Biggest Loser - Season 7: Couples Discussion (merged) (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

My wife couldn't believe it when she said you could buy an entire house in Michigan for $5000.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

I think some of you might have misunderstood my comment. I wasn't saying taking the $25K was the right thing to do. But for Joelle, the way she seems to have such a negative attitude, doesn't really seem to be trying, in her case, I was saying she might as well have just taken it and been done with it. To me it seems, yes she wants to lose the weight, but expects the weight-loss to be handed to her, as if she is owed it. Especially it would have been the smart thing if she'd have been eliminated, which nearly happened. Even most of the other contestants had negative comments regarding her. I think if it had been her and anyone else, Joelle would have definitely been voted off.

Also, I couldn't believe David (orange who left last week). He orders 2 hot dogs and fries and says guess I'm off to a good start. In any kind of weight-loss program I've ever used or heard of, hot dogs are a big no-no.

 

[mattCR]

Yep. Major kudos to the older couple who looked like they had done astonishing work at home. I'm reminded of "Biggest Loser Australia" where the people who go home can still compete and win the big prize (it's an alternate "big prize") for the contestant who loses the most, as opposed to the prize for "winner in the house".

They have three prizes:

"Winner of those in the final 3"
"Winner for most weight loss of those who went home"
"Overall winner"

I love that.

Anyway, the older couple really did a hell of a job so far.. the fact that he went home and stayed on it and lost 84 pounds.. incredible. They said (or I thought) his goal was to lose another 80.. I'm not sure if that's really reachable or even that desirable, but if he loses 84, that's pretty incredible, and if he ends up losing 100+, that is incredible.

 

[Mike Frezon]

John: I understood your comments completely.

It IS a shame Joelle squeaked-by just atop the yellow line. Against either Jerry or Dan (orange team) she'd have gone home--hands down.


Without a doubt. Most hot dog buns are completely non-nutritious made from enriched bleached flour. The hot dogs are made from high-fat meat and by-products. And then there's the condiments... Not much good for you there, either.

My wife and I have changed our eating habits drastically over the past year-and-a-half and we were both amazed--not only that he ordered that food--but thought he was making good choices. But, then again, look at the size of the family members that were sitting at the table with him!

And you kinda help make my point. Let's say Dan somehow doesn't make it past the month. That means David never gets back to the ranch. It would be a shame that he doesn't get to learn much from the trainers and nutritionists connected with the show (and medical personnel) about how to take care of himself.

MAYBE...that's what the producers want: to show a stark comparison about what Daniel is able to achieve on the ranch vs. what David goes through at home. Or, even maybe what Joelle does NOT accomplish at the ranch while her partner, Carla, works her butt off at home.

I just kinda wish they had stuck with the original concept. I know the creative forces always feel a need to keep things "fresh." But this is pretty severe.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

I swear this show has got to be fixed. Everyone has been saying and noticing how bad Joelle's attitude has been. Jillian's team asks Bob's team how they want them to vote, they say they will honor that since Bob's team did this for them last week. Then they all go and vote Damien off. I think it's because the people running the show did not want Joelle off. They want someone on there that everyone dislikes.

 

[Scott-S]

I also think there is some monkey business going on with the so called voting.

That Joelle seems like she is going to snap at any moment. There is something not right with her. I guess the producers are wanting to capture her meltdown on tape.

--

I thought it was interesting to see the training room in that one scene. It looked like almost everyone there had ice packs on them. I was wondering about that. These people haven't worked out in years and now they are working out hours a day. They had to be so stiff and in pain every day. I would like to know exactly what they do to the contestants to allow them to come back day after day and train.

 

[Kevin Tx]

Well this show has just about lost my wife and I as viewers.
Thought it was a great concept when it first aired a few years back.
Now it has turned into a network ratings whore.
It really appears as if the producers have the real vote as to who stays or goes.
Although Damien did lose the least percentage of weight, at least his desire to be there was sincere and not just " la de da I'm on TV hear me whine".
I doubt there are many viewers who have any bit of confidence that Joelle can truly go very far in this.
We will give it another week or two to see how this pans out but I'm not interested in the whole game show/soap opera road this show is approaching.

 

[Mike Frezon]

My wife and I are both really stumped by this season.

It seems like it should be a super enjoyable season because you've got some REALLY BIG people who also happen (for the most part) to be pretty likeable. Exceptions to the likeable part would be (in our opinion) Joelle and the green team (models).

But...instead of having a season driven by dramatic weight loss combined with the interplay between the contestants, the producers seem to be bending over backwards to create false drama--which just isn't necessary.

