Killjoy, I don't think for most people losing this fast is healthy or safe. That is my dilemma with the show. We have seen illnesses and injuries in every season, and already (was it Neil) has become ill and taken to the hospital. In the "real" world uncontrollable vomitting would be a big hint to cut back on the extreme exercising and dieting. If he weren't sharp enough to pick this up on his own, his doctor would have suggested he make changes more gradually.

This show has more in common with "iron man competitions" and extreme sports than it does real world dieting. People are taking real risks, and experiencing real pain, and that's why the prize money has to be there I think. Without it, very few people would be willing to suppress their natural instincts for self-preservation and pain avoidance. Blisters on the bottom of the feet from suddenly doing a lot of walking or running, aren't tiny "new shoe" blisters. They can cover the whole foot, and are extremely painful. I got them on my heels and balls of both feet my first year in college (we pretty much walked everywhere, very few people had cars, or would use them if they did because they didn't want to lose their parking space), and again in graduate school. The blisters were each about 2 - 4 inches across and it was like walking on fire. It isn't just being fat (though friction AND weight do make them worse) as they're also common to military marches, long sight-seeing tours, and marathons and other foot races. The horrible part was that when you have to keep walking on them, they take forever to heal, and you get blisters on top of blisters, and some develop callouses and more blisters develop underneath the callous. At the end of the day, my bandage and likely my sock would be bloody. Sometimes I had to soak my foot in warm water with my bandage and/or sock still on, so I could get them off without tearing up the wound. Really gross.

Having had them before, I'm not sure a guaranteed $250,000 would get me onto a treadmill with those kind of blisters on my feet. I did wonder why Lynn and Jenni didn't switch to a water workout with the blisters, but maybe the campus doesn't have a pool this year, but I thought I saw them preview water challenges. Then again, that would be an open sore, wouldn't it?

DH and I were wondering how much the people binge before going on the show in order to have a quick weight gain and thus a quick weight loss for the first week.

It's s hard to know what the people are really like or what is really going on behind the scenes because we only see a tiny, chosen bit of their time there.

Based upon what we do see, that Betty-sue is quite entertaining. Also, did anyone else get the idea that the stranger team was hand-chosen with a little match-making in mind? Good for ratings if they fall in love.

I was very impressed with the green team's post-loss, considering it had only been 6 weeks. That's awesome.

Knits--Yes on the romance! I told DH that if he ever quit puking, they would be caught making out.

Based upon what we do see, that Betty-sue is quite entertaining. Also, did anyone else get the idea that the stranger team was hand-chosen with a little match-making in mind? Good for ratings if they fall in love.


I was wondering the same thing....about the stranger team...they make a cute couple.

I got a little tired of Betty-Sue. I think she will face challenges that she just doesn't want to do, and I hope that she doesn't give up as fast as she did during the first challenge. She is good entertainment though.
I was sad to see Lynn go. I think of all the contestants, health-wise, he needed to be there the most. I am very impressed that he lost 30 lbs after he left, but will he be able to stay motivated to loose the rest that he needs to to improve his health?
I am pulling for the mother/son team. I was so excited for her to loose the weight that she did after worrying that she couldn't compete with the big losses.
It looks like it's going to be a good show!

Love the fact that Kim is gone a well.
Beety-Sue, entertaining and I actually realy like her by the end of the show. That surprised me. I think with her background in Competive Swimming if she makes the connection she'll be hard to beat.
The camp workers. So dissapointing. They're in their early 20's and didn't even look like they were trying in the balloon race. It's probably really good that their on. Many of today's youth have no idea how poorly their health is. Maybe more will get motivated to put down the game controller and pick up a a ball or dumb bell.
The online couple are just cute as pie. He's so totally letting her rule his world already. Running when she wants him to even though he's puking. What a guy!!!
At this point I'm totally routing for the mother and son team. They seem to be so close with none of the usual parent child crap about weight.
I think Jillian really hit the mark. She said the couples are going to be hard to work with, because they brought their number one enabler along with them. I can't imagine trying to do something like this with my mother ugghhh shoot me now!
Thanks for the lively discussion. Loved all your insights as well, oh and of course the pick of Bob was really an added plus ok, an A+

At this point I'm totally routing for the mother and son team. They seem to be so close with none of the usual parent child crap about weight.

I'm rooting for these two as well. And the football teammates.
I was laughing when people were wanting to go to Jillian thinking she's the tougher of the two. Bob's just as tough!
I too am glad Kim isn't on this season. I lost a lot of respect for her when she was telling her red team who needed to go. I don't think that was her place. And I don't blame Amy for her attitude towards Kim after that.

