[CyberTOPS] The Biggest Loser Recap OT

[Francie Carlson]

Helen was surprised with the amount of weight she lost!    I thought all of
them looked fabulous after their make-overs.
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Subject: [CyberTOPS] The Biggest Loser Recap OT

Not written by George. Enjoy!



      'The Biggest Loser' Recap: The Crying Game

      This episode of The Biggest Loser should've come with a disclaimer b
WARNING: TISSUES NECESSARY FOR VIEWING. I'm used to crying during this show.
It really is inspiring, and tears are my involuntary method of showing any
extreme emotion. But this episode was relentless in the emotional
manipulation
department. I mean, it wasn't even a minute into the show before the tears
started flowing.
      Tissue alert #1: The obligatory eliminated-player montage is always a
little sad, but I've never actually shed tears before. When Filipe started
reading from Sione's letter about inspiring the Tongan nation, however, I
lost
it. And this quote b ''The thought of him leaving feels like the first week
again, but this time I can't bring him back'' b well played, NBC. Well
played.
      Next, in a bout of what I hoped was foreshadowing, Filipe and Kristin
started casually discussing the fact that Jillian always ends up with the
first-place finisher, and they'd really like one of Bob's players to win
this
season b but Jillian's team hasn't lost a single player in seven (seven!)
straight weeks. Hm, Bob's team, do you think that could've been prevented if
you hadn't started cannibalizing yourselves by voting off your strongest
players first? Because, uh, I totally do.
      They didn't mess around with a temptation challenge this week (and
after
last week's gluttony-fest, that's probably for the best), and instead went
straight to the challenge-challenge, something I'd like to call Biggest
Loser:
X-TREME! The contestants were led to a canyon (a really, really tall canyon,
Kristin assured us) with thin wires stretched across it. The contestants had
to traverse across 700 feet while walking on one wire and holding on to
another. Alison Sweeney helpfully informed the contestants they'd be hanging
110 feet in the air at their highest point, the equivalent of a 10-story
building. NO BIG DEAL. As Kristin so eloquently put it, ''Oh s---.''
      If I were a betting lady, I would've put my money on Tara. Or,
possibly...Tara. Basically from now until the end of the season. Girlfriend
is
a BEAST. Though the challenge began with Filipe in the lead, I'm sure you
can
guess how it ended. Despite a slip-up midway, Tara managed to come back and
win the darn thing. I appreciate how the producers played up Tara's fall to
make it seem like the others had a chance at beating her, but it was no
surprise when she passed Filipe in the final stretch, winning her tenth
(tenth!) challenge, plus a $25,000 kitchen makeover and a stocked fridge
from
Jennie-O turkey. Side note: Tara's only 23. Does she even have a kitchen to
make over? Or will she just give it to her parents?
      If I'd put money on the first person to give up completely, I would've
put my money on Ron. And...nope, just Ron. The man didn't disappoint b as I
wrote in my notes, ''Wahhhh, his knee hurt, quit after 40 feet.'' Now, this
challenge couldn't possibly have been good for someone with bum knees, but
the
fact that he so frequently and consistently straight-up QUITS in the
challenges makes me really, really angry. And when Jean gets angry, Jean
writes mean things. I'll spare you the rest of my tirade (that only my
Microsoft Word document will see), but suffice to say I'm not his biggest
fan.
Or, really, any type of fan at all. I will say, however, that it was
probably
smart of him to quit this particular time in case his knees gave out in the
middle and they had to swing him back on a zip line. But if a day comes when
Ron actually puts forth any effort whatsoever in a challenge, I will pay
every
single one of you a dollar. And by ''I,'' I mean just kidding. No one will
pay
you a dollar. But I give permission for every Ron fan to send me a nasty
email
that I won't read.
      After the challenge ended, Alison (looking great in a pea coat and, to
borrow a word from Mr. Slezak, a jaunty cap) revealed to the contestants
what
we knew already: It's makeover week! Woo! They headed on down to their local
Macy's (in their workout clothes, of course), where a special guest awaited
with his back facing them. In the most awkward big reveal ever, Tim Gunn
awkwardly spun around so they could see who he was.
      That's the best they could do? A slow turn? I'd take it, though, Tim
Gunn can reveal himself to me however he wants. Wait, that didn't come out
