S02.E11: A Muse in the Nude/S02.E12: Not Your Mama's Cat Show

[OnceSane]

11.

Whitney models for Lennie in the nude. Meanwhile, Whitney designs a logo for the No Body Shame campaign; and considers pitching a bold idea to the Grasshoppers.

12.

Whitney and Babs take a road trip to enter Henchi in a cat show, but the pet's chance of winning could be jeopardized by Whitney's sleep apnea. Meanwhile, the Big Girl Dance Class is invited to perform at a big event.

[PityFree]

OK. I realize that art is subjective, but that looked like a child's awful paint by number cartoon painting. Does he actually make any money painting? Painting houses maybe? Because art doesn't seem to be his thing. Also, all that waxing so he could see her knee and shoulder? 

[princelina]

Well maybe he saw her armpits too :)  I have several questions:

 

1.  Is she too fat to shave her armpits or just too lazy?

 

2.  Does that guy billed as "Whitney's dance partner" have a job (other than this show)?  Does he get paid for helping to choreograph the big girls' dance class?

 

3.  What is the end game of the No BS "campaign"?  Is this a way to make money?  She is spending money next week to make a video.  Do videos that "go viral" make money, or just give the participants opportunities to have reality shows on crappy cable stations?

 

Seriously.

[jojomano]

I have to admit the cat show and Babs just cracked me up! Babs can be pretty funny

[Ketzel]

How desperate for publicity does someone have to be to have their pubic mound waxed on television?

[leighroda]

While I think the no body shame campaign is a good thing, did Whitney really thing the baseball team was just going to slap it on their shirts? I just don't understand why she is trying so hard to mesh her campaign with this baseball team, I mean I get it obviously for exposure, but I feel like the dance studio would be a much more fitting starting point than a random baseball team. That was nice of them to feature her friends and family with their shirts, and I think that is good exposure, I just don't really see them putting it on their shirts unless she was actually sponsoring the team.

[Snarklepuss]

OK. I realize that art is subjective, but that looked like a child's awful paint by number cartoon painting. Does he actually make any money painting? Painting houses maybe? Because art doesn't seem to be his thing. Also, all that waxing so he could see her knee and shoulder? 

 

I've been suspecting that this guy was hired to play Whitney's "love interest" and this only makes me more suspicious. What a freaking joke!  And he has a "studio"?  When I saw that "painting" I felt like I had been pranked.  What is this, "The Carbonaro Effect"?

[goldensglitter]

This show is insane.  Bikini wax and armpit wax on television?  Seriously, this is just gross. Who really is too lazy to shave their pits, that is totally the easiest body part to shave.  

 

Babs can have her own show as the star, Whitney can make an appearance here and there.  Babs is hysterical.

[Scorpiosunshine]

Damn, Babs looked freaking HOT in that "wet shirt" picture they showed; Glenn had his own muse, indeed! Yowza! 

[preciousperfect]

I've been suspecting that this guy was hired to play Whitney's "love interest" and this only makes me more suspicious. What a freaking joke!  And he has a "studio"?  When I saw that "painting" I felt like I had been pranked.  What is this, "The Carbonaro Effect"?

Yes! Sorry but I said that since the guy first appeared on the screen. He's an actor.

[Barb23]

I can't get over how Whitney dressed for her meeting with the baseball people. I guess when she talks about No Body Shame, she doesn't care how she comes across to others. That hot pink tank top couldn't have been any tighter. I realize she loves her spandex but a nicer shirt WITH SLEEVES would have looked more professional. Why does she insist on wearing (sleeveless) shirts with everything spilling out & shaking around? Even the sleeveless shirt she wore when they were driving to the cat show would have been better. As I've commented before, don't these people own a mirror?

I agree she'd be better off finding a partner with the dance studio than a minor league baseball team. Go Team Babs !!

