28 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13E09 - Going Home

It's a strange new week for the Biggest Loser, and Alison picks up exactly where last week left off. It's still the elimination room and Alison has the Red Team join the Black Team. She informs both teams they are going home. But it won't be a few simple days. Each contestant is going home for 18 days. However, there WILL be a weigh in almost as soon as they come back. To motivate each contestant, she offers immunity to ANYONE who can lose 5% of their current body weight. Even if the team loses, immunity will still be an option. So if everyone can lose 5%, no one will go home. Alison breaks it down to how much each will need to lose in order to have immunity.
Immunity Targets: Jeremy 16, Chris 10, Mark 12, Kim 10, Emily 11, Megan 11, Kimmy 9, Cassandra 10, Conda 13, Chism 13 and Buddy 16.

After Alison's prompts, the contestants leave the elimination room and head home. The next ten minutes, video is available of each team making it home and greeted by friends, family and former team-mates. But the welcome home is short lived as a DVD is provided for each contestant. Of course, it's Alison who has an immediate challenge. The Biggest Loser has provided a rowing machine for all still in the game. The challenge will be make 10,000 meters before anyone else. The winner will win one dollar for every meter they row. That's a total of $10,000. The winner will be announced when they get back to the ranch. Everyone is ready for the challenge, but from the off-set think Emily is the biggest competitor. Jeremy believes he's got a strategy by going easy at first, then giving his all to make a come-back. His sister Conda hopes to win so she can embarrass Jeremy in front of all his friends. Chism, Kim, Mark and Emily start off leading the pack. In the middle of the pack are Conda, Jeremy, Megan and Cassandra. Those at the bottom of the pack are Kimmy, Buddy and Chris. Chris and Conda start struggling and have to rest for a bit, but both want to at least finish the challenge. Everyone finally finish, but the winner is not revealed yet.

The rest of the episode is filled with each contestant as they struggle at home, amid countless distractions such as family and friends. A few even tempt themselves by seeing if they can give up on some of the food they once loved and ate regularly. Emily wanders into a bakery and practically drools over all the sweet treats, but opts to go with a hot tea as her friend orders a fruit tart. Buddy visits a fast food restaurant he used to frequent and orders a hot dog, soda and fries. He smells all the food and ponders eating it, but he decides to throw it all away instead. Jeremy is out spending time with his friends but instead of beer, opts for water and instead of some of his favorite meals the rest are eating, he eats simply. Chris has another distraction, she's looking over all the problems in the house that need work. For Cassandra, she's a baker and bakes her favorite peanut butter, chocolate kiss cookies with her family. She samples the smallest bit of dough and limits herself to only one cookie. It's a difficult task for her, but she's successful. She only eats one cookie and savors each bite. She gives the rest of the cookies to everyone else. As everyone else is being tempted, Chism is spending time with his girlfriend and hanging out with his band. He performs a few numbers with his group but wants to make sure he gets back to working out.

The contestants make it back to the ranch and are given a last chance workout. Dolvett says he 'missed them', meaning he has missed inflicting pain. Bob actually proves the point as he has Chris on the ground gasping for breath. She appears to be in trouble, but soon catches her breath and continues on.

Before the weigh in, the results of the challenge are given. Chris-54:24, Buddy-51:13, Cassandra-48:38, Kimmy-47:59, Conda-45:09, Megan-44:34, Jeremy-43:20, Emily-43:03, Kim-42:33, Mark-41:05, Chism-40:58
Chism just barely beat his dad by 7 seconds and wins the $10,000.00

Weigh-In
Red Team
*Buddy 317 / 294 / -23 "I don't even know what to say right now. I'm beyond words."
*Jeremy 309 / 289 / -20 "I did this at home by myself. I don't fear going home now."
*Kimmy 179 / 169 / -10 "I got a double digit. Oh my god!"
Mark 226 / 215 / -11 "@#$%!"
Kim 193 / 186 / -7 "I'm not happy about that number at all."
* Has met their 5% and are immune.
5.81%

Black Team
*Conda 245 / 231 / -14 "Like Kim I have to find my balance between working out and being a mom."
*Emily 216 / 199 / -17 "That is exactly what I wanted."
*Megan 217 / 205 / -12 "I'm starting to be more confident."
*Chris 196 / 185 / -11 "That feels good. That feels real good."
*Cassandra 188 / 175 / -13 "All right! I really did not want to be the one to go home."
Chism 293 / 282 / -11
* Has met their 5% and are immune.

The weigh in room is silent as Chism's results are revealed. His team needed 15 pound to win the weigh in and he need to lose 13 to win immunity. His dad breaks down and demands he take Chism's place to go home. Chism tells Mark he wouldn't live with himself if his dad goes home but Mark stresses he is 43 and 215 pounds and his son needs to be there. Chism reminds his father he has no control. Mark's rebuttal is to ask for two plane tickets because if he can't take his son's place, he's going home too. Chism tells his father if he receives a second plane ticket home, he's going to throw it away. Though he realizes it's going to be harder at home, he does not want his dad to leave, just because he has to go. Mark finally relents and Dolvett tells Mark what a great son he has. Alison hugs Chism, followed by everyone else. Mark quietly walks his son to the door.

