# The Biggest Loser Season 12 Discussion Thread *Spoilers*



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Since the season threads seem to be all the rage for reality shows, I thought Id start one for the new season of The Biggest Loser. Where to start.....

For starters, Im glad they dont have any HUGE people on the teams this year. I think the biggest guy they have is in the mid 400s, which while still huge, isnt like Michael and Arthur from seasons past. 

I also feel bad for anyone that got stuck with Anna as a trainer. I think its going to be a short season for them. No one on her team put up any numbers NEAR as good as the other two teams.

Ive got more to say but thought Id just get the thread going. Thought on the season so far?


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## mcb08 (Mar 10, 2006)

KungFuCow said:


> Since the season threads seem to be all the rage for reality shows, I thought Id start one for the new season of The Biggest Loser. Where to start.....
> 
> For starters, Im glad they dont have any HUGE people on the teams this year. I think the biggest guy they have is in the mid 400s, which while still huge, isnt like Michael and Arthur from seasons past.
> 
> ...


To be fair to AK, she is at a distinct disadvantage, due to the age of her team members. All things being equal, they just don't have the energy or strength that their younger competitors do. That's not to say that they can't compete, but it will be much more difficult for them. It would have been interesting to see how Bob would have done with that team.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

So far I like it. As soon as they split up the teams according to age, I knew that the oldies were going to be hurting. I was a little annoyed that they didn't even try to jog a little bit for the first challenge.

I really like Antoine, the big tough ex NFL player who was already breaking down. You could see that even though he is pretty obese, he's got a lot of muscle underneath. I don't think he will win but I hope he goes far. And maybe he's the ex-athlete that I can like the whole season as opposed to Rulon last season.

I also liked that there wasn't any "I'll fall on my sword and vote for me to go home" this time around. When Debbie and Bonnie got into it, I was amused. I pick Bonnie to go home next time the Oldsters have to vote someone off.

I also like the new trainer... "Why you got your hands on my treadmill? That's it, get off my treadmill!" Hilarious. 

I thought Anna would be a weak trainer, and I think I'm right. Old age + Anna = elimination.

You never know though, because after that first huge weight loss, there is often a big reduction in loss the next time. I still think that the Oldsters are going to get decimated...


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I just dont think Anna knows what she's doing. "We'll just have to go longer".. really? So you've got these guys for hours a day and you're not working them out to complete exhaustion?

They have two real trainers and an ex mediocre tennis player. She's at a real disadvantage. I like her attitude but she's got to get the results. They shoulda kept Cara. At least she got the numbers.

And what the heck on Debbie? Man.. she did a complete 180 in about 3 seconds.


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## GTuck (May 23, 2004)

So there won't be an at home winner this season? They all get a chance to compete in the final 4 by winning the marathon? Am I following that correctly?


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I hope it is an enjoyable and successful season! For the first time, I have deleted my Season Pass. Last season I just couldn't get invested and that's a first. I'm usually rooting for people and I found that I didn't care anymore. That said, I think it does a lot of good so I hope the show continues to be successful.

I feel like they've said it all and done it all and for me, being somebody who does NOT love the drama and backbiting, there was not much left. Jillian had really grown on me so I think her being gone is a further liability.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

They didn't mention an at-home winner, but there could still be one. But I really like that everybody gets to come back for the marathon and could potentially win. Marathon running isn't necessarily best suited for everybody though, so even those who are getting fitter at home would still have a hard time with that. I'm mainly more interested in seeing how some of the at-home people do in a marathon after they've been home for awhile.

It was a pretty good start. I'm not sure Anna is going to be a good fit for this show though. Yes she's an athlete herself and she knows what works for her, but training others is a whole different ball game. Add the older contestants with her and it seems like a losing proposition.

Splitting up into age groups rarely works on any show. It was pretty bad failure on Survivor and I expect it to be here. Sometimes the older contestants do well on the ranch because they act as "parental figures" to the others. So they stick around because others like them and don't want them to leave (and they have time to get into a groove to lose a lot of weight). But putting them all on the same team won't let them do that this time. We'll see.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I'm so glad Jillian is gone. She was the worst part of the show for me.


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## USAFSSO (Aug 24, 2005)

A big plus this season is they shortened up the weigh-ins. Don't know how long I will keep up with it this go around. The whole premise is getting old.


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## BeanMeScot (Apr 17, 2002)

Last night is the first time I really watched an episode. I had run across it now and again but never really watched it. The new trainer Dulvet is a close friend of one of the DJ's on a local station so I tuned in to see him. Apparently, the treadmill line was trending on Twitter last night.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

I don't think they've done away with the at-home prize at all. When Debbie was saying her goodbyes, one of the guys said something along the lines of "Go win that $100,000". I think it's just that one of those sent home may have a way back into the finale (and a shot at the larger prize) by coming back and winning the marathon.

Just trying to remember how things go, but they have determined who is in the finale by the top two percentage-of-weight losers of the final four are automatically in, right? Then it's been an "America votes" out of the two others? So what happens if one of the final four wins the marathon, but that person is one of the two who don't lose enough for an automatic place in the finale? Is there no "Amercia votes" then? Or do they take the biggest loser of the other three and still have an "America votes" from the last two?

Debbie sealed her fate when she attacked Bonnie for crying. I was trying to follow whether she set out to blast her, or started saying something and Bonnie shot back and the whole thing went sideways. For some reason (her attitude), I figured Debbie would be going home.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

USAFSSO said:


> A big plus this season is they *shortened up the weigh-ins*. Don't know how long I will keep up with it this go around. The whole premise is getting old.


They did?!?

Didn't they start almost immediately into the second hour and go for like 40 minutes?

Yeah, there were people that they showed less time on the scale, but I think that is because there are more people to show. But I don't think the time allotted was that different.

I could be wrong though.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Something about the weigh in portion of this show puts me to sleep every single week.  I get to the end and watch the section about where they are now and usually have no idea how it got there, but I don't want to rewind and rewatch to find out. 

I like the new trainer dude (man that guy is ripped  my SO said, "wow he looks like an action figure!"), but Anna isn't a very good choice as a trainer in my opinion, and I feel just as bad for her team as the ones who ended up with Cara last time. Unless there's something they're not telling us, basically these people are athletes themselves and have zero credentials for being a personal trainer for other people.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> Something about the weigh in portion of this show puts me to sleep every single week.  I get to the end and watch the section about where they are now and usually have no idea how it got there, but I don't want to rewind and rewatch to find out.
> 
> I like the new trainer dude (man that guy is ripped  my SO said, "wow he looks like an action figure!"), but Anna isn't a very good choice as a trainer in my opinion, and I feel just as bad for her team as the ones who ended up with Cara last time. Unless there's something they're not telling us, basically these people are athletes themselves and have zero credentials for being a personal trainer for other people.


Cara did okay tho. She got great results out of both Kaylee and Moses.

They should have kept her over Anna but Im sure Anna will get them a temporary ratings boost until everyone figures out she doesnt know what she's doing.


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## Hot4Bo (Apr 3, 2003)

sharkster said:


> I hope it is an enjoyable and successful season! For the first time, I have deleted my Season Pass. Last season I just couldn't get invested and that's a first. I'm usually rooting for people and I found that I didn't care anymore. That said, I think it does a lot of good so I hope the show continues to be successful.
> 
> I feel like they've said it all and done it all and for me, being somebody who does NOT love the drama and backbiting, there was not much left. Jillian had really grown on me so I think her being gone is a further liability.


This is exactly how I feel about this show. I deleted my season pass after the last finale.


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

I just don't think Anna is going to be able to push her team. She has too much empathy for them.

Duvett is a trainer, but I dont know what experience he has with people starting at 300-400 lbs. I think his people will fair better than Anna's just due to his experience.

I like Jillian. With her and Bob there, it was like a good cop, bad cop in the gym. 

Cara's people did ok last season, but she had a lot of empathy as well. I think Moses and Kaylee are bad examples though. Kaylee gained weight every other week at the end, and both gained weight after leaving the Ranch.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

sburnside1 said:


> I just don't think Anna is going to be able to push her team. She has too much empathy for them.
> 
> Duvett is a trainer, but I dont know what experience he has with people starting at 300-400 lbs. I think his people will fair better than Anna's just due to his experience.
> 
> ...


I dont know how much influence the trainers have over diet and without the diet side of the equation, they're not going to lose too much. Thats where Moses and Kaylee messed up. Remember the New Zealand trip?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

KungFuCow said:


> They have two real trainers and an ex mediocre tennis player.


AK in Texas Hold 'em is known as the Anna Kournikova.. Looks nice but almost never wins.
(something very close to that.)


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

JFriday said:


> I'm so glad Jillian is gone. She was the worst part of the show for me.


Wow, totally disagree... She's like Simon and American Idol... even after they're gone, I'll watch.. but they're the main reason to watch.. thus enjoyment is way down after they're gone.

BTW, about the reduced weigh in time -- I think they may have been referring to the almost completely eliminated footage of the ORIGINAL weigh in.. they showed brief snippets (almost still frames?) in the main weigh in. I actually thought this was to show more of the more interesting stuff.. but then they wasted a whole bunch of time to show "this season on The Biggest Loser".. The halfway recap was WAY shorter than usual too... I FFed for a while like usual, and realized I was missing actual show.

Oh, and I guess their budget went down? They no longer have the separate announcer.. it's just the host chick.


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## MLR930 (Dec 26, 2002)

I miss Jillian already


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

mattack said:


> Wow, totally disagree... She's like Simon and American Idol...


Simon is entertaining, Jillian is annoying.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

While I enjoy the show, I do say I could not watch it without a DVR. Just way too much repetition and long drawn out suspense sequences.

I really like the marathon challenge. I was bummed they actually dropped it last season. Now that the marathon actually means something too, it will be interesting. Although with everyone running it, I wonder how many will actually finish. I would be amazed if they all completed it.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

ehusen said:


> While I enjoy the show, I do say I could not watch it without a DVR. Just way too much repetition and long drawn out suspense sequences.
> 
> I really like the marathon challenge. I was bummed they actually dropped it last season. Now that the marathon actually means something too, it will be interesting. Although with everyone running it, I wonder how many will actually finish. I would be amazed if they all completed it.


They always complete it.. even when they dont. Hasnt the show been busted before for cheating on the marathon?


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

I thought the Marathon winner idea was horrible. While dividing into ages may not give anyone an advantage, long distance running will definitely favor the younger crowd.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> They always complete it.. even when they dont. Hasnt the show been busted before for cheating on the marathon?


It wasn't the show marathon, it was a marathon that one of the contestants was doing outside the show. Dane I think, from a few seasons back? Or the guy that was Dane's partner?


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

sburnside1 said:


> I thought the Marathon winner idea was horrible. While dividing into ages may not give anyone an advantage, long distance running will definitely favor the younger crowd.


Yeah, that is true. Of course many of the week to week challenges also favor youth and strength as well so it's kind of unfair all the time. I kind of wonder if you are already over 60, are you really going to change your ways and get healthier?


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> It wasn't the show marathon, it was a marathon that one of the contestants was doing outside the show. Dane I think, from a few seasons back? Or the guy that was Dane's partner?


Ah.. that was before I started watching so I wasnt sure of the details.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> Ah.. that was before I started watching so I wasnt sure of the details.


Yeah, it was Dane.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20422716,00.html

He was eliminated, went home, and ran (most of) a marathon. He got a 3 mile ride from TBL producers when it became clear he was not going to make the 6 hour time cutoff. They showed clips from the marathon during his "where are they now" segment after his elimination episode.


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## paracelsus (Jun 23, 2002)

I really wish they would make some other final physical challenge besides running a marathon like cycling a century ride. There's just so many contestants that are either coming in with orthopedic injuries or developing them during the show that running long distances is just really contraindicated.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

As far as bikes are concerned, remember many TBL contestants simply can't get on a bike seat (it's been an issue in several seasons). I always cringe at the cardio challenge on the first day anyway.

Greg


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

gchance said:


> As far as bikes are concerned, remember many TBL contestants simply can't get on a bike seat (it's been an issue in several seasons). I always cringe at the cardio challenge on the first day anyway.
> 
> Greg


At the end of the season, theres no reason any of them cant ride a bike. Hell, they had a 500# guy on a special bike on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As a cyclist thats ridden a bunch of centuries, Id like to see them do that. Its very mentally demanding.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I love watching Biggest Loser, but it always makes me double-glad that I own a TiVo 

I like AK more than I thought I would as a personality, but I join y'all in thinking that she's not going to be much of a trainer. I thought Cara was a better trainer but was not charismatic enough for TV.

The other trainer I'm really enjoying. I like how he can switch from buddy-buddy to drill-sargeant tough ("you will get off my treadmill") so easily. He'll make a good addition to the show.

I too am glad they cut the early stuff. The past few seasons with their "qualifying rounds", home town weigh-ins and other background story coverage... it just made for a really slow start to the season. Kudos to the directors for getting right to the challenges. :up:

I'm glad that they redocorated the gym and got rid of those tired slogans from the walls. Of course they had to do that because Jillian is no longer with the show and half the quotes belonged to her.

But are we really going to have to look at Koli's ugly mug on that poster all season? (or was that Sam?) They should have just used Hannah for all the posters.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> At the end of the season, theres no reason any of them cant ride a bike. Hell, they had a 500# guy on a special bike on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As a cyclist thats ridden a bunch of centuries, Id like to see them do that. Its very mentally demanding.


I was referring to the first week. They need a cardio exercise the contestants can do (running, step-ups) without dying (like with swimming they could drown).

Greg


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

gchance said:


> I was referring to the first week. They need a cardio exercise the contestants can do (running, step-ups) without dying (like with swimming they could drown).
> 
> Greg


They did a cycling challenge to get on the ranch on the family season.. was that last season or the one before that? They used mountain bikes on trainers I believe.

A century on a mountain bike would be a very tough proposition if they kept knobby tires on them. Im a fairly strong rider but I dont know that Id even want to try that. I can do 40-50 miles on a mountain bike and Im spent. The tires really make it harder.


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## paracelsus (Jun 23, 2002)

Since I originally suggested it, it was my intent that the century bike ride would be the final challenge, not the first, in place of a marathon. You're right, some of the previous contestants had a hard time with stationary or real bikes at their starting weights.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

gchance said:


> I was referring to the first week. They need a cardio exercise the contestants can do (running, step-ups) without dying (like with swimming they could drown).


Umm, they would likely float! (ok, this is a joke)

But they have a big pool, that I presume they are free to use at any time.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I am always surprised that they don't do more pool workouts.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Another week, another TBL.

Anna is a terrible trainer. I was pretty sure of it last week but after last night, Im 100% sure. Did they not even bother to check and see if she could actually train people or did they just say "Hey, a new celebrity that says she can train people. Lets hire her!"

All the backstabbing going on already.. yea.. this is going to be an interesting season.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Wow, I've never seen someone gain weight in the second week. What did that guy do? He seemed to be doing well at home though.

What a stupid challenge reward. Pick your own time to work out? You are there, dedicating your whole time to losing weight, why does it matter when you work out? Heck, why aren't they running around the gym all day long when not working out in the gym?

I thought Bob was pretty funny in the morning workouts.

How is Bonnie going to even attempt, much less finish a marathon? At any pace? She can barely walk right now.

Yup, Anna is a terrible trainer. So if the oldsters lose any more players, how do you think the producers will mix up the teams to redistribute people? Yeah, I said it here, they will do something to mix up the teams.


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

Yeah, its going to be a Black vs. Red season. Anna's people will be all gone in a couple more weeks. She is not pushing her team to their limits everyday. They start to quit and ask for breaks and she just feels sorry for them and gives in.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

ehusen said:


> What a stupid challenge reward. Pick your own time to work out? You are there, dedicating your whole time to losing weight, why does it matter when you work out? Heck, why aren't they running around the gym all day long when not working out in the gym?


I would HOPE that they were doing some stuff on their own outside of the gym... I got the impression that it was one of those deals where you're not allowed inside the gym or to work out with your trainer except those 2 hours.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

sburnside1 said:


> Yeah, its going to be a Black vs. Red season. Anna's people will be all gone in a couple more weeks. She is not pushing her team to their limits everyday. They start to quit and ask for breaks and she just feels sorry for them and gives in.


