S05.E05: Love Can’t Weight: Bryce and Amber

[Chip]

After meeting through an online dating site Amber, an exuberant youth group leader and healthcare worker, and Bryce, a self-employed engine builder, quickly fell in love. Their quirky personalities, willingness to be silly and love of food drew them together.

From an early age both Amber and Bryce learned to comfort themselves with food; when life was disappointing, food was always there. Bryce turned to food after his first wife surprised him with divorce papers.

Amber became a closet eater at an early age while dealing with the drama of her own parents divorce - and her bad habits still haunt her today.

Bryce worries about how his poor eating habits will affect his son, and wants to change in order to be an example for him. It is their dream to wed and celebrate their new life together, both trim and healthy! So they wrote a letter to Chris & Heidi Powell.

Their journey will be full of ups & downs - including a confrontation between Amber & her father, a bachelor party surprise NASCAR experience for Bryce, and when the couple gets caught on surveillance video breaking Chris & Heidi’s rules - how will they handle it?

It’s an exciting episode of Love Can’t Weight that ends with 2 amazing transformations!

Chris & Heidi’s “wedding dream team” includes: Celebrity Wedding Planner David Tutera, Celebrity Cake Designer Duff Goldman, and Celebrity Chef Rocco Dispirito.

[irisheyes]

The whole "they can't see each other until the wedding" rule is so stupid. I thought Heidi was going to have a heart attack when she saw the video. They were TALKING!!! You would have thought by her reaction that they had each downed a meat lover's pizza followed by a pitcher of beer and a gallon of ice cream. If the show wants to separate them, how about for three months at the beginning, then bring them back together for the three months up to the wedding, so they can learn how to navigate the changes in their life together? And, what is Bryce planning to do now that he's quit his job?

[WhineandCheez]

I hate this show.  I still watch it, but its a one hour show TOPS.  Looks like next week we are back to the old format with what appears to be a worthwhile candidate--a post-menopausal woman who is very heavy, and has an ill spouse.  That should show a REAL challenge, these younger folks, it's so much easier for them.

 

For some reason Heidi looked super pretty at the racetrack. Who gives up their business without a plan for a future job?  I am thinking that given Amber's disdain for his job ( she claimed over and over about not wanting to be proposed to "At the dirt track"--bitch, be happy you are getting any proposal at all, jeez) he might have given it up for that reason.  Anyway, he was pretty blase about everything and I don't know if that bodes well for the marriage?

Edited July 8, 2015 by WhineandCheez

[Jadzia]

This couple was pretty likable and seemed like they get along well which was nice to see. I thought it was weird how they started counting down to the wedding before the guy even proposed. What is the point of a proposal if you already know you're getting married anyway? And I am sure the proposal would have been more romantic without Chris and Heidi and a bunch of camera people there.

 

It was also refreshing to have an episode where skin surgery wasn't even mentioned. I guess a free wedding is the new carrot they dangle in front of these people.

 

I also thought the "no seeing each other for 3 months" rule was stupid. And I did not get how that jibed with their reason not to have one person stay on the ranch. They said he couldn't go because of his son, and she couldn't go because she needed to see his son too. So how was she seeing his son without seeing him? Was she visiting the son when he was with the ex-wife? That's awkward. 

 

As far as him shutting down his business, didn't they say at the end that they were going to open a gym instead? Although it is weird he wouldn't have that planned out before deciding to shut down his business.

[ari333]

Omg I loathe that P.I. skulking around spying on them. HATE.

So even at your wedding, a one day thing, you cant have regular cake? One piece? At your wedding? Really?

[Mybrainhurts]

As far as him shutting down his business, didn't they say at the end that they were going to open a gym instead? Although it is weird he wouldn't have that planned out before deciding to shut down his business.

 

Yeah, they did open a gym about 5 minutes from my home (I didn't know Bryce and Amber were locals).  It's called Symmetry OC (http://symmetryoc.com/) and it looks like they got a lot of help from ABC and Chris and Heidi, who were both mentioned a lot in the news story shown about this.

[raiderred1]

I just happened on this show and stayed watching it. I got the feeling this woman is much more in love with this man than vice versa and I don't see them lasting too long. She has major "daddy" issues, which I don't blame her, her dad was a real piece of work. How could he NOT know what he did by cheating and eventually marrying the other woman would destroy his daughter? Narcissistic much, dude?

[CaughtOnTape]

Omg I loathe that P.I. skulking around spying on them. HATE.

So even at your wedding, a one day thing, you cant have regular cake? One piece? At your wedding? Really?

 

I think the point is more that....cake can still be good without all the processed extra shit people put in it.  That's the problem in this country if you ask me, people thinking something can't be good unless it's fried, loaded with sugar and slathered with butter.  People are surprised when I tell them I eat cake, muffins and cookies and NONE of them have sugar in them.  They taste the same to me.

So yes, you can have cake at your wedding....just make it healthy.  

[Whimsy]

I thought it WAS healthy? Otherwise what was the point of Duff and his tofu frosting?

I also didn't get the "don't see each other for 3 months thing". To me, that seems more likely for them to fail. They're planning the rest of their lives together. This is usually an exciting and fun time for a couple! Registering for gifts, showers (sometimes these are jack and Jill parties), rehearsal dinners, etc. maybe I missed it- what was the point of the separation? How was that helping their weightloss?

[Litnit]

The most ironic part of the separation was the PI "caught" them at the gym together!  They're at the gym at 5:30 in the morning, working out, and that's a problem?  I also don't entirely agree with Heidi's notion that two independent people make a stronger couple.  Yes, people have to be functioning well individually, but a marriage is about making a life together, not just simultaneously.  

 

 On the other hand, I would never sell my soul to this cheesy reality show, and if people agree to do it, they should follow the rules.

[ali59]

One of Amber's reasons for going home was to continue bonding with Bryce's son.  How was she supposed to that and stay away from Bryce at the same time?