[ClareWalks]

I could not have rolled my eyes any harder at how appalled she was that the cat show judges are JUDGING HER CAT'S BODY, OMG. What the fuck did she THINK a cat show was for? It's not like they have an interview or a talent portion, or have the cat take the SATs. It's judging the cat based on physical appearance/construction and, perhaps a bit for temperament.

[greekmom]

I can understand how Babs is truly appalled at what Whitney is wearing.  She is overweight but she dresses like a slob (sorry).  Look at actresses like Melissa McCarthy, Reba Wilson and Brooke Elliott.  They dress for their size.
I laughed my ass off at the snoring because it's due to the fact that she is overweight. She really needs to a) see a sleep doctor STAT and b) lose that darn weight.  Reason I laughed is because I had the same issue when I was overweight and then it was gone when I lost the weight.

[Ketzel]

Oops, wrong forum. Sorry.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Ketzel

[ClareWalks]

I laughed my ass off at the snoring because it's due to the fact that she is overweight. She really needs to a) see a sleep doctor STAT and b) lose that darn weight.  Reason I laughed is because I had the same issue when I was overweight and then it was gone when I lost the weight.

 

Yep, she is saying "I wonder if it has a simple solution" and I'm yelling at the screen "NECK FAT! That's the problem! Lose the neck fat, is the solution!"

[John M]

I agree she'd be better off finding a partner with the dance studio than a minor league baseball team. Go Team Babs !!

 

I don't follow why the baseball team would have any interest in partnering with a no body shame campaign, where is the synergy? All they would be doing is something to help Whitney.

[ClareWalks]

I don't follow why the baseball team would have any interest in partnering with a no body shame campaign, where is the synergy? All they would be doing is something to help Whitney.

 

Nailed it. That meeting made me cringe, because it was so entitled and self-serving. She could have at least come up with an idea to make it relevant, like having players on the team participate in a viral video that would get the team more publicity, or for cross-promoting the Grasshoppers in some other way. Instead it was like "put my campaign on your shirts, and I will...benefit without reciprocation!"

[Alapaki]

Someone needs to explain to Whitney the difference between "no shame" and "shameless."

 

And someone needs to buy that hipster doofus a few art classes, because he sucks.

[princelina]

Yep, she is saying "I wonder if it has a simple solution" and I'm yelling at the screen "NECK FAT! That's the problem! Lose the neck fat, is the solution!"

 

And earlier in the ep she was telling Babs "Fat people snore and have sleep apnea problems."  Hello - question answered!  (Unlike my posted questions above :)

[leighroda]

Well maybe he saw her armpits too :) I have several questions:

1. Is she too fat to shave her armpits or just too lazy?

2. Does that guy billed as "Whitney's dance partner" have a job (other than this show)? Does he get paid for helping to choreograph the big girls' dance class?

3. What is the end game of the No BS "campaign"? Is this a way to make money? She is spending money next week to make a video. Do videos that "go viral" make money, or just give the participants opportunities to have reality shows on crappy cable stations?

Seriously.

I think we can't answer your questions because they would require Whitney to use logic she is not capable of ;). But I'll try...lol.

1) they showed last season that her mom has to shave her legs because she just can't reach, I don't see why it would be an issue to shave under her arms other than sheer laziness. I would say it might be an issue that her shower is too small and makes it hard to move around in order to shave, but by that same token she wouldn't be able to clean under her arms... So I hope that's not the case.

2) I do not know his specific agreement, but I would assume he has another job because I doubt being a part time guest on a reality show probably doesn't pay that much. I'm not sure if he is just her asst in teaching the class or if he works for the studio and teaches other classes, but that wouldn't pay much either.

3)she says her purpose for the no bs campaign is to raise awareness, but to me it seems like she is trying to set it up as a business and profit from it. Her original viral video was on YouTube, and as far as I know nobody gets paid for those, but I think like you said it's more about the exposure and opportunities it leads to, for example this very show.

Sorry I don't have better answers, I didn't want you to think everyone ignored your questions, they are totally valid, I just don't think we really know.