She's not pushing them at all! "Waaah Waaah Waaah" and she just takes it. Jillian would have ripped those old fart's tonsils out.

Anyone would have been a better choice than Anna. *I* could have done a better job than Anna. I hope they get great ratings from having her on the season but they should let all of her team come back next year under a REAL trainer so they get to see what TBL experience is really all about.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I do think she is at a HUGE disadvantage with the age thing. Lets face it the older you get the more aches and pains you have and the more recovery time you need.


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## maggsm82 (Sep 20, 2005)

I've been liberally fast forwarding the episodes so far, but do agree with the consensus, Anna doesn't seem to know what she's doing. I think any team that ended up with her was going to be at a disadvantage, and it's compounded by the age of her team.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

JFriday said:


> I do think she is at a HUGE disadvantage with the age thing. Lets face it the older you get the more aches and pains you have and the more recovery time you need.


To a certain extent thats true but there are things she could have them doing that they arent, kind of like how Cara worked with Moses last season. He was essentially immobile for the first half of the season.

She could be doing lower impact, higher aerobic activities, using the pool, etc. Instead she's got them on ellipticals going so slow, I cant believe their heart rate is up at all.

Anna is the biggest farce Ive seen perpetrated on The Biggest Loser since Ive been watching it. Maybe she can take her team out for ice cream or they can sit around a camp fire and sing because they sure arent going to lose much weight with her at the helm.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

I have serious doubts that TBL producers would just put her (AK) out there without any kind of support at all. I'm guessing she's being (highly?) coached about what to do and what she can and can't do with that particular group of contestants.

The producers would be doing those old folks a huge disservice just dumping them on Anna and leaving it at that - especially if people who know (advisers or whatever) can see things she's doing wrong or could be doing differently.

OK, that out of the way, can I be a total jerk and say I am not going to miss at all the open-mouthed, slack-jawed look of Johnny's face on my TV screen? And I wouldn't mind seeing Bonnie go because of her facial expressions in addition to the fact that she really is going to be limited due to her knee issues. Just not at all entertaining TV for me. I know it's about the contestants, and certainly should be, but I selfishly hope to get some entertainment from watching as well.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

JLucPicard said:


> I have serious doubts that TBL producers would just put her (AK) out there without any kind of support at all. I'm guessing she's being (highly?) coached about what to do and what she can and can't do with that particular group of contestants.


Mike and the other woman not on deaths door might actually make it a while. I really like Mike.. he seems like a pretty good dude. They put the work in every week and the best thing that could happen to them is getting moved to another team. But even those two, she doesnt seem to work out very hard and they seem to be in great health and theyre not much over 50.

Prolly safe to assume that Bonnie will be leaving next week.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> To a certain extent thats true but there are things she could have them doing that they arent, kind of like how Cara worked with Moses last season. He was essentially immobile for the first half of the season.
> 
> She could be doing lower impact, higher aerobic activities, using the pool, etc. Instead she's got them on ellipticals going so slow, I cant believe their heart rate is up at all.
> 
> Anna is the biggest farce Ive seen perpetrated on The Biggest Loser since Ive been watching it. Maybe she can take her team out for ice cream or they can sit around a camp fire and sing because they sure arent going to lose much weight with her at the helm.


But she's nice on my eyes.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I knew Anna was going to be awful... and so far she is. 

I really like Dolvett though!


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## mrdazzo7 (Jan 8, 2006)

I was surprised the show tipped their hand so much in showing that the weigh ins are done in advance. We've always known it I guess but they've never made any hints towards it that I can remember. When they put up the teams' 1 or 2 lb advantages they showed the percentages below it, which they could only have known having done the math already. Thought that was weird. 

I realized today that I'm definitely bored with TBL so I fast-forwarded through a lot of it, but it definitely seems like Anna is waaaay out of place here. OBVIOUSLY I like looking at her though. But I'm not sure what qualifies her to be a trainer in probably the most extreme circumstances a trainer can ever be in. She doesn't seem to know what the hell she's doing, and she got mega-screwed by ending up with the older players because they simply can't always do what she'd like her contestants to do. 

The "Age" theme seems messed up to me at times, but other times I think of Jerry from season four, White Team Jerry, White Team Jerry's Wife, Helen, O'neal, and a few other people who did very well. But I think they were exceptions... From the first week it just seemed like these particular individuals, with the exception of Mike, never had a real shot. I do like Mike though...as long as he sticks it out he'll be good. 

I wonder why the big guy only dropped five lbs. Yeah I know, "Week 2", but man... he's one of those dudes I would expect to have Rudy sized numbers. Hopefully they work it out because he seems genuine in wanting to change (most of them do this year). 

BTW I was surprised the show tipped their hand so much in confirming that the weigh ins are done in advance. We've always known it I guess but they've never made any hints towards it that I can remember. But when they put up the teams' 1 or 2 lb advantages they showed the percentages below it, which they could only have known having done the math already.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

mrdazzo7 said:


> BTW I was surprised the show tipped their hand so much in confirming that the weigh ins are done in advance. We've always known it I guess but they've never made any hints towards it that I can remember. But when they put up the teams' 1 or 2 lb advantages they showed the percentages below it, which they could only have known having done the math already.


I won't quote both times you posted this, but they've known for a week what each team's total starting weight is for the weigh in. One or two pounds of that is an EASY percentage calculation. And the calculations are done on the fly anyway, so I don't really see how much 'tipping the hand' is going on - it's all just simple math as they weigh in.

What am I missing?


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## mrdazzo7 (Jan 8, 2006)

JLucPicard said:


> I won't quote both times you posted this, but they've known for a week what each team's total starting weight is for the weigh in. One or two pounds of that is an EASY percentage calculation. And the calculations are done on the fly anyway, so I don't really see how much 'tipping the hand' is going on - it's all just simple math as they weigh in.
> 
> What am I missing?


oops... fixed.

I see what I did... I was thinking they need to know what the new weight was in order to calculate the percentage but it's Starting Weight / Weight Lost (1 lb) - the .06% Loss (or whatever the formula is). I had it in my head that the one lb (.06%) was a percentage of their total weight lost at the weigh in, which hadn't been done yet.

To be fair I had a lot on my mind and was actually working and helping a friend on the phone with something so I wasn't really thinking. That and I hate math. Clearly this should tell you why.

False alarm...


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

laria said:


> I really like Dolvett though!


I really like him too... except when he's doing crappy yogurt commercials.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

jradosh said:


> I really like him too... except when he's doing crappy yogurt commercials.


Well any time the trainer is standing around the kitchen you know it's going to be some kind of crappy commercial.  As soon as he started talking to his team saying they had an hour to go before the gym, I said to my SO, here comes an awkward product placement segment!

And really... the yogurt tastes JUST like red velvet cake? Come on... no one is going to believe that.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

And it's so disingenuous (sp?). Those yogurts may be fat-free, but they're loaded with sugar and artificial flavorings and other [email protected] Sure, they're better for you than a plate of fries, but really...


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> Well any time the trainer is standing around the kitchen you know it's going to be some kind of crappy commercial.  As soon as he started talking to his team saying they had an hour to go before the gym, I said to my SO, here comes an awkward product placement segment!
> 
> And really... the yogurt tastes JUST like red velvet cake? Come on... no one is going to believe that.


LOL

We were watching it and my wife says "Here comes a Yoplait commercial" and sure enough, about 45 seconds later, here comes the girl with the "red velvet cake" yogurt (See what I did there?).


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> LOL
> 
> We were watching it and my wife says "Here comes a Yoplait commercial" and sure enough, about 45 seconds later, here comes the girl with the "red velvet cake" yogurt (See what I did there?).


Too funny. Us too. Of course, we have this DVR thingy so as soon as that occurs I'm on the FF button outta there.

I literally could not watch this show without a DVR. I would just get bored of all the repetition etc.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I actually kinda like to watch the product placement things because they are SO awkward that they are funny.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> I actually kinda like to watch the product placement things because they are SO awkward that they are funny.


Subway and Yoplait got that stuff locked down!


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> Subway and Yoplait got that stuff locked down!


Don't forget Larabars (which are actually good and I eat them a lot ), Jennie-O turkey, Brita, Extra sugar-free gum, Ziploc bags... and of course 24 Hour Fitness!


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> Don't forget Larabars (which are actually good and I eat them a lot ), Jennie-O turkey, Brita, Extra sugar-free gum, Ziploc bags... and of course 24 Hour Fitness!


I forgot about those. Jenny-O and Extra seem to have more ads than the others. 24 Hour Fitness isnt around here but I was a member when I lived in Dallas. I missed those days.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> LOL
> 
> We were watching it and my wife says "Here comes a Yoplait commercial" and sure enough, about 45 seconds later, here comes the girl with the "red velvet cake" yogurt (See what I did there?).


Yep. The one saving grace is that they appear to be exactly 30 seconds long. One button press of my trusty 30SS and it's back to the show. 

I had a bad feeling that guy was going to gain weight. Something he said earlier in one of the interviews kind of tipped it for me. He REALLY missed his family and you could tell he was just not at all prepared for the theater of pain that is the TBL workout.

Which begs the question... How much food do these people have access to at night? Most food addicts do their thing in the late hours of the day. I'd guess there's probably an open kitchen with a fridge or some vending machines around there somewhere... It's either water loading or (more likely) he got his hands on some "bad" food somehow...


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I think the contestants can request food be brought in. I thought that was how Rulon got the chips and salsa last year.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> I think the contestants can request food be brought in. I thought that was how Rulon got the chips and salsa last year.


But for it to work, they'd need to be able to "sneak eat" it without anyone stopping them. Perhaps they buy them the extra food and then leave it in the kitchen where they can get at it at night? There has to be a way these people are getting hold of food!


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

bareyb said:


> But for it to work, they'd need to be able to "sneak eat" it without anyone stopping them. Perhaps they buy them the extra food and then leave it in the kitchen where they can get at it at night? There has to be a way these people are getting hold of food!


I dont really know how well that stuff is monitored tho. They obviously have cameras everywhere because they caught the Rulon stuff on tape last year. With Johnny, it was probably a matter of lack of working out plus fluid. It sure seems given the HUGE numbers these people pull that they probably drop them on a scale as soon as theyre done with these last chance workouts so lack of working out to shed liquid + food = weight gain


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Wed morning.. another TBL last night.

Props to Anna's team for avoiding sending anyone home last night. I thought Mike and Becky would put in the work and their numbers reflected that. I dont really think Anna had a lot to do with their numbers but who knows. A win is a win, I guess.

I wanted Patrick to go home but felt bad he fell on his sword like that. I think he expected Ramon and Vinny to send the girl home (Courtney?) even after him telling them to write his name down. It almost worked.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I think he meant what he said but after Vinny voted for her I think he realized he could be safe and might have been dissapointed when Ramon voted for him. Good for him for continueing to lose and pursuing his dream of being a cop.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

I guess I'm just not a big fan of the proverbial throwing of oneself onto their sword for the team. It feels a little like they are just looking for an honorable way out. It's certainly happened before on this show.He should have kept his mouth shut and played the game.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

bareyb said:


> I guess I'm just not a big fan of the proverbial throwing of oneself onto their sword for the team. It feels a little like they are just looking for an honorable way out. It's certainly happened before on this show.He should have kept his mouth shut and played the game.


+1. Both my wife and I hate that. You are all on the show because you desperately need help. Last season was full of the falling on your sword crud. It made the whole voting thing pointless ... the old person was going to fall on their sword for everyone else, always. (yeesh!)

You will all go home eventually, it's not like you are being killed. So play the game and leave honorably when your time is up. I hope that kind of stuff doesn't happen a lot.

Does anyone else really dislike Bonnie? She just bugs me for some reason. Maybe it's just me, but she comes off as kind of condescending. I was hoping the Blue team would lose one more time and she would get sent home.

And Antoine, dude, it's time to man up. Cry once and you are being sensitive. Cry every single show and people just start to wonder what's going on with you.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

ehusen said:


> +1. Both my wife and I hate that. You are all on the show because you desperately need help. Last season was full of the falling on your sword crud. It made the whole voting thing pointless ... the old person was going to fall on their sword for everyone else, always. (yeesh!)
> 
> You will all go home eventually, it's not like you are being killed. So play the game and leave honorably when your time is up. I hope that kind of stuff doesn't happen a lot.
> 
> ...


OMG. Right there with you. My wife and I actually fast forward through ALL the crying they all do at the final vote offs. It's my least favorite part of the show.


----------



## pops_porter (Sep 27, 2005)

Anyone else notice the girl that won the football toss challeng just completely stepped over the line like it wasn't there to get the last two guys out of the competition! 

Not really into this season yet, but good to see the blue team not have to send someone home.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I don't mind the "falling on your sword" thing so much. Seems like the contestants form pretty tight bonds while they're at The Ranch which makes the sword thing understandable to me.

The closeness of the Red Team was pretty touching actually. I loved the scene of them just hanging out after the workout and making jokes and stuff. But I sure didn't need to see so much of that one guy's butt when he got out of the ice bath!!! 

...

Regarding Antone (not Antoine)... he has a LOT of issues to work through. I cut him some slack because I have no idea what it's like to be in his shoes. I've never been hungry in my life. Not _really_ hungry where I had no way to get food.

But I wish he didn't have such a "little girl" cry.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

jradosh said:


> I don't mind the "falling on your sword" thing so much. Seems like the contestants form pretty tight bonds while they're at The Ranch which makes the sword thing understandable to me.
> 
> The closeness of the Red Team was pretty touching actually. I loved the scene of them just hanging out after the workout and making jokes and stuff. But I sure didn't need to see so much of that one guy's butt when he got out of the ice bath!!!


Following the TBL mode of storytelling, the minute they showed that, plus the guy saying "It would be great of all 5 red made it to the finals together, and it would stink to send someone home", you knew the red team was going to lose.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Fair enough. I can't understand what they are going through or what issues they had to deal with that made them obese. 

I thought I saw where they spelled his name Antoine once on the show and thinking what a weird spelling of the name. It does appear that his name is actually Antone, which is the more common spelling.

But I still think they pump up the crying a bit for the show. I'm sure the producers love the extra drama for ratings purposes.

I did feel a bit bad for the Red team since they are so close. I really believe them feeling bad about sending someone home.

The voting rounds that really bug me are where there is clearly a "hated" person on the team who is getting voted off and they are all crying about it still. I would appreciate a little honesty then like: "You really disrupted our team and I for one am glad to see you off the ranch..."


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

ehusen said:


> I thought I saw where they spelled his name Antoine once on the show and thinking what a weird spelling of the name. It does appear that his name is actually Antone, which is the more common spelling.


Really? That is the first time I have seen anyone spell their name Antone, but I have seen lots of Antoines.

Of course, they are not pronounced the same, so I am not even sure if they are alternate spellings of the same name.

My highly scientific google test turns up 143,000,000 results for Antoine and 5,560,000 for Antone.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

laria said:


> Really? That is the first time I have seen anyone spell their name Antone, but I have seen lots of Antoines.
> 
> Of course, they are not pronounced the same, so I am not even sure if they are alternate spellings of the same name.
> 
> My highly scientific google test turns up 143,000,000 results for Antoine and 5,560,000 for Antone.


Okay, so maybe I'm just making up stuff now cause I think it's true? 

I guess I just figured Antone was like Anthony, so there's no 'i' in there. And you wouldn't normally call any one "Toiny" right?

So I may not have a clue about spelling his name properly but I reserve the right to call him "a big girly man...". Well not to his face, the dude could bend me into a pretzel...

I reserve the right to make fun of anyone who willingly chooses to be on TV.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Sorry, I guess maybe my post sounded a little snarky... it wasn't meant to be. I was genuinely surprised that you had seen Antone more often, because I had never seen it before.

I agree with you on the crying thing.  Every time he starts crying, I yell at the tv, "oh my god, stop crying you big baby!" He is as bad as Mahhhk and his brother from near-Boston from like 3 years ago. Although I did love them because their accents were so familiar.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

laria said:


> Sorry, I guess maybe my post sounded a little snarky... it wasn't meant to be. I was genuinely surprised that you had seen Antone more often, because I had never seen it before.