23 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13 - The Ice Cream Parlor

Once upon a time there was a boy who loved ice cream. One day, like many others, he visited the local ice cream parlor to enjoy a refreshing treat. Each ice cream flavor was slightly different but he always enjoyed every last bite. In addition to the ice cream, he always made great friends. Things were just wonderful, till one day...

Let's pause for a second so I can tell you what you are NOT going to hear. Being an article devoted to the Biggest Loser, you might think the story ends 30 years later with an obese person swearing off ice cream forever. That, however, is not the case. You see, I'm using an analogy. The little boy is me (or someone very similar to me [maybe you]), and the ice cream is one of my favorite shows; In this case the Biggest Loser. The days refer to seasons, and his new friends are the contestants. Now that I've cleared that up, let's proceed.

... something very strange happened. The flavoring of the ice cream was wrong. No longer was it satisfying and refreshing. Now the ice cream was bitter and left a bad taste in his mouth. To make matters worse, the ice cream parlor was now filled with bullies. The great number of people who used to visit the ice cream shop with the little boy, stopped coming. The once great ice cream parlor, was now just a shadow of it's former glory.

Stepping back from the analogy once more I have to address what is the problem here. It's as if this 'ice cream' parlor is under new management. The steps they are taking are just not working, and it seems the new manager is not doing enough to protect his investment. Same thing for the Biggest Loser show. Have the producers passed this project on to people who just don't care anymore? What once used to be about encouragement, motivation and determination; has been replaced with catty, game-playing, drama. Instead of inspiring positive change in people, it's inspiring negativity.

For example, there is the I Dislike Conda page, as found on Facebook.

Personal bloggers have nothing but negative things to say; as can be seen in Foster Fitness's article, "Why I am Breaking Up With the Biggest Loser"

Even Twitter has a plethora of negative comments such as the following:
@HazelzWorld - "just cancel the show. I wont miss it. Conda makes it easy 4 me to not watch"
@RunonAwesome - "WTF people?! I'm sitting here getting ready for some vile #BL13 tweets and everyone is giving up on the show!? At least the tweeting is fun!"

So with all this negativity, what can be done? Maybe it's time the producers went back to what worked. Using encouragement, optimism and inspiration. It would also help if they did what they can to bring Jillian back. She would NOT have stood for any of this foolishness. Or maybe she saw the handwriting on the wall and got out while she could. I can't be the only person who wishes Jillian would come back. As another example check out Facebook's 'Bring Back Jillian Michaels' page.

I truly hope something can be done. Because I want my cool refreshing ice cream back. I want to meet great new friends, NOT BULLIES. I want my ice cream parlor back.

I WANT BIGGEST LOSER BACK!

21 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13E08 - It's A Circus In Here

Cake on the Biggest Loser ranch? That's what happens when Alison brings in Buddy a Happy Birthday cake. Alison goes on to explain that Birthday Cake may come only once a year, but the rest of the year there is always temptations, fueled by a lack of self-control. Buddy suddenly realizes he may actually NOT be having any cake. It's actually temptation time, and this time the reward is the ability to change the game. Bringing the contestants to another room, it's filled with everyone's favorite foods. The foods include a wide range of selections, from peanut butter cups to fried chicken. From apple pie, to venison steak. Also available is Crab Rangoon, mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce, pizza, burritos, glazed donuts and pasta. Alison notices the deer meat and asks who's favorite that is. Kimmy admits to it being her, and says the majority of the deer meat her family enjoys is the result of her car hitting 12 deer. Banter aside, the contestants are each given 3 minutes to eat. Whoever eats the most can change the teams however they want, and they will remain anonymous. Unlike previous seasons, almost half of the contestants consume something. Mark eats 2 plates of deer meat for a total of 312 calories. Chris heads for the pepperoni pizza and has a few peanut butter cups for dessert, caloric total is 1,039. Chris eats hoping to win because she feels expendable to the rest of her team. Chism decides not to eat, he realizes too much can go wrong, even if teams are split in his favor. Also refusing to eat are Kimmy, Conda, Megan and Emily. Kim thinks it'll be easy to work off 210 calories so enjoys a peanut butter cup. Cassandra decides to eat a piece of pizza but starts to have a difficult time. She finally finishes and a few peanut butter cups for a total of 619 calories. Jeremy does not eat, but figures that Daphne is likely going to eat as much as she possibly can so she can win. He admits if he were in her position he'd do the same.

Enter Daphne, as Jeremy thought, she stats clearing the table of peanut butter cups. Ultimately she finishes 9 plates for a total of 1,890 calories. As she's eating, Alison looks disgusted. The teams are brought back in and Alison relates how many calories the winner ate. Everyone looks shocked and horrified, including those who also ate. But the biggest shock for the teams is to learn the change up the winner wants was to simply switch Jeremy with Conda. Jeremy is confused as is the rest of the teams. They expected teams to be shifted favoring one side, but this seemed to be just revenge. Buddy realizes with the addition of Jeremy on their team, whoever switched things up helped their team.