If the audience is willing to suffer through poorly-paced weekly two-hour programs to follow the adventures of these overweight individuals as they struggle to gain control over their weight and lives, there really is no need to tinker with the formula. And the ratings for the show seem that they have been pretty healthy.

Instead, we've gotten "surprise after surprise" this season which have included sending home nearly half the contestants at the very beginning of the game, sending away one of the trainers for most of an entire week (really a surprise that two of Bob's team fell below the yellow line, eh?!?), and other "surprises" which, frankly, are just getting in the way of enjoying the familiar formula which creates inspiration in the audience.

Why do I get the feeling that "Surprise!"--the contestants who were sent home will all be brought back in some other contrived twist before the game is over. If not, how completely unfair that Jerry & Damien's partners never got their time at the ranch. As it is, they are getting rooked out of a solid month of opportunity to lose weight and learn healthy habits at the ranch--if not completely screwed out of having that opportunity.

Having the players at home participate in the temptation challenge is, frankly, lame. We are getting very little insight into what's going on with the players at home. Outside of David's bad choices at that one meal with his family and an apparent aside during one of last night's yelling matches between Joelle & Carla that Carla hit up a McDonald's while at home there has been very little insight into the travails of those who were sent home So, what's the point?

If the point is to add extra pressure onto those contestants who stayed behind at the ranch that they "HAVE to get immunity in order to ensure (fill in the name here) can come back" it is, again, false pressure as the contestants should be motivated enough to keep bringing themselves back. In fact, I'd say the extra pressure of being responsible for the partner's future is not only unfair but potentially harmful to the contestant's own psyche of concentrating on their own goals and weight-loss program.

In fact, I think the over-stretched ambitions of the producers were made crystal clear when at last night's weigh-in Damien commented that he had had "a tough week" which resulted in his losing only 4 pounds. WHAT tough week? I didn't miss any of last night's episode yet have NO IDEA what he was talking about! Maybe I fell asleep at some point? And then Bob moans--correctly, I might add--about how he should have been with his team this week in order to be able to help his team cope with their difficulties (kinda like how we saw Jillian pull aside the yellow team member for a little therapeutic counseling).

Instead, Bob was shuffled off to Detroit to spend a day or so with his difficult contestant Joelle and her partner Carla--for another round of yelling and "drama." If I subscribed to John's theory about the show being "fixed," I'd swear it was set up for that situation to have happened. There was probably two days of travel and production set-up which yielded a couple of hours of gym time along with time at the dinner table and just enough time to sneak in the product placement for Yoplait yogurt. :rolleyes

While I realize this program is not about to be winning any Pultizer Prizes any time soon, it's still aggravating to this fan for producers to keep tinkering so dramatically with it's simple, yet successful, formula.

 

[Mike Frezon]

That's interesting. I was composing my last post when both Scott & Kevin posted their messages.

The producers are screwing up this show...which, as I said earlier, has been extremely successful--DESPITE being a dreadfully-paced weekly two-hour effort. It's almost like they are determined to get themselves canceled somehow.

I am always going to give the benefit of the doubt to the producers that they are not outright impacting the outcomes of the show (who stays and who goes). By that I mean I don't think they rig the voting--although they did send home nearly half the contestants at the outset. But I am starting to wonder about how much"egging on" there might be by a producer, let's say, to advise Carla to down some pizza and cupcakes in order to get Bob in Detroit.

I hate to think I have that kind of inclination...but the show is leaving an awful lot of room for doubt.

 

[Todd_B]

Did anyone notice that Daniel was absent from the temptation challenge? Did I miss something??

 

[Mike Frezon]

Now THAT's interesting! I did NOT notice that. But, when it came time for the weigh-in, I turned to my wife and said, "here's someone we didn't even see (or hear from) in this week's episode. It's like he didn't even exist!"

I wonder if he didn't take part (for some reason) or he just got left on the cutting room floor?!? Did his partner David take part in the temptation? Did they show any footage from him, Todd?

 

[Jon Martin]

Also noticed Daniel was missing.

I'm new to the show, and still like it, but there are a couple things that bother me.

First, shouldn't there be more of an emphasis on diet, rather than just exercise? Once these folks get home, they aren't going to be able to spend 24/7 in a gym.

Also, is this the most product placemented show on TV? Everything is "Hey, you know what you could use now? Some Yoplait yogurt". And then they blur everything that isn't paying them. A ketchup bottle was even blurred!! And, in the "trainer tips", Jillian's shoe logo was blurred. It got to be a bit ridiculous.