Oh hey, no problem whatsoever. I did not take it as snarky at all. I just realized that I was making stuff up and convincing myself that it was true.  To be honest I haven't really seen any Antones or Antoines in my life, just Anthonys.

So is it too soon to start picking out who we think will win?


----------



## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

Bobs team is just blowing the other teams out of the water. If it doesnt start to level out a little, they will need to shuffle teams.

With 2 new trainers, they really should have considered having all 3 trains work with all the teams for the first 4-5 eliminations. Then going red, blue, black.

Bob being the Black team this season has thrown me since he was always blue on prior seasons. Black was always Jillian's color. I'm surprised they didnt just use Blue, red, and like green this season.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

ehusen said:


> Oh hey, no problem whatsoever. I did not take it as snarky at all. I just realized that I was making stuff up and convincing myself that it was true.  To be honest I haven't really seen any Antones or Antoines in my life, just Anthonys.
> 
> *So is it too soon to start picking out who we think will win?*


Not at all. Who you got your money on?


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

For those long time followers, Tara Costa finished the Ironman yesterday in a quite respectable 15 hours or so. 1.23 swim, 6.3 bike and about 5.5 on the run.(from memory, might be a bit off) I might be able to do one of those. That's a long way from where she started.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

ehusen said:


> The voting rounds that really bug me are where there is clearly a "hated" person on the team who is getting voted off and they are all crying about it still. I would appreciate a little honesty then like: "You really disrupted our team and I for one am glad to see you off the ranch..."


LOL.. if you want to see brutal honesty, watch the Australian or UK version of TBL. They tell it like it is. I started watching the last season of the UK version and the people were so dismal and depressed, I had to quit watching it and thats a first in my TBL watching.

If you have access to it, I HIGHLY recommend the last season of the AU version. Its a lot of episoides tho so be prepared to spend a lot of time with it. I think its 52 episodes and the finale or somewhere there abouts. Its quite a bit more interesting as they do a lot of stuff the US version doesnt.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I was sorry to see Coach go, should have been the lady that only lost 2 pounds. Oh well that's how this show works.

Love Anna as a trainer her, I could watch her all day!!


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

JFriday said:


> I was sorry to see Coach go, should have been the lady that only lost 2 pounds. Oh well that's how this show works.
> 
> Love Anna as a trainer her, I could watch her all day!!


Should have been Bonnie. She just bugs me for some reason. Yes I know she had immunity, lucky for her. She just gives off the "arrogant old person" attitude. Hey, just because you are old doesn't mean you are wise... Okay, not to only rain down wrath upon Bonnie, I was impressed that she finished the challenge, albeit very slowly.

That challenge seemed set up to guarantee that blue would lose. Not only because of Bonnie, but also they only had three people, so a lot more handoffs per person to get the same distance. I'm glad they all got their letters, that challenge is just mean to deprive them of that mail.

I like Becky a lot and glad she is staying but I also liked coach too.

So next week's promo seems to be the "let's steal Bob away for the week to screw with the Black team so they finally lose a weigh in" episode.

Now that the blue team is down to 2 people, when do they restructure the teams? I say in the episode after this next one.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

ehusen said:


> Should have been Bonnie. She just bugs me for some reason. Yes I know she had immunity, lucky for her. She just gives off the "arrogant old person" attitude. Hey, just because you are old doesn't mean you are wise... Okay, not to only rain down wrath upon Bonnie, I was impressed that she finished the challenge, albeit very slowly.
> 
> That challenge seemed set up to guarantee that blue would lose. Not only because of Bonnie, but also they only had three people, so a lot more handoffs per person to get the same distance. I'm glad they all got their letters, that challenge is just mean to deprive them of that mail.
> 
> ...


Well, it looks like thats not exactly how next week is going to work. Pure speculation based off of what I could interpret from the preview but I think Bob is going to leave the ranch with one person and they have to spend the week off the ranch and that person's weight will be the only one that counts for that team.

I too didnt want Mike to go home but I knew he was hosed when Bonnie had immunity. I dont like Bonnie either. She whines and is obviously capable of doing the work. She made a mistake getting rid of Mike. Except for this week, he has put up big numbers and would have been an asset at the next weigh in.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Okay, so I was wrong and the "mess with the black team" seemed to backfire with Bob dedicating the entire week to making Sunny's life hell.  Yeah I know it was random to pick who went home for a week but statistically it would be someone from the black team (5 chances vs 4 vs 2).

Good going for Sunny losing 14 pounds. That must have been a hellish week for her.

Sigh, Bonnie slimes through another week because Becky kicks it with an 8 pound loss.

The red team didn't seem to broken up to send Courtney home.

Next week seems to be another "no one goes home option" episode. But losing a 100lbs seems kind of challenging. That's 10lbs a piece average, I don't know if they can do that much now. Last week with 11 people the total weight lost was only 86lbs. So this week they have to lose an extra 14lbs with one less person. That seems highly unlikely

I'm interested to see the episode when they showed a "+5". Wow, somebody blew up. I wonder if someone is throwing the weigh-in. I don't see how that can be possible on the ranch without trying to do it.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I was impressed with the Black team, they could have water loaded and saved the weight loss for next week but did things straight and had a good week.

Sighting spoiler.



Spoiler



A friend saw Jennifer last night and said she was skinnier but still on the heavy side


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

Boy, if Bonnie has issues with Anna pushing her too hard, I would love to have seen her with Jillian or Bob.

I am curious to see if Bob could have had the same results with the Red team he had with Black. 

Is it the trainers this season, or did they just get a so-so group? It seems like they have a bunch of people that are working about 75%. 

I think Blue would have been in great shape if it were Becky and Coach left. Its too bad Bonnie had immunity that week.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

sburnside1 said:


> Boy, if Bonnie has issues with Anna pushing her too hard, I would love to have seen her with Jillian or Bob.
> 
> I am curious to see if Bob could have had the same results with the Red team he had with Black.
> 
> ...


Bonnie would be dead with either of the other two. She's a waste of space.

Bob would do well with any group. The red team should be kicking everyone's ass but Dolvet can't get them moving. He seems to do a lot of things right but they don't respond.

I don't see any of the contestants really stepping up this year. None of them really seem to get it. I don't really have anyone that I want to root for. I want to like Ramon but he isn't getting the results he should.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> Bonnie would be dead with either of the other two. She's a waste of space.
> 
> Bob would do well with any group. The red team should be kicking everyone's ass but Dolvet can't get them moving. He seems to do a lot of things right but they don't respond.
> 
> I don't see any of the contestants really stepping up this year. None of them really seem to get it. I don't really have anyone that I want to root for. I want to like Ramon but he isn't getting the results he should.


I think Anna is a terrible trainer but I also think she got stuck with the worst group, which is why there are only 2 left at this point.

I think the Red team is working hard, I just think for some reason that the Black team is going gangbusters. I was conflicted about Dovlett yelling at the one guy for joking about his fat. I often try to make light of bad situations, a bit of gallows humor and such. But I guess joking about it isn't the best way to deal with your serious weight issues.

I've always believed that working out should be a little fun so an occasional laugh/joke shouldn't hurt right? If your slacking off, sure, rip him a new one. So I think Dovlett might have been a little too hard on them.

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't respond well to being yelled at harshly, even if deserved. I tend to just immediately resent the yeller.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> I don't see any of the contestants really stepping up this year. None of them really seem to get it. I don't really have anyone that I want to root for. I want to like Ramon but he isn't getting the results he should.


What about John he's lost over 90 pounds so far. He lost 12 last week and really didn't need to lose a pound. I'd say he's getting it.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

I thought the talking navel was funny.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

JFriday said:


> What about John he's lost over 90 pounds so far. He lost 12 last week and really didn't need to lose a pound. I'd say he's getting it.


I know there is a contradiction but while I think he's doing a good job of losing weight, I don't get the same "I really want to change my life" vibe from him that previous successful candidates had. Of course, that could just be the edit so it's hard to judge.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

There is something about Ramon that has really bugged me right from the beginning. He seems really phony to me or something. And I hated all that relationship stuff with him tonight.

That being said, I hope he makes it to makeover week so they can shave that stupid beard off him.

Also, wow, those were some pathetic weigh ins this week. It feels like no one is doing particularly well this season. I know that John is... I mean he tied the record to 100 lbs and all... but they all just feel so "meh" this season.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

Why the Ramon hatred? I don't like him especially but wow. I personally think it's great that they found someone and I certainly don't think the trainers need to stick their noses in it. Especially Anna who sucks as trainer and has no business counselling anyone.


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## flyers088 (Apr 19, 2005)

RandomTask said:


> Why the Ramon hatred? I don't like him especially but wow. I personally think it's great that they found someone and I certainly don't think the trainers need to stick their noses in it. Especially Anna who sucks as trainer and has no business counselling anyone.


+1

I kept wondering who pissed in Anna's cheerios that day. She sure seems upset about something that didn't have any bearing on their training. I don't know what she expects them to do on the ranch after they work out?


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

flyers088 said:


> +1
> 
> I kept wondering who pissed in Anna's cheerios that day. She sure seems upset about something that didn't have any bearing on their training. I don't know what she expects them to do on the ranch after they work out?


Anna just needed a way to talk about herself again. "You should be focusing on yourselves blah blah blah blah.. When I was playing in Wimbledon, my boyfriend at the time was there and ......"

Whatever, Anna.. you suck. I hope they bring someone in worth a crap next year.

Funny how all of Dolvette's team got worked into the ground by Bob. Didnt show on the scales but I find it amusing that neither of the other two trainers are able to get that kind of effort out of their own teams.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I said in my post, I don't know what it is about Ramon, but he has rubbed me the wrong way since the first episode. I wouldn't have been so bugged by all the relationship drama if it hadn't been him, I don't think. I don't know what it is, I really don't like many of the contestants this season, although... wow I'm totally blanking on her name... Blondie is one of the people that I do actually like.

I can kind of see Anna's point about the whole relationship in the house thing. Obviously they aren't the first people to start a relationship in the house, but they are the first ones to be outed during the actual show. Sure, they probably have a lot of down time, but I think her point about making sure to not let it affect how much sleep you are getting (whether it's staying up late and talking or brown chicken brown cow) and making sure you're still focusing on what you're eating was on point. Even though she managed to turn it into a, "Remember when I used to be a professional tennis player! At Wimbledon! ME ME ME" speech.  

And I agree, Anna is a terrible trainer. I still really like Dolvett, though.


----------



## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Certainly no love lost on Jennifer. No real tears shed and don't let the door hit you on the way out. I'm not sure why they all hated her so much but it was clear they wanted her out. 

The whole thing about "You didn't say it. Yes I did! No you didn't!" thing between Vinnie and Jennifer was just stupid and childish. I gotta hand it to Vinnie on 'cutting one from the herd' to set up as a target for the vote. I find it interesting that John voted for Ramone while the rest of the black team voted Jennifer off. I think this means the rest of the black team is allied (and even part of the red team). This may mean that John might be left out in the cold and get voted off.

Of course they are now switching the teams up next week so none of it matters anymore.

Good for Jennifer on continuing to lose weight. If she is truly running 20 miles on the weekend, then she's got a good shot at the marathon. I find it hard to believe that she is doing that much running that soon, especially coming off the injured leg.

Bonnie was less annoying this week but she still bugs me.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I figured they would have a pretty hard time hitting 90 pounds. They all had pretty good numbers last week. What the heck happened to the one lady that gained 5 pounds. How do you work out all week and gain 5 pounds???


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

ehusen said:


> I find it interesting that John voted for Ramone while the rest of the black team voted Jennifer off. I think this means the rest of the black team is allied (and even part of the red team). This may mean that John might be left out in the cold and get voted off.


I think he is still an outsider from the whole drama with Sunny earlier. First episode maybe? Or second? Where there was some big thing about him calling her stupid. They showed them all kissing and making up at the end, but I bet it still made him an outsider.



> If she is truly running 20 miles on the weekend, then she's got a good shot at the marathon. I find it hard to believe that she is doing that much running that soon, especially coming off the injured leg.


Yeah, I question how much running she is really doing. 



> Bonnie was less annoying this week but she still bugs me.


Yes, I can't wait for her and her screeching to be gone.


----------



## Cragmyre (Mar 8, 2004)

What I kept thinking about the Halloween episode is, it may be Halloween week for us, but for them, it was sometime in the summer - must have been weird for them to have Halloween then


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

JFriday said:


> I figured they would have a pretty hard time hitting 90 pounds. They all had pretty good numbers last week. What the heck happened to the one lady that gained 5 pounds. How do you work out all week and gain 5 pounds???


And not get voted off....... I have no idea why they let her stay.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> And not get voted off....... I have no idea why they let her stay.


The other girl must have been a real Downer Debbie.


----------



## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> And not get voted off....... I have no idea why they let her stay.


Well either you are thinking as the black team that she can come back big the next week. (although I think the +5 may count against her next week - i.e. she loses 7lbs but really only gets 2lbs recorded). But gaining 5 lbs while working out like that doesn't happen unless she was grabbing extra calories. Unless she was totally dehydrated the previous week or something. But still to gain back 5lbs on the ranch seems crazy.

Alternatively, you are thinking individually that Sunny is a weak player and you keep her around as cannon fodder for a later vote. She will never be a threat to win it all with those mediocre or bad numbers.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

I had a feeling this week was going to be "weak". Having one large team increases the odds that YOU won't go home and it removes the team vs. team dynamic. Add in that most of them had a pretty good week last week and you've got the perfect storm. 

I'll admit I got a tiny bit disgusted with Ramon and his new GF and all the kissy face and googly eyes. Food addiction is an addiction so I "get" why they don't want them getting into relationships in early recovery. That's pretty standard in all types of addiction treatment. Food addicts eat over being "happy" just as often as they eat over being "sad". When I saw in the previews that someone had gained five pounds, I thought for sure it would most likely be Ramon celebrating his good fortune. I imagine it's been a while since he touched a boobie. 

I must have not been paying attention when they showed all the "drama" that that Jennifer was causing, but it must have been pretty bad if the black team was willing to risk the wrath of Bob by kicking off someone on their own team. That won't be pretty next week.


----------



## jpicard (Oct 26, 2004)

The lady who gained 5 lbs for the weigh in, did a water load trick. She knew that by laying low all week and not causing any waves with anyone and being allied with all her black shirt team members, that she was immune to leaving. At the last minute before the weigh in she did a water load. That way, next week she can loose the 5 lbs water weight plus any true weight loss and become the biggest loser of the week and get immunity for the next week as well. She is playing the game quietly but with a fire to win.


----------



## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

JFriday said:


> What the heck happened to the one lady that gained 5 pounds. How do you work out all week and gain 5 pounds???


Wasn't she the one that went home to Texas with Bob last week and lost like a zillion pounds? (was it 18? 14? I forget). She had her entire team's future on her shoulders and she probably dehydrated herself completely before the weigh in (as well as all the weight she lost through exercise). I think it's understandable that she put a few back on.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

jradosh said:


> Wasn't she the one that went home to Texas with Bob last week and lost like a zillion pounds? (was it 18? 14? I forget). She had her entire team's future on her shoulders and she probably dehydrated herself completely before the weigh in (as well as all the weight she lost through exercise). I think it's understandable that she put a few back on.


A few lbs maybe but you have to add what she would have lost from exercise into that and then she has to have gone up nearly 10 lbs. That has to be water boarding. Sadly, it means the team planned the move to get Jennifer out. Which is a crappy thing to do and Bob is gonna rip them a new one. They had the numbers to vote out and person they wanted and they used it. I normally vote for Bob's team but as of now, they're dead to me.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

RandomTask said:


> A few lbs maybe but you have to add what she would have lost from exercise into that and then she has to have gone up nearly 10 lbs. That has to be water boarding. Sadly, it means the team planned the move to get Jennifer out. Which is a crappy thing to do and Bob is gonna rip them a new one. They had the numbers to vote out and person they wanted and they used it. I normally vote for Bob's team but as of now, they're dead to me.


