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S17.E04: Hooked on 'Tronics / S17.E05: The Big Switch

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in The Biggest Loser [V]

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Tara Ariano

Tara Ariano

Digital distractions are used in an obstacle course, and the winners face a tough choice involving video chats with their loved ones. Later, the teams are rearranged and new bonds must be formed as a physical and mental challenge is presented.
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newyawk

newyawk

(edited)

I have my slice of bourbon pecan pie at the ready.  And RIP, Glenn Frey.

 

Addressing digital distractions is a very smart thing to do. It is a valid point that they are a huge timesuck. And the course looks interesting and cool. 

Edited by newyawk
  • Love 7
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SmithW6079

SmithW6079

(edited)

What?! Richard's out already? Bummer. Richard's a barrel-chested guy. If this show was really about health, he would focus on resistance training to build muscle, not just aerobics. That's especially important the older you get.

Wow. That one twin's a little bitch, isn't he?

I like Jen better than Dolvett.

Edited by SmithW6079
  • Love 1
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RedheadZombie

RedheadZombie

I don't know.  I get the feeling Richard was pissed about not being able to speak to his husband, and deliberately blew the weigh in.  This makes his performance last week in the truck pull suspect as well.  I love the idea of torpedoing his game through unnecessary manipulation.

  • Love 4
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MakeMeLaugh

MakeMeLaugh

Darn, Richard Hatch was keeping me interested in the show. Agree with the above that he needs to build muscle vs swimming; he did want to phone home, didn't he. The team that loses gym privileges ALWAYS wins the weigh in, just like they did this time.

I ff'd through the second hour to just see the weigh-ins. Jeez, the sobbing, every single week, when someone goes home. Enough already.

  • Love 3
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ChicagoCita

ChicagoCita

I didn't know Richard Hatch was gay. Kudos to NBC for showing him and his husband smooch. I see half of the viewership fainting.

 

Surprising to me that in the post-show reveals, Richard has lost 43 pounds and Sarah has lost 62. Good for her. I think she's the one who's going to be an absolute knockout at the finale.

 

Product placement plugs in the mini-reveals! I'm surprised no one has shown up in a Jennie-O Turkey jumpsuit.

 

Just anecdotally, I'm a little surprised at the number of tattoos on these folks. As a person who could easily qualify for the show, I never wanted a tattoo, considering that it had the possibility of stretching out if I gained weight or shriveling up if I lost.

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Noirprncess

Noirprncess

I was cracking up over Bob's skater boi attire at the shipping container challenge.

I agree that Richard wanted to go home. The fact that he was off swimming when the rest of the team was in the gym gave it away. He's been out for awhile, at least since he won Survivor. People magazine covered his wedding, etc.

It always kills me (and today annoyed me) with this attitude- "you can only get a great workout in a gym". The fact the BL continues to push this idea is beyond silly. There are lots of outdoor activities they could have done that quite excellent for strength and calorie burning.

  • Love 1
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Qoass

Qoass

 

It always kills me (and today annoyed me) with this attitude- "you can only get a great workout in a gym". The fact the BL continues to push this idea is beyond silly.

 

 

Not if your biggest sponsor is Planet Fitness.

  • Love 5
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bigskygirl

bigskygirl

Yes, Sarah did bug me a little when she was crying about not being with Jen, but I still like her and her dad more than I like the other contestants. Speaking of which, Toy bugs the heck out of me, and I do not know why. Please don't get me wrong, it breaks my heart when she talked about losing her son, but she just bugs me. I thought Colby was a goner when they kept focusing on him in the first hour. I was hoping one of the red team members would have told Bob to shut the fuck up when he kept telling them to go faster in the one challenge. I would have walked up and slap the crap out of him. The twin brothers need to stop whining about not being on the same team together. The universe did not fall apart over this, so pull up your underwear guys and move on. The co-dependency between the contestants and their trainers drives me bonkers.

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Jersey Guy 87

Jersey Guy 87

I didn't know Richard Hatch was gay. Kudos to NBC for showing him and his husband smooch. I see half of the viewership fainting.

