S16.E18: Live Finale

[Tara Ariano]

The winner of the $250,000 prize is crowned in the Season 16 finale, and the eliminated players return to weigh in for the $100,000 at-home prize.

[nccueagle84]

Damian actually gained 3 lbs.?   When he left at week 12 he was 293 lbs. So far it seems like this group of contestants weren't "verbally pushed" as much as last season once they went home & I have to wonder if it had anything to do with the big mess surrounding Rachel last season?

[jb0495]

Rob's legs look really weird in his suit. Is it excess skin? They almost look bowed & it looks like he's wearing large clown shoes. It is just his height or my TV?

[ottoDbusdriver]

Toma for the win !!

 

Rob's legs look really weird in his suit. Is it excess skin? They almost look bowed & it looks like he's wearing large clown shoes. It is just his height or my TV?

 

Rob's legs have always been like that.

[Sims Addict]

Wow, really? One pound? Congratulations, Toma...although I was really pulling for Sonya.

 

Those contestants sure were spanxed to the gods.

 

I'm a big girl myself so I get the weight struggle...but I still can't wrap my head around losing half of your body weight and still being overweight/borderline obese...

[ali59]

Rob is extremely knock-kneed.  As I've been losing weight, I've been terrified that I would be knock-kneed.  Thank goodness I'm not!  Thank goodness Rob didn't win.  Go Toma!  I'm pretty disappointed with the overall weight loss for most of the contestants.  I don't know if it's the backlash from last season or what.

[Archery]

What's with the short, tight dresses? They aren't flattering, and more than one woman looked like the proverbial truck driver lurching across the stage. I wish whoever styled them for their big night would go for something flattering.

Also the blonde trainer (Jen?) Has really janky legs.

[MrsClaus]

I was really surprised at how a large majority of the at home players didn't do so well. I agree that it was probably due to last year's problems.

[gardendiva]

Did you notice the dark storm clouds passing across RageBoi's face as he realized he didn't win? I thought we were going to be treated to another outburst right there on live TV.

[Carolyn15]

I happy that Toma won. I was pulling for him or Sonya. Both are Chicago area. I have been in Sonya's place 40 years old and not really have ever dated all that much. I am so happy that Jordan won the at home prize. I am so glad that  Blake did not win. Scott  and Matt  looked amazing . I agree about some of the dresses and how some of the players did not loose all that much .. Wonder what the "theme" for next season is gong to be..

Edited January 30, 2015 by Carolyn15

[bigskygirl]

Really Dr. HQuack.  Rob lost the weight in a safe and effective way. *snort*  Keep dreaming peaches!!!  He is in remission for the medical conditions the doctor mentioned, but they are not completely gone since other factors can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis etc. etc. Stop trying to pretend you cured him.

 

I am  glad to see Toma win. Mike looks great. And the trainers actually went to Kohl's to get things for the three finalists and their families. Way to get promote Kohl's. Why not donate to agencies who help people get on their feet instead of people who went on reality a television show to lose weight. I was impressed by the one woman who is 51 and lost over 200 pounds.

 

And which contestant will be going out to the masses and try to help people since he or she is an expert on weight loss  and how to bring out your inner athlete after spending some time on the ranch.

[gardendiva]

I thought some of the women who lost less weight than Sonya looked better than she did just because of that awful dress they put her in. Tight, shiny lamé on a body that has lots of excess skin is not flattering. she would have looked gorgeous if they had Stacy London and Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear dress her.

[auntjess]

 

And which contestant will be going out to the masses and try to help people since he or she is an expert on weight loss  and how to bring out your inner athlete after spending some time on the ranch.

OK, I'm trying to think of that woman who seemed to start this motivational speaker spree, and can't remember.  As I recall, she didn't look that great at the end.

I think that for some reason, we saw her giving a talk to some group.

I was really glad that Jordan won the at-home prize, and would have been OK with any winner this year.

I thought Damien was heavier when I saw him.

Isn't the norm to say what they weighed when they left the ranch?  I was wondering about other not losing much too.

That was a silly Kohl's spot.  For heaven sakes, give 'em all a gift card.

Are they really giving them each the items they listed?  Strange.

 

[ChicagoCita]

My DVR *said* it was recording, but didn't.  So I have to wait for the show to come on "On Demand" tomorrow.