Water boarding? What are they teaching you in prison?

(The guy that played RandomTask is in prison, thus the reference)


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> Water boarding? What are they teaching you in prison?
> 
> (The guy that played RandomTask is in prison, thus the reference)


Doh, Water LOADING. Too many evening newscasts.


----------



## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> A few lbs maybe but you have to add what she would have lost from exercise into that and then she has to have gone up nearly 10 lbs. That has to be water boarding. Sadly, it means the team planned the move to get Jennifer out. Which is a crappy thing to do and Bob is gonna rip them a new one. They had the numbers to vote out and person they wanted and they used it. I normally vote for Bob's team but as of now, they're dead to me.


Hmmm, I would be surprised if Sunny was really that devious. Maybe, but I'm not seeing it. Clearly, once they failed the weigh-in, Jennifer was dead meat.

And reducing their own team's numbers is academic since next week the teams all get rearranged (as they always seem to do at some point during the season).


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

ehusen said:


> Hmmm, I would be surprised if Sunny was really that devious. Maybe, but I'm not seeing it. Clearly, once they failed the weigh-in, Jennifer was dead meat.
> 
> And reducing their own team's numbers is academic since next week the teams all get rearranged (as they always seem to do at some point during the season).


It would have to be the entire black team for it to work. Collectively they could certainly be that devious. Same idiots that pranked bob with the candy.


----------



## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Sigh, Bonnie slimes through again. She should write a book about "How to survive by being totally pathetic...". Yet again, they vote off the "threat" and leave Bonnie to weasel through another week.

I just loved Bonnie's little "episode" again at the bottom of the slip and slide. Yeesh, you can't get up? Then why did you even bother with the slide? She was so proud at being an abject failure too. "I laid down and I got up again! Yeah!"

I did like Anna's speech to her new team about the real world and how they won't have any of them as a trainer there. IMHO, some of them were total crybabies about getting a new trainer. If you aren't strong enough by now that a trainer switch is going to destroy you, then you are certainly not going to make it at home.

Surprisingly huge numbers by all of them this week. I guess it's a bounce back from the totally bad week previous.

Stupid prize of "Immunity for 1", the 3lb advantage would be better. I liked how they picked (rock,paper, scissors).


----------



## MrCouchPotato (Dec 12, 2005)

ehusen said:


> Stupid prize of "Immunity for 1", the 3lb advantage would be better. I liked how they picked (rock,paper, scissors).


That really was puzzling. The person in the group with the largest weight loss would normally get immunity anyway.

I was shocked by the calories on the mexican meal 

I figured the italian smorgasbord would have been higher..

It is amazing how they stretch this show out to 2 hrs. I can't imagine watching it without a DVR to skip forward.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

MrCouchPotato said:


> That really was puzzling. The person in the group with the largest weight loss would normally get immunity anyway.
> 
> I was shocked by the calories on the mexican meal
> 
> ...


Thats one reason I really like the Australian version. Its way more indepth and they dont just gloss over stuff. Course, I really enjoy the show except for the infomercials.

Anyways, good night. I cant believe they screwed Ramon like that. How do you vote off someone on your own team's girlfriend? Especially compared to freakin Bonnie. She is pathetic.

Im still not convinced Anna is a good trainer. She has the benefit now and training people that have had their heads worked on by the other two so motivating them is not a problem. You could see her seething when Bonnie and the other lady lost big numbers after leaving her team.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

ehusen said:


> Sigh, Bonnie slimes through again. She should write a book about "How to survive by being totally pathetic...". Yet again, they vote off the "threat" and leave Bonnie to weasel through another week.


I think she learned from Sandra and Vecepia on Survivor. Makes me nuts. Jess gets kicked out for Bonnie? I hate game play. Just reward the person who loses the most and penalize ( vote off) the who who loses the least.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Picking new teams is always such fun isn't it? 

I will share the incredulity with the group in saying "I can't _believe_ Bonnie has managed to slip through the cracks _again!_. I can only conclude that she has a guardian angel that wants her on the Ranch.

John on the other hand, is quietly kicking butt so we better keep an eye on him as a contender. It's about this point in the process that the true front runners start to emerge. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks.

I was happy to see Ramon drop the 16 pounds. THAT was pretty epic, but if I'm being honest, I got a small bit of sadistic pleasure when the lovebirds got split up. Why I don't know... I'm usually such a nice person... Jess looked really good when they showed the "after" at her house. She could have a good shot for the "at home winner" by the time the finale airs. I wonder if she and Ramon will still be in love? I think HE will be. Not so sure about her. Having seen her at the end of the show, I think she has moved out of his league. 

Joe lost 15 pounds! Anna is loving her new team a lot more than her old one. I just think he would have been smart to water load all but 10 of it this week (he only needed 6 for them to win the weigh in) and save the rest for next week. Only problem is, he seems like he'd probably admit it if he did it. Has anyone ever come right and admitted they water loaded? I wonder if it's against the rules...


----------



## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

I was amazed by some of the team choices. while Bonnie should have been voted off, its Jens fault. She won her age bracket and chose Dolvett. I dont dislike him but.. 1. Bobs team has won every single weigh in. 2. swapping trainers is good to learn another perspective. 3. training another style gets the benefit of Muscle confusion.

I think Anna made a smart move by getting personal with her team this week. At the start of this season, she was too weak with the old team. This week she was polar opposite and heavy handed an emotional team. She recovered well by sharing some emotion which helped them bond. Even though they have only shown Bonnie badmouth Anna, it is obvious from the interviews with her new team, that the house views her as the weakest trainer by far. I think she just expects people to self motivate more themselves. This differs from how Bob and Jillian work, because they always pushed their teams well beyond their comfort zones. teams would yell at Bob and Jillian because they felt they were expecting too much, they yell at Anna because they are annoyed by things she says.

I would have loved to see how this season would have been if Dolvett had the middle group and Bob had the younger group.

I cannot wait to see how Bob does with Vinnie.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> I wonder if she and Ramon will still be in love? I think HE will be. Not so sure about her. Having seen her at the end of the show, I think she has moved out of his league.


I find their whole relationship a bit weird. They are obviously not the first people to hook up on the show, but really? "The woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with"?! Even if they started "dating" the first day of the show, it's only been what, 6 weeks now?

I don't think it will work for a combination of reasons. They are sequestered away in an environment where they don't have any contact really with anyone but the people in the house. Of course that is going to force them closer together... what else do they have to do during the waking hours but work out and get caught up in various dramas around the house?

Jess is obviously a very pretty girl, even when she was heavy. She's been in a relationship before, albeit not a very good one from what she's said, but she has experience being IN a relationship. IIRC from one of Ramon's confessionals near the beginning of the show, he doesn't have relationship experience at all.

I know from experience back in my college days that it is very easy to get caught up in a relationship in a cloistered environment like this and where the other person is both inexperienced and you could be considered "out of their league". I don't really like that term, because it sounds really shallow, but I don't really have a better phrase for it I guess. My boyfriend treated me a lot like we've seen Ramon so far on the show. It's very flattering to be treated that way, at first, and it's easy to get caught up in it, especially when you are young. In my case, after I started expanding my activities and had more contact and experiences away from the environment we were in before, I started gaining some perspective on which feelings were real and which were just being amplified by the environment. And this was not even something remotely as intense as being put into a living situation like TBL house!

So, maybe my personal experiences are coloring my perception of their relationship, but I think with some perspective away from the house, Jess might end up feeling differently. I don't doubt that she cares for him, but the way they were acting at the elimination on last night's episode just seemed "off" to me. Here is Ramon gushing about how she is the woman he is going to spend the rest of his life with mere weeks after meeting her, and all she really had to say was something like she's gained a possible future.

Or, who knows, maybe we will find out they are planning a wedding ceremony for the finale.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

laria said:


> I find their whole relationship a bit weird. They are obviously not the first people to hook up on the show, but really? "The woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with"?! Even if they started "dating" the first day of the show, it's only been what, 6 weeks now?
> 
> I don't think it will work for a combination of reasons. They are sequestered away in an environment where they don't have any contact really with anyone but the people in the house. Of course that is going to force them closer together... what else do they have to do during the waking hours but work out and get caught up in various dramas around the house?
> 
> ...


I had to laugh at that. I got the same feeling seeing her "now". I think Ramon is going to come on too strong and end up getting "the talk". If that happens... AWKWARD!!! You KNOW they are going to ask Ramon at the Finale if she is still the woman he is going to spend the rest of his life with. He will then say "we have a really great friendship and we are going to see if anything develops from that. One day at at time!" all the while looking brave as a single tear rolls down his freshly shaven, and sculpted, face. His hand wrapped loosely around a shiny new diamond ring he had bought so he could "pop the question" at the Finale. Poor Ramon. I think there's a Train coming at him that he doesn't see.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> I was happy to see Ramon drop the 16 pounds. THAT was pretty epic, but if I'm being honest, I got a small bit of sadistic pleasure when the lovebirds got split up. Why I don't know... I'm usually such a nice person... Jess looked really good when they showed the "after" at her house. She could have a good shot for the "at home winner" by the time the finale airs. I wonder if she and Ramon will still be in love? I think HE will be. Not so sure about her. Having seen her at the end of the show, I think she has moved out of his league.


By your thinking, Daniel was never in Rebecca's league and yet, two years later, they're still together. Aren't you happy that you weren't out of your wife's league when you were 300 instead of 160? Not nice.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> By your thinking, Daniel was never in Rebecca's league and yet, two years later, they're still together. Aren't you happy that you weren't out of your wife's league when you were 300 instead of 160? Not nice.


I have to admit, I didn't think that would last. They seem like such an odd match. Happy to hear they are still together. Are they keeping the weight off? Couples hasn't always been a good thing for keeping off the weight. 

Unfortunately for my wife, when we met I weighed 160 pounds. I kind of blew up on her when we had the first kid. Definitely not nice. 









_Daniel and Rebecca_


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> I have to admit, I didn't think that would last. They seem like such an odd match. Happy to hear they are still together. Are they keeping the weight off? Couples hasn't always been a good thing for keeping off the weight.


I found this article about them from May. I guess they both got skin removal surgery. They both look like they have put some poundage back on.










http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-workout-rebecca-daniel-extra-skin-052411,0,7205714.story


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Such an odd match... She seems way too old for Daniel. I can't help but feel I'm seeing a Teacher with her student in that picture.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Such an odd match... She seems way too old for Daniel. I can't help but feel I'm seeing a Teacher with her student in that picture.


She's only 5 years older than him, not some Mrs. Robinson.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

laria said:


> She's only 5 years older than him, not some Mrs. Robinson.


Oh I know. They just LOOK so much farther apart than only 5 years to me.


----------



## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I think Jess is going to win the marathon.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

jradosh said:


> I think Jess is going to win the marathon.


I agree.. I had her slotted in early to win the whole thing. She seems to be more motivated than the others.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> I agree.. I had her slotted in early to win the whole thing. She seems to be more motivated than the others.


Yep. She has a bit of that Tara Costa vibe working.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Definitely. She's my pick for @home winner.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Definitely. She's my pick for @home winner.


I assume that she is not eligible to be the @home winner if she wins the marathon and gets into the regular finals... but maybe? Have they said?


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

laria said:


> I assume that she is not eligible to be the @home winner if she wins the marathon and gets into the regular finals... but maybe? Have they said?


I'd forgotten about the Marathon deal. If she wins THAT then I'd think she gets to compete for the "BIG" prize and the @home winner will be someone else.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

bareyb said:


> I'd forgotten about the Marathon deal. If she wins THAT then I'd think she gets to compete for the "BIG" prize and the @home winner will be someone else.


I think thats how it goes. The winner of the marathon makes it into the top 4.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> I have to admit, I didn't think that would last. They seem like such an odd match. Happy to hear they are still together. Are they keeping the weight off? Couples hasn't always been a good thing for keeping off the weight.
> 
> Unfortunately for my wife, when we met I weighed 160 pounds. I kind of blew up on her when we had the first kid. Definitely not nice.
> 
> ...


And now engaged..... :up:


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> And now engaged..... :up:


Well good for them. They both seem like nice people. I still think they make an odd couple though... NTTAWWT.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

bareyb said:


> Well good for them. They both seem like nice people. I still think they make an odd couple though... NTTAWWT.


He lives about 25 minutes from me. I wonder if they are still around here or if they have moved to where she lived.

He has the worlds best ice cream shop about 5 minutes from him. I can see why its hard to keep weight off.. LOL


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> He lives about 25 minutes from me. I wonder if they are still around here or if they have moved to where she lived.
> 
> He has the worlds best ice cream shop about 5 minutes from him. I can see why its hard to keep weight off.. LOL


He lives in Iowa now I think.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> He lives in Iowa now I think.


Yeah, IIRC he moved to Iowa not long after their season finished like 2 years ago.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

laria said:


> Yeah, IIRC he moved to Iowa not long after their season finished like 2 years ago.


Iowa, huh.. prolly not a big change for him from where he was living. Plus he got away from Sunni Skies. Im glad I live too far away from there to go on the regular.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> Iowa, huh.. prolly not a big change for him from where he was living.


Yeah, that's where she lives.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

It was just announced Anna will not be returning next season.


----------



## debtoine (May 17, 2001)

KungFuCow said:


> It was just announced Anna will not be returning next season.


Yep. Story here.

deb


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Her "tough" style??? Wow I thought she was soft just not as soft as some of her team.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> It was just announced Anna will not be returning next season.


Oh no. Gosh darn it.... Trying to use her type of encouragement. She sucked. Kara was better. I'm ok with Dolvett.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

debtoine said:


> Yep. Story here.
> 
> deb


Talk about a soft piece of journalism.


----------



## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

They should just leave it at Bob and Dolvett. Three trainers isn't necessary.

Or bring in a guest trainer each week or two.


----------



## MLR930 (Dec 26, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> It was just announced Anna will not be returning next season.


:up::up:


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

jradosh said:


> They should just leave it at Bob and Dolvett. Three trainers isn't necessary.
> 
> Or bring in a guest trainer each week or two.


Id be okay with them bringing Cara back. She at least got results.


----------



## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> Id be okay with them bringing Cara back. She at least got results.


I liked Cara, too. As long as it's not Kim Lyons, I'm fine. 

Greg


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> It was just announced Anna will not be returning next season.


Well knock me over with a feather. It was a dumb idea from the get-go. I can't imagine Anna likes doing the show much, now that she's done it. I think the decision was probably mutual. 

ETA: I think guest trainers would be a great idea. That way we can see how they REALLY are on TV... Once they find a really good one, perhaps they can become permanent. I'm sure they thought Anna would be wildly popular, but you never really know until you see them on the job.


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

bareyb said:


> Well knock me over with a feather. It was a dumb idea from the get-go. I can't imagine Anna likes doing the show much, now that she's done it. I think the decision was probably mutual.
> 
> ETA: I think guest trainers would be a great idea. That way we can see how they REALLY are on TV... Once they find a really good one, perhaps they can become permanent. I'm sure they thought Anna would be wildly popular, but you never really know until you see them on the job.


Kind of unfair tho. With the ebb and flow of weight loss, some trainers would get better numbers than others.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> Kind of unfair tho. With the ebb and flow of weight loss, some trainers would get better numbers than others.


It's probably what's going to happen though. But they won't call it that. They'll bring in someone new next season, and if people hate them, they'll be replaced until they find someone that works. At least if they call it a "guest" it won't look like they keep picking the wrong people. 

As an aside, I think something that _may_ work would be to bring in a previous contestant as a trainer. Many of them are certified trainers now. Ali Vincent comes to mind. That big Samoan guy is looking pretty great these days... Tara Costa would be awesome too. Someone like that has a better chance of connecting with an audience that for the most part see's anyone new as being Jillian's "replacement".


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

I'm not a hater but I'm glad the Bonnie is gone. Pretty much any other person could have made better use of this chance. I'm disturbed at how sad her condition was for 63 and it's barely better now. my 80 yo mother could walk her into the ground.

