Dammit, Bob! Don’t you realize I’ve been trying to wean myself off of The Biggest Loser for this entire season? I was almost convinced, too. After last week’s episode (which I’ll vent about in a bit), I was done.
But then you have to jump off of the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand just to prove to Ken that his vertigo is simply mind over matter! And you make me love watching this show once again.
Actually, the trip to New Zealand seem to kind of light a fire under the contestants’ asses after their pity party last week when Courtney left. And thank god, because they were a sad sight to see. I’m glad the trip cheered them up, because, well, if traveling to one of the most beautiful places in the world doesn’t do something for ya, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Watching all of them jump off that tower was really kind of fun. Not that I would ever in a million years do something like that, but still! Ken was being kind of iffy and Bob confided in him that one of his biggest fears was heights as well.
Bob went first. (By the way, for a guy who is terrified of heights, he looked remarkably calm in his still shots. Yep, I was like Tyra going through the film for the best shot of Bob jumping off the Sky Tower. And he looked … placid. Maybe he was just in shock.) I did love his commentary during some of the other jumps (ranging from “Oh shit!” to “That’s just unnatural”).
Jillian said something hilarious to Bob when he landed: “If Ken doesn’t go, are you gonna ruin his life?!” Leave it to Jillian to say awesome things like this. Luckily for Bob, Ken did jump (I am actually surprised he did!).
Then, as if I don’t already love Bob enough at this point, he actually does something unprecedented in all 11 Biggest Loser seasons: he allows Moses to use his phone to call his dad, who was the only child in his family chosen to receive an education (and did so in Auckland). Sniff! Bob knows how to make me enjoy this show again, especially after delivering such a cheesy advertisement for Wholly Guacamole during episode 14.
But, other than these two great Bob moments, I am still WTFing at The Biggest Loser. Here’s a few reasons why:
First of all, yes, everybody loved Courtney. But, people? It’s not a tragedy that she was sent home. Arthur, I can sort of understand (although he was sneaky at times and I’m not entirely convinced he deserved to be there anyway). But Courtney has — as she has already pointed out to the camera and to the other contestants and trainers about fifteen million times — lost weight at home. A hundred pounds!!!! A hundred! So she can do it. Yeah, maybe she still has more weight to go than some other contestants on the show, but the fact of the matter is that that’s how things went. Their teams weren’t on the bottom; hers was.
Everyone kept saying “it’s not fair” and “this is not what was supposed to happen” (my boyfriend Bob included), which is sort of ridiculous to me because fair is exactly what it is. There was no voting, no game playing, no choice in the matter. It all came down to numbers and bad luck. So yes, it was completely fair, because the weight loss was the only deciding factor, and Courtney unfortunately didn’t pull out a good number.
Maybe I would place the blame on Jen, who stupidly decided for her team that she and Courtney were going to get massages and go out to eat, but karma already came back to bite her, so that’s good enough for me.
Perhaps people are saying that it’s unfair that Courtney went home because she’s been trying so hard and her work hasn’t paid off lately. I do agree that she works harder than just about anyone, and never complains. In fact, the only mistake Courtney has made in this entire season was allowing Jen to decide how they spent their money when they were sent off the ranch. That’s unfortunate, but what’s done is done. And considering (yet again) that she’s been dieting and exercising longer than any contestants on the ranch, she’s bound to hit this plateau. Duh. But wait … what’s that? She knows that? She’s okay with this? Oh. Well, I guess the only contestant who is fine with Courtney being eliminated is … Courtney. One plus about her leaving? The use of the word “journey” will undoubtedly drop from around 34 per episode to around 12. One can only hope.
Another WTF moment: Ken calling Cara out for pretty much no reason was strange to me. I know she might not be too popular on the show, but I think she’s doing a great job. And this week proved it (with the exception of Kaylee, see below). I love how Ken tells her that she’s not giving him enough strategies for dealing with his injury … right after he jumps off a building. Huh? I’m glad she got bitchy with him, because that’s apparently what he needed … and what America wanted.
Also, the whole Kaylee thing is confusing me and pissing me off. At first I thought she always had the best intentions for herself and that she was having a couple of off weeks. Well, after throwing the weigh-in two weeks ago, and now her 4-pound gain last night, it’s safe for me to say she’s shady and doesn’t deserve to remain on the ranch simply because a) she jeopardized the safety of her team and b) she doesn’t seem to think she deserves to be there. The second thing is the most sad, because if she were just a game player, that would be one thing, but I really think that she still doesn’t feel that she is worthy of being in this game.
Perhaps she feels self-conscious because she is nearing her goal weight, and she also wants to save her dad. But that doesn’t mean stop trying, nor does it make it okay to purposely sabotage your own weight loss and throw your team under the bus. It was even more striking just how much weight Ken and Austin lost, making it clear to me that Kaylee did this all on her own and just didn’t think her teammates would pull good enough numbers for her to be safe. But the most annoying thing about this? Just own up to it. Don’t be passive-aggressive about it, or start crying every time this happens, because you’re embarrassed for being dumb or because you realize you might have made a mistake. Just deal with your problems! (Gee, I sound like Jillian now.)
Finally, one last “WTF” moment to share. All of a sudden it comes out that Olivia wants kids! Well, as a mom I know that having a baby is a wonderful thing, and that those who are able to conceive are extremely lucky. But way to pull out the “I wanna get pregnant” card right at the end when pleading her case. Like Sarah, she could have mentioned this at the beginning. Maybe she didn’t even realize it and it came to the surface after losing all the weight … But it seemed to me that she cried “baby” to get saved. She says that she and her husband are running out of time … well then, stop wasting time at the ranch! Get home and start making babies! There’s no way she could need to lose even more to get pregnant, right? She’s fit, very healthy, and has to be approaching her goal weight.
And Moses saying “It’s my time” was so dramatic, it was as if they were sending him away to die. He’s just going home! And chances are, Kaylee will be right behind him.
Last, but certainly not least: how come, when I was searching for photos for this post, did I come across an Extra Sugarfree gum ad in place of every fifth photo?! Leave me alone!!!
So, why am I still watching this show again? Oh yeah, it’s because of things like Bob (and Jillian) jumping off a building and breaking the rules for their contestants. (And because I love shouting at the TV.) Let’s see if I can stand it next week.
Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose 
on Apr 14, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
