The Lord Of The Ring: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Fellowship
6. There Could Have Been A Tenth Member
The nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring, were chosen for their number matching that of the nine black servants of Sauron. But there could have been a tenth member. Although it's not mentioned in Peter Jackson's films, an additional hobbit was chosen to help Frodo escape the Shire and avoid the Black Riders.
In the books, the hobbits want to avoid suspicion when Frodo leaves Bag End; they devise a plan in which they pretend Frodo is only moving house to the outskirts of the Shire. Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger was a friend of Frodo who helped him do this. When Frodo eventually arrived, he decided the risk of staying in the new house was too great and left for Bree almost at once. Fatty Bolger elected to stay behind and keep up the allusion that Frodo was still living there. Shortly after Frodo and his companions departed, however, the Nazgûl attacked, forcing Fatty to flee.
Tolkien originally intended Fatty to leave on the quest with the other hobbits, but decided to reduce his character. He made another appearance at the end of the book, though. It's discovered he was imprisoned and starved almost to death after he tried to lead a rebellion against Saruman during the Scouring of the Shire. When Fatty was eventually freed, he was so skinny that his nickname became redundant.