[Shibori]

If you have ads enabled on your YouTube, you can get some revenue, but none of her videos have more than a few million views, and they don't appear to have been posted by her. So though she may have made something, its not a sustainable income- esp because some of those videos are more than a year old.

If you watch one of the original fat girl dancing videos- (Talk Dirty to Me), she hardly covers any of the floor- it's mostly dancing in place, with a few steps to the side towards the end. She's standing the whole time- there are no levels in her dancing. It's really just standing and posing. And she lays down on the floor gasping at the end. Fabulous!

I find it hard to believe that logistically she can't shave her pits. And we know she knows what waxing is (what is seen can never be unseen) so there are alternatives.

[deedee2]

I don't follow why the baseball team would have any interest in partnering with a no body shame campaign, where is the synergy? All they would be doing is something to help Whitney.

That's why they (rightly) kept asking, "so ... what's in it for us?".

[John M]

That's why they (rightly) kept asking, "so ... what's in it for us?".

 

Yeah, I actually just watched the episode late last night, I was going to give up on this series but I got sucked back in reading the comments here. The outfit that she wore was incredibly inappropriate, I can't believe she dresses like that at all much less for a "business" meeting. Also they way she refers to her boss in kind of a condescending way drives me nuts, of course she acts like professional, she is a professional and all said the organization does seem pretty laid back, her boss is not in a pantsuit and there are freaking dogs running around the office.

 

I'm just amazed at how Whitney seems to genuinely treat all of this, I know the job is for TV but she seems genuinely sincere about treating it like an unpaid middle school internship and not actual job with real responsibilities that she is being paid for, she acts like an entitled B and like she is owed something for doing her work besides a paycheck.

[Dirtybubble]

I've been suspecting that this guy was hired to play Whitney's "love interest" and this only makes me more suspicious. What a freaking joke!  And he has a "studio"?  When I saw that "painting" I felt like I had been pranked

 

 

So this guy graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in Art and this is what he produces??  I would have been hella pissed if I sat there posing for X amount of hours and this is what he gave me!  Jackass....

 

IDK these 2 episodes just pissed me off.  I normally like/tolerate Whitney but her behavior at the cat show just angered me to no end.  Between the snoring, her sassiness to her mom at the show, and then her getting upset with the idea that the judges are judging the cats are their body is just friggin stupid!  WTF did she think was going to happen?  Cats take an IQ test?  They are CATS stupid--it's not body shaming it's breeding specifications.

[princelina]

Sorry I don't have better answers, I didn't want you to think everyone ignored your questions, they are totally valid, I just don't think we really know.

 

Thanks!  I was really just kind of being snotty for my own amusement :) --  although question 3 is the actual one I am curious about, so thanks to everyone for the youtube info.  "Raising awareness" has become a pet peeve of mine.  And I hope she is saving some of the $$ she is getting for this show because this won't last forever and I agree with all of you that she is neither a good dancer nor a good employee!

[Snarklepuss]

1.  Is she too fat to shave her armpits or just too lazy?

 

Actually, I think she is too fat.  I've seen this before - With the fat bulges under the arms and on the body next to the arms getting in the way the surface isn't flat enough and the only way to make it flat enough to get a razor into every fold is for her to be lying down and stretching herself out so much that she wouldn't be able to reach it.

 

Not to be graphic or anything, but I also wonder how she manages on the toilet.  Her arms aren't THAT long and there's an awful lot of flesh to navigate around.

 

Same issue with leg shaving - There's a lot of flesh for her arms to have to reach around and even if she could, twisting herself into the necessary positions would be quite difficult and exhausting after a while, I would think.  I'm only around 200 lbs. but at 5'2", a stomach, and with shorter than average shoulders and arms for my height, I can just barely clip my own toenails with a lot of creative maneuvering.  These are things most people don't discuss.....

