Biggest Loser: Why the White Team Lost their First Weight-In

Maybe it was a case over over-confidence from five weeks of winning challenges and coming away unscathed during the weigh-ins. But last night on “The Biggest Loser,” the White team was finally forced to lose a contestant.
Not too much of a surprise that it was Michael Miller. He was shown earlier during the episode having a heart-to-heart talk with trainer Jen, who thought he wasn’t putting as much effort into her workouts.  It seems that often when someone is going to be sent home, they get more screen time.
Since the person who fell below the red line on the losing team would be automatically eliminated, nobody had to go through the voting process. Michael lost 3 pounds. At a Weight Watchers meeting, or just about anywhere else in the world, a 3-pound loss would have been celebrated.
But alas, this is “The Biggest Loser,” where contestants often drop double-digits, and a 7- or 8-pound loss is the norm.

Any viewer sadness for Michael’s departure is softened by the knowledge that he would soon be  greeted by trainer Bob Harper at “Comeback Canyon.” So he still has at least another week to work at getting back those six-pack abs and model’s physique so prominently displayed in his past photos.
The question is, when the White Team won the scary, sky-riding challenge and could choose anyone on either team to be sidelined for the weigh-in, why did they choose Damien from the Blue Team?
Those of us who have watched this show for a few years realize that few people can maintain a huge weight loss week after week. If they only lose a few pounds one week, the next week they usually lose a bigger number. Damien had just pulled off a huge loss last week; how likely was it that he could repeat that? (Turned out, not very. He lost 6 pounds.)
Another person discussed was Scott Mitchell, that personable former NFL QB from Utah. Two weeks ago, he pulled big a number. Last week, it was only 7 pounds. So he was due a big number this week, and he ended up losing 13 pounds. Had the White Team sidelined Scott from the weigh-in, his Red Team would have lost and Rob would have been sent packing.
Judging from the online posts and comments about the show, viewers are enjoying the “Comeback Canyon” twist, and the new trainers, Jen and Jesse. There are some who miss Jillian, but I like Jen’s positive approach much more than Jillian’s tantrums.
Commenters also seem happy about the camaraderie among the contestants. I think the producers learned something from the disastrous Season 13, where the contestants bickered and backstabbed, and even walked off the set. There were too many twists that set people up for conflict and hard feelings.
Granted, most good stories, movies or even reality TV shows involve conflict of some type. But in the case of “The Biggest Loser,” the conflict is really the fight against fat. The show already has a ready-made villain — weight — that all the players are fighting against, so they don’t need to anyone to become the “bad guy.”
I realize that other reality series are much harsher in the way that people behave; bickering and backstabbing goes with the territory. But, that’s why I DON’T watch those shows. I watch “The Biggest Loser” because, for the most part, it is inspiring. People change their lives for the better, and accomplish things they never thought possible. There’s also been a lot of kindness and teamwork shown among the contestants, and I think the show’s producers have finally got the message that this is what people really want to see.