I think Vinny is wasting the chance but he's the only one I'd be unhappy about if they won. Sunny works hard, I just don't seem to like her much. I get a bit of Vicky vibe from Sunny I guess.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> That big Samoan guy is looking pretty great these days...


Which one... Sam? He is not going to be training anyone. He fell off the roof of a 5 story building back in September and is going to be in the hospital and rehabbing for a while.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

laria said:


> Which one... Sam? He is not going to be training anyone. He fell off the roof of a 5 story building back in September and is going to be in the hospital and rehabbing for a while.


Was Sam the one who became a personal trainer? If so, then bummer...  
How did you hear about it?


----------



## flyers088 (Apr 19, 2005)

RandomTask said:


> I'm not a hater but I'm glad the Bonnie is gone. Pretty much any other person could have made better use of this chance. I'm disturbed at how sad her condition was for 63 and it's barely better now. my 80 yo mother could walk her into the ground.
> 
> I think Vinny is wasting the chance but he's the only one I'd be unhappy about if they won. Sunny works hard, I just don't seem to like her much. I get a bit of Vicky vibe from Sunny I guess.


Wow surprised at such hate for Bonnie. She is walking around with one knee replaced and one knee bone on bone. I am sure she was doing the best she could given her limitations.

I have more disgust for Vinny who is just wasting time on the ranch. There seems to be no way he will keep it up when he gets home. I understand Bob is the draw for everyone at the ranch but you have to be motivated to do this for yourself and Vinny seems to only get it out of neutral when paired with Bob.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> Was Sam the one who became a personal trainer? If so, then bummer...
> How did you hear about it?


They have this thing called the interwebs...... I don't know if it was mentioned here or not. Regardless, it will be a while till he does anything.

The one who appears to be doing the most is Pete Thomas. He has kept off virtually all the weight and does lots of training seminars.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

flyers088 said:


> Wow surprised at such hate for Bonnie. She is walking around with one knee replaced and one knee bone on bone. I am sure she was doing the best she could given her limitations.
> 
> I have more disgust for Vinny who is just wasting time on the ranch. There seems to be no way he will keep it up when he gets home. I understand Bob is the draw for everyone at the ranch but you have to be motivated to do this for yourself and Vinny seems to only get it out of neutral when paired with Bob.


I guess she is doing what she can, but I question having someone that profoundly disabled as a contestant. She was never going to be able to compete physically. They've had older people that had much better chances than she had. I think the dislike is not for her but the idea of someone like her. I am completely on board that Vinny is a total loser as far as getting the idea for why he is there.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Was Sam the one who became a personal trainer? If so, then bummer...
> How did you hear about it?


Yeah, he is the one engaged to the girl from the purple team from his season and is a trainer now at TBL's Fitness Ridge resort.

It was all over news and entertainment and blog sites back when it happened at the beginning of September. I happened to see it first on People.com but all the articles I saw on the other sites were pretty much all the same articles. Same press release I am guessing. 

Biggest Loser's Sam Poueu In Critical Condition After Falling Off Building
Biggest Loser Sam Poueu's Accident Explained
Sam Poueu Is Out of Intensive Care After Four-Story Fall
Biggest Loser's Sam Heads to Physical Therapy Center


----------



## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

So long, Bonnie.

Finally!

I get the feeling people dont like Ramon a whole lot. Dude better hope he stays above the yellow line.


----------



## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

flyers088 said:


> Wow surprised at such hate for Bonnie. She is walking around with one knee replaced and one knee bone on bone. I am sure she was doing the best she could given her limitations.


I think her manner came off as really whiny to me. And the total drama when she would "fall", lie around for 5 minutes groaning, and then get up. Maybe I'm being too harsh on her but hey it's on TV, so I can think what I want about her. I've been exposed to some older relatives in my life that really wanted to be the center of attention all the time and that is the vibe I got off of Bonnie.

Any thoughts on whether or not she even attempts the marathon? I'm thinking no. 

So I'm glad she is off the ranch, but kudos to her on keeping up with the weight loss.

It was cool seeing Apollo. Did you notice him come off the line for the 1 mile run? He jumped a few steps ahead and then realized he had to slow way down.  I looked up his pace for the marathon and he was running a 7:50min/mile pace for 26 miles. I'm guessing the top finisher Ramone at a 9:20 pace or so wasn't too hard to keep up with.


----------



## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

ehusen said:


> I think her manner came off as really whiny to me. And the total drama when she would "fall", lie around for 5 minutes groaning, and then get up. Maybe I'm being too harsh on her but hey it's on TV, so I can think what I want about her. I've been exposed to some older relatives in my life that really wanted to be the center of attention all the time and that is the vibe I got off of Bonnie.
> 
> Any thoughts on whether or not she even attempts the marathon? I'm thinking no.
> 
> ...


And Apollo kept running across the finish line with different contestants. Good job.

Watching this 'race' with the first episode's 'race' was interesting to me. Some of them were really starting to look different. I am also grateful the guys are now wearing shirts. We know we are getting towards the second half of the season when they are wearing shirts while being weighed. Almost as good as makeover week when they do switch to shirts.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

daveak said:


> Some of them were really starting to look different. I am also grateful the guys are now wearing shirts.


And here I was thinking last night that some of them didn't really seem to look much different at all.  Especially Vinny.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> They have this thing called the interwebs...... I don't know if it was mentioned here or not. Regardless, it will be a while till he does anything.


Sarcasm noted. Was I talking to you?


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> So long, Bonnie.
> 
> Finally!
> 
> I get the feeling people dont like Ramon a whole lot. Dude better hope he stays above the yellow line.


I know I don't like him much and I can't really put my finger on why... I will have to keep a closer eye on Vinnie. He does seem like a big goof off. He kind of made a name for himself by being "the big funny guy" that can dance on stage etc. Those guys don't seem to be as able to embrace the new body as readily as someone like Antone who has already been in shape before. I hope he can break free of that mentality and get serious about this.


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> So long, Bonnie.
> 
> Finally!
> 
> I get the feeling people dont like Ramon a whole lot. Dude better hope he stays above the yellow line.


There doesn't appear to be much Ramon love here either. I like him. I think he's gonna smoke the ranch contestants at the marathon. If they do it. They're about half way home overall and none of them are close to being ready for a marathon. Last year they didn't do the marathon for the ranch people. For one mile Ramon did 9:16 or so. That's slower than Tara ran for each mile of the marathon.


----------



## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> There doesn't appear to be much Ramon love here either. I like him. I think he's gonna smoke the ranch contestants at the marathon. If they do it. They're about half way home overall and none of them are close to being ready for a marathon. Last year they didn't do the marathon for the ranch people. For one mile Ramon did 9:16 or so. That's slower than Tara ran for each mile of the marathon.


Yeah. 9:16 isn't even _running_, and that was the best time. There will be a lot of walking at the marathon this season I think...


----------



## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> Yeah. 9:16 isn't even _running_, and that was the best time. There will be a lot of walking at the marathon this season I think...


It's a old question. I draw the run walk line at 10:00 or less. Anything slower seems like fast walking. I normally do my morning walk at 4 MPH and I can easily do 5. To average 10 or less, you have to kick in a fair amount of running. So, that means more running than walking so I give them credit for the effort.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

bareyb said:


> Yeah. 9:16 isn't even _running_, and that was the best time. There will be a lot of walking at the marathon this season I think...


_Excuse me?_ Since when is a 9:16 mile not running? What the hell are you talking about bareyb???


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

jradosh said:


> _Excuse me?_ Since when is a 9:16 mile not running? What the hell are you talking about bareyb???


+1

Seriously, 9:16 is obviously not Kenyan speed, but that is a perfectly cromulent running pace, especially for fat people! Heck it's a decent pace for a lot of skinny people!


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Seemed more like a jog/walking type pace to me. My 12 year old son just ran his mile in PE in 6:20 for instance. I think I'm confused about the times though... I know I can do a mile a _lot_ faster than 9 minutes. Obviously it's not as slow as I thought based on some of the responses here. I jradosh is a very good runner. I didn't mean to imply they were simply _walking_ and not trying, more like jog/walking because they simply aren't great runners yet.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

bareyb said:


> Yeah. 9:16 isn't even _running_, and that was the best time. There will be a lot of walking at the marathon this season I think...





jradosh said:


> _Excuse me?_ Since when is a 9:16 mile not running? What the hell are you talking about bareyb???





bareyb said:


> Really? Seems kind of pokey to me. Like jog/walking. My 12 year old son just ran his mile in PE in 6:20. I think I'm confused about the times though... I know I can do a mile a lot faster than 9 minutes. Obviously it's not as slow as I thought based on some of the responses here.


A mile. *A* mile. Go run a mile, Barey. Then run 5 more. Then run 20.2, come back, and tell me how fast you ran. Then I'll tell you that you weren't even running.

Sorry dude, you're wayyy off.

Greg


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

gchance said:


> A mile. *A* mile. Go run a mile, Barey. Then run 5 more. Then run 20.2, come back, and tell me how fast you ran. Then I'll tell you that you weren't even running.
> 
> Sorry dude, you're wayyy off.
> 
> Greg


I think we are having a misunderstanding. I was talking about the challenge on the _Show_. The challenge on the show was to run ONE mile. Not a Marathon. Ramone ran _one_ mile in 9 minutes something. That's not exactly running. It's more like jog walking. I know I couldn't do a time that slow unless I walked for part of it. That's all I'm saying.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

bareyb said:


> I think we are having a misunderstanding. I was talking about the challenge on the _Show_. The challenge on the show was to run ONE mile. Not a Marathon. Ramone ran _one_ mile in 9 minutes something. That's not exactly running. It's more like jog walking. I know I couldn't do a time that slow unless I walked for part of it. That's all I'm saying.


You can't spin your way out of this one bareyb. You're wrong. Running a mile in 9:16 is _running_ a mile... even if it's _not_ followed up by 25.2 more miles.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

RandomTask said:


> It's a old question. I draw the run walk line at 10:00 or less. Anything slower seems like fast walking. I normally do my morning walk at 4 MPH and I can easily do 5. To average 10 or less, you have to kick in a fair amount of running. So, that means more running than walking so I give them credit for the effort.


I tend to think of "running" as anything under 10:00/mile. "Jogging" for me is 10:00/mile - 12:00/mile and anything slower than that is walking.

But for my wife with her shorter legs the lines are drawn differently. 

It's a sliding scale for sure, and I don't think the yardstick is bareyb's 12 year old son (or even bareyb's fastest mile).


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

bareyb said:


> I think we are having a misunderstanding. I was talking about the challenge on the _Show_. The challenge on the show was to run ONE mile. Not a Marathon. Ramone ran _one_ mile in 9 minutes something. That's not exactly running. It's more like jog walking. I know I couldn't do a time that slow unless I walked for part of it. That's all I'm saying.


You are talking about a 300 pounder, I'm sure you were slower at your heaviest weight than you are now.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Funny, I was immediately going to jump in here too and yell that a 9:16 mile IS running. But everyone has already done that. 

I too, unofficially, draw the line at about a 10:00 minute mile for "running" and the treadmills at the gym draw the same line (they have buttons for walk, jog, and run and the cutoff for run is a 10 minute pace).

Bareyb, you must have a pretty strong stride. I certainly feel like I am running when I go at a 9:16 pace.

If you son is going at a 6:20 mile pace, that is quite fast.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

Barey, there's no misunderstanding, however I do apologize for responding so harshly. I'm extremely sensitive to people saying someone isn't running, or that it doesn't count, because they don't go a certain pace, especially when the people in question were morbidly obese a few months prior (and technically could still be considered morbidly obese). Add to that the fact that I can't run even 200m right now and can't tell you how long it will be before I can, and there's an explosion waiting to happen.

Greg


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

bareyb said:


> I think we are having a misunderstanding. I was talking about the challenge on the _Show_. The challenge on the show was to run ONE mile. Not a Marathon. Ramone ran _one_ mile in 9 minutes something. That's not exactly running. It's more like jog walking. I know I couldn't do a time that slow unless I walked for part of it. That's all I'm saying.


I get what you are saying, in that the level of effort to run one mile is less then to run 3 or 10 or 26, and thus the scale for how fast to you run it is higher. For example, if my normal pace for a 5k is 9:00 minute miles, to run just a one mile race at 9:00 is slightly "dogging" it. I could probably be closer to 8 or 8:30.

But I think you are off base to say that you would have to walk part of the mile to get it to be as slow as 9 minutes.

9 minute mile is 6.6 on the treadmill, on a steady pace. I know of no one that can walk that fast.

Are you saying that when you run a 6.6 on the treadmill, you feel like you are struggling to go that slow? If so, then you have a become a much better runner.


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## Satchel (Dec 8, 2001)

I know a woman trainer is probably necessary, but Apollo Ono would be a good fit for next year after his guest stint.

Just saying.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Squeak said:


> I get what you are saying, in that the level of effort to run one mile is less then to run 3 or 10 or 26, and thus the scale for how fast to you run it is higher. For example, if my normal pace for a 5k is 9:00 minute miles, to run just a one mile race at 9:00 is slightly "dogging" it. I could probably be closer to 8 or 8:30.
> 
> But I think you are off base to say that you would have to walk part of the mile to get it to be as slow as 9 minutes.
> 
> ...


Uh-oh...I'm getting that sinking feeling in my stomach... You ever take a really strong stand and then later realize you were WRONG? 

I probably should have converted his mile time into mph before I made that statement. I often run a 6.5 mph pace myself and yes, I'm definitely running. It's not as slow as I thought. I just _sounded_ really slow compared to the time my kid just ran... Sorry, sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to insult anyone.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Satchel said:


> I know a woman trainer is probably necessary, but Apollo Ono would be a good fit for next year after his guest stint.
> 
> Just saying.


We were saying the same thing over here. He had a really nice way about him. It would certainly avoid some of the natural tendency people have had to compare the new person to Jillian.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

gchance said:


> Barey, there's no misunderstanding, however I do apologize for responding so harshly. I'm extremely sensitive to people saying someone isn't running, or that it doesn't count, because they don't go a certain pace, especially when the people in question were morbidly obese a few months prior (and technically could still be considered morbidly obese). Add to that the fact that I can't run even 200m right now and can't tell you how long it will be before I can, and there's an explosion waiting to happen.
> 
> Greg


Yeah. I'm sorry about that Greg. You know I'd never do anything to disrespect you on purpose. I think you're one of the more awesome people I've ever met. For real. Sorry for being a jerk. It was completely unintentional. I just made a mistake.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Uh-oh...I'm getting that sinking feeling in my stomach... You ever take a really strong stand and then later realize you were WRONG?
> 
> I probably should have converted his mile time into mph before I made that statement. I often run a 6.5 mph pace myself and yes, I'm definitely running. It's not as slow as I thought. I just _sounded_ really slow compared to the time my kid just ran... Sorry, sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to insult anyone.


Which makes your sons time even more impressive.

He effectively ran at a 10.0 for 6 minutes.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> We were saying the same thing over here. He had a really nice way about him. It would certainly avoid some of the natural tendency people have had to compare the new person to Jillian.


No way can they afford what he would cost. Jillian left cause she wanted tons more money. Her time is nearly done, she is completely overexposed.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Squeak said:


> Which makes your sons time even more impressive.
> 
> He effectively ran at a 10.0 for 6 minutes.


Yeah really... and he wasn't even the fastest kid. There was another kid (also on the Soccer team) that ran it in 6:13. I think Soccer is a good breeding ground for track and field stars.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> No way can they afford what he would cost. Jillian left cause she wanted tons more money. Her time is nearly done, she is completely overexposed.


Something like this might lead to some additional endorsement deals that may make him MORE money. I don't see a lot of Apollo between Olys. Maybe this would be a way he could expand his "brand" (isn't that what they are all calling it now?) in the off season <shrug>.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

bareyb said:


> Yeah really... and he wasn't even the fastest kid. There was another kid (also on the Soccer team) that ran it in 6:13. I think Soccer is a good breeding ground for track and field stars.


Funny you mention that.

For high school soccer, my team had a requirement that you had to run a sub 6 minute mile. You had 3 chances to do it, if not you were put back on JV.

