S04.E12: Rod

[Ketzel]

From TV Guide: A 448 lb. 49-year-old drama coach attempts to lose weight.

[Shelby]

I have never been less interested in a participant of this show than I was with Rod. Yawn. Good job on the weight loss (albeit temporary, methinks), but was there one genuine or honest moment on this episode? Rod was a total people pleaser who would do or say whatever he thought people wanted to hear, and an actor to boot. There's a reason this guy has not one person in his life (save for his blood relatives). I WAS SO BORED THE WHOLE SHOW.

On a side note, his body held onto his weight in a weird womanly way, on his hips and bottom.

Nice to have really minimal Heidi.

I'm glad he didn't qualify for skin surgery, because if ever there was a contestant certain to regain the weight, it's Rod.

I'm sure his apartment is trashed and filthy again. If you can't/don't care to get your home clean for company (or national TV!), then a clean living space clearly is just not important to you. What a Slobbo.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Shelby

[ramble]

Totally agree. He was boring. His laugh made me want to hurt people. I suppose it was his people pleasing tendency but it all so across so fake.

His apartment gave me the heebie jeebies. It's just him, how hard is it to keep it minimally straight? And coming home to his trashy place (at first I thought he'd been robbed) somehow threw him off program for weeks? Geez!

I was pleased that the show allowed some honesty again. They seem to be willing to do that more. First there was the admission of too much cardio & not enough strength training & it's impact on loss of muscle. Then they didn't try to hide or excuse Rod's continued problems & how he did best under strict structure.

[Brooklynista]

I would not pay Broadway prices to hear Rod's voice. No way.

I wasn't bored this episode but I did wonder about certain things like, how small is a teChers salary that Rod couldn't afford a vacuum cleaner? Or dish detergent? Or a broom? That house was filthy and I'm sure his parents raised him better than letting company see his house like that. That apartment made me itchy.

I'm over the naked weigh-ins. I didn't think it was necessary for him to undress in front of his students. That was too much. How is he supposed to command the respect of a classroom when all of the students have seen his breasts? The kids looked like they were suffering second hand embarrassment from seeing that.

Rod's breakthrough at the first workout with Chris looked like a mediocre drama exercise. Those tears? And Scene!

Edited September 3, 2014 by Brooklynista

[Ketzel]

I couldn't figure out the weight loss numbers. He started at 448, lost 125 during boot camp and then kind of screwed up during the next three -six months?  But he managed to lose 40% of his original weight to qualify for the MD appointment. So he'd lost 179 pounds by the time he met with the skin doctor, which would put him at 269, but the doctor thought he still needed to lose another 35 lbs. before the surgery. And then at the end, he came out looking heavier and Chris said he'd lost a total of 162 lbs, which means he'd gained back 17lbs. between the meeting with the doctor and the final reveal?

[WhineandCheez]

Rod is totally gaining back  the weight.  But FINALLY Chris sends someone to Overeaters Anonymous--every single contestant should have been sent there.  I loved the way they put up the disclaimer that they can't show anyone's face, then they proceed to show the upper face of like 5 people then the bottom face of 5 others, and completely show the meeting leader.

 

When Rod came home he should have had an organizer and a decorator waiting for him.  The show is supposed to give you what you need. Guy had no idea how to cook, there is no way you can lose any weight at all, let alone like 1 pound  a day eating out of restaurants.  Chris and Company failed on this guy big time. They should have took the NYC money--which was painful to watch, and hired the organizers and re-did his apartment with IKEA.

 

Yeah he was a total phony.  His parents were so cute, but it was so sad watching them in their feeble state.  Rod must know that is in his future.

[AV8n]

Ah, so it was Overeaters Anonymous he went to?  Somehow I missed that.  FIgured it was something like that, but just wasn't totally plugged into this episode.

I agree that all of these contestants need this, plus therapy probably.  Seems like the root cause of their problems is not that they like food, but that they don't love themselves.

The state of his apartment was a good indicator of his (lack of) success.  Rather than channeling his boot camp energy into a good house-cleaning, he left it just the same as what he was used to.  Think of how many calories a 300 pound guy would burn just picking up the clothes off of the floor.

[Ketzel]

The whole "my place is a mess, so I am reminded of how worthless I am, and fall off the wagon" part of the drama had me shaking my head. Good Lord, Rod, you're a grown man. If you can't deal with your own mess, then pick up the phone and book a cleaning service. It's not all that expensive and it's certainly worth every penny if the alternative is you start undoing everything you accomplished in Colorado.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Ketzel

[zillabreeze]

 

I'm over the naked weigh-ins. I didn't think it was necessary for him to undress in front of his students. That was too much. How is he supposed to command the respect of a classroom when all of the students have seen his breasts? The kids looked like they were suffering second hand embarrassment from seeing that.

Oh sing it!!!!  How utterly humiliating for all concerned.  Clueless Chris doesn't even understand student/teacher boundries?  The kids looked mortified!

THEN- finally weigh-in and he has on shoes and 5 pounds of clothes.

 

There is no reason for this show to eat up 2 hours.  Geez!  With FF I get about 17 minutes of real content.

 

First time ever there has been a discussion of BMI and LBM.  Chris should hang his head in shame that he acted as if this was big news. Show still ignores any real discussion of food and nutrition.

[Zoe]

I'm a little surprised at how harsh people are being regarding his home.  The guy obviously suffers from some form of depression, and that's a way for it to manifest.

 

They really should have addressed his mental problems earlier.

[Brooklynista]

I do have sympathy for mental depression.  What I dont have sympathy for is knowing that company is coming (or all of America) and you don't even do the dishes.

 

There's a reason momma tells you to make sure you leave the house in clean underwear.

[backformore]

There is no reason for this show to eat up 2 hours.  Geez!  With FF I get about 17 minutes of real content.

 

No kidding!   I watch the beginning, then at the weigh-in I try to GUESS the weight (they do often give it away by having someone say they're xxx pounds overweight, so it's easy to guess).  Then I FF through most if the rest, and totally skip Chris's lecture/sermon before the big reveal.   The show could easily be cut to an hour.  

 

I agree about the near-naked weigh-ins.  If you're seeing me in my bra, you're either my lover or my doctor.

   It is not appropriate for people to have to submit to taking their shirt off in front of students, co-workers, kids, or anyone else.  

[Mrsjumbo]

The problem with the show being 2 hrs is that the first 2 min. Are telling what the show is about. Before the first commercial they must spoil what happens next. And so on with recaps & teasers, because we are apparently idiots that cannot remember what just happened. Then the final montage of the journey to get to the end. So much filler that could actually be spent learning something about nutrition or even added scenes.

I will admit I was surprised at the state of his apartment. However, don't the team usually come in & make over the place with fitness equipment, painted walls, etc? Here is someone who really could have used that. I think they dropped the ball on this one. Yes, it is his own fault it's a mess, but I do think he was depressed, & seeing the mess when he got back didn't help. And look how much they spent on equipment for the liar woman that was on a few weeks ago that they kicked out?

It did make me sad seeing his parents. I know he was putting on a cheery face, but glad he wasn't throwing down the victim card about being gay or his 2 disabled parents.

[4leafclover]

I'm not sure Rod will be able to keep the weight off--the first acting rejection he gets will send him into an eating tailspin.  As for his apartment, yes it was an indicator of how a lonely, depressed person lives.  I thought Chris' visit was a surprise to Rod, although I'm not sure even knowing Chris was going to visit would have made him clean it.  It seems he needs constant supervision to continue leading a healthy lifestyle.  If only he could find a Felix Unger-type for a love interest who could whip him and his apartment into shape!

[tribeca]

It is funny how different people see things.  I felt seeing how lonely Rod was and how a mess his apartment was one of the most real things I have seen on this show.   Hopefully he gets counseling. Usually I watch this show and feel happiness & hope for the contestant.  This episode I felt so sad for Rod.

[Shelby]

Sure, Chris' visit might have been a surprise. However, Rod knew there was a camera crew coming to his apartment. Even if he was too depressed to clean, he could have taken all his junk and thrown it in the closet or crammed it under the bed. The guy was too lazy to do even that, and he had to know his parents and coworkers might see the filthy conditions he lived in. He didn't make any effort to tidy up or conceal his mess. It was just his mess (no kids or pets), and a small apartment.

I don't think anything about Rod was real. He was such a phony, he even tops Heidi because Heidi at least believes she's the most beautiful, best trainer. Rod was all an act.

[ethalfrida]

Even if he was too depressed to clean, he could have taken all his junk and thrown it in the closet or crammed it under the bed. The guy was too lazy to do even that, and he had to know his parents and coworkers might see the filthy conditions he lived in. He didn't make any effort to tidy up or conceal his mess. It was just his mess (no kids or pets), and a small apartment.

Which should have shown the people in charge what type of help he really needed. Nope, he didn't even care enough to try and that is one of the reasons his weight loss tanked. I have seen it many times with people on these types of shows... their attitudes are awful and they refuse to help themselves. There is a blanket of denial smothering a lot of potential success stories of people who are morbidly obese like that. 

[BeaVee]

All I could take away from this episode was how could those dishes with food on them in the sink be sitting there for 3 months and not be covered in mold?  How abou the food in the fridge?  Did no one flush his toilets for 3 months? 

 

The rest? Meh.

[Guest]

I chalk the dirty apt. up to producer shenanigans.  They love their disturbing visuals.  Nude weigh-ins, teary workouts, rolls of flesh, fat people stuffing in pizza and donuts, sweat-soaked shirts, boobs a-floppin' when any girl runs...

 

I didn't mind Rod but I wished he'd seized the opportunity the latter 9 months instead of squandering it.  I think he needs a psychologist to deal with being gay, or something.  I felt bad about his closet reveal to the world, as if he thought that saying it like that would make it suddenly ok in his own mind and he'd live happily ever after.

 

I did love NO HEIDI.  

[backformore]

Something didn't ring true. If I leave dirty dishes in my sink and go away for a week, I would come home to a smell that hit me when I opened the door. Three months? Ants, fruit flies, mold. In an apartment, probably roaches. I don't buy it.

As to the mess in the bedroom - if you lose over 100 pounds, nothing fits but your socks. Bag it up and donate it. He walked in and got depressed about the mess, but didn't pick up anything? Bull.

I wanted to like Rod. But that fake chuckle that he does to c over up embarrassment, sadness, or any other emotion was starting to piss me off. It would be maddening to have him as a friend, date, co-worker. You can't have a serious conversation . Stop laughing!

Edited September 7, 2014 by backformore

[SmithW6079]

As soon as I heard that Rod was a high school drama teacher, I figured that any emotion we saw would be suspect. That being said, I felt for the guy, maybe because I identified with so many parts of his story. 

 

The "audition" was uncomfortable to watch. I wish they had made it more of an "acting workshop" than an audition in front of producers. The moment he flubbed the first line of the song, they would have said "Next!" and he'd be off the stage. I cringed when they said Rod would be on their "radar." Please, his resume went into the trash as soon as Chris and the cameras left. How could the show's production team not provided him with a new headshot? Was it just to add even more drama?

 

I'm not sure Rod will be able to keep the weight off

 

I don't think any of them will keep the weight off, but now they'll have giant full-body scars where all their excess skin was cut off. How many of "The Biggest Loser" contestants have put the weight back on again? So much weight lost so quickly does not give the person time to truly learn new ways of thinking, new ways of eating and exercising.

[ari333]

Omg I felt so sad for Rod. Clearly (imo) he was severely depressed, lonely, hopeless. I give him points for holding a job, for cryin' out loud.  Wow, the one dude who really needed the home makeover didn't get it?

 

Having him strip and be weighed in front of students (high school age, no less) was a new appalling low for this show. Seriously, it was super disturbing to me.

 

His dad's speech was sweet and made me cry in the good way. I don't think Rod is ok with Rod even if his parents and sister are fine with his sexuality or orientation or whatever the correct word is.

Why was Rod losing so much muscle? Tia.

[ali59]

Ya, Rod was extremely irritating.  That laugh!  I feel about actors the same way some people feel about clowns.  I don't trust them.

[newby]

I am a contestant that had the skin surgery and I actually five lbs lighter than I was at finale.  It is possible to keep it off.  It is just up to the individual.  Lifestyle change

[Guest]

Good for you, newby.  I've read a meta-analysis of 20+ weight loss studies from the past 3 decades that concluded that the more aggressive weight loss plans resulted in the best rate of long-term weight loss.  I can kind of see why.  The more memorable and painful your journey, the less likely you are to backslide, maybe.  I imagine skin removal is memorable and painful, and so is 4 hours a day of cardio for a year and tv cameras recording your fat rolls.