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closeWednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
'The Biggest Loser': Texan watch
Robert Philpot
Once again, a fast-forward, from-memory recap:
I've been pretty clear about my problems with The Biggest Loser, and if I go on again about how the two-hour show is often repetitive instead of justifying its length, I risk redundancy myself. So I'll just say that last night's episode exemplified much of the good about Loser.
That doesn't mean I didn't fast-forward through a lot of it (actually watched it this morning on the DVR). I only watch this show when local, or even quasi-local, contestants are on it. I usually don't consider someone from the other side of Dallas as "local," but Mabank's Abby Rike has too compelling a story to ignore, considering that a couple of years ago she lost her husband and two small children when they were killed by a speeding driver. Allen's Tracey Yukich isn't really that close to home, either, but she has emerged as the dominant character this season.
Last night's show began with the black team returning from eliminating Dina last week. They were all very weepy, but it was nothing compared with what would happen at the end of last night's episode, and the cantankerous Liz told the audience that she thought they were all full of it and that they could kiss her ass. This week, Liz said, they'll really have something to cry about. I'm beginning to like Liz. Especially because she's so prescient.
The "pop" competition involved a lot of running back and forth underneath a bar, with team members tagging a couple of hanging buttons or something until one team had amassed 500 points. I say "on something" because I had this on fast-forward, which made it pretty easy to get the point even without detail, and the competition lasted at least a tenth of the show. The blue team won, giving them the advantage of which black-team members each wanted to go up against in a face-off weigh in. The face-off weigh in, essentially, is sort of like match-play golf; the aggregate score doesn't matter so much as winning individual matches. The blue team chose well, and the two Texas residents, Tracey and Abby -- who also happen to be the lightest people on the show -- went up against each other. Even Abby, who seems like a great person, says that Tracey is crazy. I've been skeptical about the way the producers are portraying Tracey, but maybe it isn't just editing.
Workout scene. Some fast-forwarding. I stop when Jillian Michaels is apparently having issues with Amanda, who is having a breakdown. Amanda says she's having a hard time dealing with the pressure and with Jillian yelling at her. Jillian responds by yelling at Amanda and saying she's going to have to face pressures outside, so she might as well face them here. Amanda says, yeah, but on the outside, she won't have cameras following her 24/7 and she won't have Jillian yelling at her. I must admit Amanda has a point there, although it's a point that makes me wonder if she's ever seen a reality show before, much less past seasons of The Biggest Loser. Eventually, Amanda walks out of the gym. Later, she apologizes to Jillian for walking out on her. Say it with Jillian, everyone: "You didn't walk out on me," Jillian says. "You walk out on yourself."
Biggest challenge comes up. The New York Yankees' Derek Jeter -- who coincidentally happens to be playing in the World Series that's airing on another network, although there's no way NBC could have known that when this taped -- introduces the challenge, which takes place at a ballpark, and essentially plugs himself. There are baseballs scattered all over the place -- they represent the number of hits Jeter has had in his career (yes, I'm too lazy to look it up, but it's thousands). There are lifesize targets of Loser contestants as they were when the season has started. The teams have to throw baseballs at opposing teams' targets. Whoever gets to 313 first -- Jeter's batting average at the time (or was it 315? And shouldn't it be .313?) -- wins. Jeter also kicks the black team's butt. They've never won a challenge, although they've won some weigh-ins. They'd better step up.
Fast-forward. The black team steps up and wins. They get a 2-pound advantage at the weigh-in, which everyone acts as if it's as huge as getting a free pass, but it turns out to be completely academic and not matter at all in the weigh-in.
Last-chance workout. More fast-forwarding. I stop because Jillian is obviously having A Moment with Abby, who instead of having a breakdown has made a breakthrough, and realizes that after more than two years of emotional pain that's unimaginable to most of us, she's able to start living and loving again. This is actually so moving that it doesn't seem exploitive when the show brings up Abby's tragedy yet again, and for the second week in a row, Jillian is shown as vulnerable and caring rather than as a yelling trainer.
Weigh-in. Much fast-forwarding, although I stop for the Abby-Tracey face off. Abby, who has worked really hard, only loses a few pounds. Tracey, who really has an unfair advantage since she's able to work out harder than the injured Abby, drops something like 7 pounds. Tracey contributes to a win by the blue team. Someone on the black team is going home.
The black team is down to five people, which has got to make it difficult to mount suspense, since three votes will send someone home easily. There's discussion of who should leave, and some fingers point at Daniel, who is on his second Loser run and really should have gone home last week (I say that because he gained a pound last week). Daniel is struggling to lose; Abby is injured. But Abby says she's achieved her primary goal, which is to realize she can start living life again. Losing weight is a bonus.
Back when Jillian was dealing with Amanda, she griped about the contestants being so difficult this season. But for the most part, they seem unusually honorable, with week after week involving someone sacrificing themselves for the greater good. When Abby tells her teammates to vote her out, Shay cries so copiously that the tears actually fall off her face like beads of sweat. Shay, as we have learned, had a mother who was a drug addict and pretty much lived on the street; to Shay, Abby is the closest thing to a true mother figure that she's ever had.
But at the elimination, Shay honors Abby's request, and both weep and hug extensively. The only black-team member who doesn't honor Abby's request (besides Abby, who can't vote for herself) is Danny, who votes for Daniel in what, honestly, seems like a contrived attempt to generate some suspense since it's clear that Abby is going home. Abby returns to a joyous Mabank homecoming, and we learn that she has lost 80 pounds to date and plans to travel the country speaking to schools about weight and othner issues.
It's possible I'll have more from Abby, but she's already getting national press. Here she is on the cover of Life & Style Weekly.
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