And for Track season, a 6 minute mile was *sloooow*. Winners were getting low 5's, high 4's.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

We did a 12:00 2 mile when I played soccer in High School.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> No way can they afford what he would cost. Jillian left cause she wanted tons more money. Her time is nearly done, she is completely overexposed.


You really think she's done soon? She _is_ everywhere right now. You can't flip through the channels without seeing her on one thing or another. I saw her on a panel with a bunch of Doctors the other day. Not sure in what capacity exactly since I didn't watch, but it struck me as an odd mix.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> You really think she's done soon? She _is_ everywhere right now. You can't flip through the channels without seeing her on one thing or another. I saw her on a panel with a bunch of Doctors the other day. Not sure in what capacity exactly since I didn't watch, but it struck me as an odd mix.


That's what I mean. So overexposed. It will burn out. She's fine in small doses but for me at least, BL was almost too much, now she's doing way too much.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

bareyb said:


> You really think she's done soon? She _is_ everywhere right now. You can't flip through the channels without seeing her on one thing or another. I saw her on a panel with a bunch of Doctors the other day. Not sure in what capacity exactly since I didn't watch, but it struck me as an odd mix.


She's a regular on The Doctors now, that was the gig she left TBL for. She's been pretty candid about it on her podcast, she didn't leave for money, it was more that she was too confined on TBL... specifically, she said she was tired of the contest element. She says on TBL, she was talking to singular contestants, but on The Doctors she has more of a chance to develop her voice to speak directly to the audience.

On The Doctors she's being used as a layman voice, so that there's a person who's not a medical professional that they can get reactions from and make do crazy things. I don't watch the show, so I haven't seen her on it yet. Apparently this week they brought in Bob Harper to work her ass out on air. 

Greg


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> That's what I mean. So overexposed. It will burn out. She's fine in small doses but for me at least, BL was almost too much, now she's doing way too much.


If you get a chance, listen to her podcast. She's VERY different in that setting.

Greg


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

gchance said:


> She's a regular on The Doctors now, that was the gig she left TBL for. She's been pretty candid about it on her podcast, she didn't leave for money, it was more that she was too confined on TBL... specifically, she said she was tired of the contest element. She says on TBL, she was talking to singular contestants, but on The Doctors she has more of a chance to develop her voice to speak directly to the audience.
> 
> *On The Doctors she's being used as a layman voice, so that there's a person who's not a medical professional that they can get reactions from and make do crazy things.* I don't watch the show, so I haven't seen her on it yet. Apparently this week they brought in Bob Harper to work her ass out on air.
> 
> Greg


Ah. That would explain it. I like the "make her do crazy things" aspect. I haven't seen it either, but Sandra was watching it the other day and said it was pretty interesting. Her exact words were "it's not the type of show I'd record or watch on a regular basis, but if it's on and there's an interesting topic, I'll watch it. Kind of like Dr. Phil".


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> No way can they afford what he would cost. Jillian left cause she wanted tons more money. Her time is nearly done, she is completely overexposed.


Jillian did not leave because of money. Listen to her podcast. She was very unhappy. I highly doubt she is making more money on The Doctors. If she is, she is also working a lot more. She is having similar issues on The Doctors that she has on BL.


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

gchance said:


> If you get a chance, listen to her podcast. She's VERY different in that setting.
> 
> Greg


Her current podcast is watered down compared to what it used to be. She used to have a radio show on an AM station in LA. She was very opinionated and got into a lot of hot water. She bashed The Biggest Loser show numerous times. One time she got particularly angry and said some really harsh words about Biggest Loser. Her show on that radio station ended immediately.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

aadam101 said:


> Her current podcast is watered down compared to what it used to be. She used to have a radio show on an AM station in LA. She was very opinionated and got into a lot of hot water. She bashed The Biggest Loser show numerous times. One time she got particularly angry and said some really harsh words about Biggest Loser. Her show on that radio station ended immediately.


I listened to the old show for about two years, I was referring to her personality and how she talked to others. She's not a whip-cracker, and very personable, unlike how she's always been portrayed on TBL. I don't find the new show watered down, it's a lot shorter (1 hour vs. 3 hours), so a lot of the rambling aspects are now gone. But listen to some of the segments she did fairly recently, like when she detailed her meetings with General Mills, there's some good stuff there.

Greg


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

I'm with the group of people who is glad Bonnie is gone. She just didn't seem like she was putting her all into anything. And I agree with others that the "falling down" stuff that happened numerous times was just for attention or something. And that voice!

Next season, I think the next trainer will be less of "Jillian's replacement" as "Anna's replacement". And as a replacement for Anna, just about anybody is bound to do better.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

aadam101 said:


> *Jillian did not leave because of money. Listen to her podcast. She was very unhappy.* I highly doubt she is making more money on The Doctors. If she is, she is also working a lot more. *She is having similar issues on The Doctors that she has on BL.*


What was she so unhappy about?


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## 702 (Feb 9, 2003)

I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I do watch it on occasion. There was a major goof on the latest episode. (I'm bad with names) When the third person was in the pool, they showed a close-up of the scoreboard for a second. It already had 5 people's names listed and it showed that Bonnie fell at the 2M mark.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

John is a d-bag, plain and simple. Dude has a huge target on his back now.

Good for Ramon! Dude was rocking it when he showed up to meet his woman. I couldnt believe how different he looked after a haircut. Whats really interesting about that too is that it must have been filmed a while ago because when they did the "Where are they now" thing with Jessica, she looked much thinner.


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

That's exactly what I told my wife. John's a d-bag.

To one of his original black team members as well. So much for that loyalty. His team was all pretty loyal. His game would have been better off had he just faced Ramon himself. He may have even been able to win back favor if he had just voted Ramon. I mean really, Ramon had the lowest weight loss anyhow. Did he not do the math on how people would vote, I didnt think it was that hard to figure out anyone else's vote.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I guess he was screwed either way, if he picked anyone else he would have been voted out because he's a big threat. But I really think he screwed up voting for her at the end. Good for Antone for calling him out.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

KungFuCow said:


> John is a d-bag, plain and simple. Dude has a huge target on his back now.
> 
> Good for Ramon! Dude was rocking it when he showed up to meet his woman. I couldnt believe how different he looked after a haircut. Whats really interesting about that too is that it must have been filmed a while ago because when they did the "Where are they now" thing with Jessica, she looked much thinner.


Yup, and not exactly smart either. You can play the game but it's best to not look like you are "playing the game". Okay, so it turned out that he managed to pick exactly right to get out of being below the yellow line. I have never seen the lb. advantage/disadvantage ever make a difference on this show until now. So he got lucky and actually probably saved himself from elimination.

But then he votes for Sunny at the end??? First of all lets look at the other probable votes...

Vinnie: He's not voting for Ramon so 1 for Sunny
Becky: She's not going to vote out the only other woman so 1 for Ramon
Antone: Somewhat of a question but I was almost sure he would vote for Ramon over Sunny.

Since Ramon would lose the tiebreak, it's pretty much a given that he is going home. So why would John vote for Sunny?? He then pretty much ticks off everyone else and guarantees that if he is on the yellow line, he goes home while not changing the end result at all.

Plus Sunny isn't the biggest threat at this point since she has less weight left to lose. If you are playing the game then getting Ramone outta there is a much better plan.

Of course I think John had a target on his back before this episode started so it probably doesn't matter but voting for Sunny at the end has solidified his position as enemy number 1. (Of course it looks like only 2 more weigh-ins before the final so he doesn't need too much more to get there)

Did Bob actually say to Antone that he thinks John will gain all the weight back??? Wow, I wonder how John will feel about that when he watches the show. I thought John really respected Bob, heck John was on a big crying jag when he couldn't work out with Bob anymore...

I checked this page out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biggest_Loser:_Battle_of_the_Ages

Looks like John is way ahead in % weight loss. I don't think anyone can catch him so if he doesn't get voted off, he is going to win easy. I didn't realize that Sunny is currently in 2nd place. It looks like all the guys are still considered "obese" and will remain so even at the end of the show. It must be rough to lose 31% of your weight and still be considered obese class II.


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

Well, we cant see how all the at-homes are doing. Remember that one can be back in the main challenge for winning the marathon.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

I called it last night with my wife, I'll post it now. Those two will have been married by the finale. My wife asked yes, but how long? Heh.

I'm usually amazed at the difference in peoples' faces week to week on the show, but THIS week, I think Sunny looked different from the beginning of the episode to the end. I wonder how long it was between those?

I had to laugh every time they talked about Thanksgiving, given when they filmed the episode. I think one person during the weigh in said something like, "This being Thanksgiving..."

D-bag... yessiree, that's just someone who only cares about himself no matter what. I was thinking at the beginning of the episode about how I don't really hate any of the remaining contestants, but John changed that. Yikes.

Greg


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

ok so John played the game and won by picking Sunny as the only person that would have saved him in the weigh-in but he's still a jerk for voting her in the end. And odds were very slim that she'd be going home even with his voting for her.

I was shocked that Bob would say on camera that John will put on all the pounds, especially behind his back. Not that I think it's untrue, but I really wasn't expecting it and I don't remember Bob saying anything like this behind contestant's backs before.

I wasn't really sure if Vinny was "getting it" when Bob was working him out. He did say that Bob got him to work harder and give even more than he thought he had left which is supposed to be a good thing, but then he made it out like it was a bad thing and that it made him feel like he was back in his old bad household growing up.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I think had he given the pound to Vinnie, they would have sent Ramon home still. Ramon has had a target on his back for a while and everyone already tried to send him home before.

Usually the person that leaves the ranch winning doesnt end up winning the whole thing.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

DancnDude said:


> ok so John played the game and won by picking Sunny as the only person that would have saved him in the weigh-in but he's still a jerk for voting her in the end. And odds were very slim that she'd be going home even with his voting for her.
> 
> *I was shocked that Bob would say on camera that John will put on all the pounds, especially behind his back. Not that I think it's untrue, but I really wasn't expecting it and I don't remember Bob saying anything like this behind contestant's backs before.*
> 
> I wasn't really sure if Vinny was "getting it" when Bob was working him out. He did say that Bob got him to work harder and give even more than he thought he had left which is supposed to be a good thing, but then he made it out like it was a bad thing and that it made him feel like he was back in his old bad household growing up.


I thought that was really unprofessional for Bob. I guess he's probably miffed that Dulvet is going to come in and beat him in his first season. You can't really attack Dulvet, so you attack his client instead. Kind of lame... I still love Bob though. He's just having a bad moment.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

I think if they had the chance, John would have been out of there. I agree about Ramon though. He's quite a good looking guy without all that hair in the way. I agree with whoever said that this is going to be the fastest wedding in BL history. I bet they are hitched by the final, or at worst he will propose AT the final.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

The "where are they now" show tonight was kind of lame. I wish they spent more time on actual people (other than Hannah and Olivia and Ali, since we JUST saw the first 2 and we see Ali every freaking year (and wow, she had too much coffee before she went on or something)), and the bloopers because some of those were pretty funny (I lol'd at the coyotes during Dolvett's one on one interview).

Hannah and Olivia both still look fantastic, although they've clearly put a little bit of weight back on, but those dresses were pretty ugly and looked about a size too small.

The person that surprised me the most? Tara! She looked... big. I know she must be still in fantastic shape because she just rocked an Ironman a few months ago and she doesn't really look a whole lot different now than she did in the video clips from that, but from the waist down she looks a lot different than she did before.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

bareyb said:


> I agree with whoever said that this is going to be the fastest wedding in BL history. I bet they are hitched by the final, or at worst he will propose AT the final.


As I was watching this (today finally), I kept thinking the one who could benefit most from Makeover week was Ramon. Looks like that might have been the case!

I thought the 'biggest surprise of her life' was going to be a proposal, and was very glad it wasn't. I know Ramon was the one of them that the focus was on being the remaining contestant, but has anyone else wondered how Jessica feels about their relationship? We've seen Ramon talk about finding the love of his life and spending the rest of his like with Jess, (and on and on and on), but when they've shown them together I really haven't gotten the feeling that Jess is as head over heels as Ramon is. How mutual is this 'love of my life' thing?


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

JLucPicard said:


> As I was watching this (today finally), I kept thinking the one who could benefit most from Makeover week was Ramon. Looks like that might have been the case!
> 
> I thought the 'biggest surprise of her life' was going to be a proposal, and was very glad it wasn't. I know Ramon was the one of them that the focus was on being the remaining contestant, but has anyone else wondered how Jessica feels about their relationship? We've seen Ramon talk about finding the love of his life and spending the rest of his like with Jess, (and on and on and on), but when they've shown them together I really haven't gotten the feeling that Jess is as head over heels as Ramon is. How mutual is this 'love of my life' thing?


If you go back a few pages, I said something similar. I think he's way more into it than she is. You can kind of see it in the body language. I hope it works out, but I know it's not a good idea. Serious relationships are generally verboten in people that are new in recovery from Addictions. They tend to simply switch their "addiction" to the new person in their life and it often fails spectacularly. Often with both people relapsing on the drug of choice, which in this case is food.

I thought the biggest surprise of their life was going to be a proposal too. I'm glad it wasn't, but if Ramone has his way, I think there's one coming. I have a feeling she may talk him down before the show though... I just can't see it. Danny and the gal his marrying (forget her name right now) seem like a really odd couple to me too.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

What a pathetic final 4. 

I think its safe to say at this point that John has got this one in the bag. I just dont see anyone catching him. Sunny had an outside chance but that's about it. No way Vinny gets even close, Antawn will just go home and cry some more and that other lady, she bores me so much I already forgot her name.

Even makeover week was a real disappointment. It seemed rushed and no one really looked all that different. 

All in all, a disappointing season.. probably the worst one yet. Maybe the marathon will redeem it but I doubt it.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

KungFuCow said:


> What a pathetic final 4.
> 
> I think its safe to say at this point that John has got this one in the bag. I just dont see anyone catching him. Sunny had an outside chance but that's about it. No way Vinny gets even close, Antawn will just go home and cry some more and that other lady, she bores me so much I already forgot her name.
> 
> ...


I pretty much agree with all of that. However, I will say that Bob is right. John will most likely gain it all back because he isn't really doing it for the right reasons. I think Sunny will be fine and so will Becky. Vinny will regain it all and I'm on the fence about Antwan(sp?). He was already an adult in great shape once and blew it. I wouldn't be the least surprised if he gained it back again.

I was disappointed in the reunion show. So many of the early contestants have done great and they ignored them completely. Wow, Olivia and Hannah are OK. It's been what < 6 months? I'd be stunned if they were not fine.

Lots of others are doing well too, it's odd which ones they chose. I felt bad for Dolvet and Anna during the sequence. Contestant shows up, kisses Ali, Hugs bob, sits down and then they never speak to Anna and D. Repeat times five. Weird.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> I pretty much agree with all of that. However, I will say that Bob is right. John will most likely gain it all back because he isn't really doing it for the right reasons. I think Sunny will be fine and so will Becky. Vinny will regain it all and I'm on the fence about Antwan(sp?). He was already an adult in great shape once and blew it. I wouldn't be the least surprised if he gained it back again.
> 
> I was disappointed in the reunion show. So many of the early contestants have done great and they ignored them completely. Wow, Olivia and Hannah are OK. It's been what < 6 months? I'd be stunned if they were not fine.
> 
> Lots of others are doing well too, it's odd which ones they chose. I felt bad for Dolvet and Anna during the sequence. Contestant shows up, kisses Ali, Hugs bob, sits down and then they never speak to Anna and D. Repeat times five. Weird.


That whole reunion show _was_ weird... Ali seemed like she was on crack, Tara's gained back a ton of weight, so had most of the other ones they brought back.

I'd much rather see some of the non winners or at home winners that have really embraced the lifestyle. Staying fit is about more than being able to run a long way, you have to do the food too. And the food is the hardest part.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

bareyb said:


> That whole reunion show _was_ weird... Ali seemed like she was on crack, Tara's gained back a ton of weight, so had most of the other ones they brought back.
> 
> I'd much rather see some of the non winners or at home winners that have really embraced the lifestyle. Staying fit is about more than being able to run a long way, you have to do the food too. And the food is the hardest part.