Edited October 16, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[Ketzel]

While I think the no body shame campaign is a good thing, did Whitney really thing the baseball team was just going to slap it on their shirts? I just don't understand why she is trying so hard to mesh her campaign with this baseball team, I mean I get it obviously for exposure, but I feel like the dance studio would be a much more fitting starting point than a random baseball team. That was nice of them to feature her friends and family with their shirts, and I think that is good exposure, I just don't really see them putting it on their shirts unless she was actually sponsoring the team.

I think the issue is that all of these people are terrible at pretending this is "reality." (I can't dignify these shows with the word "acting.") Obviously the team agreed to create a "job" for Whitney in exchange for the publicity, and the storyline about the t shirts was part of the deal. The scene in the office where Whitney pitched her organization to her bosses -- try to imagine that happening in the real world:

Intern/Newest Low Level Employee Who Has Worked There For Less Than a Month:

Hi, boss, and my boss's boss! Thanks for having this meeting with me at my request!

Bosses: Yes, we know you requested a meeting, but we wanted to see you anyway. It's about your appearance and your performance to date.

Intern: Okay, well thanks for meeting with me, I want to talk to you about my awesome new charity and educational campaign because I have some ideas about how you can help me!

Bosses: First, we'd like to go over some of our expectations for your work here.

Intern: Well, but can I just tell you about my awesome idea? I want you to put my campaign's name, which is also its slogan, on the back of all the t-shirts you guys sell.

Bosses: What are you talking about? We need to come to an understanding of your responsibilities here, first and foremost.

Intern: Sure, let me tell you what my campaign is about. It all started when I went viral on the internet with a video of me! And I thought my life could inspire so many others in my situation and so I started this campaign to get more publicity for me! It's called "Be More Like Intern!" And the slogan is a smiley face, which I'm pretty sure isn't copyrighted by anyone else because I drew it myself!

Bosses: You want us to put your name and slogan on the backs of all the t-shirts we sell? Why would we even consider doing that?

Intern: Ummm, well, ummm, gee. You guys ask hard questions ha-ha! Because I am awesome and people will have better lives if they are awesome like me and doesn't this company want to promote healthy self-esteem?

Bosses look silently at each other.

Boss 1: No, we're not going to talk about t-shirts and we are not going to involve the goodwill of our company with your efforts at self-promotion. Frankly, this is an incredibly inappropriate request from someone in your position. You have been here for less than a month and you show no signs of understanding this organization, your job and its responsibilities at all. In the future, you will please be on time, appropriately dressed for the events you attend and responsive to the direction your manager gives you for handling your assigned tasks. If you can't conform your behavior to those expectations, we will have to reconsider your employment with this company. I hope you understand what I am saying?

Intern: Well, if you won't do t-shirts, maybe a couple of banners in the lobby or something?

Bosses: This meeting is over.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Ketzel

[Alapaki]

3. What is the end game of the No BS "campaign"? Is this a way to make money? She is spending money next week to make a video. Do videos that "go viral" make money, or just give the participants opportunities to have reality shows on crappy cable stations?

 

 

I have two theories, which are not mutually exclusive (disclaimer: I feel like the more I see of Whitney the less I like her, so I'm not feeling particularly generous):

 

1)  A lot of Reality TV actors have dreams of being the next Bethany Frankel and parlaying their Reality TV work into a blockbuster career.  Maybe Whitney thinks this is her angle; and/or

 

2)  Frankly, Whitney's life and "story" are really only worth a single segment on another show dealing with weight issues generally, or at most, a single one-hour special.  She's not interesting enough to carry an entire series.  Let's face it.  Once you get past the "fat girl dancing" videos, Whitney's basically just another grown-up loser who's still living with their parents.  And so we get shit like penguin 5Ks and moving on a whim and getting a job.

 

And, I have some thoughts about the merits of her "No Body Shaming" "campaign".  In a word, I think it's bullshit.  Even if she genuinely feels strongly about it, she's the wrong messenger.