 

I did tune in for the last 15 minutes.  Rob was in a suit that looked at least two sizes too small for him. That was bad.  I was really happy to see Toma win, but I would have been fine with either Toma or Sonya.  Go Illinois!

[mythoughtis]

Every year there are a couple of contestants who don't lose much weight overall.  Zina, for example.  Every year, there are a couple who did well at the ranch, but don't lose much (or any) more once they leave.  Damien for example.  The man has 7 kids, and went back to work as a sports analyst.  I bet he could only do the standard 1hr workout, rather than the 6 hours the show recommends.  He still looked great.

 

At least, none of the contestants looked like skeletons this year... although Rob's quick weight loss did make him look a little off.   I like him (in the minority, I know) because he didn't blame anyone/anything else for his weight.   He didn't dedicate his weight loss to anyone, he just went out and lost weight.  Now, if someone could just give the guy some therapy and some social skills.  Sonya looked great.  I am really surprised the three finalists were so close this year.

 

I don't know who picks out the clothes, but Blake was very uncomfortable in her short dress.  I noticed she kept tugging at the hem - even though her dress was not so short as to be obscene (like Rebecca from several years ago).

[Primetimer]

The Biggest Loser crowns its winners -- and avoids a repeat of last season's shocking finale.

Read the story

[Saylii]

It didn't seem like the final three contestants had has much time at home as they did on some previous season. I'm thinking six weeks at most? Maybe closer to just a month? I'm sure that's why they didn't really look as good as some did in the past.

Rob looked like he had been water cutting hard to try and win. There was more then a few times that he looked a little woozy on stage. Sonya is either so short that she still looks like she has another 30 lbs to lose or a lot of excess skin around the middle. Of course, that could be wardrobe has well. I thought Toma looked good, but no different from makeover week.

Of the at-home contestants, Matt looked the best for the guys and Rondalee looked the best for the girls. I know they touted Blake as their blonde bombshell, but something about her was off to me. None of the girls had really sculpted arms, so I'm hoping at least one of them picks up a weight now. I didn't recognize JJ when he came out babyfaced, so he was a shock to me.

Overall this season was meh to me. There needs to be a lot of changes for me to want to tune in next year.

[Momof2boyz]

I couldn't get over how good JJ looked! Jordan too. JJ is really handsome with his beard shaved too. Dimples-who knew? I was happy Jordan won the at home prize because of his new baby! The other guy that almost made it (forgot his name, used to be a model) probably could have used it for his wedding too. Toma looked amazing! So handsome. Sonya still looks like she has a bit to lose and tone. Poor Rob, his suit was way too small. And it was one of those new slim cut "modern" look suits. Not a good choice for him.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Momof2boyz

[wirebitersm]

For some reason I thought Sonya was short, but she's actually an inch taller than me. She started out 3 lbs heavier than I was last May. I am guessing she has a lot of skin hanging on her abdomen. That stupid lower belly pudge is so hard to shrink. When I saw her in that dress I was a little sad because that is about the weight I want to get down to and she still looked chunky. She did look better in the weigh in outfit though.

[ali59]

I really think it's the way Sonya is built.  She does not have an hourglass figure and probably never will.  She has a boxy figure and will probably always look that way.  I thought she looked great in the silver dress.  It was an appropriate length and her shoes were an appropriate height, unlike many of the hooker style dresses and shoes other women were wearing (Brook, I'm looking at you.)  While I'm on a fashion kick, I hated the white sequined dress Jen was wearing.  It looked extremely heavy and added like 20 pounds to her figure.  Jesse looked fantastic but Dolvette looked like he was stuffed into that awful striped suit.  And finally, thank goodness Bob wasn't wearing diaper pants!

[auntjess]

 

I don't know who picks out the clothes, but Blake was very uncomfortable in her short dress.  I noticed she kept tugging at the hem - even though her dress was not so short as to be obscene (like Rebecca from several years ago).

I'm guessing that the clothes were all from Kohl's.  One year, they showed a room where outfits were there for the contestants to pick from.

I'd rather see things like that than flashbacks from the season.

I still feel sorry for Blake, for having her thin, chic, mother to live with and up to.

