My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé: And the Truth Shall Set You Free

There's a quote by Jeaneatte Winterson that goes, "What you risk reveals what you value.”

In this case, Randi risked her relationship with her family in order to have the chance to reward them with $250,000. She risked this and caused them temporary hurt, for permanent stability, happiness, and a chance to reach some of their unattainable dreams. She could never have done this on a teacher's salary, so her participation on the reality show My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé was her one chance.

I think it's a desire of many people to repay their parents somehow... send them on a nice trip, or help them out financially (for all the times they helped YOU out with college tuition, late bills, groceries, etc.). Not only help your parents out, but have the chance to help your siblings achieve dreams that they never thought possible.

I, personally, don't know if I could have gone through with it. I have a hard time lying to my parents anyway and feel like I am betraying them even with small lies that I've told to them. I don't know if emotionally or mentally I could have handled it like Randi. I doubted her. Yes, I thought she showed a strong determination throughout the show, but she put herself and her family through torment. She had the motivation to not stop in the middle of their agony and instead pushed forward, in order to win the money for her family.

Looking back to my last article about running into Randi last weekend, I may have been a little harsh. After writing the article and badmouthing not only her but also how unsupportive her family appeared on TV, I saw last Monday's episode. Randi's parents, in that episode, showed a tremendous amount of strength, unconditional love, and support for their daughter. Though they didn't approve of her "marriage," they decided that the best thing that they could do for Randi was to support her decision. I fell in love with her parents in this episode. In the previous episodes, they weren't being mean parents – they were simply looking out for Randi's best interest. Parents are there to love and protect us and it hurts them when their children hurt. Randi's parents wanted to make sure that Randi knew what she was doing and didn't want her to make a big mistake. I respect them for that!

The finale this week was a bit emotional – not only for Randi, her family, and friends, but also for me. I got very choked up, especially when Steve was telling the Coys about how this "story" took a turn. It became a show about a family's love and devotion for each other. And a tear dropped down my cheek when Randi was sobbing and said this one, very powerful, statement, "I would give the money back in a second if I didn't have you guys behind me."

My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé was my favorite reality show of all time. It was hilarious, it was frustrating, it was obnoxious... but most importantly, it showed a family that endured a tough situation, and were rewarded for their honesty, their unconditional love for each other, and their core family values. And I bet you a million dollars, their family is even closer because of this experience.

Good luck to the Coys for the beginning of their new lives. And if I run into Randi again? I may just walk past her and smile as I would at any "stranger" passing by... and let her enjoy a moment of anonymity... at least by one fan.

Alima Ravenscroft was a contestant on For Love or Money. She can be reached at alima76@yahoo.com

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