FARMINGTON — When the winner has to kiss a pig, it makes for a competition you're glad to lose.
During the past 10 weeks, Davis County employees squared off against employees of the Davis Hospital and Medical Center in a "Biggest Loser" type competition to see which group of employees could lose the most weight.
As an incentive, upper management of the winning team would kiss a pig at the Davis County Fair just before the rodeo.
The hospital came out on top, with participants shedding 350.5 pounds, or 2.75 percent of their weight. County employees shed 200 pounds, or 2.45 percent.
So Davis Hospital CEO Mike Jensen, chief operating officer Dale Johns, chief financial officer Marty Brockman and chief nursing officer Debbie Sprague took turns locking lips with a pig Friday night.
"We're happy for them," said Commissioner Louenda Downs on Tuesday.
Ashley Erickson, the county's wellness program coordinator, said Sprague really got into the spirit of the event by wearing a pig snout-shaped pacifier.
Jensen said he lost 20 pounds during the 10-week program, and the motivation worked for him.
"I wanted to see my chief nursing officer do it," he said, but added that he was looking forward to planting a kiss on the pig, as well.
"It's fun to do stuff like that for employees," Jensen said. "If it helps motivate them, it's the least we can do."
Jensen said the pig, pinkish with black spots, was a perfect gentlepig and had been recently bathed, though he didn't linger long enough to tell if the animal had pig breath.
Dave Hansen, director of the Davis County Events Center, where the fair was held, said he'd like to make the competition an annual event.
"I think we should do it every year as long as I'm not the one kissing the pig," he said.
He suspects an annual event could motivate employees to lose more weight.
Diane Townsend, the hospital's business development director, said that was best thing.
"People participated," she said. "People lowered their cholesterol and their blood pressure. We had a lot of people lose a lot of weight."
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com