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Biggest Loser Finale {Part 2: the Show and giveaway}

February 10, 2014

Ok guys, the post you all (well, a few of you at least…) have been waiting for.

Last week I recapped the first day and a half of my amazing trip to LA with Planet Fitness. I stopped just short of the actual finale.

It was a long day and I would have had a ton to say about the experience even if I did leave out everything I have to say about the winner, but don’t worry I’ll get to that too!

So, back to where I left off.

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As we got accustomed to doing that trip, we were picked up in a limo at 2pm. (Those Planet Fitness people aren’t messing around with those limos, we even had another set of winners heading back to Minnesota on the same flight and we were both picked up at the same time by two different limos!) We were each handed a box in the limo, and opened it to find Planet Fitness champagne glasses. So, the bottle was popped and we were on our way.

Yep, he totally got called out as the "guy that showed up in shorts and flip flops"
Yep, he totally got called out as the “guy that showed up in shorts and flip flops”

The next couple hours was a whole lot of waiting! The real bummer is that we were told to leave our phones in the limo and I have no pictures from the entire night. The biggest bummer: everyone else had their phones and were taking pictures all over the place!

We finally got to head to our seats around 4:15ish?? Again, no phone so I don’t think I checked the time. We had just enough time to get settled in our seats, watch everyone else take pictures with their phones, and begin with a little pre-taping. Um, did I mention our seats were in the third row!?!?! Yep, we were directly in front of the spot where the former contestants stopped to pose for the camera before walking over to the center of the stage.

Alison Sweeney came out and she is gorgeous! I was blown away by her beauty, petite size, and bubbly and infectious personality.

The first 5 Minutes of the show was taped, so we watched Ali shoot her intro, the previous contestants say their little spiels, and the first video a couple times and clapped until our hands hurt.

During the show I was amazed at the transformations and so happy for the contestants! It was a complete whirlwind full of clapping, standing, sitting, and commercial breaks with the guy that keeps the crowd going. He kept everyone going with chatter and prizes, and you bet I made sure to get something! I practically jumped over the row of people behind me to get a DVD! Turns out it was the one I won from the #JustCrunchEm Twitter party, which is good for you because that means I can give it away! Woohoo! I love this DVD!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The whole show went by so quickly, and it was over before I knew it. Everyone got shoved out the doors, but we were able to snag Dolvett on our way out to sign our books and my DVD cover! I wish I had brought our books, but I thought I’d be lugging them around for nothing – oops! We grabbed our gift bag filled with a couple Larabars, popcorn, and a water bottle and went to check out the Jennie-O truck for our tacos, but they were out. Popped two bottles of champagne and we were on our way home.

Oh. Did I leave out some important parts of the show?

Ok, here it is… My initial reaction when Rachel came out onto the stage…

I expected her to be thin, the guys blew me away and I fully expected her to win. When she walked onto the stage The first thing I noticed was how happy she looked. She felt great and proud and it radiated from her. As she walked closer there was definitely a reaction of, “oh boy…” and a bit of a cringe shared with my neighbor. It was a bit of a shock because she was so thin. Even standing next to Ali, who I had first thought was so small, Rachel looked about half her size. I kept staring at her arms because I expected there to be more muscle, she was so athletic during the show.

So, there it is. That was my honest initial reaction, but I have a lot more to say on the topic.

I wasn’t at all surprised when I started reading the reactions on Twitter, but I felt so sad. I feel completely crushed for Rachel because she can’t enjoy the fact that she worked so hard and accomplished a goal.

She was the strongest competitor from the beginning. That champion came back out of her and she thrived with the challenges set before her. Did she take it too far? I don’t know… She did what she had to do to win $250,000.

This is not where her story ends.

You can’t change disordered eating in a few months. All of the contestants, being significantly overweight, begin with disordered eating. They are not going to get it 100% right in a matter of months, especially when that kind of money is on the line. It could take years, and her journey is far from over.

The contestants of this show get an amazing chance to jumpstart their weight loss and give it their full attention for several months, but that doesn’t change the fact that they return home and have to find that healthy balance for themselves, just like the rest of us.

As far as the show goes, it wouldn’t be very entertaining without the extreme transformations. If you want to watch a show that seems to (seems to because I don’t know for sure) take care of the whole person, watch Extreme Weight Loss. The Biggest Loser is a different show, and I don’t see anything wrong with giving people hope and inspiration. I would hope most people watching are aware of the difference between the resources available on the show and what people go trough to lose the same weight in real life. Also, to all of a sudden say this sets a bad example for impressionable kids… This show is far from the biggest contributor to those problems! She won, she deserves the money. If the show tried to put a bunch of new rules in place, it would become so complicated that everyone would have another opinion about how it should be done fairly and it would never please anyone. This is season 15, it was bound to happen eventually.