At first glance, Allison's dress looked like it had studs in it, and I thought she was going for the faux goth look.

Too much Bob.

 

[LoneHaranguer]

Ali needs to grasp the concept of "more than". If someone clocks in at four pounds less than the "you need to have lost more than..." number, they've missed the target by five pounds, not four.

[freebie]

 

Did you notice the dark storm clouds passing across RageBoi's face as he realized he didn't win? I thought we were going to be treated to another outburst right there on live TV.

Yup. And so did Ali. She immediately (and to my ears with a hint of desperation) began to tell Rob how awesome he did, what a wonderful number he pulled, how proud they all are of him, etc. etc. It sounded like she was trying to console a little kid over losing the t-ball championship game and wanted to make sure he didn't go full-on tantrum in front of the other parents. Next time, just have a Happy Meal on standby, Ali. 

[WhineandCheez]

I thought Toma looked good, but no different from makeover week.

 

I think that the "Who The Fuck Is THAT?" award goes to Andrea/Cheerleader.  Did not recognize her at all. Of course, Toma is also in that category, but that was spoiled to us on Makeover Week.

 

So glad Scott did not win the home prize, although I guess "smug" is his natural expression and maybe not a reflection of his true self (like some people look angry because of eyebrow furows, Scott looks smug naturally)  Jordan soooo deserved it.  He looks like a 32 waist.  Jeez!

 

Blake was waaay too OTT, with the tan and the extensions.  Paris Hilton peaked 10 years ago.  And that Instagram shot?  All that was missing was the gallery of duckface selfies.  You know she has them. Not to put down her great achievment though, she finally looks better than her Mommy.

 

OK GRASSY KNOLL STUFF HERE:

I don't believe that scale is a real scale for a minute.  I think that perhaps Sonya really won but because of her extreme blocky figure, she wouldn't represent the BL brand the way they like, so they chose Toma instead.  I mean one pound--if you weight yourself b4 you came who wouldn't be able to account for a pound up or down so Sonya wouldn't know she was cheated.  If she's appearing as a spokesperson and everyone thinks "SHE won?  Look at her figure"  it wouldn't present well on the BL name.  jus' sayin'.  I wanted her to win too. DISCUSS

[ottoDbusdriver]

Checking the weigh-in chart on wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biggest_Loser:_Glory_Days#Weigh-Ins), the part that really surprised me was Woody -- since he was the last eliminated on the ranch and spent the same amount of time at home as the 3 finalists he should have had similar or at least some weight loss (in order to compete for the at home prize), but much like Damien he gained weight.

 

Rob lost 57 pounds at home
Sonya lost 24 pounds at home
Toma lost 34 pounds at home

 

But Woody gained 4 pounds at home.  WTH ?  

[newyawk]

So much for the charts and predictions, lol.

 

Didn't bother to watch, wasn't interested enough to spend that much time on it. I am surprised at who won, especially since Toma's ass was dragged out of the fire by Woody the week he gained weight. Toma was always just kind of there and never left much of an impression one way or another. And Jordan winning At Home is a surprise, but at least it wasn't irritating crying machine Woody..why am I not surprised to read that Woodster gained weight at home? Like Rob, I expect him to regain, if not all of it, then quite a bit. I am surprised how much weight Rob continued to lose, but he was very motivated by money. Good for him, I guess. I don't see how Sonya could have possibly won when she just didn't have the weight to lose that the others did. I never expected her to win.

 

Maybe I will find the next set of contestants more interesting.

Edited January 30, 2015 by newyawk

[ProfCrash]

Sonya's arms told the story for part of why she looked like she has a good amount to weight to lose. When she raised them up to wave there was a lot of loose skin there. This is no surprise, she lost 144 pounds and at age 40 her skin is not as elastic as Blake's so it was not shrinking back. I have a feeling that Sonya might lose another 10 pounds if she has skin surgery. I agree that Sonya's body style is different and she is going to look different because of that. She still looked great. I hope she can get the surgery so she can look even more amazing.

 

The Men on the show have a distinct benefit in that they get to wear suits which hide a lot of the flab, until the change for the weigh in. The initial look always looks better for the guys though because of those suits.

 

I would also say that the younger folks look better because their skin rebounds so much better from being stretched by the extra weight.