Later, the teams are discussing the challenge and Jeremy says it was a personal attack, and nothing more. He recalls Bob telling them to not make personal decisions. As they try to figure out who the culprit was, the other eaters fessed up to what they ate, but the person who won, does not admit it. All fingers point to Daphne, but she denies it. Bob enters the ranch and is shocked to learn of the simple switch. When Bob talks to Jeremy, he tells Bob he realizes it's Daphne. Bob agrees it was likely her.

The next challenge is in a freight yard and involves moving around 200 pound puzzle piece. In this 'slide' type puzzle, the first team to complete the puzzle wins a two week trip to the Biggest Loser Fitness Resort. Having extra players, the black team sits out Chris and Daphne. As if Daphne needs to isolate herself any more than she already is. Because the puzzle is huge, each team needs to position themselves over the entire course and call out to the other team members where to move the pieces. Chism and Mark are chosen from each team to be the caller. They each utilize a numbering system to better identify the pieces, but Chism's inexperience is no match for Mark's experience. Red Team easily wins the challenge.

Bob continues to convince Daphne into coming clean about her being the one who switched up Jeremy and Conda. She's adamant not to because she wants to remain anonymous like she's supposed to. He tells her they all know it's her and the more she denies it, the more she looks like a liar. Finally, she agrees, but the damage is done and the contestants are not shocked to learn it was her. As the week continues, Daphne deciphers the team is going to throw the challenge to try and get rid of her.

Weigh In:
Red Team
Jeremy 320 / 309 / -11
Kim 200 / 193 / -7
Mark 234 / 226 / -8
Kimmy 184 / 179 / -5
Buddy 329 / 317 / -12
Total 43 Pounds / 3.39%

Black Team
Chris 201 / 196 / -5
Megan 219 / 217 / -2
Chism 298 / 293 / -5
Cassandra 189 / 188 / -1

Looking at the results, Bob finally has to speak up. He says he's not stupid and knows what's going on. The contestants are trying to control their own destiny in the game. Daphne then interjects and says they are doing this in retaliation for what she did earlier. She again affirms she did it specifically to keep Bob as a trainer. Jeremy says he's okay with what Daphne ate, but he's questioning the choice she made when she had the ability to change the teams. He thinks it was a vindictive and dumb move. Daphne cuts him off and says she's not 'here' for the game, she's 'here' to get healthy. Seeing the attack on her brother, Conda interjects a few of her own comments and everyone else begin to murmur. Having had enough, Dolvett shuts everyone up and tells Daphne this is all childish. Alison tries to move things along by continuing the weigh in.

Emily 218 / 216 / -2
Conda 245 / 246 / +1
Daphne 224 / 226 / +2
Total 12 Pounds / .75%

Elimination Room:
Chris - Chism
Cassandra - Daphne
Emily - Daphne
Megan - Daphne
Daphne - Conda
Conda - Daphne

No surprises during the elimination. It's almost drama free till Conda decides to tell Daphne she doesn't hold grudges and the choice was not personal. Daphne tries to stop her and say she wants to go quietly and drama free, but Conda refuse to let up till she's had her word, despite Daphne's protests. Cassandra finally tells Daphne to stop as Conda continues to force her word in. Alison puts a stop to it and Daphne gets up to leave. There are no hugs, or farewells.

Now home, Daphne is much happier and drama free. Since her time on the Biggest Loser, she's gone from 271 to 200 pounds. She's proud to report she's down from four medications to only one. She informs us she suffers from atrial fibrillation, which is now under control and hopes to be off her CPAP machine soon.

14 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13E07 - If Looks Could Kill

After Adrian is eliminated, the Red Team walk back into the Kitchen one at a time, where the Black Team is waiting anxiously to see who was eliminated. Daphne is hurt realizing Adrian went home because no one liked him instead of him being a weak link. Conda informs her that despite a nine pound weight loss, Adrian was a weaker link than most. The two argue and Conda says it wasn't about him not being liked, and Daphne doesn't know what she's talking about. When Daphne reminds Conda about her list of complaints and when she pretended to kick Adrian at the beach, Conda finally gives up and turns her back on Daphne. If looks could kill, Conda would be seriously in trouble.

In the morning, Alison meets the teams with two heart shaped boxes. The catch for the week is, each trainer gets to pick one contestant from their team. The lucky contestant gets to go home for a week, along with the trainer. At the end of the week, the person who goes home is going to be the only person who's weight is going to count for the entire team. Mark hopes he's not sent home, he realizes it's going to be a distraction. Chism doesn't want to go home because he doesn't want the pressure of having to lose the most weight for his team to keep them safe. Daphne is certain it's not going to be her, considering the looks she's been getting. Buddy also hopes he's picked because of his newborn at home and Chris would also like to go home, most importantly so she has Bob's backing all week. When the decision is made, Dolvett chooses Conda and Bob picks Daphne. He knows Daphne has something to prove and wants to help her. Chris is very upset, stating Daphne was JUST home. Finally, Alison lets the rest of the teams know they do not have the week off. Whichever team loses the most weight will win a one pound advantage. Conda says she's happy Daphne is going home and hopes the both of them can put the past week behind them. They finally 'hug it out' before heading home.