I don’t care about the show. Everyone will have an opinion and there will never be a time when everyone is pleased.

What I do care about is the person. As I re-watched the show from home, I was so saddened by watching how happy and proud Rachel was and knowing she would be attacked soon after.

This is a young girl who felt like she had changed her life around. A life in which she had an unhealthy relationship with food that felt like a hopeless battle. Regardless of her size and anything else, she realized that she didn’t need to use food to compensate for something and, more importantly, that athlete was still in there and it felt good to let her out.

I nearly cried watching how the happiness radiated out of her. Ok, she might not be the perfect weight and she still may have a long road ahead to find that balance, but there is no reason to take away her joy and all that she has accomplished.

Congratulations Rachel. I wish you all the best as you continue on this journey and find what makes you happy!

Did you watch the show? What was your initial reaction, and how do you feel now days later? I tend to stay away from controversial topics because this is my happy place, but I was there and I have some thoughts. However, I would love to keep this as positive as possible!

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  1. I watched all season, and was definitely rooting for Rachel to win — although I was a fan of a lot of contestants this year!

    My reaction upon seeing her at the finale was much like yours — I was sad to see that she appeared less strong & fit, and more…just skinny. I was also concerned when she started off by saying “I’ve never felt so in control” — to me, that just set off some warning bells.

    Nevertheless, I was so impressed by all of the transformations! 🙂

  2. I loved this season! After the season with all the drama and competitors, I think they’re much more careful about who they put on the show. Instead of making for good TV, that season just made me totally annoyed and I didn’t even want to watch it anymore. I was really rooting for Rachel, and I’ve been trying not to say anything because everyone’s journey is their own but she looked so skinny. I agree with you that she also looked happy though! I also really liked Chelsea and Jennifer this season!

  3. I did not watch this season. I do have one of their workout CDs though…use it my classes sometimes!!

  4. I watched the show and thought Rachel looked thin but to be expected. I think that she is a true competitor and did what she needed to do to win!!!

  5. I loved this season. Yea, Rachel looked unhealthy in the end. But she was the biggest loser. Everyone wins on this show. That is why I like it so much.

  6. Sounds like a fun experience to be able to be at the finale! I haven’t watched much of the season but it is so cool to see the transformations these people go through. #SITSBlogging

  7. What a great experience! I’m a huge fan of the show and loved Rachel from the beginning, but at the final I felt sad for her. Remember last years winner? At the finale she was athletic and so happy, I was expecting the same from Rachel. I hope she finds balance as well.

    Great post, thanks for sharing! Following you on google+ and facebook!

    Sandra
    http://www.notesfromtheslife.com

  8. We don’t watch Biggest Loser, but I was interested in all the hype about the winner this year. Interesting stuff!

  9. I was rooting for her too and I agree 100% with your comments. I was glad that she won. She deserved it. I just hope that she can find some balance with this.

  10. I don’t watch the show anymore, but not for nefarious reasons – I just don’t have time to watch much TV period, so two hours is more than I can dedicate to a single show. I really do have to say that I agree completely on your take though – I am saddened for Rachel because it has got to be difficult to have the entire world judging you from afar instead of celebrating an amazing achievement with you instead. I do have to say that my biggest problem with all of it though is the idea behind doing anything to earn $250,000. I get it, I just wish nobody was willing to do whatever it takes to win money even if it means getting down to an unhealthy weight…or anything else for that matter! 🙂 Just my $.02.

  11. I didn’t watch this season and didn’t see the finale, but I have definitely seen all the fuss on TV since then. I, too feel sorry for her that she can’t enjoy the accomplishment and reward for all her hard work because of all the haters! That said, she is a very petite woman and IS within a healthy weight range for her height.

  12. So I’m completely out of the loop. I don’t want the show and I haven’t heard anything about this. But I read your article and I love your perspective about Rachel’s accomplishments. Sometimes it’s frustrating that we can’t change the way other people treat public figures, but it helps that we recognize the way their comments affect others and that we don’t want to be like that ourselves. If we want to make this super mushy, I’m proud of you for being proud of Rachel! 🙂

    Stopping by from #SITSBlogging
    Lauren

    1. Thanks Lauren! 🙂 that’s what happens when you have the whole world to comment on your life, but I really hope it doesn’t affect her too negatively and she can find that perfect balance for her!

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