 

I call it a success when all of the contestants lost 20% of their weight. Yes, many of the early boots have a good amount more to lose but they have a good start. Hopefully they are able to continue on the path and drop weight at home. Even if they don't 20% is better then 0.

[Saylii]

OK GRASSY KNOLL STUFF HERE:

I don't believe that scale is a real scale for a minute. I think that perhaps Sonya really won but because of her extreme blocky figure, she wouldn't represent the BL brand the way they like, so they chose Toma instead. I mean one pound--if you weight yourself b4 you came who wouldn't be able to account for a pound up or down so Sonya wouldn't know she was cheated. If she's appearing as a spokesperson and everyone thinks "SHE won? Look at her figure" it wouldn't present well on the BL name. jus' sayin'. I wanted her to win too. DISCUSS

I don't think Sonya's figure would have stopped BL from letting her win. They had the really bad publicity last year with Rachel, so a more "normal" figure would be okay for them I think. Also there's the whole fixing of game shows rules that they have to follow since money is involved.

That scale isn't the real scale used. They weigh in with doctors morning of, but aren't told their weight. However, it is so close between her and Toma that I wonder if the first decimal places were used in calculations or if they even have that information. There is a possibility that Sonya could have theoretically lost more then Toma depending how close to 284 she really was when she started. I would not be surprised to see Subway or Kohl's throw her a bone and tell her at the next finale if she runs a marathon or some other challenge that she'll get the 250k.

[Apocalypse Cow]

If I had been Sonya I would have stripped naked and demanded a re-weigh.  Seriously? 1 lb?  Ugh.  I stalked Blake's Instagram. She's the same size she was a year or 2 ago.  I can't figure it out. Did she gain 70 lbs in year?

[ProfCrash]

I gained 50 or so after I graduated from college, so I can see 70 pounds in a year or two. She was heavy in high school but playing soccer. Once she left high school, she probably stopped playing soccer and kept eating the same so adding the weight would be pretty easy. If she went to college, it would be insanely easy. Hello pizza at three in the morning!

[wirebitersm]

It's not really Sonya's lack of an hourglass figure. We both had that big lower belly that hung down. I've lost about 90, slower than she did, and that lower belly skin just isn't shrinking like it used to. Maybe they just needed a tighter compression garment for that dress? Her stomach looked fine in the weigh in outfit.

[bigskygirl]

There were other times when a contestant lost by a few pounds at finale. Yes, winning $250,000 is fine and dandy, but I would be more concern about my mental and physical health, and the reasoning behind putting on an excess amount of pounds.

[suedehead]

I never watch this, but I was at my sister's house and she does.

2 hrs of trainers, "journeys" (HATE!), weigh-ins and sufficent air time for everyone, but we get to the end and.....

Toma Wins! Confetti blizzard! Credits.

All this hard work and the man doesn't get at least a 30 second post win on-screen moment?

 

I wonder if production didn't like the tall man-baby since they let him go live with that horrible ill-fitting suit. 

[worleybird]

OK. so I have way too much time on my hands. I watched every episode with a note pad and pencil next to me and recorded all weights.

Here are the contestants (in order of elimination) The weight they were when eliminated from Comeback Canyon. The weight they were when they did the Where They Are Now Update at the end of the show (and the date of the show). And finale weight. You have to take all of this with a grain of salt tho. When Woody was eliminated in week 17 (Jan 22) His where they are now said he weighed 250. Then at the finale (1 week later) he weighed 274???  Wtf???

 

Zina   255...223 Sep 11...226 (gained 3 lbs since Where They are update)

Vanessa   347...321 Sep 18...299

Andrea   220...184 Sep 25...174

Emmy   239...210 Oct 2...212 (gained 2 lbs since update)

Chandra   313...287 Oct 9...270

Mike   315...279 Oct 16...249

Matt   315...272 Oct 23...249

Gina   202...177 Oct 30...177

Blake   195...161 Nov 6...154

Jackie   239...208 Nov 13...225 (gained 17 lbs since update)

Rondalee   217...189 Nov 20...187

Damien   293...281 Dec 11...296 (gained 15 lbs since update)

JJ   292...261 Dec 18...225

Jordan   219...195 Jan 1...180 (At Home Winner)

Scott   240...240 Jan 15...246 (gained 6 lbs since update)

Lori   220...210 Jan 15...210

Woody   270...250 Jan 22...274 (gained 24 lbs in 1 week??? wtf)

[Saylii]

There was a 4-6 week gap from the previous episode until the finale. We know Jordan got home just before his baby was born on October 29.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Saylii

[bigskygirl]

On the Biggest Loser Wikipedia page, they have Rob listed as having the Worst Visit With the Doctor. I do not know why, but this cracks me up.