Conda and Daphne introduce their trainer to their families. Bob shakes Adrians hand and informs the family Daphne is up against one person. He wants to make sure during the week, Daphne is doing all she can to make sure when they get back to the gym, she's the one who wins the weigh-in.

Meanwhile, Dolvett is trying to learn more about Conda and talks with her and her mother. He explains he needs to know more about Conda because she has a huge personality. It's then he learns about her dad who had numerous drug problems. Conda has always felt he choose the drugs over her and her family. The way she deals with this is putting up a defense of seeming to be strong.

Back at the ranch, the Black Team is trying to put together a workout which will make Bob proud. They are each having problems devising one and it shows. The Red Team is also having their problems, Roy is absent as the others are working out. He feels tired and exhausted by says he's going to try and make up for the time he's lost. All teams start off strong, but soon fall into lackadaisical attitudes. Buddy notes there is a loss of energy. Black team is having a real good time during their workout. Megan cheers playfully and the rest of the team laugh.

Back in Chicago, Bob is doing whatever he can to keep Daphne 'in the game'. He wants her to prove her point to the rest of the team and hopes this can be a personal vendetta for her. Daphne agrees and hopes she will lose enough weight to rub this in Conda's face. Bob stresses how this week she's going to be jogging and running in place only. She doesn't need to be doing anything else. Bob wonders what Conda is doing. In Rockford, MI, Dolvett has Conda doing laps outside mixed with running steps. Dolvett wants to show her she can get a workout anywhere, not just in the gym. As a reward, Dolvett gives Conda some encouraging letters from the rest of her team. In addition to this, he gives her a night out with her friends. Instead of joining her, he offers to babysit her daughter Brooklyn. Conda is worried as Brooklyn can be a bit sassy, (unlike her mother).

The remainder of the Black and Red teams gather on the beach for a reward challenge. Whichever team wins, gets letters from home and a one pound advantage. The challenge is going to be an obstacle course where each team must dig under logs, then squeeze underneath them. They will also have a 200 pound dummy they will need to bring with them. Black Team has one extra person so have to sit someone out. Emily is considering sitting out Jeremy as he's the biggest, but with no confirmation from him, she tells Alison she'll be the one to sit out. Cassandra is the first person from both teams to make it under the first obstacle but the Red Team quickly passes them. Jeremy keeps getting stuck, which slows down the entire Black Team. The Red Team ultimately wins the challenge.

For the last chance workout, Dolvett brings Conda to her old High School where she started having her life problems. She begins to cry as she remembers the horrible days she faced. Dolvett wants to remind her what it was like to be a team player so introduces her to the schools current girls basketball team. While this is going on, Bob brings Daphne to the Willis Tower (the former Sears Tower) in Chicago. Her task is to climb all the steps to the top of the building. For motivation, Bob reads her the encouraging letters from the Black Team.

Weigh-In
Black Team
Chris 206 201 -5 "So close, One more week."
Jeremy 326 320 -6 "It's the worst I've done so far."
Emily 223 218 -5 "For me this week, that's good."
Megan 223 219 -4
Cassandra 195 189 -6 "THAT WAS THE NUMBER I WANTED!"
Chism 305 298 -7 "That's awesome".

Red Team
Kimmy 188 184 -4
Buddy 336 329 -7 "I was really nervous, he (Dolvett) wasn't there this week."
Roy 261 252 -9 "It's been an emotional roller-coaster."
Kim 209 200 -9
Mark 244 234 -10

Red Team has the highest weigh-in so they win another one pound advantage for Conda.

Daphne 236 224 -12 "I want to dedicate this weigh-in to the Black Team, my children and most of all my brother.
Conda 255 245 -10 - Conda falls short of what she needed to beat Daphne and starts to cry.
The rest of the Red Team tell Conda they are proud of her. Daphne says it doesn't feel good to watch Conda cry. The Biggest Loser for the week is Kim, so she'll be safe at elimination.

Voting
Kim - Roy "This person has had a lot of distractions, the past couple of weeks."
Mark - Roy "This person has had lack of focus."
Kimmy - Roy "If you are going to be on this team, you have to be committed."
Roy - Kimmy "I based my decision on percentage of weight loss since starting here."
Conda - Roy "Squeaky squeak squeak, and the stress and the drama, squeak squeak."

Roy 306 - 230 "I'm happy for this opportunity." Roy is hoping to improve the Santa image and thinks the world needs to change their view of what Santa looks like. As a role-model for children, he thinks it makes a difference how Santa is projected. Roy wants to start an outdoor adventure camp for kids to help them stay healthy and active.

07 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13E06 - Carry On Alison

When Cassandra hears the news her grandmother was sent home, she's very upset. Adrian tries to comfort her by saying how much he grew to like her in his short time on the ranch. Then he informs her he didn't vote for her to leave. He also warns her who she shares and opens up to because she can get really hurt, because he experiences it every day. This seems to annoy members of both teams. Emily feels embarrassed for Adrian and Kimmy compares Adrian to a dog with a bone, he won't let go. Mark wants to talk to Adrian and see if they can fix whatever problem is taking place between Adrian and the Red Team. Adrian says he won't talk to Mark on a one to one basis and thinks both teams should be in for the conversation. The rest of the teams are hesitant and Chism thinks Adrian needs to stop talking. He thinks Adrian is trying to draw attention to himself, and he's talking a moment away from Cassandra. Finally Mark and Adrian agree to use a facilitator; buddy is chosen. When they sit down, along with Daphne, Mark reiterates his concern Adrian threw the weigh-in. As the facilitator, Buddy says he sees both sides. He tells Adrian it's not abnormal for the team to wonder if he threw the weigh-in or not. They are still getting to know him and unsure what he's really like. Continuing, Buddy reminds him he can still have the second highest weight loss and still go home if no one likes him. Adrian reads this to mean, if he doesn't make friends in the red team, he's going to be next to go home.

Here is a clip of the rest of the teams, ganging up on Adrian.


Cut to a scene of Conda, Kim and Mark talking in a room together. They agree with each other, it's Adrian's turn to go home if he doesn't win immunity. As they are discussing this, Adrian and Daphne are walking outside and Adrian realizes he needs to win immunity or he's going home. Adrian suggests he not focus so much on the problems with the Red Team.

Alison has both teams assembly outside by a pool. The challenge is going to have both teams holding a rope. The rope is attached to a weight, which is counter-balancing their trainer hanging over the pool. Whichever team drops the weight, their trainer will fall into the pool and they will lose the challenge. Whichever team loses their trainer, means they will lose their trainer for the week with the exception of getting him back for the Last Chance Workout. Chism and Chris from the Black Team are already struggling, but the weight has not moved, and the Red Teams weigh is all over the place. Alison does her best to stir the pot, teasing Conda how she probably would enjoy seeing Dolvett fall into the water. 30 minutes into the challenge, Kimmy is awkwardly holding on, leaning into Kim. Mark is at the end of his rope (literally) and the rest of the team is struggling just as much. Finally Kimmy loses her grip. After forty minutes Mark finally loses his grip on the rope, Dolvett simply shakes his head. Then Kim, Conda and Buddy all let go, almost at the same time. This leaves Roy and Adrian to keep Dolvett safe. But the weight is too much and Adrian finally lets go along with Roy. The weight falls and hits it's target, dunking Dolvett into the cold water below. In excitement, the Black Team lets go of their ropes to cheer, alarming Bob. But with the challenge over, the trap isn't sprung, Bob remains dry.

Before leaving, Dolvett gives his team a pep talk and puts Kim in charge of taking the team through cardio during the week. What they don't know is Dolvett is able to monitor them. Dolvett is initially impressed with Kim's ability to take control and the routine she's given the rest of the Red Team. But as the workouts progress, Dolvett starts taking additional notes, primarily how much Conda complains, especially about Adrian. She tells Kim how pathetic it is he can't do what she's doing.

Meanwhile, Bob has taken his team on a hike, and utilizes medicine balls along the route. Utilizing the time with his team, he stresses how important it is for them to accept Daphne. Bob reminds them, a strong team goes the distance. As a reward for doing such a great job, Bob says they have a special lunch waiting for them. Meeting them for lunch is Rachel Beller, she takes them to a restaurant and talks with them what they used to order. She shocks them with how many calories are in their previous foods. Jeremy, who's in love with Rachel, is over the moon. He asks Rachel if they can consider this their first date, to which she agrees; joking of course.

Just before the last chance workout, Dolvett is able to meet with his group. He tells Kim how wells she did. Then he concentrates on Conda's complaints. He pulls out a list of complaints he heard Conda make. Most of them involve Adrian. He tells her she needs to stop worrying about Adrian. As they enter the gym for last chance workout, Dolvett pulls Adrian aside to talk to him. He tells him what he needs to do to fix the dysfunction. Instead of just telling everyone else how good he can be, show them. He also needs to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks about him. He needs to fix himself, not the others. Adrian thinks the other team is intimidated by him. Dolvett suddenly realizes Adrian's biggest problem is he doesn't listen to what people are trying to tell him.

Weigh-In:
Read Team
Conda 263 255 -8 "I'm super relieved"
Kim 215 209 -6 "You always want more."
Roy 268 261 -7 "It's not quite what I wanted but it's a step in the right direction."
Kimmy 193 188 -5 "I worked for every pound, I promise you."
Mark 251 244 -7 "That's awesome...I feel really good."
Buddy 345 336 -9 "My big reason for coming here is I have a newborn and I want to be healthy in 25 years."
Adrian 334 325 -9 Does a quick dance, "I can deal with that. Most definitely."
2.73%

Black Team
Daphne 244 236 -8 "I feel really, really good."
Cassandra 200 195 -5 "I'm in the 100's." She kisses goodbye to the 200's.
Chris 211 206 -5 "It's about a pound less than what I was looking for."
Megan 229 223 -6 "Bob kind of tapped into my head a little bit, the real competitive side of me."
Emily 230 223 -7 "Thank you!"
Jeremy 338 326 -12 "I've had great success every time I've been up here."
Chism 318 305 -13 "Yea! Wooh! That is the biggest number I've had since I've been here. Really excited about that."
3.16%

Red Team
Roy - Mark "No one deserves to go home. So who can excel and exceed at home."
Kim - Adrian "He didn't really gel well with the team."
Adrian replies. "I was never even given a chance."
Kim: "I think the way you came into the game was kind of wild and that turned a lot of people off."
Conda - Adian "The person I voted for, things were rough at first, but I saw you improve yourself. But every other person on this team is a part of my family. No matter what I try to say to help you, you refuse to believe me."
Adrian reminds her of the list Dolvett had of her complaints against him. He feels she's being hypocritical.
Conda: "I can Roy grandpa, Kim is like my sister, Kimmy is like my mom, they are like my brothers. I'm sorry we don't have a close relationship. I can't vote for them, I'm NOT voting for them."
Conda continues to keep talking, but Adrian has had enough, he turns to Alison and says, "Carry on Alison."
Adrian - Mark (Votes because he has the fewest medical problems and weight to lose).
Mark - Adrian "Short and sweet... What I see in the gym and weight loss. I don't think this person has given all they have. I'm almost 100 pounds less than you, there was only a 2 pound difference, I think you could have done more."
Adrian - "Thank you Mr. Youth Pastor. This is the last supper, and I won't be sitting at this table. You guys enjoy your meal. And I'm glad you'll be able to sleep good tonight."
Buddy - Adrian "This is a season about no excuses. The person I voted for keeps making excuese. And keeps pointing fingers at other people and saying you didn't accept me. Excuse, excuse, excuse. I will rest well tonight."

As the final vote is revealed, Adrian is not shocked. Before leaving he has his final words to everyone. He's upset they never even tried to include him in the 'team'. Hurt and upset, he gets up quickly and walks away. Mark rushes over to Adrian, but Adrian shuts him down saying they don't have anything to talk about. Suddenly Adrian walks back in and requests none of them hug his sister when they break the news to her out of respect for him. Angrily, Adrian leaves the set, behind Alison.

Adrian says the time on his ranch was a struggle. Starting on Biggest Loser he was 420 pounds, now he weighs 320 pounds. He's now back at work for his production company, but also has a nonprofit organization he works for. He hopes to to complete his first album by the finale. and take his nonprofit organization worldwide.

02 February, 2012

"The Biggest Loser" (Completely Unbiased & Neutral) Tweets of the Week, Season 13 Week 5 edition*

Last time I checked, this show was called, ‘The Biggest Loser’, not ‘The Biggest Complainer’ or ‘The Whiniest Loser’ or ‘Send Conda Home Now She’s Such A Loser, Loser’. But that’s certainly the vibe I’m getting after going over the past tweets from Tuesday night. Remember when the show was all about inspiring us, motivating us, and betting on who’s going to vomit first? But now look what we have, a series filled with people complaining and whining. And this is certainly reflected on the tweeters from the past week, and yet, even I sound negative. Because of this, I’ve decided to go in a different direction here and give everyone a completely unbiased and neutral ‘Tweets Of The Week’, because who wants to listen to complainers 17 times a day?

@ovictorio I guess we don't want to save this season? Re-edit the negativity and attitudes. We watch for inspiration, support and ideas. #BL13
Notes: Exactly my point, but let’s move on to more positive tweets.

@AmyCremenBL6 These #BL13 teams need to CHILL with the attitudes.
Notes: Hmmm, this may be more difficult than I thought.

@stacigway When did this turn into the Real Housewives of Biggest Loser Ranch? Good lord. Did I turn the channel to Bravo on accident? #bl13
Notes: James Lipton called, he kindly requests you to leave Bravo out of this.

@Erinxlovelove Tip: Don't watch #BL13 right after #BL11...damn it's like night and day. Day being #BL11, obviously.
Notes: Are we just pretending BL12 didn’t even exist?

@AnneYantha Seriously?!? NANCY and MARK?!? Conda is right there!!! #BL13 #unbelievable
Notes: I’m right there with you, and totally agree. But I wanted this to be more of a Neutral post. So perhaps a change of pace, lets concentrate on the individual contestants. That should work.

@hicksie234 I'm sorry what did Kim mean by "pink white whatever color"? #BL13
Notes: A white elephant is sort of a trash present, a pink elephant is the result of a white elephant alcohol present. 'Milwaukee's Best' anyone?

@LauraRWalton I think I like Jeremy as much as I dislike Conda. #BL13
Notes: Ahhh, I see a bit of positivity there, even if having to use a bit of negativity. I’ll take it!

@JeanneMallory ok why's it ok for Chism? He's so big shouldn't he pull more? #dontunderstand #BL13
Notes: He certainly should. But that seems to be the Red Elephant in the room no one is talking about.

@JonHaven360 I think Cassandra is gorgeous just the way she is. (Just one person's opinion) #biggestloser #bl13
Notes: See people? It can be done. Positivity at its best. Also I agree.

@JayneTransforms Ascot....or hicky scarf?? #bl13 #lovebite
Notes: Use your imagination. Or whichever is funnier.

@slc0915 I don't like Aqua. Sorry. They're too cocky. They're about to get humbled. #BL13
Notes: Had to throw in this differing view because it seems everyone else disagrees. For example...

@myopic_review Adrian, you had me at the ascot. You've won me over the monkeybars #BL13
Notes: Yet, despite the good show on the monkey bars, Conda still found something to complain about.

@SunnySinclair I think the aqua team is a breath of fresh air. They want to be there and they're positive! #BL13
Notes: Positivity helps! Of course so does wanting to be there. Right Joe?

@writerchickmc I think in addition to change of diet, the stress caused the Aqua Team to pull low numbers. #BL13
Notes: Stress? What stress? Oh yea, the focus of over 90% of the tweets from this past episode.

@Miameow09 Conda brought her attitude again. Oh goody. #BL13
Notes: You didn't mean that, I see right through your sarcasm. Sorry folks, I’ve given up trying to be unbiased and neutral. Like Kim, Conda has sucked me into her negativity world.

@JRushJacobs Of course Conda is hating on Adrian already, SERIOUSLY?!?!
Notes: Some people are haters and thrive on it. (This is also the response for below)

@_LaurenVee Why is Conda rooting against her own team member? What a snot. #Bl13

@lifeinblubber - I actually feel bad for Conda....I can't imagine that the public backlash is easy. #BL13
Notes: I almost agreed with you about being sorry for her, then the comment below came in.


@jtrayan Wow. "Drowning our new teammates." What is WITH you, Conda!? #BL13
Notes: Hopefully this isn’t her solution for unwanted puppies. (Sorry, was that too much?)

@deekcampbell If eye-rolling burned calories, Conda wouldn't be on #bl13.
Notes: If the Olympics made eye-rolling a sport, Conda would certainly win the Gold.

@FosterFitness I wish Conda had just fallen off that treadmill. #BL13
Notes: And the rest of Tuesdays’ tweeters seemed to agree with you.

Well, I tried as best as possible to stay on topic, unbiased and neutral. Hope the producers of the show are keeping tabs on what's being said this season. We want to be motivated and inspired. We'd like our trainers to be unbiased and neutral. We'd also like to have our cake and eat it too. Wait, no! That's what's started this cycle spinning.

* This article was originally posted on phillyBurbs.com
Used with permission from Jennifer Wielgus

01 February, 2012

Biggest Loser S13E05 - Listen & Keep Your Mouth Closed

The elimination from last week has just taken place, but Alison doesn't release the contestants. Instead she calls both the Black and Red teams to the gym. It's finally time to see if the Aqua Team has lost enough weight to make it back to the ranch. Happily, Daphne and Adrian enter. Right from the start, Conda seems very irritated they have a chance to come back and sneers as they walk in. Alison reminds them if they have lost a combination of 50 pounds they will rejoin the other contestants. Conda's partner in crime, Kim, thinks it's disgraceful they are being given another chance. She wonders if she fails the next challenge, will she be given another chance? The thought is put on hold as the Brother and Sister team weigh in.
Daphne 271 245 -26 "One month, 26 pounds, that is amazing."
Adrian 370 336 -34 "Boom baby!"
Aqua team is ecstatic they are coming back, but Alison delivers the bad news for them. Like the other teams, they will be separated. They each decide they want Bob but neither is willing to relent. Alison tells them they have two minutes to decide and they opt to use the rock-paper-scissors method. Daphne wins and chooses to train with Bob. They will remain on campus for at least a week because during the next weigh-in they will each have immunity as long as they don't gain weight.

Before Adrian can attempt to integrate himself into his new team, they have a little chat with him. They want to make sure he's aware how much they have worked for each and every challenge / weigh-in. Trying to show how dedicated he is, Adrian tells the group he's fully prepared to work hard. According to him, he'd been working out 14 hours a day back in Chicago. He also says he's been running on the treadmill at a speed of 9.0 and incline of 6.1. However instead of inspiring them, he seems to have driven a wedge between himself and the rest of the team, Kim and Conda in particular. They tell him he needs to stop talking and listen more. Tension starts to rise, but Bob comes in to see how his Black Team is doing and is not surprised to see Gail has been eliminated. What does confuse him is it wasn't a unanimous decision. Chism admits he voted for Chris, mostly because she was talking about leaving of her own accord earlier in the week.

During a workout, we're given one of Bob's special WOD's (Workout Of the Day). He calls this workout Fran and it consists of three sets. The first set requires 21 squat thrusts and 21 pull ups. The second set require 15 squat thrusts and 15 pull ups. The final set require nine squat thrust and nine pull ups. The hard part is to complete all three sets in under ten minutes. Daphne is impressed because she's able to keep up with everyone who's been in the gym for the past month. Bob is impressed with Chris, who once claimed she was not strong enough.

Dolvett has his team working on a set of monkey bars. Try as they might, each contestant has a problem hanging on, let alone crossing them. Until Adrian gives it a try, he surprises everyone by working his way across the set of bars. Mark begins to realize Adrian may be a bigger asset to the team than he might have thought. Conda isn't so impressed. Once the workout is done, he exclaims it was one of Dolvett's easier workout sessions and Adrian is still in for a shock. Later, Dolvett is trying to learn more about Adrian and finds out he lost his daughter as a baby soon after she was born. He tells Dolvett the experience has made him stronger because after having to deal with the loss, he feels he can endure any experience. However, it was the loss of his daughter that turned him to food, and gaining weight. It finally came to a head when he passed out in a movie theater after enjoying a large soda and candy bar.

The Black Team is doing homework when Bob is gone when suddenly they notice Daphne has left. Emily is concerned and Jeremy thinks it's going to be her demise. The rest of the Black team hope she's doing all she can to lose weight and help her team.

Just before a beach competition, Conda and Kim are getting increasingly annoyed with Adrian. They each hope the next contest involves drowning their new team-mate. When Adrian walks behind Conda, she tells Kim she wanted to do a back-kick. Finally, Alison arrives to describe the next challenge. Instead of drowning team-mates, it involves the use of medicine balls. Their is a wall in the sand with a trampoline on one side and a net on the other. Each team must have one person bounce a ball to the other side of the wall where the ball must be caught in the net. If the ball falls to the ground, it is out. Each ball has different point values. The first team to 100 points wins. The winner of this challenge will get to choose one person from each team who's weight will not count at the weigh in. The Black Team take an early lead, current score is 40 to 32. But Red Team quickly pulls it together once the Black Team has a string of dropped balls. They come from behind and beat the Black team 100 to 78.

Later, it's mealtime and as Adrian is about to sit and eat, Conda refuses to have him sit next to her. Nancy wonders if they are actually eighth graders because they are acting like it. She tells them she's getting tired of all the complaints about Adrian from her. Adrian is still clueless as to why she hates him so much. She tells him earlier he told her she needed to step up her game. Listening to all this, Mark thinks the disagreement is petty. He also tells the group if they don't fix the tension, it's exactly what's going to destroy them as a team.

Weigh-In:
Before the group is weighed in, the Red Team must choose one member from each team who's loss will not count. From the Black Team they choose Megan and Nancy from their own team. Despite their weight not counting, Megan and Nancy are weighed in.
Nancy 200 196 -4
Megan 238 229 -9 "I am so happy with a 9."

Black Team:
Daphne 245 244 -1 "No way, this has to be a joke."
Bob is shocked and Emily thinks she should be pissed off."
Chism 320 318 -2 "I wish I had an explanation."
Emily 235 230 -5 "That's okay."
Chris 215 211 -4 "Like Emily, I was shooting for a 5."
Cassandra 206 200 -6 "That's a good number, but it's so close. I just want to kick it."
Jeremy 347 338 -9 "From what I've seen tonight, I can't be upset with 9."
Total Loss - 1.72%

Red Team:
Adrian 336 334 -2 "Well that's okay."
Kim 220 215 -5
Kimmy 197 193 -4
Roy 272 268 -4 "I know I did my best."
Mark 255 251 -4 "I would want to be excited about that. But I wanted to help my team more than that."
Buddy 353 345 -8 "8 for me is a great number."
Conda 265 263 -2 "That is not accurate."
Total Loss - 1.53% (Kim is Biggest Loser, so she is also immune.)

Having lost, the Red Team spends an hour (not episode time) deciding who's going to be next. Adrian has immunity so they can't eliminate him. In turn, each member says why they need and want to stay. Adrian says he's willing to work for the team and has been trying his hardest, but thinks the change in diet is what affected him this week. He asks if anyone sees anything better he can do. Mark tells Adrian he's playing the 'game', and only losing two pounds is suspicious, considering he has immunity. Adrian says he wants to know more about the 'game' people think he's playing. Conda tells him it's not the time to discuss 'the game'. Buddy tries to defuse things by suggesting they make their way to the elimination room.
Kimmy - Nancy
Nancy - Mark
Mark - Nancy
Adrian - Mark
Buddy - Nancy
Kim - Nancy
Conda - Nancy

Once the voting has been done, and Conda has cast the last deciding vote, Adrian addresses the group. He thinks Nancy is as sweet as pie and surprised they would vote her out. He considers voting for Nancy is just 'playing the game'. Conda tells him he has no idea how hard it was for her to vote. Kim says there is a right time and a place for everything, and this isn't the time for him to complain about Nancy going home. She suggests he listens and keeps his mouth closed, as they have told him before. Nancy speaks up to calm the moment and tells Adrian the discussion needs to end. Adrian complies.

Nancy started her Biggest Loser journey at 217 pounds. Currently she weighs 178. For her final moment, she shows off her family, consisting of 13 children 55 grand-kids and 3 great-grand-kids. she then begins naming each one. Like the others eliminated, Nancy wants to win the at home prize, buy a motorcycle and travel across the U.S.