 

First, (and I say this as someone who seriously needs to lose about 90 lbs), in an ironic way, I think that when someone gets as big as Whitney in some ways there's less pressure and more freedom.  No amount of dark colors or avoiding vertical lines is going to make Whitney look thin.  And there's a point at which someone in that position can gain the freedom to say "fuck it, I might as well wear a two-piece".  I would contrast Whitney with someone like Mellissa McCarthy, who I'm sure has suffered career-wise because of her size but is someone who could plausibly "get thin" but refuses to play that game and so can more credibly convey the message to young girls that they shouldn't bother trying to do that.

 

Secondly, Whitney really doesn't embrace either her body or her size.  If she did, she wouldn't keep harping on the PCOS the way she does.  The (very close to the surface) sub-text to everything she says is "I'm not really fat, I have PCOS", with the unspoken conclusion that young girls would hear of "now, what's your excuse?"

 

Finally, I'm sorry, but if you consider "You need a business plan" to be some sort of super insider "advice" from the Baseball Team guy, YOU'RE PRETTY FUCKING FAR FROM READY TO HAVE A BUSINESS!!!!!  Frankly, I don't think that guy thought he was "giving her advice", I think he thought he was making just that point to her.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Alapaki

[JocelynCavanaugh]

Babs was 100% right: Henchi did indeed look like a "dreamboat" with that lion clip.

[leighroda]

I'm on my phone so it's hard to quote the small part of what I'm replying to, but alapaki, what you said about her actually having more freedom due to her size is true, I had never thought about it that way. i mean it's not absolute freedom because there are clothes that just aren't necessarily an option, so she is limited in some ways, but the fact that she loves spandex so much is an example of that. I'm not thin, but I'm not huge either I wear 10/12 in pants, but I would never feel comfortable wearing leggings as pants without my shirt going below my butt, but she is comfortable and seems to even prefer it.

[Snarklepuss]

As far as Whitney and the Spandex goes, I think there are 3 aspects to that - First is that it is really difficult to find anything that will fit and be comfortable when you are her size and proportions, second is that she has given up on finding anything other than spandex that will fit and be comfortable because it is so hard to find anything else,  and third is that due to the comfort/fit issues she faces appearance is her last concern.  I think she sees black spandex as looking better than the alternatives, which is why I think she put on the flesh toned spandex - To drive the point home that even lighter colored spandex is going to look horrible on her.

 

With my own edema issues I pretty much have to wear pants with lots of stretch in them or else have a lot of difficulty being flexible.  Thank goodness they make jeans and other pants/leggings in tons of very comfortable, stretchy fabrics these days or else I'd be wearing black spandex leggings all the time myself.  I think Whitney needs someone to help her find these things in her size because recently they have come out with stuff I think she can wear.  The amazing stretch fabrics these days are awesome.  If anyone needed Stacy and Clinton's help, it's her.  Now THAT would be a show I'd want to watch!

[notyrmomma]

She is still posting pictures of that terrible "painting" on Facebook (8 hours ago as of me writing this) and all she gets are positive comments.  How is that even possible?  It must be a full-time job deleting negative comments.  Lennie even posted to say that the lighting she used to take a picture of the "painting" was not flattering.  Oh, I think there's more going on than bad lighting.  I get that all artists have their own style, but what is his, 6th grade art student??? I think these FB pages all have to be part of the show.

 

I tried to stop watching this show, but these comments here have made me go back and watch....I have to leave the room for some parts because they make me really uncomfortable.  She keeps putting herself in these situations where it proves the point of why people discriminate against the obese...and this gets worse and worse each week.  The shaving situation made me really uncomfortable and had to have been completely done for the show.  As a former 300+ pounder, shaving my underarms was way easier when I was big.  When you are really big, you have more of a flat surface to shave, when you are skinny, you have an actual pit where if your razor isn't flexible, you can miss spots.

 

Also, even when I weighed 318, I still managed to dress professionally for work.  I have never owned spandex (Ok, now some of my workout pants are blended spandex).