[ProfCrash]

Jordan's baby should not have been in the audience. Poor little dude was scared with all the noise.

Wow, that seems like a lot of folks gaining weight back.

[dustoffmom]

I agree, the baby was scared out of his wits it seems.  But, I thought this was supposed to be 'LIVE', correct?  That child looked to be 1 1/2 or at most 2  months old to my eyes.  But if he was born 29 october as previously announced that would put him at a full 3 months.  Maybe he is just a little tyke or was this taped a couple of weeks ago??

[ProfCrash]

There is a lot of variation on babyweight. My little manwas 10 pounds 2 ounces at birth. No gestational diabities. He was around 13 pounds at 2 months. So he would have physically bigger then his age. Jordan's little dude had the sleepy, notquiet there look of a young baby abot 2 1/2 months old.

[Saylii]

I agree, the baby was scared out of his wits it seems. But, I thought this was supposed to be 'LIVE', correct? That child looked to be 1 1/2 or at most 2 months old to my eyes. But if he was born 29 october as previously announced that would put him at a full 3 months. Maybe he is just a little tyke or was this taped a couple of weeks ago??

There's enough people on social media talking about being at the finale that I don't think the producers could have manufactured the taping date. There were also participants and their families talking about flights to LA and how long they were staying. The baby also looks very similar to current FB photos Jordan and his wife have posted.

I think the baby just looked younger because of how tightly Mom was holding him to her chest and how sleepy he was.

[Sabur]

Well, this is over. I was not too impressed by the weight loss of the majority of the contestants. The average weight loss is quite mediocre, which is surprising, taking into account that contestants are related to sport. They must have a great will, but I didn't see that in their results - Damien's, Scott's, Woody's, Lori's particulary. Season 9 had 17 weeks too, but those results are just not compatible with this ones (apart from the finalists, Jordan, JJ and Matt).

 

 

Here goes the general end chart:

 

I didn't put into tables the intermediate weight of the contestants at home, so in my table Woody gained 4 lbs, Damien gained 3 lbs, and Scott gained 6 lbs since leaving the camp. And Matt has the largest weight lost at home since leaving the ranch (-84 lbs).

Sonya has the lowest weight and ending BMI. The heaviest contestant at the finale is Vanessa. Toma has the highest percentage of weight loss, and Zina has the lowest (not surprising). Zina also has the biggest ending BMI.

Only Sonya and Blake have ideal BMI. Jordan, Rondalee, Toma, Lori, JJ, Scott, Gina, Matt, Andrea and Rob are simply overweight. Mike, Jackie and Emmy are 1st class obese. Woody, Vanessa, Chandra, Damien and Zina are 2nd class obese.

 

 

Weight loss chart:

 

Rob lost the biggest amount of weight both at the camp and in total. Zina lost the smallest amount of weight.

The hugest number of weight loss at the camp is 38 lbs by Mike in week 1. Toma, the winner, is the only person to gain weight during the camp period (notorious week 11). The same week Scott lost nothing.

 

 

Elimination history:

Edited January 30, 2015 by Sabur

[LoneHaranguer]

 

That scale isn't the real scale used.

Which is why it was so humorous when one of the contestants threw off her shoes.

[jb0495]

If Rob is really that knock kneed, you'd think the trainers would have worked with on corrective exercises. He looked horrible in that suit!

[newyawk]

Well, this is over. I was not too impressed by the weight loss of the majority of the contestants. The average weight loss is quite mediocre, which is surprising, taking into account that contestants are related to sport. They must have a great will, but I didn't see that in their results - Damien's, Scott's, Woody's, Lori's particulary. Season 9 had 17 weeks too, but those results are just not compatible with this ones (apart from the finalists, Jordan, JJ and Matt).

