The Biggest Loser, Reunion: How Do I Look?

We are at the Biggest Loser reunion, and the show is being taped in front of a live audience. I thought maybe they would just tape it last week, after the finale, but this appears to be a new crowd. The finalists are also wearing different outfits. Who knows. Caroline Rhea greets us and the audience is pumped up. We get right to the action as Caroline introduces each of the nine in the order in which they were eliminated.

Dana is first and looks beautiful, dressed in a sleek, black cocktail dress. Lizzeth, also in black is next and looks great as well. Then Aaron hits the stage. He is positively skinny and looking fine! Caroline introduces Matt, who looks fabulous, and then it’s Dave’s turn to take a bow. Kelly Mac is next and has slimmed down nicely as well. Andrea commands the stage, wearing a neat, floral print sundress and looking outstanding. Lisa is simply stunning and Mo, well, he’s still heavy but noticeably slimmer.

Caroline praises them all, and then cuts to a feed of Ryan, who’s in New York. He’s had a busy week, appearing on talk shows and enjoying his win. When asked what he plans to do with the money, he jokes that he is going to open a donut shop! Not really. He’s actually thinking of investing in a children’s TV show about health and fitness. Good idea.

Caroline spends a little time talking to some of the contestants. Kelly Mac tells her that she is excited about being on the show and happy to celebrate with the others. Drea, whom Caroline calls the “queen of confidence,” tells us that she returned to work with so much confidence that she asked for a raise right away. Good for you. Matt is still happy that he quit smoking and tells us that his mother, who was a smoker for twenty years, has also quit.

Caroline tells us that this show has affected millions of people and that people from all over the country have sent in tapes to be contestants on The Biggest Loser 2. We see one tape where a young woman congratulates Drea and tells her how inspired she was by her accomplishments.

Kelly describes how exciting it is to go to the mall and not to be limited to only one store. She says that she feels “sassy, strong, centered and empowered.”’ And that, after all, is what it’s all about.

Trainers Bob and Jillian take the stage, and Mo picks Bob up in a huge hug! Jillian and Lisa have a moment as well, and then we see some clips from the workouts. Jillian and Bob worked these people hard, there’s no doubt about that. But what they learned from these two definitely stuck, and all nine have continued working out in the many months since they’ve been home. The cool thing is that they had no idea that there would be a consolation prize. They did it for themselves.

Both Bob and Jillian are thrilled with the results, and Jillian says that seeing them now makes it all seem worthwhile. Bob says he sees “losers” everywhere.

Enough of the lovefest. It’s time to get down to the business at hand. The group leaves to change for the weigh-in and return in their team colors – red and blue! Caroline tells us that they were all dunked again to determine their current body mass index (BMI). This number will be compared to their initial BMI to calculate their percentage of body fat lost. That, plus the percentage of weight loss will be added together somehow, and the result will be their transformation number. Whoever has the highest transformation number will win the hundred grand.

Before they are weighed, we see a couple of clips from their time on the show and how they fared once they went home. Since we’ve seen this all before, let’s just get to the numbers, shall we? They are weighed in the order in which they were eliminated.

Dana is first. Her starting weight was 175 and she now weighs 153 for a total loss of 22 pounds. This is a weight loss of 13 percent and reduction of body fat of 8 percent. Her transformation number is 21. Lizzeth steps up. She started at 175 pounds and now weighs 153. She has lost 22 pounds or 13 percent. Her BMI is down 11 percent giving her a final number of 24. She beats Dana.

Aaron’s numbers are impressive. He started at 261 and, although the scale hovered around 199, his current weight is 200 pounds. Aaron has lost 61 pounds, or 23 percent of his body weight. His BMI is down 21 percent. His transformation number – 44. He’s in first place now.

Matt is next. He went from 310 to 246 for a total loss of 64 pounds. His percentage of weight loss is 21 percent but his body fat loss is only 6 percent, which brings his final number to 27. Aaron stays in the lead. But Matt doesn’t care, he is still happy!

Dave is ready. He started out at 250 pounds and now weighs 179. That’s a total of 71 pounds. His percentage of weight loss is 28 percent. But it is his 25 percent loss of body fat that kicks him into first place with a total of 53. Down goes a disappointed Aaron. Dave’s taken the lead.

Kelly Mac is pumped. She’s lost 72 pounds (the most so far) going from 223 to 151. Her percentage of weight loss is 32 percent, also the highest, but she didn’t do as well on the BMI only pulling 15 percent. She has a final score of 47, not enough to beat Dave.

Andrea moves to the scale. She started at 215 pounds and now weighs 156. That’s a loss of 59 pounds, or 27 percent. She has also reduced her body fat by 21 percent but that’s not enough to surpass Dave. Her transformation number is 48, putting her in second place behind Dave.

Lisa is next. She weighed 236 pounds and has lost 57 pound, down to 179. That gives her 24 percent weight loss but she only has lost 7 percent of her body fat so her total is 31. No money for Lisa.

Finally, audience favorite, Maurice, steps up. He pumps up the crowd as he gets on the scale. Mo started at 436 and is now 365 for a total loss of 71 pounds. But, although his total weight loss is the same as Dave’s, it only reflects a 16% loss of body weight. His BMI has only gone down 8 percent so his transformation number is only 24. This seals the deal for Dave.

Dave is excited and Caroline hugs him as the show draws to a close. And it’s a wrap for The Biggest Loser.

Congratulations to all those who took part in this show, and thanks to NBC for airing it. I enjoyed watching it and really “bonded” with some of the contestants. I know all about dealing with weight problems, lack of motivation, and discouragement. The Biggest Loser inspired me to get up and get moving a little more (I would feel guilty watching the show if I hadn’t exercised beforehand!), and that can’t be a bad thing. Anything that motivates me is worth watching.

Thanks to those of you who took the time to share your stories with me. That was a side-benefit of covering this show. The Biggest Loser’s approach to weight loss and fitness is sensible and ensures that the weight stays off. With all the gimmicks out there, it’s good to see people working hard to reach their goals. That’s the only way to do it successfully.

To Andrea, especially, thank you. You were my inspiration, and I have to say you look the best of any of them. You go!

Donna Reynolds is an Assistant Editor for the RealityNewsOnline family of websites and a freelance writer based in Syracuse, NY. She is also the creator of “That’s Entertainment,” a weblog on syracuse.com. Whether you agree or disagree, Donna welcomes your comments, and you can email her at foxydonna@earthlink.net.

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