S01.E08: The Double Blind Date/S01.E09: Leaving the Nest/S01.E10: The Skinny

[OnceSane]

Episode 8:

"The Double Blind Date"

Whitney plays matchmaker for Ashley by setting up an online dating profile; Buddy has important plans for the future.

Episode 9:

"Leaving the Nest"

A giant dance class marks a significant milestone for Whitney's career. Later, Whitney and Buddy's house-hunting trip is interrupted by devastating news.

Episode 10:

"The Skinny"

Whitney answers questions from viewers in an interview with executive producer Mike Kane.

[PityFree]

In the era of HIPAA, how in the hey do her parents have her health info before she does?? She's not a minor. Even if she is on their health insurance, that's inappropriate. WTF is going on? I call shenanigans.

[deedee2]

What song did Whitney say "that's my jam!!" about?

[AZChristian]

If she has named them as authorized to have access to her medical records, then they might know without her having told them.  That's pretty common for married couples.  I have that authorization for my brother, since I'm his next of kin.

[VioletNevermind]

Good grief, this woman is absolutely exhausting.  I'll miss the weekly snarking now that this first season is over, but this is easily one of the most irritating shows starring one of the most irritating people I've seen in a long time.  Is she EVER calm or soft-spoken?  Actually, I have many questions:

 

* Why is every guy featured on this show classified as "smoking hot?"  I'm sure they're lovely men (even if they are clearly paid for their appearances), but . . . yeah.

* Why has Whitney not lost any weight between the final episode and the Q&A?  Is she actually on a weight loss plan or just pretending for the sake of the show and moaning about PCOS?  At what point does the weight loss start?

* Is this all it takes to get a reality show?  So far, all we've seen is a loud-mouthed, unemployed woman in her 30's who can't get her life together, her parents, and a handful of her friends. 

* What on earth is so fantastic about Buddy?  What the hell am I missing?

* Is it just me, or does Whitney's friend, Ashley, seem too good for her?

* Why are we still pretending that Whitney is this fantastic dancer when she's really nothing more than a glorified Zumba instructor with moves that were considered passé 10 years ago?

* Could the producer who joined Whitney in the Q&A have been more phony?  (Answer: no.)

 

She's coming back this summer.  They're trying so hard to turn this show into a thing.  Just no.  I wanted to love this show, but I just can't.  Whitney radiates selfishness, childishness, and a stubborn unwillingness to grow the hell up and act like a woman in her 30's.  I'd love to tell you that I'll refuse to watch in the summer, but I hate-watch "19 Kids and Counting," so my credibility is shot right there. 

Edited February 11, 2015 by SuzyLee

[purpleflowers]

Yeah, I thought it was strange that Whitney's parents saw her lab results before her; maybe she told them that they could beforehand, she does seem awfully close to her parents. 

 

I actually really liked these last episodes and the "Skinny" better than the rest of the season. I know people find Whitney over the top or fake, but I think she's got a great, natural sense of humor and a really endearing laugh. I also think she made some great points about inspiring other people to love themselves enough to enjoy life  no matter what they look like. And as she said, people of all sizes, not just the obese, have body image issues or other issues that make them feel less than worthy of what it is they want to do. I think it's great she wants to change that about society. 

Also, I'm definitely one of those on "#teambuddy"; I can definitely see Whitney and Buddy together. 

 

All that said, I think it was pretty weird how Whitney lied on the dating site; that's just awkward and wrong! Her friend seemed pretty embarrassed about it. 

Whitney said she wants to lose 100, or maybe 150 pounds overall. That would still put her at over 200 lbs. At 5'2" that still can't be too healthy. But I understand she wants to set a realistic goal and I know that would still be a big accomplishment. 

I hope next season they stop with all the characters planted into a scene and fake storylines. It has been glaringly obvious so far.

Edited February 11, 2015 by purpleflowers

[VioletNevermind]

Yeah, I thought it was strange that Whitney's parents saw her lab results before her; maybe she told them that they could beforehand, she does seem awfully close to her parents. 

 

I have no doubt that that scene was staged for the cameras and she already knew the results.

[purpleflowers]

What song did Whitney say "that's my jam!!" about?

Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

[deedee2]

Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

 

Thank you.

[deedee2]

For the life of me, I can't figure out the deal with Buddy. What I get from watching the show is that Whitney is in love with him (or at least, he's at the top of her husband-potential list), but Buddy has friend-zoned her and is not interested. He knows he could have her if he wants, so the fact that he doesn't go after her tells me he's not into it.

 

And yet, here's Whitney talking about Buddy on a TV show (which he can watch), saying things like "if we're meant to be, then moving in together blah blah blah ..." or "things will happen when they're supposed to happen". Does she know something we don't know? I mean, if a guy I liked showed no interest in me for years, I sure as hell wouldn't be speculating about our potential romantic future so openly! How humiliating! Unless ... they're already together, and just manipulating the storyline for the sake of the show.

