The Cult of Bob

[ClareWalks]

isn't eating healthy and exercising "working for it"? He makes the choices that will have a positive impact on his body, just as fat people make the choice to eat the pizza. Bob may have been insensitive in that clip, but he's not wrong. The first episode of this season was filled to the brim with fat people tears, and it was nauseating -- and I say that as a fat person who's been fat his entire life and who has chosen to eat a lot of pizza.  

 

I don't subscribe to the "If you have been X, you can't understand X" school of thought because even in a community of like people, everyone's experiences are different. Not having the same exact experience as someone else doesn't mean you can't help them. 

 

Well, Bob HAS helped a bunch of fat people, but he does not "get" them. That was my point. And anyone who mockingly says "I want pizza! I want brownies!" does not understand. I'm not saying he CAN'T understand, I'm saying he chooses not to.

[Kromm]

And there you have the reason Bob always lost to Jillian: he does NOT GET FAT PEOPLE. At all. He just doesn't get it. Look at him, he has been thin his entire life. Never had to work for it, ever. He is a strict vegan who eats locally produced food and keeps nothing in his fridge because he can shop every day for everything he makes. His platitudes come easily, as does his ability to "place product," unlike Jillian, who for all her faults at least understood why fat people are fat (she was an overweight kid herself). Bob does not respect people unless they bust their asses in a way that he does understand, which is typical of CrossFit people. The world of CrossFit does not respect the world of marathoning, for example. Bob tends to make pet projects of certain contestants, particularly people who enjoy the type of heavy lifting and circuit training of CrossFit. 

 

This is all just my personal opinion, of course, but I have been a certified personal trainer for 8 years and believe me there are a lot of Bobs running around in this industry. They see fat people as gross and something to be "fixed." I prefer trainers who have struggled with their weight at some point, aren't natural athletes, but have come to find that exercise doesn't just make them look good, but FEEL good about their bodies, whatever they look like at the moment. That is the attitude that leads to lasting change, and Bob Harper does not have it. 

There's a lot to criticize about Jillian Michaels. A shit ton. But I do agree that on a core level she really got it. While the 40 pounds she was overweight isn't an epic amount compared to how overweight some might get, considering how small her frame is, it might as well have been.  And while she was often mean, she was never condescending. Bob--maybe even MORESO during his "I'm the nice trainer" reeked of condescension. 

 

I don't think her replacement Jen has ever been overweight, but I do get a decent sense from her that she's empathetic enough. Really it requires simply not being a dick... and Bob is a dick. Dolvett I can't really tell one way or the other. He's being played as the "tough" trainer these days, but was the "nice" trainer when he joined the show... and really the whole point about Jillain was that even during her Dr. Phillian stage she wasn't ever really "the nice one". She just actually knew the difference between BS and actual pain, and while her attempts to analyze and deal with the later in the contestants often seemed ridiculous and amateurish, at least that ability meant she didn't make fun of people who were in actual pain. She'd wash her hands of them and call them on their bullshit, but that's totally different. 

[ClareWalks]

Kromm I definitely agree with basically everything you said. Jillian's massive flaw as a trainer seemed to be an unwillingness to alter her style to suit the client, but she could also break it down and be "real" in one-on-one chats. Jen is good, I like her a lot. She isn't consistently one type of trainer, she is able to give the client what they need. Dolvett comes across as a bit insincere but his workouts are great and when he is less rage-y he really shines, style-wise.

 

A huge problem with Bob is, as the thread title suggest, he forms a cult. Any trainer worth their salt tries to discourage codependence from the clients. It could be very easy for these people to think that they NEED Bob in order to succeed. Bob seems to actively encourage this, since none of the other trainers have elicited this from their teams. I mostly hated Anna Kournikova as a trainer (way too meek, way too inexperienced with working with this population), but what I liked about her was she was constantly telling her team "don't depend on me, my job is to give you the tools to do this on your own." THAT is the sign of a great trainer: someone whose goal is to make the client independent and enjoying an active lifestyle. Bob is the trainer that tries to keep you around for years by making you think you can't do a single workout without his master tutelage. Yuck.

[newyawk]

Jillian was 70 lbs overweight as a kid, not 40. So she was obese.

 

Bob is very lucky that someone hasn't run with that clip, to say, TMZ. *waits for other shoe to drop*

 

One of the many  good things about Jillian as a trainer is that she flat out told the contestants that they were the ones doing the work and not to credit her with their success, something I have not seen with Jen nor Bob. Last season I saw Jen's team get very dependent on her and she did nothing to discourage it, which won't serve them well off the ranch. She would also do well to be a little less emotional. 

 

On the other hand, there's the other side of the spectrum --Bob. I can't remember if I heard this in an article, on the TWOP forums, or on Jillian's podcast, but there was a discussion about the trainers giving their contact numbers out to the contestants, "if you ever need it."  It was said that Bob would then change his number right after the end of the season. (Burner phones?) So unfortunately the YouTube clip is not the first inkling I had about The Other Bob.

Edited January 9, 2016 by newyawk

[mythoughtis]

Too much Bob on this show.... and way too much of Bob 's tattoos.     

[Noirprncess]

Bob's the pro at product placements.

[bigskygirl]

Speaking of product placements...Poor Bob has been reduced to doing a commercial for a heart medication after the show got canceled. Just saw him doing one for Brilinda heart medication for patients who had a heart attack. From going from being a minor D Reality Show Celebrity and so-called exercise and fitness expert to pushing an expensive heart med.

[SmithW6079]

On 2/19/2018 at 5:22 PM, bigskygirl said:

Speaking of product placements...Poor Bob has been reduced to doing a commercial for a heart medication after the show got canceled. Just saw him doing one for Brilinda heart medication for patients who had a heart attack. From going from being a minor D Reality Show Celebrity and so-called exercise and fitness expert to pushing an expensive heart med.

Well, considering he had a massive heart attack and could have died, there may be an element of truly wanting to help people. 

[silverspoons]

On 3/8/2018 at 10:36 AM, SmithW6079 said:

Well, considering he had a massive heart attack and could have died, there may be an element of truly wanting to help people. 

I'm not really sure what these or the many drug commericals are suppose to do. I have a heart condition and I sure hope if there is a drug that would be useful to me, my doctor talk to me about it. I cant imagine that I would have to bring up a commerical I saw to get my doctor to think about using it? My father and ex were doctors and I worked as a pharm rep for a short time and doctors from my experience don't like patients asking for meds they have seen on TV or in print ads because they are usually not the right ones and patients think these drugs are cure all miracles.