Ugh! Outrage!
I watch the Biggest Loser every week, and I am 10 minutes into this week’s episode.
For those of you who don’t watch the show: 20 some odd overweight contestants fight to lose the largest percent of their body weight while at a Fat Camp of sorts, with access to all the best equipment, nutritionists, doctors and personal trainers. Each week, by having a low percentage of weight loss that week, a handful (usually 2) of people fall “below the yellow line” and and one goes home. So, as the season comes close to wrapping up, there are like 5 players left.
EVERY SEASON, there is an opportunity for one player who has been voted off to come back. The way they get back depends – it can be as simple as having the largest percent of weight loss at home or, to date to winning a marathon. Why would anyone want to get back onto “the ranch?” Cash prize, yo. If you are one of the finalists, you’re prize potential for winning is much higher (there is an at-home prize too, but it’s besides the point here).
Admit: I once stood in line for a couple of hours to be on the show. For realz. It was February, in Chicago, and though I was covered by an overpass, and wearing boots, at some point I could not feel my toes any longer, and I left. I knew I had a slim chance anyway, and I knew that a lot of contestants are picked out ahead of the castings (remember Heba and her hubby? Bob found them at a bar or something).
Ok, here is where the spoiler alerts come into play, so you’ve been warned!
With five players left, they are basically at the 11th hour, or “one yard line” as trainer Bob puts it. They get wind that it’s now the week that past contestants come back and vie for a spot. Granted, it is RARE for this to happen so close to the finale, the contestants are up in arms and ALL want to quit. I guess they think if they protest, threaten to quit, etc., the producers will cave.
I mean come ON folks. You have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Are you seriously going to behave like a bunch of bratty quitters because “it’s not fair?” I thought this was the season of “no excuses.” Not only that, but you SIGNED A CONTRACT that SAID this exact thing would happen, and that it would happen this close to finals. The contract stated that whomever won that competition would be eligible for the final prize. Remember that? No, you were too excited that you had been selected for the show, you were ready to sign away your first born child.
One contestant (Kim) said she wanted to compete in the finals with the people who deserved to be there. That infuriates me because there are certainly people who undeservingly went home. I mean, they certainly went home under the rules of the game, so it was fair, but it would be someone who has a ton of heart whose body just didn’t cooperate that week, or got a pound disadvantage in a competition that week, or who was pushed below the yellow line by someone who got a one pound advantage.
Buddy (who I have been routing for) says it’s not fair that some person got to spend the last 8 weeks with their families (where as he has left his kids and new born baby at home), and they could now win the game (ahem, which is always the case). He feels that if he had to sacrifice time with family to better himself (and in a round about way, his family), then someone who didn’t make that sacrifice shouldn’t win.
Honestly, these people have just gotten too worked up about it. Have you ever been in a social situation where some piece of negative gossip or just general piece of negativity spirals out of control? I’m chuckling as I type this because this one time, in 9th grade, with two of my best friends at one high school, and another best friend of mine and I were at a different high school (after having been together for 8 years), we had a drag-out discussion accusing one another of having “changed.” At the time, I guess it was the ultimate friendship sin to change in any way, shape or form. At the time, we were all perhaps a little narrowly focused on it. Looking back, of course we were changing. We were 15!
Anyways, these people are in a frenzy. Much ado about nothin’. And it makes me mad. It is HARD to get on that show. If they hadn’t “caught wind” of it, and had been surprised like every other game twist, I don’t think they would be reacting in the same way.
Ugh. I guess my rant is over.
Just as a final (positive) note, can someone please shoot confetti cannons at me when I reach size 8!?
