[CyberTOPS] Another The Biggest Loser article OT

[George Hughes]

'The Biggest Loser: Couples': She works hard for the money

By Sarah Jersild <mailto:sjersild at gmail.com>
April 21, 09:05 PM
Taracosta_biggestlosercouples_240 <
http://blog.zap2it.com/.a/6a00d83451b92469e201156f43852e970c-popup>  Every
season on this show, there's a point where a competitor has  chance to trade
in a ridiculous amount of money for a one-pound credit. Weve reached that
moment on "The Biggest Loser: Couples <
http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-biggest-loser-couples/EP01016642> ." So
what happens?

We get the standard wah, my partner is gone, woe is me, alas alack, where
shall I go what shall I do speech, and I have to channel Rhett -- frankly,
my dear Tara, I don't give a damn. She's horrified that Jillian told Mike to
vote Laura home, but seriously, the woman couldn't walk and she would have
hurt herself. It was the right call. I could do without Jillian's ranting
justification, though.

Quiz show
The Losers test their knowledge of food and nutrition. The winner will get a
trip to New York (yay!) and a tour of the Good Housekeeping labs (yay?). We
learn that:


*       Some manufacturers play SERIOUSLY fast and loose with their labeling
*       Ron is the only person in American who doesn't know that olive oil
is heart healthy
*       Ground turkey breast is lower fat than lean ground turkey -- and
everything else
*       People who wear pedometers tend to take 2000 more steps a day than
non-pedometer-wearers.

Mike and Kristin tie for first, so there's a last question: how many
calories in a fast-food fried-fish sandwich with tartar sauce? Kristin
guesses 435, and Mike guesses 635. It's 640 -- Mike wins. Kristin is PISSED.

The challenge
The Losers are shuffled into what look like some sort of medieval torture
cages, which are suspended 45 feet above the ground. They have to hold up
their own weight. The last one standing -- er, dangling -- wins $10,000 or a
1-pound pass.

All the guys, who presumably have superior upper-body strength, drop out
first. Mike can't take handle the height, and Ron loses focus and the rope
slips. Filipe is being an ass, yelling and bouncing the cages, and he
eventually pranks himself out of the running. Kristin hangs on for as long
as she can -- about an hour -- but she's out, leaving Tara and Helen. Helen
starts losing it, and tells Tara that she'll split the money with her if she
lets go. This worked last season, when Michelle promised to buy Renee a
designer handbag, but Tara will not be bribed. Tara wins!

The weigh-in
Since time immemorial, Losers have chosen weight forgiveness over money. Not
Tara -- she takes the $10,000. Jillian momentarily looks like she's ready to
kill Tara, but she rallies -- ok, Tara is betting on herself, and that's a
good thing. We'll see...

Tara is first up, and she loses 5 pounds. Wow. So, she dodged a bullet --
she gets the money, and unless everyone else is stellar, she stays on the
ranch. Mike and Ron both have good weeks -- Mike drops 8 (!!!!) pounds, and
Ron drops 4 pounds. This means Ron is out of the 300s for the first time in
at least 30 years. Look, I don't like Ron, but I have to give him credit --
good job, Ron.

Filipe, Helen and Kristin have a rockier time. Filipe loses 3 pounds, which
puts him in danger. But wait -- Helen drops "just" 1 pound, and she's
horrified. Kristin gains a pound, and she's ready to flip out.

The elimination
At the beg-for-your-life session, both women sob and say they're not ready
to go, and then Kristin asks to talk to Ron alone. You promised you'd never
write my name down -- will you keep your word? Of course! Ron smarms. OK,
what about Mike? Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Ron says
-- I'll talk to him. And he does -- and whispers to Mike that Kristin is the
biggest threat and he should vote for her. What's more, he should coordinate
with Tara to make sure SHE votes for Kristin. Um, Ron? The subtitles tell us
what you're doing.
Ron obeyed the letter of his agreement with Kristin -- he didn't write her
name down -- but violated the spirit -- he made sure she went home. Your
thoughts?
the vote, it comes down to Mike -- and he votes for Kristin. Ron contrives
to look surprised, but he's not fooling anyone. Kristin snipes that Mike is
taking the easy way out by voting off his strongest competition, and she's
disappointed in him and Ron. Kristin? That's the game. It's not about you.

She looks great at her look-at-me-now interview, and has dropped 132 pounds.
Go, Kristin!

Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends


*       That labeling bit was bizarre. In what world does a 7-1/2-inch pizza
equal eight servings? I mean, granted, I tend to think that the serving size
of a carton of Ben & Jerry's should be a pint, but NO ONE can call a sliver
of pizza a full serving!
*       I'm also confused by the pedometer answer. How do they know? The
people not wearing pedometers aren't counting their steps!
*       Kristin worries that once she admits she wants something, it will be
taken away. Don't think like that! Bob says. Say you want this! Perhaps that
wasn't the best advice...
*       The Ron/Mike confrontation is a total cheat -- its hardly a
confrontation at all. I was hoping Mike would share my Ron rage!
*       Bob has his trainees keep a video food diary -- and is horrified
that they're eating so little. You need to consume calories to fuel your
body! I would have been a lot happier with that segment if it didn't devolve
into a way to pimp protein powder.
*       Look, show, if you REALLY want to pimp something, make it a decent
sports bra. Watching Kristin sprint was PAINFUL. Every woman watching was
clutching her chest at that point...
*       Mike and Ron keep saying that Kristin is Mike's only competition.
Um, hello? Remember Tara? Hasn't lost a challenge, has never been below the
yellow line, regularly kicks arse? She's the one to beat!





--
Have a great week!

George :)

"I declare a moratorium on things relationship
I declare a respite from the toils of liaison
I do need a breather from the flavors of entanglement
I declare a full time out from all things commitment"
~Alanis Morissette