BIGGEST LOSER: Finale Was No Surprise
The stage was full of testosterone at “The Biggest Loser” finale, as three super-competitive males weighed in for the $250,000 prize. John, of course won; seeing that determined glint in his eye made me think he would have starved himself for a month just in order to win. But weirdly, as he accepted congratulations, he didn’t have that “overjoyed winner” look. In fact, when he hugged people, he wasn’t even smiling.
I guess I’ve watched too many Miss America pageants where the teary-eyed winner looks so surprised and thrilled, so I expected he would seem less subdued. Maybe the “win” just hadn’t yet sunk in for John. But I’ve often heard that you should “enjoy the journey” for whatever goal you set, or just for life in general. I don’t know if John enjoyed the journey. He was so focused on winning that he didn’t seem to bond much with his team. I’m pretty sure that if he hadn’t worked so hard to keep himself above the yellow line, he would have been voted off. It reminded me of the ultra-competitive Rulon Gardner in Season 11, who said “I’m not here to make relationships.”
During one of the last episodes, trainer Bob Harper made the comment that John was so focused on winning that he would end up gaining back the weight after the competition is over. But I don’t think he will. It sounds like he had something to prove, and he proved it.
Now that Antone Davis was let go from his job as a manager at Chili’s, I’m sure he could have used that $250,000 prize money. (Rest assured, folks, by the time the IRS and the state of California take their share, it’s considerably less.) According to People.com, Chili’s wanted Antone to come back to work as soon as he came home from the ranch, and he apparently wanted to stay on leave so that he could have time to work out for the show. So he was let go. Bad PR move for Chili’s. I’d like to see Antone in a job where he can inspire former NFL players in some way.
Ramon and Jessica are beginning a new life and new jobs as trainers at The Biggest Loser Resort.
Congrats to Jennifer Rumple, the $100,000 at-home winner. Like John, she was another member of the black team who didn’t seem to bond well, except with trainer Bob Harper. He win was especially inspiring because while at the ranch, she developed a stress fracture in her knee and was on crutches. She couldn’t participate in some of those grueling workouts, but maybe it’s better to let your body heal instead of pushing too hard. She ended up losing 145 pounds, or 43.94 percent of her total body weight. Pretty amazing!
And speaking of trainers, it sounds like Dolvett will be back for the upcoming season. People.com confirmed awhile ago that Anna won’t be back. Some said she didn’t seem sympathetic to the contestants, but Jillian wasn’t that sympathetic a lot of the time, either. She just seemed to lack passion for the job. In fairness, she was dealt an unfair hand by getting all of the oldest contestants. For all they say about “age is just a number,” older bodies can’t bounce back from tough workouts the way a younger body can. I hope someone at NBC realizes that the “Battle of the Ages” was just a bad idea.