 

I guess its an overall disappointment that I have with her movement and the fat acceptance movement in general.  I have definitely felt discrimination, especially at work.  I think all people should be judged on their character and not their appearance.  But all she's doing is perpetuating stereotypes and pushing her fat into people's faces. I would be way more impressed with her movement it she showed herself in a productive 40 hour+ a week job while she managed to dress professionally and take responsibilities seriously.....and showed that she wasn't a lazy slob and cleaned up after herself!  

[leighroda]

Ugh I saw that on Facebook. I don't generally sit and just watch tv I'm usually multitasking so I had glanced at the painting and thought it was bad but I didn't realize how truly bad until I saw it posted on Facebook.

I tried not to be too judgy because just because it's not my artistic cup of tea, doesn't mean it's not someone else's, but it's really bad. As far as her being nude I kinda feel like she either needed to go all the way or not at all... Because that sheet makes her look like jar jar binx. I want to be clear that I'm saying the painting looks like that... Not her. I kinda wonder how much training Lenni actually has because to me some details that are harder that would kinda show that he has experience he took the easy way out like her hand just being a point with some lines drawn for fingers, or the knee just being a swirl.

[ClareWalks]

I am by no means an artist, so my opinion is not informed. But when I first saw the painting on the show, I thought it was alright...it was more of a cartoon style but I thought in that brief glance that it was cute and well-executed. 

 

Then I went to her Facebook page and saw it again. Close up, it is crap. Her skin is several different colors, which I couldn't tell on the show. The eyes have no pupils which is hella creepy. Nothing about it required her to actually be posing, let alone naked under a sheet. He could have taken a picture of her and drawn a cartoon from that. 

[John M]

She is still posting pictures of that terrible "painting" on Facebook (8 hours ago as of me writing this) and all she gets are positive comments.  How is that even possible?  It must be a full-time job deleting negative comments.  Lennie even posted to say that the lighting she used to take a picture of the "painting" was not flattering.  Oh, I think there's more going on than bad lighting.  I get that all artists have their own style, but what is his, 6th grade art student??? I think these FB pages all have to be part of the show.

 

No, I hope I am not straying too far from the topic but there is an insidious "fat acceptance" movement on the internet that will go out of their way to praise anyone doing anything that they think portrays being morbidly obese in a positive light. 

[Dirtybubble]

No, I hope I am not straying too far from the topic but there is an insidious "fat acceptance" movement on the internet that will go out of their way to praise anyone doing anything that they think portrays being morbidly obese in a positive light.

 

 

I was just thinking that!  The need to show that you are P.C. and pro body image tends to swing soooo friggin far in the opposite direction that you will over praise the dumbest shit--like that FUG painting.  If she was 100lbs, super thin, that painting would still be terrible.  IMHO I believe it is getting praise simply because Whitney is a plus size gal who posed "nude" aka under a bed sheet for this.  Enh I agree with a previous poster, she didn't even need to pose for this.  It was so lacking in detail it could have been done from memory or a photo.  I believe it was all for camera show.

[AnJen]

Well maybe he saw her armpits too :)  I have several questions:

 

1.  Is she too fat to shave her armpits or just too lazy?

 

2.  Does that guy billed as "Whitney's dance partner" have a job (other than this show)?  Does he get paid for helping to choreograph the big girls' dance class?

 

3.  What is the end game of the No BS "campaign"?  Is this a way to make money?  She is spending money next week to make a video.  Do videos that "go viral" make money, or just give the participants opportunities to have reality shows on crappy cable stations?

 

Seriously.

 

1. Most likely too lazy. The fat actually makes shaving your pits easier...a thin person would have pits with angles and crevices. PCOS can make the pit area be dark or discolored, so if it were someone else I would just assume she figures "why bother" and doesn't shave, but there's no way she's wearing all of those tank tops without shaving semi-regularly.

