Eat This, Build That

Erica and I recently talked about how all TV shows have a “shelf life.”  I am beginning to wonder about Biggest Loser.  Jane recently commented on how she just wasn’t warming up to any of the contestants this season.  While I still like Frado, and have grown to like Mark (a lot!) it’s been a tough season of bonding with the contestants for me, too.  Last night marked the half way point of the season and to me, once again, the episode fell flat.  First of all, I really didn’t get the whole bit with Bob being SO excited to be standing in front of the eliminated contestants silhouettes in the window.  I thought those cut-aways were ridiculous and I couldn’t get why their was so much enthusiasm over ELIMINATED contestants.  Not sure which challenge bothered me more…eating the MOST calories at a meal or building with sugar cubes?!?!  COME ON.  I do realize that both of those challenges were equally win-able for either gender, and I appreciate that.  With the Brenden, Patrick, Frado alliance, it is a tough battle for anyone else.  Watching Jillian go ballistic because Lisa struggles with missing her children was a bit too much drama for me.  Thinking Jillian was just really upset because Lisa ate a really fattening dessert at the calorie challenge.  I understand Jillian’s frustration but this is what the challenges are all about.  It all worked out OK for Lisa because in reality, 1400 extra calories, one day, probably is not going to change the week’s weigh in and in “real” life there are going to be times that these people (all sane people) indulge in something decadent.

I guess what I am feeling is that there is much more game play this season (maybe there always is) and the challenges, for the most part, are lame!  Poor Mitch–every Wednesday morning I wake up (too early) and start analyzing the show.  I woke up this morning saying “sugar cubes…really???” Also went on rambling about how someone must have sued the show big time for something that happened during one of the more extreme challenges.  We have gone from some crazy ass challenges that I would have never had the guts to compete in, to eating and piling up sugar cubes.  There HAS to be some middle ground?!?!?!

Since Brenden won the overeating challenge, he got to pick ALL the teams.  Big big win for someone who got to eat 3500 calories in one meal.  That’s showing em…what I don’t know.  Most duos seemed pretty happy with his choices and it was good to see Jessica and Ada work so well together to win the sugar cube challenge though to me, the trips to the BL resort never really excite me.  Maybe I need to see more of what the RESORT is about.  It was also great to see Jessica pull the big number on the scale, as Ada was hating on having her as a team mate, and in the end they made a GREAT team, and stayed above the yellow line.  There was definitely a lesson there and though I think Ada is incredibly strong and can keep up with the big boys, I am not sure when she went from the meek, timid girl with no self esteem to who she was last night.  Again, is there no middle ground?  She could have been a little kinder to Jessica when she was paired with her.  On any given week, ANYONE can go home…

And in fact, last night 2 people went home.  After the weigh in, it was Jessie and Aaron and Lisa and Elizabeth (despite the fact that both those girls did a great job each losing 8 pounds).  For no other reason than them being a much bigger threat, we said good-bye to Jessie and Aaron.  I no longer cry at the elimination or when we see them in real time.  They both did look AMAZING.  AMAZING.  Jessie looked entirely different and Aaron looked, like Bob said, an athlete.  He did have a lot of clothes on so it was hard to tell, but visually they both looked outstanding.  Couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t show how much they have lost, though.  If they did, I missed it, so help me out.

So now we are down to 8 and the division is equal, four girls, four boys.  Don’t know how that happened since there was so much inequity but it did.  I would love to see Frado and Mark in the finals but if either of them fall below, they are definitely out.   Same goes for Brenden and Patrick.  Game play shall prevail.  Part of me really wants to see Lisa in the finals too, because I think she is gorgeous and she is an underdog.  All the females are underdogs.  But girls pull it off pretty nicely, so we’ll see!

Something special happens for Ada next week.  Despite the fact I am not loving it this season, a bad season of BL is still better than most anything else I watch this season—except maybe Modern Family.  Which brings us to Wednesday.   I better get moving because I have an extremely busy one.  And as an FYI, I DID make it into the pool yesterday and though it was a solid 8 degrees colder than last week, it definitely did NOT kill me, so clearly I must be just a little stronger…I hope you are, too.