[non sequitur]

And yet, here's Whitney talking about Buddy on a TV show (which he can watch), saying things like "if we're meant to be, then moving in together blah blah blah ..." or "things will happen when they're supposed to happen". Does she know something we don't know? I mean, if a guy I liked showed no interest in me for years, I sure as hell wouldn't be speculating about our potential romantic future so openly! How humiliating! Unless ... they're already together, and just manipulating the storyline for the sake of the show.

 

I think you are right and they are together, but it wasn't interesting or whimsical enough to reveal that.  Many of the plots have been Whitney going on a date with someone.

 

The porch swing was such a setup, I really hope they weren't planning for it to collapse. 

 

I like Whitney and this show, but so much of it is staged or totally fake.

[absolutelyido]

* Why has Whitney not lost any weight between the final episode and the Q&A?  Is she actually on a weight loss plan or just pretending for the sake of the show and moaning about PCOS?  At what point does the weight loss start?

She's "gonna get on it"! By the way Whitney said that in the Q&A show, it really seemed like she hasn't started yet. I think it's great to accept your body as it is up to a certain point, but If Whitney continues down the road she's on, she's going to find herself debilitatingly overweight all too soon. She said she can't fit into her friends car, so she always has to drive herself. What happens when she can't fit behind the wheel of her car so she can't go anywhere? What happens when her knees can't take all that weight anymore? And it sounds like she is well on her way to type 2 diabetes. Seriously, she's headed from her big fat fabulous life to her miserable 600 lb life.

 

* What on earth is so fantastic about Buddy?  What the hell am I missing?

 

Honestly, I think they are eating buddies. On one of last week's episodes, Buddy came over and as soon as he got in the house Whitney asked if he brought "snackies". He hadn't and she was like, "but what are we going to eat?" so they went on a hunt in the kitchen for things to snack on. I really don't think it would be a good idea for them to live together because they would just reinforce their own bad eating habits.

Edited February 11, 2015 by absolutelyido

[silversage]

I was glad to see Whitney wearing a dress with sleeves at the fake double date. She looks so much more presentable with sleeves.

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I was surprised she was that shocked about the pre-diabetes. Insulin resistance is incredibly common in PCOS patients. I am also sort of shocked that her cholesterol is ok - typically with PCOS when you see the insulin resistance ramp up, cholesterol numbers are also up.

 

I hope that on the second season of this show, it uses less set-up material. Those parts are so dull. Let's see Whitney as she struggles through weight loss, learns how to lose weight with PCOS, etc etc. Let's celebrate her accomplishments (both scale victories and non-scale victories). My only concern is that with an admitted history of disordered eating, I hope she doesn't fall back into those habits off-camera in order to get results. I know if I had TV cameras following me, I would feel incredible pressure to show a steady loss. 

[Shibori]

I assumed that since she lives at home the results came in the mail and her parents opened it. But I still call shenanigans, because she said she had most of her results and was just waiting for one test- a blood glucose or A1C at a major medical center would be available the same day as the tests or the next day at worst. Even if she had to wait for her doctor to review, there's no reason it would be the last results she'd get.

[momofsquid]

Having seen the promo approximately one billion times (you know you watch too much TLC when...), I thought it was fishy when they brought up that "still waiting for one panel" right off the top of the show. And then Whitney babbled on about how she knows it will be fine when everyone watching already knew that it wouldn't. Couldn't have seemed more scripted. I also had a problem with the parents getting her results first. I don't remember details but I vaguely recall some incident in my family where the doctor insisted on delivering results to the patient personally, not through a spouse or parent or whoever it was. 

 

I confess to being sort of happy that we're getting another season, but there had better be an honest effort to improve her lifestyle this time or I'm done. Did you see her chowing down on that pizza with Buddy? She needs Dr Now to tell her, "Pizza is not part of your diet when you weigh 400 pound."

Edited February 11, 2015 by momofsquid

[CarolMK]

I honestly can't figure out if Whitney and Buddy are already together (possibly one reason she moved back home, in addition to doing the show) or if they brought him in to do the show as Whitney's friend, meaning somebody that she knew in the past but wasn't in touch with for quite awhile. That's another thing..wasn't she living overseas for quite a

while? If so, when did all of these best friends come out of the woodwork?

[bumblebee]

Agree with what everyone else has said above, Buddy seems to be a bad influence on her life. I think that if Whitney started losing weight her and Buddy would not be a great match anymore it seems their greatest common interest is eating junk food. 