See, and I think she may be off the mark. It is easy to focus in the vaccuum of TBL campus, but then you have to go home and decide whether or not your family is a support group or saboteurs. When you have the enabler there, you can work on them as well. While it might be tougher in the beginning, I think that in the long run, they will do better overall. You can work on fixing are larger part of the system, rather than one piece of hoping it will take hold. If education is the key to success, the more people who are working together, the better they will be. If Mom is at the campus with you, and learns, there is a lesser chance of her bringing crappy food to the next family function.

Purplefirefly--The purple team are former fat camp participants that became fat camp counselors. Betti-Sue is the mom that could barely make it on the first challenge.

Diva--It got on my freaking nerves when the mom cried from the mom & son team and Ali, Betti-Sue's daughter cried. Get your a.... on the scale and shut up. You should never compare yourself to others in anyway bc everyone is different.

Purple team--I think their age has something to do with it...remember Adrian from season 3? She complained about the workouts, she complained about the challenges etc. Maggie said we're younger we should be doing better. You might want to try a little harder. Maybe going below the yellow line that first week will give them that little kick in the behind they need. They're still in my top 3.

I totally agree that being there together is best for them in the long haul, but if one is resistant to change there's a huge chance of that one taking the other one down with them as well.
I have such a love hate relationship with this show.....I love that everyone's there trying to better themselves and we get to watch. I love the dramatic changes. I love the crying, the anger, the smiles and laughter.. I hate that they drop 25# a week. Of course that's not healthy and sets some viewers up to feel like failures...I hate when I feel sorry for the girl who only lost 7# this week...did I read that right ONLY 7#. I'd be screaming the news from the highest peek if I ever lost 7# in one week....I feel cheated when a player doesn't lose. They're in an environment set up for success....kitchen stocked with healthy foods, best trainers ever, no job to go to, no family to cook for etc....and they still didn't lose? There had to be some late night bingeing going on that the camera crew slept through or editors realize the reality is too real to show, but maybe some viewers need to know there are others out here just like them...but do I miss an episode? Only if I HAVE to! Would I watch if it was a show that lasted a year and half and followed people who lost 1.5# a week...dunno...see love, hate, it doesn't get better than that

I think the stranger team idea is brilliant. I haven't really got a favorite yet - but I think the dynamics of couples teams adds an interesting element. I was amazed that Lynn weighed over 400 pounds...he didn't look that big. He sure did seem ready to go home tho, huh? I also like that they have older contestants this time around. The chick in yellow gets the prize for looking the most like me at my high weight. What a concept to team up with your ex for something so stressful.

IRL, this is true, but the show is a competition, which is pretty much defined as comparing yourself to others.

As for the large numbers in the first week, it is really just chemistry. If they were eating what I suspect they were eating before the show started, it makes sense. The cells of a 300-pound body have great capacity for holding water. My guess is that they were eating a lot of processed, high-sodium foods. A body that large could easily loose 7-10 pounds of water with sodium reduction and increased water intake. The removal of other toxins will account for some of the loss. I assume their diets also are high-fiber. These folks are probably pooping like geese. Cleared colons weigh much less

this is the first season i'm watching it. i have it set to record... recorded it last night.. i'll watch it tonight after work

That was actually Bette-Sue! I HATED her at the start. She was *****ing and whining all the way during that first race, I can't breathe, I can't go on, wah wah wah.... I was like, NO WAY is this woman going to make it. But by the end my opinion of her had changed. I still don't think she's going to go far - she seems kind of weak to me for some reason (maybe she reminds me of myself!), but I am glad her attitude seemed to change.

I think it's easy to think we would each do so much better, or have a better attitude... than certain contestants if WE were on the show, but it's really an "armchair quarterback" kind of thing. I know that if I were experiencing the kind of pain I know these people are in exercising, and had Jillian in my face, I might burn a lot of calories trying to strangle the life out of her (being in terrible shape, I no doubt would not succeed, but I'd give it a good shot).

When I'm on the treadmill in the apartment basement, I'm cussing and whining most of the way. Now, it's mostly in my head since there's no one there to listen, but unfortunately getting angry is about the only way I can motivate myself to exercise on land. In the water, that's another story. I think the difference is pain. In the water, pain is less of an issue, and I want to get a good workout in and match or exceed my previous workout. When I'm on land, gravity makes every activity hurt, so I have to get mad enough to ignore the pain. It's hard to get that mad. That's why I think Jillian can be effective for some people, but I think that instead of getting mad enough to "show her" I'd get mad enough to slap her (or try).