Kings Island passholder loses 190 lbs. to ride newest roller coaster

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Kings Island passholder loses 190 lbs. to ride newest roller coaster 

Chad Showalter Photo Chad Showalter |
August 14, 2020

It would be hard for you to find someone who loves roller coasters as much as 35-year-old Dayton, Ohio resident, Jared Ream. But, when his weight increased after he took a desk job, it became harder to ride. And, by the time his weight reached 430 lbs. he had just about given up on ever riding coasters again.

“I knew that as my weight was going up, that I wasn’t going to be able to fit on the roller coasters anymore, so I just kind of stopped going to theme parks.” Ream said. “And, the weight kept going up and going up.”

It was on August 15, 2019 that his love for roller coasters led him to make the life changing decision to lose weight. It was the day Kings Island announced Orion would join the park’s world class coaster line-up in 2020 as the world’s seventh giga coaster (a coaster with a height or drop of 300-399 feet.) The coaster would be designed by Swiss firm Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M).

“I always said to myself, if Kings Island ever built a B&M giga coaster that I would have to ride it no matter what I did, “ he said. “I decided I would have to lose the weight in order to ride it.” 

The journey included daily workouts, reduced calories and plenty of rest. Ten months later, Jared met his goal, weighing in at a 240 lbs., a staggering weight loss of 190 lbs.  It was July 1, and it was time to ride Orion.  

His review?

“(Orion’s) first drop is amazing. The speed. The airtime on it.  It’s just a great roller coaster,” I’ve been telling everybody that you couldn’t see it because of the mask on my face, but I was smiling from ear to ear.”

Was it worth it?

“When I rode the ride, I felt like the all the work I had put into the previous ten months to lose all that weight, it was definitely worth it for this experience.

“I got out of it exactly what I wanted to.”

Since taking that ride, Jared’s story has been seen by millions. Featured on television networks from CBS, ABC and FOX to the Washington Post and People.com. Every reporter has asked the same question, “What’s your secret?”

“The thing I’ve been telling everybody is, ‘Find that thing that motivates you,’  Ream said, “You need to have that motivation in order to stay on your goal and stay on task,” he said.

Congratulations Jared. Thank you for including Kings Island in your journey!