Anna Kournikova is set to The Biggest Loser

 

 tennis pro Anna Kournikova is set to join "The Biggest Loser" and replace Jillian Michaels on the next season of the reality series.Looks like, the Russian blonde is making the most of her time with her long time boyfriend because she would not have much time off once the new series kicks off. Russian born tennis star and professional hottie Anna Kournikova has said to joining Loser as its new celebrity trainer, news that started leaking out on Internet gossip sites over the weekend. But there's more Industry sources also tell us that trainers Brett Hoebel and Cara Castronuova, who joined the show this winter, will not be returning. The two big questions now  Will the on air overhaul help energize Loser as it begins its twelfth season next fall And perhaps more important, does Kournikova have the lung power to replace scream queen Michaels?For the answers, we rang up Loser executive producer Todd Lubin. Kournikova, meanwhile, was no stranger to Lubin and the other Loser producers  She had made a guest appearance on a season-ten episode in which she surprised contestants with a tennis themed workout. Lubin was impressed with Kournikova's ability to motivate and briefly considered developing a new show just for her. He soon changed course, however, and decided it made more sense for her to join Loser.While Kournikova is sometimes criticized in athletic circles for being better at being a celebrity than playing tennis, Lubin says the star "is the furthest thing away" from being a diva: "She grew up with very little in Moscow, pounding tennis balls every day when she was 5," he says. "That's the drive she's bringing to the show as for our other burning question  can Kournikova reach Michaels's ear splitting decibel level  Lubin says he hasn't measured her vocal prowess. "But what's alarming about Anna is that when she really gets intense, she starts speaking Russian," he says. "And as a child of the Cold War, it scares me when she does."Lubin wouldn't comment on the future of Hoebel and Castronuova, or whether Kournikova will make an appearance in tonight's finale. He did tell us the show  which still ranks as one of NBC's top-rated series despite tough competition from Glee, the NCIS franchise, and the Dancing With the Stars results show  will look noticeably different next fall, with a redecorated ranch among the changes. The show's fundamentals won't shift, however: "Loser is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things," Lubin says. The idea of the show is that you watch these contestants and realize, 'Holy shit, I can do anything.