airs in its regular timeslot this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. This will be the final season of the series.    —A.D.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

MORE FROM REALITY TV

Reality TV Section Front

Misty heads home; Brooke shines on 'Dancing'   Atlanta takes ‘Housewives’ to a new level Misty May-Treanor to have surgery Tuesday Vote: You be the ‘Dancing’ judge Derek Hough blacks out after ‘Dancing’ fall The secrets of 'Survivor' answered Weak link gets the boot on 'Survivor Gabon' Teary-eyed Boyd takes ‘Talent’ title 'Biggest Loser': Dad takes one for the team   ‘Project Runway’ becomes a ‘drag’ strip Reality TV Section Front   Add Reality TV headlines to your news reader: