S04.E13: Jeff and Juliana

[Ketzel]

From TV Guide: A 423 lb. 55-year-old dad and his 265 lb.15-year-old daughter attempt to lose weight in the season finale.

[Whimsy]

There's nothing that gets me more mad than people lying straight to someone's face.  There's no way I could've held it in as long as Chris and Heidi.  They just kept lying and lying.  I'm glad they were finally successful, but they still made me mad.  I hope that dad learned a real lesson about teaching by example.  Of course his 15 year old daughter was going to do what he did. 

 

Didn't they say Juliana wanted to be 160?  I think her weight loss was great and I hope as a child that this has taught her new habits and she'll be more successful than most of the adults- but I was confused when they were jumping with joy at 170 when her goal was 160.  Also, she should've worn a cute little flirty dress that flares out at the waist.  I'm pear shaped too, so I get the struggles of dressing for that body type.  Those jeans did her no favors.  I also thought Juliana looked MUCH older at the finale.  She looked great- but about 2 years older than what we saw her at just three months prior.  That was a little weird.  Probably just the contacts and lots of make-up.

[ari333]

I wish they'd give the dang heights. I was happy for her at 170. I didn't feel comfy watching the dad screaming and crying because the Dr. told him to wait on some of those exercises so as not to risk possibly permanently injuring his back.

 

Also, I wish they wouldn't air their dirty relationship laundry on tv. I just don't need to see that with the drama. I don't think she would have gone to the daddy-daughter dances if he had been an average weight and asked to take her in a limo. How many of those are there in school anyway? More than one? She didn't want to be anywhere (her words) with people, so I can't envision her being gung ho about a formal dress and going to dances with school peers. But blame dad for that too.

 

I wish Heidi would STFU and I wish her husband would stop trying to make her happen.

Edited September 10, 2014 by ari333

[Whimsy]

Oh, Heidi.  I forgot to comment that there were two laugh out loud moments with Heidi shoehorning herself into situations she wasn't wanted.  The first was at the end of the half-marathon when Juliana was hugging her mother.  Heidi was standing awkwardly next to them as they were hugging and having a mother-daughter moment and Heidi just shoved herself in and hugged them.  They didn't put their arms around Heidi and reciprocate the hug at all. 

 

I know there was a second one, but I'm totally blanking on it right now.  No one wants her there!!!

[Guest]

I fast-fwd through so much I'm not sure what Julianna's end goal was but at the beginning of the show at 265 I thought she said she thought she was 150 lbs. overweight.  I would've like to seen her out of 'overweight BMI' but ending at 170 she's got a way to go.  But at her age it's probably best to drag it out two years, anyway.  

 

I don't have a good feeling either of them will continue or maintain, though.  I also FF the crying parts so maybe there were breakthroughs but I feel like a kid that young and that overweight needs more than Heidi's faux Jillian routine to really recover from using food as a drug.  

[ramble]

I don't have a good feeling either of them will continue or maintain, though.

I don't either. When they weren't being watched closely they relapsed even on the program. The confrontation about the lying was handled better by Chris & Heidi (really?!) than I would've handled it. Especially when the lying liars kept lying about their lies. Daddy-o sure was a role model there, wasn't he? What a bonding moment. Good grief! I can't even fathom my father sitting next to me & participating in a pack of lies with me. I found the whole thing disgusting. I didn't exactly dislike them as much as I just didn't have a good feeling about the whole thing.

On a side note it made me laugh, in an evil way, when Heidi was hyperventilating about the creamy coffee drink & 200 calories. I agree that much of America is unaware of basic calorie counts & it would be a good thing to have a working knowledge of that information. I know I for one tend to underestimate if I don't watch myself. However hearing a strident, stick woman shriek about it won't encourage me at all.

[jonesingjay]

 I don't think she would have gone to the daddy-daughter dances if he had been an average weight and asked to take her in a limo. How many of those are there in school anyway? More than one? She didn't want to be anywhere (her words) with people, so I can't envision her being gung ho about a formal dress and going to dances with school peers. But blame dad for that too.

 

I wish Heidi would STFU and I wish her husband would stop trying to make her happen.

 

They were church daughter and daddy dances. Maybe, she feels more comfortable there? Or it was just one of the first things that came to mind when thinking about all the things she would like to have done with her dad. 

[jennylauren123]

I am not a regular watcher of the show, but I did catch it last night. I really don't like Heidi, and I was annoyed that Chris didn't seem to be able to make any "I" statements. Rather, it was always "Heidi and I." We get it; you're married. However, I like to think that you are two separate beings who do not share a brain.

 

Also, what is up with Heidi's makeup? Way too much and way too dark. Has she had plastic surgery on her face? I realize that she probably has breast implants. Anyway, that orange Barbie look is just gross to me. I imagine she is naturally a very attractive woman; however, under all the gunk, it is hard to tell.

[ari333]

They were church daughter and daddy dances. Maybe, she feels more comfortable there? Or it was just one of the first things that came to mind when thinking about all the things she would like to have done with her dad. 

 

Ok Ooops. My bad. Didn't hear that part. Maybe she would feel more comfy in a church setting. Still not seeing her dying to go to any dance anywhere at that time (imo.)

 

Maybe the lying liars who lie were bonding in their secret lies? I'm pulling at straws, clearly. :) I find it quite hilarious the way they skulk around with their watches/phones,  noting the times and the whereabouts of these people. It's Just! So! Serious! They're not contracting yellow cake uranium under the cover of darkness, for cryin out loud. heh

Edited September 10, 2014 by ari333

[Ketzel]

Dad was a lying drama queen - "Curse you! Damn you!! You and you alone are preventing me from achieving my goal, to which I am incredibly and beyond all question completely committed! How dare you interfere with my ferocious determination to succeed! You and you alone are the cause of my despair!" Dude, it's your own spine you're talking to. The one you've overburdened and damaged for years with all the weight you've been hauling around. It was amusing and pathetic and infuriating to watch ol' Jeff portray himself as the victim of an evil outside force. But he strikes me as one of those people who are never to blame for anything, at least in his own head. (I am feeling attacked! The reason I cut short my workout was because of a meeting that was cancelled after I left the workout! By text! No, Maybe by email! No, it was definitely by phone! No, I didn't save the text, uh phone message!)

 

Poor daughter had heard way too much about being an "accident." 

[Dirtybubble]

So who does an hour of cardio on their lunch break?  That's normally an entire lunch break not to mention changing after sweating and when do they eat?  Was that required or did the drama queen simply tell them that's what he was going to do?

 

Meh I too was turned off by dad's behavior but super proud of the daughter.  90lbs is something to be proud off no matter if she actually hit her goal or not.  She looked great!

[Brooklynista]

I'm glad daddy and daughter were able to find common ground to bond over.  Lying.  Wow! Each one teach one I guess.

 

I know that losing weight takes a lot of hard work and dedication but what kind of day did they really want from this 10th grader?  Up at 5am to work out for 2 hours, school all day and then take a long ass walk home? Alone? When was she doing homework?

 

And screw you Heidi for the whole "maybe these aren't the friends you need right now".  The girl started off her segment saying kids were laughing behind her back already, why would she separate herself from the few buddies she has so she could walk for miles alone?  I'm sure Heidi was one of the athletic mean girl cheerleader types who had no trouble finding other mean girls to buddy up with in High School. 

[ari333]

Oh, man, you guys took the words out of my head about Princess Heidi, Strident stick woman was spot on and I'd add, "with implants." Yes, I went there. If I'm wrong, then I'll stand corrected.

 

Juliana finally had a friend and someone to walk with and visit her. Heidi needs to shut her beansprout hole. (Ok I enjoy beansprouts, so nah.)

 

The lying was too much though. Why not just say, "Yeah, on this day, I did this... because... and then the next day I got back on track." I FF'd part of this so maybe I missed something. Dad was making me  cray with all the yelling and crying. Jesus.

 

And did Juliana get any of her heroes to come around or only football dad? On a sad note, I did feel for the 55 year old with injuries. Getting older and trying to lose weight and having your body in pain is a whole different ball game. Even if he did it to himself, some older folks of a "normal" weight have pain and health issues, but to be 400 pounds has to be horrible.

[Rel326]

 

On a side note it made me laugh, in an evil way, when Heidi was hyperventilating about the creamy coffee drink & 200 calories. I agree that much of America is unaware of basic calorie counts & it would be a good thing to have a working knowledge of that information. I know I for one tend to underestimate if I don't watch myself. However hearing a strident, stick woman shriek about it won't encourage me at all.

And instead of just shrieking about it, could have offered the alternative of a black iced coffee, or iced tea or anything else.  I did like Chris mentioning it's the difference between 2.5  and 3 lbs., and I wish they would do more of that.  By having the creamy drink and not walking, it was likely a 500 calorie swing and not just the 200, which really would make a difference over the course of a week.

 

I hope for Juliana's sake she can keep the weight off.  After listening to Dad piss and moan the whole time, I don't think he stands a chance.  

[Ketzel]

I think if Dad fails, Juliana is going to have a hard time succeeding. I'm afraid that poor girl is so in need of some kind of relationship with her father that she'll be afraid to succeed if he gains the weight back. That's the only bond she has had with him - aside from football and lying. I hope she gets some good support and counseling in the future, by which I don't mean "helpful" phone calls from Heidi.

 

(Did Heidi really say at the beginning of the show that she would be a great mentor for Juliana, because "she'd been there?" I'm assuming Heidi meant only that she'd also been a fifteen-year-old girl, because she's mentioned repeatedly in interviews that she grew up fit in a fit and healthy family. Which, by itself, is not much of a reason to think she'd be a great mentor to an obese, bullied child with daddy issues.)

Edited September 10, 2014 by Ketzel

[zillabreeze]

After last night, I don't even think I will snarkwatch next season.  It's become so repitiious, boring and predictable.

 

During the fakey "stakeout" showing Chris in the car on the phone, one shot he was in a sedan and the same "shot" he is in an SUV.  Continuity people, It's a THING!

 

Heidi needs to have an intervention on the spray tanning....

Edited September 10, 2014 by zillabreeze

[pelicanlover]

Boy, I wish the best for Jeff and particularly Juliana, but I worry about what that episode of dishonesty portends.  It's a very short jump from trying to fool another person about something to tending to fool onesself.  Lots of folks gain their weight by telling themselves that the one-cup serving of coleslaw was really one-half cup, etc., etc. and then honestly believing that "I just don't know why I can't lose weight since I don't eat that much."  Denial and dishonesty... a slippery slope.

 

It seems like I'm in the minority here, but I've got to say that I really like both Chris and Heidi.  Chris, particularly, seems like a very warm and empathetic person.  And Heidi appears to honestly care about the folks she mentors.  When she's tough on them, I always think it is because she must be by nature also tough on everyone in her life, including herself.  Were any of the rest of you as impressed as I was that she was out there running a half-marathon at a time only a few weeks after she had given birth?  Major kudos to her for that.  To me, that just showed how self-disciplined she is about her own fitness, so I assume that it is frustrating to her sometimes when others aren't as disciplined as she.  I respect that.  I don't read her as being a fake at all... just tough and exacting, which is OK, in my book.   JMO.

[knitta please]

I was extremely distracted during Heidi's TH segments where a huge curly vein was obvious on her chest. It made my skin crawl.

[Mrsjumbo]

The funny moment with Heidi for me was when Jeff found he qualified for the skin surgery & high fived Chris & hugged him, while Heidi's hand was in the air. Finally she said "don't leave me hanging" & he high fived her.

I rolled my eyes a little bit at Juliana's dramatics-"I never had a father! You didn't take me to the dance". A normal response from Jeff "I didn't know you wanted to go." And her snotty "you never asked me". So he was supposed to be a mind reader & know there was a dance? I could never imagine talking to my dad the way she did to hers.

And whoever is on wardrobe- please stop putting overweight females in skinny jeans or leggings.

I agree Juliana's face looked much older at the finale. And I thought she was supposed to hit 160 too. But I FF through a lot.

[editorgrrl]

I think if Dad fails, Juliana is going to have a hard time succeeding. I'm afraid that poor girl is so in need of some kind of relationship with her father that she'll be afraid to succeed if he gains the weight back. That's the only bond she has had with him—aside from football and lying. I hope she gets some good support and counseling in the future, by which I don't mean "helpful" phone calls from Heidi.

 

They gave the scholarship to Juliana's sister, so hopefully the two of them will support and encourage each other—and hold each other accountable. (I have no idea how far away the sister lives, though.) And even if Juliana does relapse, she might go away to college (escaping Jeff's toxic influence) and resume working out and eating better.

 

I hope this whole experience was a wakeup call for Juliana's mother to get her daughter into therapy asap.

[Whimsy]

The funny moment with Heidi for me was when Jeff found he qualified for the skin surgery & high fived Chris & hugged him, while Heidi's hand was in the air. Finally she said "don't leave me hanging" & he high fived her.

I rolled my eyes a little bit at Juliana's dramatics-"I never had a father! You didn't take me to the dance". A normal response from Jeff "I didn't know you wanted to go." And her snotty "you never asked me". So he was supposed to be a mind reader & know there was a dance? I could never imagine talking to my dad the way she did to hers.

And whoever is on wardrobe- please stop putting overweight females in skinny jeans or leggings.

I agree Juliana's face looked much older at the finale. And I thought she was supposed to hit 160 too. But I FF through a lot.

That was the second LOL moment for me! That was funny. Heidi might just be kind of awkward. I can be awkward at times too but I'm not on TV.

I agree with your entire post. I think Julianna was a little bit of a snot. But if she truly thought she was a mistake (or if she was constantly told she was a mistake) that could explain a lot of her behavior. I think it was one of those situations where they were both oblivious to the others feelings.

[CaughtOnTape]

It seems like I'm in the minority here, but I've got to say that I really like both Chris and Heidi.  Chris, particularly, seems like a very warm and empathetic person.  And Heidi appears to honestly care about the folks she mentors.  When she's tough on them, I always think it is because she must be by nature also tough on everyone in her life, including herself.  Were any of the rest of you as impressed as I was that she was out there running a half-marathon at a time only a few weeks after she had given birth?  Major kudos to her for that.  To me, that just showed how self-disciplined she is about her own fitness, so I assume that it is frustrating to her sometimes when others aren't as disciplined as she.  I respect that.  I don't read her as being a fake at all... just tough and exacting, which is OK, in my book.   JMO.

 

You are not alone.  I also like both of them and find them to be motivational to people who are lying to their faces and whining at every turn about what they don't want to do or can't do.  Especially when these people wrote to THEM for help.  I'm not overweight and consider myself a decent eater...but I would kill for 10 minutes to sit down and pick their brains not to mention a full body workup from a state of the art facility for NOTHING.  

 

I think Chris is wishy washy and Heidi isn't so they balance each other out.  When she wants to wash her hands of someone he wants to continue on.  I can't think of too many people who would sit there while they're being flat out lied to and not start screaming and yelling about it.  Chris handled it all very well considering the fact that the dad got up on his hind legs about being watched when he knew he was lying.  I'd have told him to get fucked.

 

I think they wanna help people who wanna be helped and have the patience of Jobe....because after some of the shit I've seen some of these people pull this year I'd be done with it.

[backformore]

I haven't watched the whole thing yet.   But I had to comment on my laugh-out-loud moment.  at the beginning, when the two were "chosen"  for the show.   The family is shown eating Sunday breakfast -  Dad says, "did you get a cinnamon roll?  One of Grandma's SPECIAL cinnamon rolls?"  (Yeah, that's the way all families speak. Please pass me some of that freshly squeezed orange juice too, and may I have a cup of Mom's specially brewed columbian coffee?)

 

Chris and Heidi are outside, Chris  says,  "They have NO IDEA we're here!" 

Really?  There's a freakin' TV CAMERA in their kitchen, and they're reciting lines about cinnamon rolls, but they have no idea that they've been chosen for the show? 

[Whimsy]

You are not alone.  I also like both of them and find them to be motivational to people who are lying to their faces and whining at every turn about what they don't want to do or can't do.  Especially when these people wrote to THEM for help.  

 

I'm not discrediting your whole post because you have some good points, but it's been pretty well established that these people don't write to Chris and Heidi.  They're usually cast-offs from other shows like The Biggest Loser. 

[WhineandCheez]

1.And whoever is on wardrobe- please stop putting overweight females in skinny jeans or leggings

 

2.but at the beginning of the show at 265 I thought she said she thought she was 150 lbs. overweight.

 

3. I don't have a good feeling either of them will continue or maintain, though.

 

4..During the fakey "stakeout" showing Chris in the car on the phone, one shot he was in a sedan and the same "shot" he is in an SUV.  Continuity people, It's a THING!

 

1.  NO ONE but models and most girls under 13 look good in skinny jeans.  And yet they come back year after year and figure prominently on TV.  All the overweight singers on American Idol were always wearing them.  There should be some law that skinny jeans cannot be manufactured over size 8

 

2. I am 5'8" and have a huge frame and when I was a teen I thought I should weigh 125 because that's what the models weighed. She was just being a teen when she said that.

 

3. Finally we get to see what they have to go thru to lose weight that fast.  Its about 4 hours of exercise a day.  Last year it seems they were "paid" to lose weight with  Walmart providing groceries and then the 25 k gift card.  Many of those folks did not work during their year.  Now they all work/go to school and I think the results are less impressive, of coures

 

4. What I enjoy most about the show is Heidi's baby bump showing up, dissapearing showing up in another episode, then receding.  Chris is earnest and Heidi is strident. They both are doing something right, making a living doing what they love and being able to afford 4 kids! I think Chris is really handsome

[CaughtOnTape]

I'm not discrediting your whole post because you have some good points, but it's been pretty well established that these people don't write to Chris and Heidi.  They're usually cast-offs from other shows like The Biggest Loser. 

Not really sure why this matters.  They wrote to/went to someone for help.  Regardless of who shows up they should be happy that someone took the time.

But uh.  Thanks?

[Whimsy]

True.  I just was saying that they may not have necessarily gone to Chris and Heidi specifically.  Maybe they wanted to train with Bob or Jillian.  Maybe they really wanted to win the prize money on TBL.  I don't know. It's all conjecture.  I was just letting you know, in case you didn't. 

 

I agree- they should be happy that someone took the time.  They also should not have lied when doing so was only hurting themselves. 

[AV8n]

4. What I enjoy most about the show is Heidi's baby bump showing up, dissapearing showing up in another episode, then receding.  Chris is earnest and Heidi is strident. They both are doing something right, making a living doing what they love and being able to afford 4 kids! I think Chris is really handsome

The Heidi Pregnancy Time Warp has been weird.  She's pregnant.  Now she's not.  Now she is again.  Aaaaaaah!

 

By my calculations, she should have 256 children by now.

[k2p2]

I'd like to throw some shade to the white-haired skin-removal doctor, for this: "Jeff is 55. Older people do not heal in the same way normal people do."

[DangerousMinds]

"Normal" people? I wonder if I am still normal, I just had abdominal surgery (not for weight-related reasons) and I'm 46, will I still heal ok?

[ethalfrida]

I'd like to throw some shade to the white-haired skin-removal doctor, for this: "Jeff is 55. Older people do not heal in the same way normal people do."

OMG, I raised an eyebrow at that. First, he presented it as if HE wasn't older. Then, he comes up with the "normal" part. 

[Canada]

Oh my god, they made that poor girl look like Heidi at the final reveal.  That's just cruel.

[backformore]

1.  NO ONE but models and most girls under 13 look good in skinny jeans.  And yet they come back year after year and figure prominently on TV.  All the overweight singers on American Idol were always wearing them.  There should be some law that skinny jeans cannot be manufactured over size 8

 

Right.   All the "what not to wear"  people tell us that tapered jeans and skinny jeans do NOT work on women with hips.  I think on this show, they want to define and outline the women's figures so the before and after differences are more defined.  

On full figures, skinny jeans are like leggings -   only to be worn with a tunic top or long sweater.  

[Duke2801]

. 

NO ONE but models and most girls under 13 look good in skinny jeans.  And yet they come back year after year and figure prominently on TV.  All the overweight singers on American Idol were always wearing them.  There should be some law that skinny jeans cannot be manufactured over size 8

 

 

I agree that those jeans were not flattering on the daughter's figure at ALL. If you have curvy hips and a butt, they are a fashion "don't" -- and yes I know this because I fall into the category! 

 

However, I very much disagree that only girls under 13 and "models" can wear skinny jeans well.  I have some girlfriends who are slim with narrow hips who look fantastic in their skinny jeans and boots.  And we are all in our late 30s/early 40s. 

[Shelby]

Just a terrible finale for what has become a pretty bad show. An extremely unlikeable father and way too much Heidi. Admittedly, I FF through about 60% of the show.

This program and these trainers are so bad that I feel very few succeed long term, so the pack of lies scene had me laughing a bit (perhaps to get me through my disgust and discomfort at a Dad sitting and lying in front of his daughter, and a father-daughter relationship where the daughter is comfortable lying in front of the Dad, by example).

This show just needs to end.

On his own, I often like Chris Powell. As a woman married for almost 20 years, I have to wonder what a seemingly sincere guy like that sees in a breast implanted, fake blonde, fake tanned, caked on makeup annoying woman. So much so that he would bring her into his work and wreck his own show.