I'll cut Tara some slack weight wise. I think she is so fit that it must just be a good weight for her. After all, she did complete the Hawaiian Ironman is 13 hours. But your other point matches mine. There are lots of peoplemwho have done much much better. Collectively the BL alumni have doe a great job of beating the weight gain odd and they need to show that as it emphasize how the overall diet + exercise program works. .


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Yeah I mentioned Tara in a post last week... I am glad to see that I am not the only one that thought she looked big.  I know she is fit but she has gained a lot of weight back especially in her hips and legs.

I thought Sunny looked really good at home. I think Becky was right and she does have a good shot to win the at home prize, but there was no way she or any of them are going to catch John. Their only hope is that he lands in the bottom 2 of the final 4 and America votes him out... of course that kills Sunny's chance for the at home prize if that happens. I think John is going to be soon getting a pile of cash either way.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

Re Tara... remember, there's weight loss, maintenance, and another gray area during event training. When training for something huge like a marathon, or something extreme like an Ironman (and it is extreme), it's a delicate balance with the additional calories your body needs and not eating too much. If you gain weight, sorry, you're not losing until you stop training hard. In Tara's case (as opposed to someone like Isabeau Miller, who became a trainer yet looked about twice her finale weight), she's probably at the point where she finds fitness events more important than being at a low weight. Purely guessing here, of course.

About an Ironman, I'm not sure if it was clear enough on the show, but it's an 8-12 hour ordeal. Not only is it 3 activities, but it's 3 activities at a distance considered a complete race in other situations. Craig Alexander holds the Hawaii course record for Ironman at right around 8 hours. You swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles, THEN run a full marathon. What's amazing to me is people like Craig Alexander finish the marathon portion at 3 hours, after all the other work.

I'm not surprised that Tara gained a little weight. 

Greg


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

So I'm really looking forward to the marathon episode. It's always been my favorite and I was bummed they didn't have one last season.

Any guesses on who will win it? I've got nothing. In the other seasons they usually showed some of them who clearly got into the running but not so much this season.

Does anyone know how the marathon winner gets back into the finale? They still need only a final 3 right? So do both the bottom 2 at the last weigh in get kicked out? Then the marathon winner becomes number 3? What if the marathon winner is one of those who are already the final 2/3?


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

gchance said:


> About an Ironman, I'm not sure if it was clear enough on the show, but it's an 8-12 hour ordeal. Not only is it 3 activities, but it's 3 activities at a distance considered a complete race in other situations. Craig Alexander holds the Hawaii course record for Ironman at right around 8 hours. You swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles, THEN run a full marathon. What's amazing to me is people like Craig Alexander finish the marathon portion at 3 hours, after all the other work.
> 
> I'm not surprised that Tara gained a little weight.
> 
> Greg


Bearing in mind that the first ironman was done in 13 hours by very fit individuals. While the professionals routinely do 9 hours, 13 is still a very very good time for a full distance ironman. And, in this case in Hawaii which is hotter than the hinges of heck, especially in the cycling segment which is out and back through the lava fields, often with 20-30 knot winds. I think she would have no chance at those numbers if she were at the weight when she finished the BL.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

Previous marathon episodes were limited to the 4 or 5 or whatever were left at that point. It's my understanding that this season it's everybody who began the show, right? I sure hope they don't spend a lot of time with the 'have no chance in heck of even finishing' people like Bonnie. That could get awfully boring awfully quick.

Go ahead and send a camera/crew with them to get it all on film, but don't bother with too much footage unless something interesting happens (falls, faceplants, etc. are welcome ).


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

JLucPicard said:


> Previous marathon episodes were limited to the 4 or 5 or whatever were left at that point. It's my understanding that this season it's everybody who began the show, right? I sure hope they don't spend a lot of time with the 'have no chance in heck of even finishing' people like Bonnie. That could get awfully boring awfully quick.
> .


Yeah, I'm betting that Bonnie won't even start. (Maybe that's the week she gets knee surgery). If she does start, I predict a "fall" after a half mile then her lying on her back like a tortoise for 10 minutes making that incredibly annoying keening sound. She will then get up and be very proud of getting up. Then she will stop.

I'm the last guy in the world to tell anyone who can "run" a marathon but Bonnie should not.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

ehusen said:


> Any guesses on who will win it? I've got nothing. In the other seasons they usually showed some of them who clearly got into the running but not so much this season.


My money is on the blondie chick that was Ramon's "girlfriend".

I still don't think that she's as into him as he is into her, but who knows, maybe they will already be married by the finale.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

ehusen said:


> So I'm really looking forward to the marathon episode. It's always been my favorite and I was bummed they didn't have one last season.
> 
> Any guesses on who will win it? I've got nothing. In the other seasons they usually showed some of them who clearly got into the running but not so much this season.
> 
> Does anyone know how the marathon winner gets back into the finale? They still need only a final 3 right? So do both the bottom 2 at the last weigh in get kicked out? Then the marathon winner becomes number 3? What if the marathon winner is one of those who are already the final 2/3?


I have Ramon or his woman winning it.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

KungFuCow said:


> I have Ramon or his woman winning it.


Unless they get in a Tiff and breakup. Then it's anyone's guess.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> Bearing in mind that the first ironman was done in 13 hours by very fit individuals. While the professionals routinely do 9 hours, 13 is still a very very good time for a full distance ironman. And, in this case in Hawaii which is hotter than the hinges of heck, especially in the cycling segment which is out and back through the lava fields, often with 20-30 knot winds. I think she would have no chance at those numbers if she were at the weight when she finished the BL.


Don't get me wrong, I don't think her time was the greatest. In fact, Kona has qualifying times. That said, I just looked her up, and she had a decent time there (12:36 according to Runner's World). I was just pointing out that it's common to gain weight during endurance training when not at a high level, and that an Ironman is most certainly an endurance event. 

Incidentally, they also said she was 1:33 swim, 5:50 bike, & 5:13 run. I didn't break 5:13 for the run until my 3rd marathon, and I wasn't weakened by swim & bike prior. Good job Tara!



ehusen said:


> Yeah, I'm betting that Bonnie won't even start. (Maybe that's the week she gets knee surgery). If she does start, I predict a "fall" after a half mile then her lying on her back like a tortoise for 10 minutes making that incredibly annoying keening sound. She will then get up and be very proud of getting up. Then she will stop.
> 
> I'm the last guy in the world to tell anyone who can "run" a marathon but Bonnie should not.


Going back to our earlier discussion about whether someone was running or not, I think we could all agree that Bonnie will not run. 

Greg


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

gchance said:


> Don't get me wrong, I don't think her time was the greatest. In fact, Kona has qualifying times. That said, I just looked her up, and she had a decent time there (12:36 according to Runner's World). I was just pointing out that it's common to gain weight during endurance training when not at a high level, and that an Ironman is most certainly an endurance event.


They didn't make it obvious on the episode, but she was given a charity spot... she did not qualify. Not saying her time was that bad (since the cutoff is 17 hours, she made it with plenty of time to spare), but the fact that she was given an entry at all caused some controversy.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Isn't that what Charity spots or sponsor spots are for? Why would it be controversial? She finished well before the cutoff time. Now a spot to Bonnie would be controversial.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

laria said:


> They didn't make it obvious on the episode, but she was given a charity spot... she did not qualify. Not saying her time was that bad (since the cutoff is 17 hours, she made it with plenty of time to spare), but the fact that she was given an entry at all caused some controversy.


Can I call the Whambulance for you....?

Seriously, she beat the crap out of the only other BL to finish which was Matt a couple years ago. He did barely 17 hour time. He should have killed Taro and yet she kicked his ass. Make no mistake, a 13 hour time is great. Period.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> Can I call the Whambulance for you....?
> 
> Seriously, she beat the crap out of the only other BL to finish which was Matt a couple years ago. He did barely 17 hour time. He should have killed Taro and yet she kicked his ass. Make no mistake, a 13 hour time is great. Period.


For me? Why? I said that her time was good and that she made it before the cutoff with plenty of time to spare.

I was just pointing out since gchance brought up the fact that there are qualifying times for the race that she did not qualify like most people there had to, and the fact that there are lottery and charity spots in such a prestigious race is a point of controversy in some circles. It has nothing to do with what her time was or wasn't.

Kona is a World Championship event... it is not just any old Ironman, it is THE Ironman World Championships. There are a lot of professional triathletes that try very hard to qualify, and it is very difficult. You need to place in your age group at another Ironman event in order to qualify. Some of these triathletes do not feel that there should be people in the race who get to participate in a World Championship event simply because they got lucky and their name was drawn out of a hat or some corporation/organization paid a large sum of money to let them compete. Not everyone that wins a lottery or a charity slot takes it as seriously as Tara obviously did.

Like I said, it has nothing to do with her time, which I think was very good. Nor do I have any horse in the Ironman race myself, as I had to withdraw from the one (sprint distance) triathlon I ever entered due to my gallbladder going kaplooey. I just follow a lot of running and triathlon news.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

So, the charity part is completely irrelevant, you make my point. She clearly could have qualified so it makes no difference. As I recall, she was injured when she tried to qualify and then they allowed her to compete. In any case, she finished 3 hours before the last official finisher so I think she proved she was qualified.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

RandomTask said:


> So, the charity part is completely irrelevant, you make my point. She clearly could have qualified so it makes no difference. As I recall, she was injured when she tried to qualify and then they allowed her to compete. In any case, she finished 3 hours before the last official finisher so I think she proved she was qualified.


Sure, she was qualified to finish the race in a respectable time. And I have nothing but respect for her for training her butt off and finishing in the time that she did.

But, I think that it is unlikely that she could have qualified for the race without a lottery or charity spot.

There are over 60,000 people a year who try to qualify for about 1500 slots. It looks like Tara is currently in the 25-29 age group. On average that age group gets about 2-3 slots per race. Not everyone accepts their spot, so sometimes you can place lower, maybe down to like 5 or 6, and still get a slot.

Based on last year's slowest qualifying times, there are only two races where she could have qualified based on her time this year... in China or Lanzarote (Canary Islands). Most of the qualifying times are in the 10:00-11:00 range. She would have to shave quite a bit off of her time to have qualified at any of those races.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Guess where the professionals get the money from? From the sponsors, I'm sure the the top guys could care less how many sponsor slots there are. The ones losing out because Tara raced are not making a living doing triathlons. She's giving more interest and exposure to the Ironman than anyone she potentially replaced and that's a good thing for professionals.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

WOW, I think it's time to back off a little. My own post was only to point out that A) Ironman is a serious endurance event, and B) Tara's weight gain is understandable. People like Tara were MADE for charity entries. I do doubt though that it was a charity entry, it was more than likely a sponsored entry so that Kona could get NBC coverage. Either that or it was part of the agreement NBC does when they cover the event (they provide TV coverage and also have a former TBL contestant run it for prominent display of said event during prime time).

No matter which way you look at it, it was an achievement by a contestant who only a short time ago was morbidly obese.

Greg


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

The whole "Should Tara be given an entry to the Ironman?" discussion seems very similar to the other discussion about "should anyone be allowed to enter a marathon?".

Again, the professional marathoners would never say a thing about who enters a marathon. The more that enter, the more money comes in and they get paid more. Since they are the professional elites, they really aren't even in the same race. They start first and are never seen again by the rest of us mortal runners.

The ones who get annoyed are what I call the "amateur elites". These are the ones who are really really dedicated to their sport but still aren't good enough to do it professionally. So I might be annoyed if I was one of those and couldn't get an entry into an event I had worked hard to qualify for because some charity runner got it. But at the end of the day, the sponsors of the event make the rules.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

ehusen said:


> The whole "Should Tara be given an entry to the Ironman?" discussion seems very similar to the other discussion about "should anyone be allowed to enter a marathon?".


Only to a point though. Anyone should be allowed to enter a marathon... not everyone should be allowed to enter the Boston Marathon. I can't qualify for Boston and don't think I will in my lifetime, and that's how it should be. Anyone should be allowed to enter an Ironman. Not everyone should be able to enter Kona.



> The ones who get annoyed are what I call the "amateur elites". These are the ones who are really really dedicated to their sport but still aren't good enough to do it professionally. So I might be annoyed if I was one of those and couldn't get an entry into an event I had worked hard to qualify for because some charity runner got it. But at the end of the day, the sponsors of the event make the rules.


Bingo. Two years ago, Boston's entries sold out extremely fast, and many, many runners who qualified with flying colors couldn't enter. Yet there were a lot of charity runners who got in by donating money to the charity.

Or in the case of one well known podcaster who's run Boston 15 years in a row, yet can't qualify and doesn't run much faster than I do. He promotes the race, great, but he's run it enough without qualification, let's not give him another entry.

Greg


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

gchance said:


> WOW, I think it's time to back off a little. My own post was only to point out that A) Ironman is a serious endurance event, and B) Tara's weight gain is understandable. People like Tara were MADE for charity entries. I do doubt though that it was a charity entry, it was more than likely a sponsored entry so that Kona could get NBC coverage. Either that or it was part of the agreement NBC does when they cover the event (they provide TV coverage and also have a former TBL contestant run it for prominent display of said event during prime time).
> 
> No matter which way you look at it, it was an achievement by a contestant who only a short time ago was morbidly obese.
> 
> Greg


I feel like my original post has been misunderstood and I keep trying to explain that I am in no way discounting her achievement. She has made an amazing transformation in her life and she finished an incredibly difficult race in a respectable time. There is no judgement in my original post about how she got her spot. My only intention was to say, yes, Kona is a very serious race... so serious that there is actually some controversy around entries like hers.

I think the comparison to Boston is a very good one. Personally, I would probably come down on the side of allowing there to be charity slots in races like Kona or Boston, because I would never be able to qualify for either of them myself, and living where I do, Boston is a big deal and I would kinda like to say that I did it someday. If I was one of the thousands of people who legitimately BQ'd and was not able to get into Boston because of the sheer number of people who try to get in? Maybe I'd feel differently... I don't know. Honestly, I think that if I was an actual competitor in Ironman distance events, I'd be more miffed by the lottery entries than the charity or sponsor ones.

I think that I have usually seen all the non-lottery people are referred to as charity spots just to differentiate them. NBC and other sponsors probably do get to assign a few spots to whomever they want.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Congrats to Ramon. He rocked the marathon and Courtney sure came out of nowhere. 

I think its a fair assessment that John is going to end up putting all his weight back on. He's so focused on winning the show at all costs, I dont think he's learned much through the process.

I felt bad for Vinnie too. You could tell he really stepped it up at home and he just barely missed the cut. He should be a shoe in for the at home tho.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I was really surprised that Ramon ended up being the winner... and Courtney? I don't even remember that chick! 

Courtney's running form was driving me absolutely bananas every time they showed her. And it wasn't even bad form because she was tired because she started out with the exact same form in her arms.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

I liked this episode. (Of course I do love the marathon episode anyway). Wow, 25,000 + automatic entry into the final is a huge reward. That gale force sand storm was crazy. The frontrunners put up some good times, in the just over 5 hour range. Considering their weight, current fitness level, the desert heat, and running on sand for most of it those are good times. Big surprise, Bonnie did not run, big surprise.  I felt bad for the guy (Joe?) that the doctor made stop running due to his knee. It was probably the right call but it still must be heartbreaking to not be allowed to finish.

Did the last people come in at like 11:41? That's like a 26 minute pace. I'm not sure I could actually walk that slow. Maybe they rested along the way. Still, good on them to finish it.

So pretty much, it's a given now that John will win. He's 5.5% which means Antone would have to lose like 24lbs just to be even with John's current weight. Ramone is a wild card since they haven't weighed him again but I don't think we will have lost enough to catch John.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I hate that they started the show at 9:00 last night, I watched up until the end of the marathon. Who is in the finals?


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

JFriday said:


> I hate that they started the show at 9:00 last night, I watched up until the end of the marathon. Who is in the finals?


Ramon for winning the marathon, and then John and Antone.

About the marathon, what was up with that course? That was terrible! The people in previous seasons get to run down the PCH and these guys get stuck running loops on sand in the desert?!


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Thank you.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

One thing about John at home... he hadn't gone back to work, he was still working on losing more weight and the task at hand.