 

I know for myself, or anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight when it clicks into your head that this has to be done you don't half do it. Whitney gives me the impression that she is not mentally ready or dedicated for this journey yet. She hasn't reached that moment of self admission that this weight is not good for her and that she needs to make substantial changes, like kicking pizza to the curb for the foreseeable future. I'm all for body positivity and curves but when your body is impairing your ability to live a fulfilling life it is time to make some changes. Also the diabetes - that is some scary stuff - for all we know she could be lying that her cholesterol/ BP is a-ok to pass off the whole "I can be obese and healthy" thing. I guess it's not impossible but she has been shown eating a lot of junk throughout the season.

 

She seems to use humour as a defense mechanism, and in those moments she comes of as fake to me, like laughing about the fact that you can't drive in your friends car. I really like her, she seems like a good person but I just don't think that she has had her "aha" moment yet. 

[Shibori]

I agree that they really need to find a plot to carry this through twelve more episodes.  Just watching her day-to-day isn't interesting at all, and my YMCA's Zumba instructor has more of a "dance career" than she does.

[Taylorh2]

I want to know why Babs is the only one who has that accent ?

[John M]

She's "gonna get on it"! By the way Whitney said that in the Q&A show, it really seemed like she hasn't started yet.

 

Get on what exactly? Stop eating trash and drinking so much alcohol, she is not only not losing weight but actively gaining it at quite a quick pace.

[PityFree]

I have been noticing that her friend, Ashley, has very thin hair. I wonder if she has PCOS, too.

I'm not sure if Whitney living at home is going to help her weight loss. She seems to have issues about food that are linked to her parents. The best thing she can do is get her own apartment ( I mean alone) and learn to cook for herself.

Edited February 11, 2015 by PityFree

[Linnee]

 

...saying things like "if we're meant to be, then moving in together blah blah blah ..." or "things will happen when they're supposed to happen". Does she know something we don't know?

 

Of course she does. She's already read the script.

[Shibori]

You guys, I started to watch the interview episode, and after two minutes I just couldn't take it and turned it off. She's insufferable. This is all just feeding into her special snowflake mentality. I've found her talking heads difficult to watch, and I just can't deal with a whole half hour. I'm not interested in watching 12 more episodes of a spoiled brat's (not at all) fabulous life. If they can't find a plot before season two, I'm out.

[ShaNaeNae]

I was shocked, SHOCKED at her parents with regards to her possible diabetes. Yeah, I totally thought of them knowing before her was odd, but I could not believe the way they coddled her about it.  And told her because of that, it's best she doesn't move out. She's 30!  Babs and Glenn, she's going to stay fat, jobless and under your roof if things continue the same way. And I know she's not far from it, but she's not diabetic yet. She could possibly get a disease if she keeps gaining and not eating right, but it's not like she's been told she's got cancer or MS (not knocking the severity about any of those or comparing, it's not about that, it's about how well she can take care of herself while not under her parents watchful eye). She needs to be more independent to make her own healthy food choices. 

 

Other than that, I don't like her, but don't not like her. I do still like Babs.

Having seen the promo approximately one billion times (you know you watch too much TLC when...), 

 

 

Yes! You and me both, haha. I watch it about 90% of the time. And these commercials they show during each break. By the time a show comes on, you are sick to death of it.

[BitchOnWheels]

Although Whitney may be annoying and loud, I like her.  I also think her parents are hilarious.

[Cherrio]

I watched the show once, after deciding I wasn't going to.  I should of stuck to my original decision.

      She is obnoxious, spoiled and not likeable imo. More important, she is NOT a poster child or advocate for accepting your body or being "happy" at any weight. She is the poster child for many diseases that will eventually cause death.  She is not a role model and hopefully will not influence any young people who are currently struggling with their weight.

  bumblebee said something really important.  It hasn't clicked yet for her. I know that click. Its a click that happens when you have decided to honestly try and lose weight with a healthy permanent lifestyle change. It takes hard work, being 100% honest with yourself and saying no to bad food choices.

[JoJo NY]

That double blind date was hella staged, like pretty much everything else on this show. The guys seemed nice enough, though.

Buddy is keeping her in the friend zone -- surely they aren't good enough actors to hide a real relationship?

I strangely enjoy Babs.

I do like Whitney, despite her dramatics. I sincerely hope she realizes she has to get healthy. She's too young and vibrant to get into Gilbert Grape territory.

[CentralTexas]

It saddens me that her aging parents will be caring for her, not the other way around. Unless she gets her shit together, she will be bed bound in a couple of years, you can't gravely abuse your body for decades and not have consequences, no amount of good genes can repair such damage.

She may think it's cute to need her mom to shave her legs now, but will she think it's cute when her parents are having to turn her over several times a day to avoid bed sores? Will it be cute when the have to clean her bed pan?

I don't think Whitney takes her weight issue very seriously, and may not until its too late.

