For a couple weeks now I’ve been wondering what the hell is going on with all the outbursts in the gym. Not just people breaking down physically, but people having these personal breakthroughs that have little to do with working out. Last week, Daniel discovered that yes, he does really love his mother (or something like that) while walking on the treadmill nd he starts bawling. Then this week, in the middle of a sit-up or something, Jillian asks Abby (whose entire family died in a car accident), “So, what’s it like to lose everything you love?” That’s a quote. That’s not me paraphrasing. A little while later she asked another contestant, “What’s it like to be the daughter of a heroin user?” This all seemed unusually manipulative for a show that is already pretty manipulative. Then I read yesterday that Jillian is getting her own show on NBC where she moves in with people and gets them in shape, so I guess what’s going on is they’re trying to make her seem like the thin, white Oprah in preparation for her new show. It all seems very awkward to me. I mean, if I’m bench-pressing and you’re spotting me, I don’t want you saying, ”So, your dad molested you?” Can’t we just stick to, “You can do it!” or “Feel the burn!”
Also:
- “It’s our special guest, Derek Jeter!!!” Everyone freaks out. “On the jumbo-tron.” Cue sad trombone sound.
- I’m not sure I like when people finish challenges after they’ve already lost them. It doesn’t seem brave and courageous to me. It’s seems kind of sad and pathetic. I feel the same way I would feel if the Yankees –after their loss to the Phillies last night– decided to stay on the field and toss the ball to themselves and try and hit enough homers to “win” the game.
- The “special” guest who was actually there in person… celebrity chef Curtis Stone again! “Who?” again. Let me tell you, if you’ve been looking for a Gordon Ramsay without the personality, you’ve found it in Curtis Stone. He made a turkey burger between two big mushroom caps. You know, because it looks kind of like a hamburger. And really, when you’re trying to lose weight, that’s all that really matters. When choosing something to eat, first ask yourself, “Does this taste like S, but look like something I would like to eat if I was squinting at it through gauze?”