right. You all have dirty minds. I just mean, if Tim Gunn wanted to take me
shopping and give me a $1,000 Macy's gift-card for a new wardrobe, he can
awkwardly turn around to greet me too. The shopping segment was nice,
especially when Tim Gunn (he's definitely a first-and-last-namer. I can't
picture anyone ever going ''Hey Timmy, wassup?'') encouraged Tara to show
more
skin, and she reminded him that Biggest Loser is a ''family show.'' In
another
segment of NBC-Bravo synergy, Tabatha (of Tabatha's Salon Takeover) showed
up
to give everyone haircuts. The contestants turned out pretty much the same,
except for Laura getting a new red 'do, Kristin getting rid of her chunky
highlights, and Ron shaving off his beard. However, it led us to...
      Tissue alerts #2-9: The contestants got all dolled up for a ''movie
premiere,'' but were surprised to find their family members waiting for them
instead. I felt a bit of dC)jC  vu action since they just saw them a couple
of
episodes ago, but it really was different since they were all gussied up.
So,
of course, I cried during all of the reunions. And I cried doubly when Mike
and Ron's brother/son Max started crying after seeing his brother and dad
looking so fit. Do I smell a future season casting?
      Tissue alert #10: The movie premiere the contestants were attending
was
actually a short film of footage from the season so far. We've seen it all
on
TV, so it wasn't as shocking to us viewers at home. It was probably the
first
time they or their families had seen anything, however. Floodgates = open.
      The last chance workout made me INSANELY nervous because I knew
someone
was going to get really hurt (according to the commercials, it was ''the
worst
injury ever!!!''). And the music was so freaking dramatic. I relaxed a
little
when I realized it wasn't someone falling and breaking anything, but I was
pretty devastated for Laura when found out she had a stress fracture in her
hip that prevented her from putting any weight on it at all (seriously, she
couldn't even walk up to the steps at the weigh-in). Extremely bad news for
her b but it did leave the elimination decision pretty obvious. ...or so I
thought. At the weigh-in, Mike broke the record of most weight ever lost on
campus b 145 pounds in 15 weeks. Everyone else posted pretty good numbers
except Kristin, who only lost two pounds, and Laura, who ended up gaining
three (unsurprisingly).
      Now, this week's elimination decision seemed pretty clear-cut to me.
Although keeping Laura would probably have been smart in the game play sense
since Kristin was a bigger threat, Laura was seriously injured. She needed
medically supervised rehab far more than she needed Jillian-supervised
workouts. Laura begged everyone to vote as if she wasn't injured, but
Kristin
gave a truthful, honest speech: ''I'm not here because I want to fit in a
bikini or win $250,000. Don't take the cowardly way out.'' Ron, as much as
I'm
a non-fan, was the voice of reason. ''Laura is not going to get better
here.''
He would know, from the amount of surgery he's had on his hips and knees.
      When it came to the final vote, Tara, of course, voted for her friend
to
stay (I don't think anyone expected her not to), and Ron and Mike voted
Laura
home. Then came Helen. Oh, Helen. Her true colors were revealed last night.
Can someone justify keeping Laura for a reason other than the fact that
Kristin's a bigger threat? I don't think there's a single valid reason
otherwise. Filipe, thank goodness, voted to send Laura home. I didn't have
anything against Laura, but she needed to go home and recover, not stay on
the
ranch and take up a valuable spot that Kristin could be using to its
fullest.
      Thankfully, Laura wasn't going home alone unsupervised. The show
provided doctors to supervise her recovery. In the transformation moment, we
learned that she's managed to maintain her weight loss throughout rehab,
something I think is extremely commendable. That means she hasn't gotten
back
into her old habits, which is the goal of the show to begin with. So, way to
go, Laura! I hope she meets her goal of a 100-pound loss by the finale.
      What did you think of the makeovers? Did you love the girls'
jewel-toned
dresses as much as I did? Do you want Tim Gunn around to encourage you every
time you go shopping? Were you glad Laura went home to recover, or did you
think she should've stayed? How many times did you cry last night? And are
you
ready for this thing to be over already?
      http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20272327,00.html
      'The Biggest Loser: Couples': Makeovers and hip fractures


