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'The Biggest Loser:' Gameplay, guile and guilt
Hey, I’ve got an idea -- let’s take the worst aspects of last season (the emphasis on gameplay, competitors feeling victimized) and build a whole episode around it!
You have awoken the sleeping spoiler.
Last week, Alison asked the surviving teams a provocative question: If you could send home one team right now, who would it be? Much to my surprise, the competitors did not vote en masse for the biggest threats (Teams Black, Orange or Gray) or the biggest annoyances (Team Purple.) Black and Purple got two votes each, but it was Team Yellow, Kelly and Paul, who got the most votes.
Kelly brings on those ambrosial tears that the producers love so much -- how sad, that we won this week only to be sent home! -- and Alison lets her suffer. Then: Psyche! You're not going home! This was just the latest twist in the ever-evolving mind-game that the show has become.
The twist
This week only, the competition boils down to all against one. Kelly and Paul will stand alone against everyone else during the challenge, and they'll also go up against the total combined weight loss percentage of everyone at the weigh-in. If they beat the percentage, they get to send home the team of their choice. If they don't, they're automatically out.
Kelly and Paul are, predictably, devastated and more than a little pissed off that everyone is picking on them. Paul, who evidently practices some sort of martial arts, blathers a lot about how his warrior has awakened, and how the meek tiger will rip your leg off, and other such Ancient Chinese Secret type clichés. He does this the whole episode, which gives the editors the opportunity to splice in the sound of a gong and martial-arts-movie musical flourishes. This is funny the first 86 times they do it; after that, it starts to get old.
Team Yellow has two advantages: One, they get exclusive use of Jillian for the week, while Bob trains everyone else. Two, as biggest losers of the week, they get a prize -- and this week's gameplay reward is 2 pounds off any upcoming weigh-in. I'm thinking they'll use it this week. They don't tell anyone else what they got.
The challenge
Team members must cross a balance beam set over a pool, grab a peg, then scamper back and put the peg in their board. First team to fill their board wins, and gets the prize: letters from home.
Team Everyone is pretty confident -- how hard can it be to beat two people? Problem is, every single member of the teams must place at least one peg. It's all about who has weak links when it comes to balance.
Team Yellow, in the person of Paul, pretty much blows everyone away. The man has balance, and he gets a groove going -- by the end of his 11 crossings, he's practically sprinting across the beam. Nobody on Team Everyone gets to develop such a rhythm, and they end up completely smoked. Hah!
Then Team Yellow make what is undoubtedly a brilliant strategic move: They give up their letters. What the heck, Paul says -- everyone else looks so depressed, and we want to remain focused on the task at hand, so we'd rather let Team Everyone get the prize, even though we won. Kelly looks a little bummed, but she goes along with it.
The gameplay
When Bob is told bout this lovely gesture, he says it smacks of serious gameplay. Oh yeah, it's on! Team Orange immediately sucks up to Team Yellow, and cooks up a plan. Orange, Blue and Purple will throw the weigh-in, on the understanding that Yellow will use the opportunity to send Black home.
Bob is not an idiot: You're going to do what you have to do, he says, but tell me if you're going to throw the weigh-in so I'm not standing there looking like an idiot. Alas, Orange, Blue and Purple have taken an oath of silence. Sorry, Bob.
The weigh-in
Before anyone gets on the scale, Alison announces one more little twist -- this week's biggest loser is immune from elimination. Oops!
It quickly becomes obvious who was going for weight loss and who was playing a game. Pink and Gray put up good numbers. Poor, deluded saps. Don't they know weight loss wasn't the point this week? That becomes especially clear when Orange posts absolutely dismal numbers -- they lose 3 pounds this week, as opposed to their usual 20-odd pound loss.
The weird one is the Team Purple: Maggie obviously stuck with the plan and chugged water before getting on the scale, but Jenn, who has had low numbers since the beginning, did not. She lost 7 pounds. Maggie looks ashamed, and like she's considering throttling her teammate. I'll help!
The conspirators ensure that Team Yellow beats Team Everyone's percentage. However, Team Black posted phenomenal numbers -- they lose 4.64 percent of their body weight -- and are therefore immune. Plus, they realize that this was a set-up, and they promise that there will be a reckoning.