 

2. I actually was watching a few episodes back and noticed something - Whitney's dance partner (for the life of me can't remember his name) actually does quite a bit more of the teaching of the Big Girl Dance Class than Whitney does, it the show's footage is anything to go by. I was surprised at first, because they've never even mentioned a co-teacher. But in the episode where she announces that they'll be performing at a baseball game, I noticed that she does parts of the dance with the group, but for a large part of the time kind of hangs off to the sides yelling out steps, while her dance partner is the one actually leading the dance class.

 

In the same episode, I noticed that when she does actually join in the leading of the class, she's extremely out of breath afterwards; she was honestly breathing so hard while announcing the baseball game thing that I worried she would puke. Even at 380lbs, your body gets used to repetitive movement; it's why experienced runners can just...run for so long without it being the effort it is for new runners, or why weight lifters have to keep moving up weights. Bodies become more efficient at movements they regularly make. The fact that she was that out of breath after doing just part of the dance with the class leads me to believe that she's not as much of an active participant as she'd have us believe. I don't know whether that's always been the case (I do know her original viral video was several videos spliced together, rather than one continuous dance, and that she collapsed to the ground afterward), or whether she's cut back on dancing more recently, but it seemed that she was not at all used to the exertion of dancing.

 

So judging from that, her friend/dance partner is nuts if he isn't getting paid at least an equal amount as Whitney for teaching. 

 

3. I think the end game of the No BS campaign is the same end game for the show...I think Whitney just really wants to be famous and/or have attention. There's really no other reason for her to even do the show...either she's absolutely desperate for the money, or she's absolutely desperate for the attention. Given her personality and the fact that she has doting parents who seem at least moderately well-off and who she seems comfortable relying on, I assume it's the attention aspect rather than money, although the money probably doesn't hurt.

[deedee2]

although the money probably doesn't hurt.

I know the topic of how much TLC reality stars make has been discussed before, but ... do we actually know what the pay is for these guys?

[Alapaki]

I actually was watching a few episodes back and noticed something - Whitney's dance partner (for the life of me can't remember his name) actually does quite a bit more of the teaching of the Big Girl Dance Class than Whitney does, it the show's footage is anything to go by. I was surprised at first, because they've never even mentioned a co-teacher. But in the episode where she announces that they'll be performing at a baseball game, I noticed that she does parts of the dance with the group, but for a large part of the time kind of hangs off to the sides yelling out steps, while her dance partner is the one actually leading the dance class.

 

 

Is there any independent confirmation that Whitney is actually associated with that dance studio in the role of instructor?  Because it wouldn't surprise me if the whole Big Girl Dance thing was just one more thing created solely for the show.  I was thinking this after someone mentioned upthread that if you take notice, Whitney doesn't really actually move her feet that much when she dances.  

 

And then last week she said the studio had never had the Big Girl Dance team in their Showcase.  From my experience, every dance class at the studio would be invited every year to perform in a showcase.  That suggests this team/class didn't exist prior to this show starting taping.

[leighroda]

To me it almost seems like the big girl dance class is a separate entity, like they rent a room at the studio for the class, but the studio does not offer that class. That's complete speculation, I have no idea if that is the case, the only reason I suspect that is because the studio owner came and extended an invitation, and if the class were a class offered by the studio I would think it would be a given that they would be in the show. Obviously another, probably most likely scenario is that the invitation was simply staged b production to introduce the concept of the show.

[princelina]

To me it almost seems like the big girl dance class is a separate entity, like they rent a room at the studio for the class, but the studio does not offer that class. That's complete speculation, I have no idea if that is the case, the only reason I suspect that is because the studio owner came and extended an invitation, and if the class were a class offered by the studio I would think it would be a given that they would be in the show. Obviously another, probably most likely scenario is that the invitation was simply staged b production to introduce the concept of the show.

That's what I thought too.  I used to take aerobics classes and teach yoga in a dance studio where we rented the space in the morning for adults.  We weren't part of the studio's actual program.

[leighroda]

Yeah the more I think about it, it makes sense, when they pitched the show the decided that dance would be her "thing", because if I remember correctly she didn't start teaching the dance class until the show came along, so they had to find somewhere for her to teach those classes I doubt the studio hired her.