I said to my wife, this is the FIRST time a contestant has done that, which is something I've said every contestant SHOULD do. Like the women who go home for a week or two, or even at this point, and when they check up on them they say, "Well, I didn't have the time, with taking care of the kids and working."

Seriously, what was the situation for them while they were at the ranch? Why did they have to go back to status quo when they returned, what happened to whatever arrangement they had when they were away from the family?

Anyway, I think it's cool that John thought the way I do on it. I disagree about him gaining weight back, I think he feels too good to go back to old ways. I could be wrong.

Greg


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

laria said:


> Ramon for winning the marathon, and then John and Antone.
> 
> About the marathon, what was up with that course? That was terrible! The people in previous seasons get to run down the PCH and these guys get stuck running loops on sand in the desert?!


Oh yeah, that course was horrible. No scenery, desert sand, and loops? It would be almost worse than running it on a treadmill.

In regards to John's chances of gaining the weight back. I don't know at this point. His wife doesn't seem to have joined him on the weight loss journey. That's go to be really hard to maintain under those circumstances. And the fact that John is so driven to win, you wonder if after he wins, he will just be "I'm done now, I finished".


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

ehusen said:


> Oh yeah, that course was horrible. No scenery, desert sand, and loops? It would be almost worse than running it on a treadmill.
> 
> In regards to John's chances of gaining the weight back. I don't know at this point. His wife doesn't seem to have joined him on the weight loss journey. That's go to be really hard to maintain under those circumstances. And the fact that John is so driven to win, you wonder if after he wins, he will just be "I'm done now, I finished".


Exactly. His wife appears to not care at all about the weight issues. And without that support I think he'll slip back into old habits. The other families seems more with it.

BTW Greg, I think that's entirely the wrong approach for a long term success. You have to learn to integrate it all. Most people can't just stop working and the $250,000 isn't gonna last long if you're not working.

Actually, the prize is one of my biggest issue with this show. It's always been a ridiculously cheap prize and with the in show ads increasing every year, the producers are really screwing the contestants on this program. Compared to all other reality programs they get next to nothing compared to how much the show makes.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

RandomTask said:


> Exactly. His wife appears to not care at all about the weight issues. And without that support I think he'll slip back into old habits. The other families seems more with it.


I dunno. My wife doesn't do much to better her health (even though she's convinced herself that she does), I've kept my weight off for 6 years now.



> BTW Greg, I think that's entirely the wrong approach for a long term success. You have to learn to integrate it all. Most people can't just stop working and the $250,000 isn't gonna last long if you're not working.


You're right, for when the show's over. IMHO, it's not over until it's over, getting sent home isn't the end. That's why I said I could be wrong, he could be another Erik and just throw it all out the window after winning, but I don't think he will.

Greg


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

gchance said:


> One thing about John at home... he hadn't gone back to work, he was still working on losing more weight and the task at hand.
> 
> I said to my wife, this is the FIRST time a contestant has done that, which is something I've said every contestant SHOULD do. Like the women who go home for a week or two, or even at this point, and when they check up on them they say, "Well, I didn't have the time, with taking care of the kids and working."
> 
> ...


You can add me to the list then too. If I were there, I'd worry about my underlying causes after I won the show. THEN I'd have plenty of money to go see a real shrink instead of getting psychology lessons from a personal trainer. 

I completely disagree with Bob on this one (rare). John simply isn't that type of person. Not everyone can "talk about their feelings" on national TV. I think he's a solid guy with a strong character, and I think he's gonna win this hands down. From my perspective, Bob seems more "mad" than "concerned". He probably thought that once Jillian were gone, that he'd be the new top dog. Either way, I thought it was bad form for Bob to say that, considering John is on another team. If I had to pick someone to gain it all back, it would probably be Vinnie. Sadly.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

bareyb said:


> If I had to pick someone to gain it all back, it would probably be Vinnie. Sadly.


Yeah, I agree. He seems to be much more of a party animal. And he hasn't done that well at the BL ranch either considering how much he had to lose.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Does anyone still think Ramon's girlfriend isn't in to him? I just think Ramon is so expressive that it makes him look way more into her than she is in to him. She seemed like she was into him though.


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## sburnside1 (Jan 28, 2009)

Count me as one that thinks John will gain it back. Its all for winning the show right now. It doesn't take much to start the downward spiral. Right now he is still being taken care of without a care other than working out. Thats not real life. Hes not having to make decisions or face real life temptation (typed as a co-worker just sent an email about free donuts on his desk).

I find Vinnie hard to read sometime. I feel hes worked thru a lot of the issues that got him where he was, its just a matter of maintaining good habits when it isn't always the fun choice.


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## Sadara (Sep 27, 2006)

Add another to the "I think John will gain it back" group. One of the main reasons I think he will gain it back is that his wife doesn't seem to have done much to loose weight herself and she's no slim jim. In years past, with the couples, the ones that always seem to keep it off are the ones that either had a skinny spouse or had a spouse that got skinny with them. Having the support of your spouse is key. Saying you support your spouse is one thing, showing it by making huge lifestyle changes and also loosing the weight is huge!


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

JFriday said:


> Does anyone still think Ramon's girlfriend isn't in to him? I just think Ramon is so expressive that it makes him look way more into her than she is in to him. She seemed like she was into him though.


Yeah, there were a couple of comments during the Marathon from her that led me to believe that it was mutual.

She seemed genuinely happy and excited that he won it, as if they had won it together.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Yeah I thought she seemed more into him now than she did during the beginning of the show or his "at home" recap.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Sadara said:


> Add another to the "I think John will gain it back" group. One of the main reasons I think he will gain it back is that his wife doesn't seem to have done much to loose weight herself and she's no slim jim. *In years past, with the couples, the ones that always seem to keep it off are the ones that either had a skinny spouse or had a spouse that got skinny with them. * Having the support of your spouse is key. Saying you support your spouse is one thing, showing it by making huge lifestyle changes and also loosing the weight is huge!


Well you certainly have a point there. It's been true for me at least. If my wife were a practicing food addict, I'm sure I'd have had a lot harder time keeping it off... Still, at least she was able to support him by cooking healthy foods for him. That's more than some contestants get at home.

I don't agree that the contestants _necessarily_ need to deal with all their "issues" on the show. Especially considering that none of the personal trainers are properly trained to deal with said issues. I mean it's great when it happens, but I don't think it's key to keeping it off. I do feel support at home is key though... so hopefully John's family will step up a bit more.


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## tcristy (Feb 11, 2005)

> producers are really screwing the contestants on this program


They get hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of personal training, medical care, food, and housing. Oh, and potentially decades added to their lifespan. I would call that a decent deal even with no added prize at all.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

tcristy said:


> They get hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of personal training, medical care, food, and housing. Oh, and potentially decades added to their lifespan. I would call that a decent deal even with no added prize at all.


That's the NCAA football argument. They're getting an education (which most don't) why oay them..

My points that relative to how much money they make and compared to other reality competition show these guys aren't getting anything like a fair layout. And now, they're essentially using the contestants as actors in the product placement commercials as well. Yes, some get health and weight loss but they're the only ones not really sharing the revenue.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

ehusen said:


> Did the last people come in at like 11:41?


Yes, and please tell me they had some temporary shelter or decked out trailer or something for people to spend time in while waiting for the others. What did people do for the six hours between them finishing the race and the others finishing.

I didn't really care for Johnny all that much when he was on the show, but for some reason I really was happy that he finished the marathon.


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## mrdazzo7 (Jan 8, 2006)

RandomTask said:


> That's the NCAA football argument. They're getting an education (which most don't) why oay them..
> 
> My points that relative to how much money they make and compared to other reality competition show these guys aren't getting anything like a fair layout. And now, they're essentially using the contestants as actors in the product placement commercials as well. Yes, some get health and weight loss but they're the only ones not really sharing the revenue.


I'm sure they get paid ok but like others have said, they're not there to make money as actors on a TV show... they're given an opportunity to get healthy by training in a world-class facility with top-tier trainers. A lot of these people are desperate to change their lives and, even given the 'reality show' BS this show gets into, at the core of it, that's what it does. If the show were such a horror story then you wouldn't see so many people coming back in later seasons or for specials or at BL events...

I just don't see what it matters how much they get paid for actually appearing on the show. After it's all said and done it seems like they're all actually eternally grateful for the help they get and even if some of the don't keep 100% of the weight off, most make significant strides in the right directions in physical and emotional issues.

I also never understood the ragging on the trainers for "not being qualified to handle emotional problems"... They're not trying to diagnose psychological disorders, they're just trying to help people get to the root of their problems in certain areas, just like a friend of family member will do. As long it works, what's the difference? It's not like they're prescribing meds.

Anyway, I'm sure there some sinister stuff going as well, just like any reality production, but the fact is we only see a little bit of what goes on so who knows. The fact that so many contestants continue to be involved with the brand afterwards says to me that the good outweighs the bad.


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## mrdazzo7 (Jan 8, 2006)

Also, I'm shocked that Jennifer won that at-home... didn't see that coming at all. I was surprised when it was her instead of Joe, and then floored that she also beat Patrick and Vinny... good for her, especially since she seemed to have some kind of major knee injury when she was there. I wanted Joe to win though... not sure why but seemed like a solid dude. 

Not sure why everyone rags on John... yeah he talks about himself and it comes off as cocky but I see it as someone with extremely low self esteem and a ton of emotional issues who actually turned their life around and is proud of what they've done. I think people either don't know or they forget what it feels like to have absolutely no self-worth...it's devastating, so when you get passed that, you should be proud of it. Just sayin'. Wait and see before you damn the guy to gaining it all back. 

I laughed at the twist for next season... MAN those people must have been pissed. It's pretty cruel but A: makes total sense given the "no excuses" theme they're going for (no relying on a partner, no using a crutch, no blaming them for your weight gain, etc), and B: a show this old has to reinvent the wheel from time to time. Should make for some interesting weigh-ins. I'm not sure how I feel about it...this is the only reality show I watch because I hate reality shows, and this twist screams "reality show desperation"... but at the same time, the formula is definitely played out so they have to do it I guess.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I didn't watch the finale. What's the "twist" for next season?


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

Have no idea how Jennifer won. She still looks like she can barely walk.

The outcome hasn't been in doubt for a while. Unlike some years, John was the only one close to 50 percent.

When I saw Patrick, I was sure he had the at home locked and if not, then Vinny. Who knew?

Hated the show format. Somehow it took just as long to tell us less information. I'm sure the extra commercial helped them with the crappy payouts. (yep, still it is the cheapest reality show out there)

I like the no excuses thing for next year. Nice to see that they kept Dolvett. He's growing on me.


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## kar74 (Feb 13, 2005)

jradosh said:


> I didn't watch the finale. What's the "twist" for next season?


They are splitting up the teams from the start so each person will be competing against the person they came to the ranch with.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

Thanks Kar.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

I just hope the new twist doesn't result in a bunch of 'thrown' weigh-ins by people trying to help their partner avoid possible elimination.

I always wondered how Jennifer would have been doing if she wasn't so restricted in what she could be doing. Good for her for winning the at home!


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

How did they manage to eliminate the weigh ins by most of the at-home people and make the show MORE boring?!

I really miss when they used to show people at home on the finale... did anyone else notice there was way less "at home" time this season overall as well? There was no "week at home" trip this year except for Sunny's trip with Bob (and also no "you're going to Vegas/Australia/somewhere cool"), they showed nothing of the finalists in their final training at home on the finale, and they showed extremely little of the finalists at home during the marathon special. Plus these people didn't get Tim Gunn as their stylist!

I always found the end of season at home time interesting, where they would show the video diaries of them preparing for the finale and everything.


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## RandomTask (Jun 30, 2011)

laria said:


> How did they manage to eliminate the weigh ins by most of the at-home people and make the show MORE boring?!
> 
> I really miss when they used to show people at home on the finale... did anyone else notice there was way less "at home" time this season overall as well? There was no "week at home" trip this year except for Sunny's trip with Bob (and also no "you're going to Vegas/Australia/somewhere cool"), they showed nothing of the finalists in their final training at home on the finale, and they showed extremely little of the finalists at home during the marathon special. Plus these people didn't get Tim Gunn as their stylist!
> 
> I always found the end of season at home time interesting, where they would show the video diaries of them preparing for the finale and everything.


Yep, the really compressed the end this year and that's where the trip segment went I think.

As for the makeover week, I think they shopped at Goodwill, nothing fit even a little. Of course some of the finale outfits were pretty bad too but that happens every year.

There were some serious compression garments on the men. No one losing that much weight would have a flat stomach and you could see the compression underneath. Aside from Danny Cahill being on the doctors and getting a body lift, they never talk about the skin issue. You see the baggy arms but they hide the rest of it.


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## mrdazzo7 (Jan 8, 2006)

The twist is that they brought people in as couples / family members then told them one person from each team will train with bob and te other with dolvett so they're competing agaisnt each other from the start.


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## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I'm glad they are keeping Dolvett, I like him.

He's easy on the eyes, too.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I've never seen a "winner" that could still could lose another 20 pounds and not look emactiated. I was also surprised that she beat the other 2 guys, especially Patrick he looked pretty thin.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

That had to be the worst produced finale Ive ever seen for this show. Lots of miscues, missed camera angles, etc. Good for the winners tho.. Everyone did great this year except the woman that went home the first week.. Barbara maybe? She only lost 33#s.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

Glad Dolvett's coming back. :up:


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

laria said:


> I'm glad they are keeping Dolvett, I like him.
> 
> He's easy on the eyes, too.


So is Anna, but she will not be back.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

daveak said:


> So is Anna, but she will not be back.


Did they ever address the fact that she was leaving? If so, I missed it.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

bareyb said:


> Did they ever address the fact that she was leaving? If so, I missed it.


I dont believe they did.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

daveak said:


> So is Anna, but she will not be back.


She's a lot easier on the eyes, it's a tragedy she wont be back.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

I thought it was funny when they were doing the "who's going to weigh in for the final at-home prize" thing with 4 of the contestants and only one of them would make it, and Allison tells them that there was less than 1% difference between them. Umm.....so that makes it guaranteed that they'd be the 3rd and 4th place contestants on the scale because otherwise both would have made it, so why bother?


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## BrandonRe (Jul 15, 2006)

DancnDude said:


> I thought it was funny when they were doing the "who's going to weigh in for the final at-home prize" thing with 4 of the contestants and only one of them would make it, and Allison tells them that there was less than 1% difference between them. Umm.....so that makes it guaranteed that they'd be the 3rd and 4th place contestants on the scale because otherwise both would have made it, so why bother?


Exactly what I told my wife.


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## maggsm82 (Sep 20, 2005)

For anyone who's interested, I saw a promo today that John will be on Dr Drew's show on HLN tonight at 9 pm ET.

I'll record it if I remember, not like there's much else on TV right now.


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

DancnDude said:


> I thought it was funny when they were doing the "who's going to weigh in for the final at-home prize" thing with 4 of the contestants and only one of them would make it, and Allison tells them that there was less than 1% difference between them. Umm.....so that makes it guaranteed that they'd be the 3rd and 4th place contestants on the scale because otherwise both would have made it, so why bother?


Well is that guaranteed to be true though? One of the other groups could have had one in between right? For example...

Group 1: 40% 39.5% 38% 30% - Top 2 separated by less than 1%
Group 2: 39.7% 25% 12% 10%
Group 3: 41% 22% 16% 15%

So as long as someone in the other group was closer than the 1%, there's no 100% confidence that they are number 3 and 4.

But yeah it's still stupid to say it since that not happening means they had an even closer spread with one of the groups but elected to split them this way.

Am I missing something?


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

ehusen said:


> In regards to John's chances of gaining the weight back. I don't know at this point. His wife doesn't seem to have joined him on the weight loss journey. That's go to be really hard to maintain under those circumstances. And the fact that John is so driven to win, you wonder if after he wins, he will just be "I'm done now, I finished".


This video's been circulating a few days now, but they just posted it to the main Crossfit site. John's got it tackled.








> "I now know that with proper planning, and execution of those plans, anything is possible."


Greg


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