      It was a tough night on "The Biggest Loser: Couples". Yeah, we got
makeovers, but even that couldn't make up for a heartbreaking reversal of
fortune for a competitor who had really been growing on me. They eliminated
the right person for the right reasons, but that didn't make it any easier
to
take.

      High-wire act
      It's the Fear of Heights challenge! The Losers have to shuffle across
a
wire suspended above a canyon, with a guide wire to hold onto. We get the
obligatory "Height, SCARY!" comments (this year's height-haters are Kristin
and Mike), and the obligatory half-assed effort from Ron. Feh.

      Filipe wants to win this for Sione, and he makes a damn good go at it.
Tara seems to knock herself out of the running when she slips off the wire
(everyone is wearing a safety harness, so no one goes splat) and loses about
a
minute struggling back upright. But once she does, she's... well, shebs
Tara
-- she glides across the wire and beats Filipe in the last 20 feet. Filipe
jumps off the wire and dangles when he sees Tara win. There's no need to
pout!

      Makeovers!

        a.. Helen got softer hair, softer makeup, and a great purple
sleeveless sheath dress. It had some horizontal detailing, but it was subtle
and made her curves look great. She looks classy, like she could be hosting
a
swell cocktail party.
        b.. Tara also got big, soft waves, and her hair looks amazing. She's
wearing a fabulous green sleeveless cocktail dress with a v-neckline and a
skirt that may be shorter than necessary. The horizontal pleats across the
midsection arenbt what I'd have chosen.
        c.. Laura gets adorable chin-length red hair. She's got a pink
tiered
cocktail dress with cap sleeves and she looks good... but she's look better
if
those damn horizontal lines werenbt encircling her body.
        d.. Kristin has glossy dark hair, and she's gotten rid of those
horrible blonde streaks. She's wearing a black shirtdress with a cinched
waist
-- very 50's Grace Kelly. She's the only woman wearing long sleeves. She's
also the only woman who avoided the scourge of horizontal lines.
        e.. Both Mike and Ron clean up well with good suits. Mike's got a
blue
sweater on under his jacket, and Ron got rid of his beard.
        f.. Filipe took the most sartorial risks of the men -- he's wearing
a
burgundy velvet blazer, and he wears it well. It helps that hebs had few
inches of circumference lopped off his hair.
      Bad news
      Laura has a stress fracture in her hip. She's facing excruciating pain
every time she puts pressure on it. Dr. H tells her that if she wants to
avoid
a really bad injury that would necessitate surgery, she can't run for at
least
3 months. Anything that causes pain is right out.

      The weigh-in
      Helen has a spectacular week, losing 7 pounds, or more than 4 percent
of
her weight. Holy crap! Tara posts a respectable 4-pound loss, and Mike drops
5
pounds. He's broken Roger's record for the most weight lost on campus.

      Filipe also drops 5 pounds, meaning his weight-loss percentage only
narrowly edges out that of Ron, who dropped 6 pounds. Kristin lost "only" 2
pounds. Laura couldn't work out -- heck, Mike and Sione had to carry her up
to
the scale! -- and gained 3 pounds.

      The elimination
      Allison tells the Losers they have a tough decision to make. Not
really
-- when you have to be carried up to the scale, you pretty much have to go
home. Laura admits that she's probably in denial, but she wants to stay.
Kristin begs everyone to keep her even though she may be perceived as a
threat.

      Tara makes a pitch for Laura to stay -- she's been doing so well! she
deserves to be here! -- and Ron snaps that it isn't about who deserves to be
here or not anymore. Oh, really? Convenient that he's taking that line
now...
but yeah, he's right, the risk of injury is too great for Laura. She can't
do
the work. Of course, neither can Ron, and he's still here....

      Tara and Helen both vote for Kristin, but the others vote for Laura.
The
Biggest Loser provides her with doctors and physical therapists to help her
recovery. She has maintained her weight loss, her hip is getting better and
she looks great. Congrats, Laura!

      Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends:


        a.. Tara wins a $25,000 kitchen makeover and a years supply or
product
placed poultry. What if she's a renter? Who gets the kitchen makeover then?
Her landlord?
        b.. Will Tim Gunn still be the makeover maven when Project Runway
moves from NBC-affiliated Bravo to Lifetime?
        c.. What was with all the shutter pleats and tiered dresses? Why
those
strong horizontal lines? I know they're popular right now, but I'm not sure
they were the right choice for all the ladies.
        d.. Filipe has a plan: "If they shave my head for the makeover, I
won't have to work out for the rest of the week. That's 3 to 5 ponds of hair
right there!"
        e.. Mike's brother Max is there for the makeover unveiling, and he's
both proud and devastated. Poor kid -- I REALLY wish they hadnbt trotted
him
out for the cameras so we could see him cry and shrivel up inside.
        f.. Ron suggests that Tara is trying to keep Laura so she preserves
a
vote for herself. Ron, you're an ass -- I find it much more likely that Tara
is in just as much denial as Laura is, and she just thinks it's not fair
that
Laura could get sent home for something that is beyond her control.
 
http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight/2009/04/the-biggest-loser-co
uples-makeovers-and-hip-fractures.html

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