As much as I think it's great that her friends and family are supportive, they also enable her 100%.

Her parents won't be physically able to help her the older they get, and Buddy and Ashley as good as they are to her, can't be expected to stop living to take care of Whitney.

Funny, I sit here and ponder all of this, I wonder if she ever stops giggling and acting 12 long enough to take a look at her reality?

[Shibori]

But CentralTexas, her life is Fabulous! You're probably just jelly. I mean all the young jets etters today have their moms shave their legs and have "careers" teaching low-rent Zumba knockoffs! And the new issue of Vogue has a cover story about chub rub! And with 50 Shades premiering this week, she's right on point with the fetish trend!

(Ok, I just barfed a little picturing a 50 Shades sequel featuring Whitney's shrill cackling and middle aged creepers with squashing fetishes. I don't think that book will sell as well.)

[CentralTexas]

But CentralTexas, her life is Fabulous! You're probably just jelly. I mean all the young jets etters today have their moms shave their legs and have "careers" teaching low-rent Zumba knockoffs! And the new issue of Vogue has a cover story about chub rub! And with 50 Shades premiering this week, she's right on point with the fetish trend!

(Ok, I just barfed a little picturing a 50 Shades sequel featuring Whitney's shrill cackling and middle aged creepers with squashing fetishes. I don't think that book will sell as well.)

Ha ha ha!! You're right I'm such a hater!

You killed me with the cover story on Chub Rub...and when I first heard that term, I thought it was in reference to a guy "rubbing one off" man, I learn so much from Teevee! ;)

[notyrmomma]

I do like Whitney, despite her dramatics. I sincerely hope she realizes she has to get healthy. She's too young and vibrant to get into Gilbert Grape territory.

 

It saddens me that her aging parents will be caring for her, not the other way around. Unless she gets her shit together, she will be bed bound in a couple of years, you can't gravely abuse your body for decades and not have consequences, no amount of good genes can repair such damage.

She may think it's cute to need her mom to shave her legs now, but will she think it's cute when her parents are having to turn her over several times a day to avoid bed sores? Will it be cute when the have to clean her bed pan?

I don't think Whitney takes her weight issue very seriously, and may not until its too late.

As much as I think it's great that her friends and family are supportive, they also enable her 100%.

Her parents won't be physically able to help her the older they get, and Buddy and Ashley as good as they are to her, can't be expected to stop living to take care of Whitney.

Funny, I sit here and ponder all of this, I wonder if she ever stops giggling and acting 12 long enough to take a look at her reality?

She needs to suck it up and get the surgery done.  I have been in Whitney's place (my highest weight was 318).  She will spend the next 10 years losing and gaining the same 50 pounds and wake up one day when she's 40 and wonder why she didn't get the surgery done when she was young.  Bariatric surgery is an extreme measure, but she doesn't realize the irreparable damage she is doing to her body right now, which has a better chance of being reversed if she nips it now.

 

Has anyone checked out her facebook page?  All of the comments (and I mean ALL OF THEM) are positive.  Now I am all into not shaming people for their weight (first of all, it hurts more than helps), but how do you manage to get no one to challenge  you on your views?????

[Shibori]

I'm guessing someone's deleting and blocking anything negative posted. Her board isn't ready for all that jelly.

[Snarklepuss]

Add me to the list of people who already figured out that Whitney and Buddy are probably already a "couple" but it wasn't drama-worthy enough for TLC, who wanted to show her going out on dates and searching for and eventually discovering her true love.  Also, I don't buy that she's really living at home.  I think she and Buddy might already be living together, but the show had plans of making theirs look like a long time in coming romance to hook the audience in on seeing it happen.  Kind of like the way they dragged out Niles and Daphne on "Frasier".

 

Everything on this show has been scripted, contrived and/or dramatized, down to her father seeing her test results first and her surprise at the results.  With PCOS she has to already know she is at risk for elevated sugar.  In her "interview" segment she revealed herself to be a relatively intelligent woman - More intelligent and self aware than the show would have us believe.  She is still insufferably annoying but not quite as annoying in the interview as on the show itself.  Probably because that's the most genuine we're going to get to see her since the show is so scripted.

[Morgalisa]

In the Q&A, Whitney looked as if she had gained quite a bit of weight.  I didn't watch all of it, but it sure seemed that way.  I wish they would have revealed her weight at the beginning and the end, because maybe it would be a wake-up call for her if she heard it.  

[DanaMB]

I'm watching The Skinny right now.  She is so loud. Ugh.

 

But, I think I still like her.

[grayson]

Happy that this show will continue for a second season. Whitney is sometimes playful and goofy on camera because she (and her parents) understand the  show must include an entertaining element, but her blogs and interviews indicate she is a thoughtful individual who has given serious consideration to the challenges of obesity.