Maria - prefacing by saying of course that all I have to go on is the footage edited to make me believe what they want me to believe...
I'm guessing its because the other contestants didnt react to him the same way? Dan seems really outgoing and likeable and even when he was phoning it in, he was still laughing and being part of the team (editing I know) and they might have genuinely liked him. And given him more slack for his age.
Where Joelle (it appears) would withdraw and hang back which alienated her own team and gave more dramatic footage to work with. Things like Dan saying all the right things but not doing are easier for a team to overlook than someone wanting to be home and acting like they dont want to be there. They probably didnt have as much footage to work with on Dan because everyone liked him.
I think the age factor plays in a lot too.
Plus...well if Bob went ape on Joelle and Jillian hung back on Dan...I cant think of the right comparison, but the manner in which Bob got on Joelle's case could lead to her team turning on her - not just pointing out that she isnt pulling her weight, but also that "worship the trainer" mentality may have made them feel like to succeed with Bob they had to turn on her too? (Herd mentality - like 7th grade only Bob and Jillian are the cool kids) . It appeared that when Jillian "lit in" to Dan it was in a more rah-rah manner.
I think that is a very interesting point Ennay, Joelle's being withdrawn did make for better tv and also Dan is such a sympathetic figure given how heavy he is and his status as the heaviest player in the history of the show.
I'm impressed that he has lost 101 lbs but to think he started out at 450+ and has to do that at least 1 and 1/2 more times to be at a normal weight makes it difficult to be frustrated with him especially given the developmental stage of most teenagers.
Joelle on the other hand is an adult and its easier for people to be judgmental and more "acceptable" if she is portrayed in a less flattering manner. I'm just pleased she seems to be making progress I hope she continues.
OH - I meant to say. That product placement where Bob told them to stop eating that *face that implies not only yucky but not a good choice* oatmeal and instead have artificially sweetened highly processed fiber one cereal. GAG
My biggest peeve with the show is the pushing of artificial crap, but this is the first one I have seen them actually say DONT eat a real food, eat this processed stuff instead. And weren't they pumping one of the oatmeals last season? Did they get dropped from quaker's list and they are out for revenge?
1/2 cup cold cereal is not breakfast.
I could never be on that show, they would have to edit my opinions on all the products that sponsor the show out. Yogurt with artificial sweetener, gum with AS, jello with AS cool whip with AS, microwave in plastic baggies!
^ that ticked me off too. I didn't understand what he was trying to say. SO, oatmeal is bad for you??? The product placement ads on their make me think of how they were on "The Truman Show" - who are they kidding? Do they not make enough money off of the freaking show???
Yes, they used to pimp the Quaker instant oatmeal, heat healthy, carb control, weight control - all those trios of that specially branded stuff. I missed that he called out the Mr Quaker dude on tv - can't believe that! i love my oats and he can't change that. But yep, pretty irresponsible to compare one against the other and go with your new sponsor as a clear winner when it is not. I am getting less and less dependent upon this show as a fan. Usually it's on in the background now, i tune in and out. That's probably an ok thing.
Probably a silly question, but this is my first season watching the Biggest Loser. (I was really routing for... well, all of them, but Daniel especially, so I will keep to myself who I want to win now!) Anyway, with the couples thing, do they eventually "uncouple" and start being accountable for only themselves, or do they stick together the whole way through? Or is that one of those things that they kind of drop on everyone as a surprise?
Probably a silly question, but this is my first season watching the Biggest Loser. (I was really routing for... well, all of them, but Daniel especially, so I will keep to myself who I want to win now!) Anyway, with the couples thing, do they eventually "uncouple" and start being accountable for only themselves, or do they stick together the whole way through? Or is that one of those things that they kind of drop on everyone as a surprise?
Not a silly question at all, in fact, it's a little bit tricky to answer because they seem to change the rules and format often and, I think, improvise on what comes next based on the players and what's happening.
Season 5 was also a couples version (and so, essentially, was season 6, even though it was called Families because it was husbands/wives and parents/children) so I'll go by those.
They start as couples and, like you've seen, go off into Bob vs Jillian camps. At some point, the teams are then turned into blue shirts (Bob) vs. black shirts (Jillian) and those can be whomever is picked.
In Season 5, Bob won a challenge over Jillian (racing up and down an escalator) and got to pick his blue team, going for the biggest guys, the strongest competitors, some of whom had been training with Jillian. They weighed in as individuals but it also counted towards the entire team's weigh-in. The losing team had to pick somebody from their team to send home, except for the person who had the greatest weight loss percentage of the team--they had immunity. The winning team wasn't even in the elimination room.
In Season 6, the couples started out immediately as Bob's (husbands/wives) vs. Jillian's (parents/children). The first 2 weeks, they were sent home as couples. Then, in Week 3 (and for a couple of weeks after) the lowest team (in this case, yellow) was told only one of them would go home and they themselves would have to decide which one (there was no voting). I think it was done this way because, since the teams are weighed before the weigh-in we see, the producers knew this team would fall and, being a personable young girl and her father who had medical issues, it was a way to send the dad home but let the daughter stay. In Week 4, a husband and wife fell below, and they decided the husband would go home. Then one of the wives won a temptation and she got to choose how to organize the blue vs. black teams. She pretty much kept Bob vs. Jillian's teams intact except that she switched off a husband she didn't like to Jillian and chose a daughter who seemingly wanted to train with Bob anyway, breaking up two couples.
This season, they already introduced yet another departure from the format, in that they forced 9 teams to send one person home for 30 days. That was a surprise. But I'm pretty sure they'll eventually go blue vs. black again...whether that's before couples get split up or after, I don't know...but at some point the contestants do weigh in and participate in things as individuals, even if their partner is still there.
Also...I wouldn't give up hope on seeing Daniel on the show again. In the two previous seasons, the eliminated contestants were brought back to try to win a place back on the ranch. In Season 5, the highest at home weight loss man and woman got to return and the woman went on to win it all, Ali Vincent. In Season 6, they did a stair stepper challenge among the eliminated players and one of the husbands got to come back because he won that.
Last edited by trekkiegirl; 01-28-2009 at 07:39 PM.
I really hope that if they have an eliminated player return it is based on weight loss, not some crazy challenge. After all, in theory, weight loss is the whole point.
It is, but I tell myself, its what "pays the bills" for the show. I figure yes, the commercials are there, but obviously, they need more to even out the costs.
I think the point of the inshow commercial was to have an alternative to oatmeal...bob says he eats it all the time. He even asks them what they had yesterday, what did they have the day before. I think his point (although not made very well) was that you can get lots of fiber from the cereal and have an alternative to oatmeal. Just how I took it anyway, I dont think he was saying oatmeal is bad.
Does anyone know if BL has ever had a vegetarian or vegan as a contestant?
I've never seen one on there, I could be wrong though. I don't watch it religiously. I'd go on there to represent the veg*ans, but I don't think I weigh enough.
I never see Jolene smile, they must edit that out. I think there will be lots of friction between her and her partner (name?) in the upcoming episodes. Her partner has a bit of a temper, I can't wait to see if shes all talk and no results.
I think the point of the inshow commercial was to have an alternative to oatmeal...bob says he eats it all the time. He even asks them what they had yesterday, what did they have the day before. I think his point (although not made very well) was that you can get lots of fiber from the cereal and have an alternative to oatmeal. Just how I took it anyway, I dont think he was saying oatmeal is bad.
I agree. Also, the cookbooks have other breakfast alternatives in them as does the BL Club.