 

Scott and Woody each lost at least 120 pounds, how can you possibly call that mediocre or lacking in results? And Lori lost at least 90 pounds, that's nothing to sneeze at. Scott doesn't have much more to drop at 246, if anything. 

[Sabur]

These contestants made it almost to the very end and still gained weight at home. For me it's mediocre and the sign that they will gain much weight back. Subjective opinion.

[Kromm]

My DVR *said* it was recording, but didn't.  So I have to wait for the show to come on "On Demand" tomorrow.

 

I did tune in for the last 15 minutes.  Rob was in a suit that looked at least two sizes too small for him. That was bad.  I was really happy to see Toma win, but I would have been fine with either Toma or Sonya.  Go Illinois!

As long as RageBoi didn't win... I was good.

Also I blame RageBoi for us having to put up with Dr. Death in the finale.

[Kromm]

BTW: for all the problems I've had over the years with a LOT of what this show does, one of the areas I've never minded that much is the product placement/integrated ads --the big exception being the times they actually did it for stuff who's health benefits are... questionable.

 

But I think I finally found my second trigger with these.  Usually the show isn't guilty of acting like these aren't ads.  So I REALLY hated the Kohl's shopping trip, where they made the trainers pretend it was some spontaneous decision by them to all go into a Kohl's, then act amazed at all they had that's appropriate for exercise and health.  The segment had to admit at the end that Kohl's gave it all those freebies to the contestants', not the trainers, but the whole setup for the thing was insulting in how it acted like it was some wacky trainer secret plan.  Meh, show.  Meh.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

"These contestants made it almost to the very end and still gained weight at home. For me it's mediocre and the sign that they will gain much weight back."

This ties in with one of my frustrations with the show, namely that they never mention that muscle weighs more than fat, and that once they start getting ripped, they'll see some plateaus thanks to increased muscle mass. I don't know why this never comes up. I assume it's because, once they mention that, they have to talk about what we aren't shown in terms of the exercise plan, people not drinking water for weigh-in day, etc. and so on.

Actually addressing some of this messed-up shit would make great TV and be safer for everyone, and I hoped we'd trend in that direction after Rachel's terrifying entrance last season, but at least nobody was covered in fine downy hair this year so I'll take it. In any case, it's not a surprise that, after the show, everyone's going to start lifting to get rid of those "bat wings," which is worthwhile but doesn't have the same weight-loss results as aerobics.

(NB: not a doctor, just done WW to get into bridesmaids' dresses a bunch of times and know how to game this shit ;) )

[katje]

That finale just seemed aggressively boring to me.  One thing I wish they'd return to for finales is bringing out the eliminated contestants in the order in which they were eliminated.  Was there any rhyme or reason to the order of their appearance in this finale?  Bob's outfit made me cringe.  And since he couldn't claim any credit for having trained a finalist, he felt the need to blather about when Scott and Woody were both at Comeback Canyon?  'Cause they're such big, competitive manbeasts?  WTH?  Step away from the spotlight, Bob.

 

I really thought Toma looked the best of the final three.  I felt bad that Sonya didn't have a more flattering finale dress.  Where's Tim Gunn when we need him? 

[Kromm]

This ties in with one of my frustrations with the show, namely that they never mention that muscle weighs more than fat, and that once they start getting ripped, they'll see some plateaus thanks to increased muscle mass. I don't know why this never comes up. I assume it's because, once they mention that, they have to talk about what we aren't shown in terms of the exercise plan, people not drinking water for weigh-in day, etc. and so on.

Well this is one of the key objections people have long had to the show, outside of the obvious stuff like how stressful the mega-loss routines are on the human body, and all of the production shenanigans (the biggest being that a week isn't a week, but IMPLYING it is just to fit into a TV schedule means they inherently communicate unrealistic weight loss goals to viewers).  Anyway, as far as the muscle mass thing goes, I think we could easily see in BOTH the at home AND main winners this year that the people who won both were the ones who put on less muscle--and that while we didn't have any Rachel type situations that people who were very arguably healthier than the ones who did win were just a percentage point or two behind, but lost because they were ripped comparatively to those two. I think this is exacerbated even maybe a bit more in a season full of athletes.  Soccer players like Toma are lean muscle, at most, usually, so if he WAS aiming for the kind of build he had before he had an advantage there.