Helen is the least 'commercially viable' contestant. I don't really care for her personality but she did work very hard and earned the win. I had hoped to see Tara win.

Ultimately, I think it's kind of like American Idol in that you don't have to 'win' it to have a viable career. A lot of the contestants are able to turn their BL experience into cash and careers. Tara works in the beauty industry, doesn't she? Like for L'Oreal or something? It wouldn't surprise me to see her featured on their commercials etc. Mike can probably turn his experience into a college scholarship etc.

The upside to Helen winning (and Jerry too) is that it provides hope and decreases the age excuse for older adults. Weight loss can be achieved at any age which is a good message. Jerry did look a little odd with all the extra skin- as did Helen- but that's a weight loss reality and I'm glad we got to see it. I think they had Mike in a girdle when he was in his street clothes because his chest was sort puffed up weird. I suspect he has some loose skin issues around the middle.

I thought the same thing...to lose as much as he did, as fast as he did, even at 18, he would've had WAY more loose skin than it looked like he had.

I thought Helen's body looked GREAT....her face and hair looked terrible. She looked 20 years older. YUCK.

Mike looked HOT. I was so happy for him. I also thought Kristen's mom...can't remember her name, looked FAB! WOW, she is sure a pretty "Mom". Kristin looked good, but her hair issues....yikes! I'm glad Tara didn't win...I still think she gained all the weight to be on the show...of course MHO.

Oh and I loved Allison's Blue dress too....So did my dh...He said something like..."Wow she's got 3 little moles and 2 big mole hills." LOL

Oh and we both thought Jerry maybe had a few cocktails before the show...since it's a fake scale and all. He seemed a little "tipsy"

I thought Jerry looked a little sickly too - and said to my husband, I hope he didn't lose all that weight because he IS sick - with cancer or something. But I thought it was cool that the oldest guy there won

What was with all the fake tans, and non flattering dresses? Carla's dress was awful, and she looked thinner in the work out clothes. Mandy's dress was the prettiest, but I was not loving all that stretch satin they had going on there. I think they need a new stylist on the show

I really wanted Mike or Tara to win. And I agree Helen did NOT look healthy at all. She looked really old.

OK, when Dr. Zunega was reading off the list of all the ailments that Jerry had lost by losing weight one after the other, everyone in my house said, yes, he's lost all those problems but now he's CRAZY! That man was a freaking LOON out there - maybe drinking or maybe just mental, but my gosh. Even his wife had to calm him down and get him to listen at one point and then drag him off the stage to change. When they announced him at 64 half way thru (the bday), I was like really??? He looks 74. He looked awful.

They ALL looked odd, even Tara. She had some kind of a comb back from her crown that made her hair look like a wig. She looks completely different in the face. Yikes.

What is GOING ON in the hair salons in Wisconsin?? Kristen looked.......well, like she had just come in from her dancing job, I'm sorry. Those earrings? As my innocent little 9 yo daughter said when I asked if did she think Kristen lost alot more, she said, "Mom, I can't even get past the hair to look at the body." LOL OMG out of the mouth of babes -- she totally summed it up though!!! These "reverse mullets" as I call them and the Kate Goslin haircuts - I mean, who really wants to emulate Kate Goslin?

Well, good for Helen, but yes, I think they will all be swelling up by at least 20 lbs by the weekend. Well, maybe except for Ron, he looked about the same. And Max did not lose anything in the month since the last show. And 20 lbs in 7 weeks? Well, BL style or not, a kid that big can lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks just by cutting out the soda, fast food, and snacks. Seriously. Watch any of the shows in discovery about how quickly 400 lb people can drop weight. No excuses, but it's his choice to try to win the show. He does come from a family of strategic game-players. Ron is probably coaching him on what to do already.

I totally agree. I think they probably wear that clingy stuff to show off their bodies, but after losing 100 +/- very quickly, their bodies have a while to go before they look good in form fitting clothes. I thought Mandy looked very pretty and feminine. Most of the others looked like they were ready for a Rave or something.

I also thought Jerry looked older than his years and was a wee bit overexcited or something, but whatever skin issues he had or anything, he has to be better off at a lower weight than where he was before.

Personally I thought Helen just looked fantastic. I've been reading a lot of unkind comments on the different forums (not this one, not referring to this forum, there are ones with meaner comments being posted) regarding her looking sickly, having batwings (that can happen to any woman, in fact MOST women are at least a little challenged in that area), etc., etc., I just don't see it, think she has improved her health and image and self-esteem by a major weight loss that many people, sometimes even the ones calling her sickly, might wish they had achieved. She's not my favorite person and I'd have loved to see her put her daughter first in this but she looks great to me. Good for her.

I also agree with someone up thread that it's easier to lose weight at 400 pounds than 140 pounds, so now the battle really begins for some of these people.

Also agree with comments I've seen on forums (not necessarily this one) that I don't really like the hairstyles and clothing choices made by either the people on BL or I assume foisted on them by the show in an attempt to glam them up. Just regular nice clothes and neat normal hair would seem to me to soften them so much following the rigors of this weight loss situation.

Perhaps my ideas about fashion and personal image are sadly outdated and pedestrian, but ...

I thought Kristen was from WI??

But yeah, I agree, I did not like her hair.

You are correct! I have edited to fix -- apologies to all my great friends in Michigan!

It just occurred to me, and I hope it's not true, but i wonder if Helen went back to smoking once she got home. could help in the weight loss......... I only even say this bc she fell so quickly back to it during that one nite out drinking WITH the team-mates. What would home present in the way of challenge?

lol I was going to say, dont blame that hairstyle on us michiganders!

Hi - I thought Jerry looked terrible & was hard to have to keep looking at him.
I wanted Tara to win since Helen put herself before her daughter, can't imagine mothers doing that & I thought she looked very tired & drawn, much older looking than her years.

Mike looked great & I really think he can maintain this lifestyle.

I think they all did fabulous - as we all know it is really hard to lose & maintain weight losses.

Helen definitely has a banging body now. I hate that they keep pointing out her age. I am 32 but I do NOT see 48 as that old, not at all. If she were closer to 60 then I would see it but I know plenty of people in their mid to late 40's that are very active or who have lost weight. So to point out her age as a factor...I hated that.

Her face though...looks weird. She looks very old now, too thin in the face. I can't fault her for the loose skin because it happens to everyone who loses that much weight, especially that fast. I was SO mad that she won...poor Mike and even tara...were 5 pounds away.

Jerry looked good but acted so weird. I think he was just extremely excited. I am not sure how I would behave in front of that many people or on live tv in front of millions though. lol

Poor Dan and Dave. Well, not so much Dan because he lost a ton of weight, at least he is trying. But if I were Dave, I wouldn't have even bothered to show up. Jeez, has he even tried?

And Aubrey....I dunno. She didn't lose that much at all. I feel like she is holding on to the "mother of 5" excuse too much. My sister has 5 kids and works full time but she still takes her butt to the gym every night after work for an hour.

I will try not to be judgemental, bad me. lol

Don't hold back, tell me what you really think of my hair. I'll admit to having a variation of that style. Its great for me, because my hair it really thick, so the extra short back keeps me from dying too much in the FL heat. The longer front still looks girly though. Reverse mullet is a great phrase though.

I thought she looked dehydrated. It did make her look aged.

I was also wondering what was up with Jerry. He did seem weird now and again.

I don't see that style at all when I look at you Dee! Plus even so, it's not the complete effect unless you have gone platinum blonde overnite or choose the skunk streaks that Kate G favors! It's a combo look, not just the cut.