Team Yellow decides to vote off one of the teams that voted for them in the beginning. Team Black is immune, and Team Purple conspired, so that leaves Team Pink. Team Pink is pissed -- we never went below the yellow line! This is a revenge vote! This totally isn't fair! Nope, it's not, but they're going home anyway.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
- Paul dresses up in his old martial-arts uniform to look menacing. When Jillian sees him, she bursts out laughing -- "Oh, look at you!" Hee! I don't think that's the reaction he was going for.
- "I know how easy it is to let anger fuel you," Jillian says. Well, yeah, you used that all last season. This time, she counsels restraint.
- Bob makes Daniel make (product-placed) breakfast for everyone. Strangely Daniel struggles with instant oatmeal. This does not bode well for his future.
- Bernie is rocking the "Bern-dana" during the challenge. He's kind of adorable.
- I adored Team Pink's reaction to Kelly's tearful, interminable speech -- just eject us! We're the ones being kicked out, so why are you crying? Jeez!
I'm not pleased with all of the blatant 'gameplay' since this is supposed to be a show about losing weight and changing your life, but, hey, at least they're not trying to hide it anymore and pretend it isn't there. Yeah, my jaw dropped a little when Jillian cautioned against Paul letting his anger fuel him. Seemed a little hypocritical...especially after we had to listen to her and her team do it ALL LAST SEASON!!!!! I loved Bette Sue at then end...Kelly's crying is getting annoying anyway. That purple team has got to be living under a lucky star or something or they made a still super secret alliance with everyone before the show started....how are they still there???????????? I'm for Team Grey now...they seem to be the only ones left who are there to lose weight and not 'play the game'.
DG | Jan 23, 2008 5:33:08 AM | #yellow team is stupid for not voting off the grey team.
tim | Jan 23, 2008 8:02:12 AM | #The yellow team didn't vote off the grey team because they felt that thoose guys *need* to be there to lose the weight (for health reasons). Since that was why they wanted to stay, I think that was pretty cool of them.
Also, Maggie had made the comment that they weren't "telling Jenn" about the plan to throw the weigh-in. That's why she lost seven pounds.
neutle | Jan 23, 2008 10:24:36 AM | #Jenn from Purple was not in on the gameplay. Grey, Pink and Jenn didn't know anything about it so they went on their own way and lost the weight.
Mohita | Jan 23, 2008 10:26:45 AM | #My mistake. I let my Jenn annoyance blind me to the truth. Bad Sarah!
Sarah | Jan 23, 2008 10:38:39 AM | #I'm pretty much getting tired of this show, although I seem to watch it every week. I like it when the do the regular version of the show, but the attempts at something different have been not good. Many things this season have annoyed me -- the clock counting down until decisions are made (who cares?); the changes in the game right in the middle of the game and the last minute add ons -- like this week changing the format of how the teams and voting goes and then adding in about immunity at the last minute. I feel like they want them to be fighting with each other. Isn't the show about being the biggest loser and not the biggest conniver?
JE | Jan 23, 2008 11:05:13 AM | #I thought it just sucked. Doesn't NBC make enough money? Shouldn't working hard, sportspersonship and the teams be a good thing? NO NBC has to turn it into big brother. All we need is some bed hopping and some tears in a hot tub and they will have sunk as low as they can. I'm not buying any product that is supporting NBC in using people this way. And I think Bob and Jillain, if they really care about people the way they say they do, should get out now.
Sheila | Jan 23, 2008 11:59:36 AM | #Although I have enjoyed the show since season one, the gameplay is becoming a big turn-off. To have the pink team be voted off when they have done what they were told they had to do, stay above the yellow line is just unfair. The original concept of the biggest loser was good, but it is quckly becoming just another tasteless "gameshow" instead of the inspiration it was. It would be nice to see the good guys (hard workers) win for a change rather than the usual t.v. drama for ratings. NBC is making a mistake in my opinion and I think I will be tuning in elsewhere from now on.
Dianne | Jan 26, 2008 12:37:30 PM | #It's a catch-22, right? Especially in a script-free zone. Two hours without gameplay would be healthier but boring.
Ginny | Jan 29, 2008 3:16:43 PM | #
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