BIGGEST LOSER: Joe Gets Blindsided; Bonnie Proves Herself

Joe Mitchell, voted off “The Biggest Loser”

Tonight’s episode of “The Biggest Loser” showed the darker side of some players. Joe Mitchell was voted off by Antone, the roommate he thought had his back. 
A former NFL player, Antone knows all about blindsiding; Joe apparently didn’t. 
 Ramon spent the week carrying a grudge against those who voted off his new love, Jessica, last week. But in the end, it’s a game, and for all the talk about who “needs to be here the most” or  who is putting out the most effort, people are going to vote off the person they perceive as the biggest threat. This week, it was Joe; last week, people thought Jessica was the stronger player over Bonnie.  


But this week Bonnie held her own, dropping eight pounds. She seems willing to push harder with trainer Dolvett than she did Anna Kournikova.

As the field is narrowing, who do you think will win? Up until a few weeks ago, I thought it would be John or Antone, members of the invincible black team. John also pulled consistently high numbers, which kept him safe.  But now the teams are switched up, and John more vulnerable since being paired  with Bonnie, the oldest (and who some consider the weakest) player. Sunny and Becky aren’t consistent; their weight loss can fluctuate wildly from week to week. Vinnie doesn’t pull the big numbers as expected for his size, but if he gets more serious, he could be a major player.
Antone may have started at over 400 pounds, but I suspect his muscles have some memory in them and he can handle grueling workouts better than your usual couch potato. 
Antone also showed that he can be ruthless, when he voted off Joe. Frankly, I was a disappointed. Can a person be true to their friends and still win?  I guess the answer is, at the end of the day, your friends are still your competition in this game.

Ramone is my wild-card choice. When he’s motivated, he’s really works hard. And when makeover week happens, he can easily shed a couple of pounds just by cutting his hair.   


I enjoyed seeing chef Devin Alexander, author of “The Biggest Loser” cookbooks, on the episode. I met Devin in 2004 at the Pillsbury Bake-off in Hollywood, where she spoke to food editors about her career as a caterer for celebrities such as Reba McEntire and Carol Burnett. She was known for her ability to cook healthy, low-calorie meals. After her presentation, I asked her for some help on a Hollywood travel story that I was working on for the Deseret News. She was very helpful, we exchanged a few emails when I returned home.  
Unfortunately, my travel story never made it to print, due to how quickly the entertainment business changes. I wrote about  the Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston compound as a highlight of a “homes of the stars” bus tour. Soon after, the couple split. I wrote about being in the audience of the Ryan Seacrist show, and how to get tickets — it was canceled two weeks later. I’d managed to score a lunch reservation at the Ivy — a supposed hangout of A-list celebrities — but had to cancel in order to cover Pillsbury Bake-off events. I guess it was just fate.

Over the years, Alexander emailed occasionally about her latest projects, so I knew beforehand when she made her debut on “The Biggest Loser” several years ago. She has also written successful cookbooks of her own, such as “Fast Food Fix” offering healthy versions of fast-food items.

Written by