[leighroda]

Maybe I'm being nit picky, but it kinda annoys me that Whitney performs with her class front and center... It's like one of her motives for teaching the class is giving herself an opportunity to perform. I grew up taking dance and when we had a show the teachers were usually featured in thei own dance, but never with a class (except the little kid classes sometimes they would) but even then the teacher would be off to the side not front and center. I don't know why it annoys me, but it's kinda just like she's had her chance to perform, let the students shine.

[VioletNevermind]

I finally got a chance to watch this episode during the 8 p.m. Wednesday rehash. I don't even know what to say anymore. This is like the third time we've been witness to Whitney's hair removal process. I, for one, am getting pretty grossed out by it. I think Whitney's subscribes to the "all publicity is good publicity" rule of celebrity. As long as we're watching her do something, it doesn't matter if we're turned off or even horrified- we're still watching. I realize that I'm scared of my own shadow and would never (EVER) appear 85% nude on a national television show, but this is just ridiculous.

Lenny is gross. I'm sorry, but could they not have found an actor to play Whitney's love interest who looked less like a guy who lived under a bridge? I was willing to give him a chance until he unveiled that deplorable painting. I thought it was a joke at first. My daughter brought better projects home from her sixth grade art classes. I honestly thought Lenny could have been this diamond-in-the-rough, just waiting for his chance to show us what a great artist he was. I am naive. Lenny is still gross and his beard still looks like pubic hair.

Edited October 22, 2015 by SuzyLee

[Snarklepuss]

I finally got a chance to watch this episode during the 8 p.m. Wednesday rehash. I don't even know what to say anymore. This is like the third time we've been witness to Whitney's hair removal process. I, for one, am getting pretty grossed out by it. I think Whitney's subscribes to the "all publicity is good publicity" rule of celebrity. As long as we're watching her do something, it doesn't matter if we're turned off or even horrified- we're still watching. I realize that I'm scared of my own shadow and would never (EVER) appear 85% nude on a national television show, but this is just ridiculous.

 

I understand that in doing these things Whitney is probably going overboard to impress upon the audience the "no body shame" message, but she should still have some healthy shame and a sense of decency.  Otherwise I hate to say it but she comes off as an uncouth pig.

[ClareWalks]

Maybe I'm being nit picky, but it kinda annoys me that Whitney performs with her class front and center... It's like one of her motives for teaching the class is giving herself an opportunity to perform. I grew up taking dance and when we had a show the teachers were usually featured in thei own dance, but never with a class (except the little kid classes sometimes they would) but even then the teacher would be off to the side not front and center. I don't know why it annoys me, but it's kinda just like she's had her chance to perform, let the students shine.

 

i think that kind of goes along with the general consensus that what she does is less "dancing" and more "Zumba", because in Zumba the instructor is always up front. It's becoming more and more obvious that Whitney either has no formal dance training, or is not capable of performing moves in any kind of trained way, whether it be because of her size or because she just doesn't care.

[OhioMom]

Does she have any type of formal (college) education?

 

I don't even get how she goes to a business meeting, wearing a strappy, skimpy sundress and thinks that's perfectly acceptable. Forget the fact that she is beyond morbidly obese.

No one should be going to business meetings dressed like that, unless they're a prostitute.

 

Don't even get me going on the hairy underarms.  If she can get  her mom to shave her legs, why can't she do her underarms, too? 

****

 

OK, Whitney...talking to your mom about when she lost her virginity...was she on the bottom or top.....TOTALLY disgusting.

 

She has absolutely no filters, does she?

Edited October 29, 2015 by OhioMom

[Stripper Glitter]

Even the sleeveless shirt she wore when they were driving to the cat show would have been better. 

 

I had to pause it to be sure, but I have that shirt. Well, that pattern/fabric but my tank doesn't button at the neck in the back, and it has some swoopy fabric in the front. I never wear that tank alone, always a jacket to cover my less than toned arms :-P