And that ending did seem like it was manipulated.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

My wife and I both noticed Dan was missing. I was really curious if his partner would wolf down a bunch of junk. Of all the teams, he was the one I wanted to see.

Like others have said, a lot of BS on what is otherwise a very good, inspiring show. I am so happy I record it and can zip through the crap. Take away the "coming up" and the flashback bits and it is a much faster show.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I noticed last night that Jillian's shoes were also blurred out during the gym shots on the ranch.

They even blurred out the x-rays on the wall of Dr. Huzienga (sp?) while he was counseling the contestants about their drugs! I joked they must be x-rays of celebrity chests. My wife figures it must be some strict HIPA adherence.

The thing about Team Orange not taking part in the temptation challenge is: 1.) Why didn't they? Was it because of David? Because of Daniel? These are questions the audience should have answered. [Did Daniel eat a ton with the same thoughts that Carla had? Get Daniel and a trainer to his hometown for a day for a little inspiration and some face time? Will we ever know now?]

NOT participating has a real impact on the outcome of the game. Maybe Bob wouldn't have gone to Detroit mid-week.

And, 2.) did they just hope noone would notice? Where else might the producers be "fudging things?" It really leads to opening up a lack of trust between the audience and the show.

We are big fans of the show at my house. But stuff like this is aggravating and unnecessary.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Oh crap...that is right! The blurring! I pointed that out last night as well. They were blurring all sorts of things! Kids t-shirts had logos blurred out, Jillian's shoes, x-rays...all kinds of stuff. I joked with my wife that they must be working their blurr maching overtime!

 

[Mike Frezon]

When they were at the gym in Detroit with Bob, Carla & Joelle they even blurred a quick mirror shot which had a cameraman's reflection in it. Wholly unnecessary.

They also blurred a piece of art which was on the wall! I think that was even at a ranch building (the kitchen/dining area, maybe).

 

[mattCR]

Despite all the talk, having Joelle stay was clearly gamesmanship. The chick does not want to stay. Keeping here there was one of those moves that makes no sense for the purpose of the show.

In some ways, I wish this show did more then Australian version.. instead of 2 hours in a wack, just a half an hour a night or something that keeps the narrative going.

I agree on the Orange team bit.. made no sense.

 

[Mike Frezon]

The more I think about it...the more inexcusable it is that they didn't explain to the audience why Team Orange was not participating in the challenge. While I would hope there was some purely legitimate and innocent reason for it, we are, instead, left with all kinds of questions about the possible reasons. Dumb move not to explain. They have explained in the past when a certain member was not going to be able to participate for health reasons, etc.

I went back, last night, and watched the beginning of that segment since I was actually out of the room when it began on Tuesday night. Everyone just proceeded like there was nothing out of the ordinary about the fact that an entire team was absent from the challenge. Ironically, Allison Sweeney was wearing an orange shirt during the challenge.

I have found a few on-line forums in which many people are asking the same question. So far, I have found no answers. I don't see any way to leave any such questions/feedback @ NBC's official Biggest Loser website.

====================

Like Scott-S, I was also rather stunned by the scene when Bob called in and was talking to his team which was being watched by a "trainer" and all wrapped up in bandages and ice. At first I thought it was a gag and that somehow Bob would "see" that they were all "sitting around and not training." But, come to think of it, contestants probably do spend an awful lot of time recovering from their workouts. Watching those large frames struggle to jump over those swinging foam bars really provided a stark example of how disabling all that extra weight can be.

 

[Todd_B]

Looks like he was w/the doc..

Allison Sweeney's blog

Hard to read...but look under "p.s" in the first post

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, Todd!

I can tell you very clearly that the P.S. was NOT there yesterday at the date & time of that blog posting. It was added later on. I read that blog entry yesterday and there was no mention of Team Orange.

I wish I had known I could post a comment about her blog. I definitely would have done that yesterday. I'm glad she responded. But, frankly, her response is completely unsatisfactory.

"No time to explain?" Ridiculous. Since it impacts the final result of the game, you HAVE to explain the absence of a contestant. Secondly, there is so much wasted time in the way that show is produced, if they HAD explained the absence the would have then felt compelled to repeat it at least three more times during the same program. :rolleyes

And, how do you suppose Dr. Huzienga's "follow-up questions" were so urgen as to keep Dan from having the five minutes (or so) needed to complete the temptation challenge?!? Like I said...it's all ridiculous. I want to give the benefit of the doubt...but it's getting harder and harder. I hope for their sake a different story doesn't end up coming out after the season's conclusion.