 

Richard being gay was a story line in the very first season of Survivor because he aligned with an ex Navy Seal was was very homophobic (but became friends with Richard, just not in a homosexual way).

 

I think Richard was done with the show. Surprised he bothered given how little time he really spent there.  And he doesn't have a chance for the at home prize.

 

The over the top reactions to the idea of splitting up the teams was ridiculous.  It's bad enough when someone gets eliminated they act as if they've been taken out back and shot.  But both teams live in the same house, it's not like you're not going to see your partner from your original team again.

  • Love 4
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rab01

rab01

I only caught the last part of the show so I missed Richard's departure. I don't think he had a chance to win the prize so it made sense for him to leave as soon as he stopped feeling it.

Is it weird that I feel bad for Dolvett whenever his team loses but that I would really rather have someone like Jenn is a trainer?

  • Love 2
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Saylii

Saylii

(edited)

I don't necessarily think Richard was trying to leave.  I do think that there was some manipulation to get him into the bottom 2 because it would basically ensure the other person goes home during the vote.  Then he got screwed with the switch to the red line.  Richard's biggest problem was that he was stuck on a team with one other man.  It looked to me like his strategy was to knock off people who had bad weeks while controlling his weight through water.  Then when it came time for singles, he could stop manipulating his weight and reflect big losses on the scale.  The only problem was that meant there was only one team member (two if you count Toy) to pull high percentages to keep the team from losing.  I think he would have gone a lot farther if another male/female couple was on his team.

 

Felicia bugs me because she reminds me of a fat Jenna Fischer.  I've always thought Jenna Fischer played the whiny, spineless character very well.  So it's hard for me to separate the two in my mind.

Edited by Saylii
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SmithW6079

SmithW6079

(edited)

Richard's husband looks a good 25 years younger than he does, doesn't he? And he has an accent. Is there a gay mail-order bride industry?

Actually, I'm sorry he's gone. At least he wasn't a blubbering crybaby most of the others are. I definitely got the sense that he was judging the others for their rampant shows of emotion.

Edited by SmithW6079
  • Love 4
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Meushell

Meushell

I felt a bit bad for the two (Richard and lady-who's-name-I-forget) who wanted talk time with family, but didn't get it because the rest of the team thought a gym was needed to work out. Particularly bad since the pool doesn't seem to be part of the gym. Learning how to work out without a gym and motivation from home? Great! How do you turn that down?

I actually thought the team switch was handled well. It seems like in the past, it caused a lot more drama. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.

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seasick

seasick

I will miss Richard too. Love him.   He made the show interesting for me.   I do think there was no sense in him being tortured there when he had no chance of the win.   Everyone else there can afford to lose 50% of their body weight.. Richard could not.  

 

I think there's way more blubbering (Eaw.....bad choice of words)  okay.. crying..this season.  I usually have a few contestants that I really like and root for.  Not this season. .  Maybe I FF too much that I can't get to know them, but I can't take the crying and the sob stories!!    And I don't like the weigh-in's with the two people..  I also like to hear each persons percentage, and they don't feature that this season..   

  • Love 1
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Lukeysboat

Lukeysboat

Felicia bugs me because she reminds me of a fat Jenna Fischer.

I've also been reminded of Jenna.

I'm happy to see Sarah's hair color looked better in the at-home footage. Now if Erin can just make it to the makeover. Her color and style are unflattering to the point it's driving me crazy. Steven needs a cut, too.

I'm sorry to see Richard gone. I was hoping Jacky would leave. She seems like such a sad sack.

  • Love 1
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ramble

ramble

This was boring & monotonous. I'm barely making it through this show. I'm currently fasting & can't even enjoy a sweet treat as a pffft! to the show while I watch. Something I usually enjoy doing. None of these people are sticking in my mind. They're just a big blob of anonymous folks. I would say the bloom is off the rose, but due to my present circumstances I hear bloom & think of chocolate blooming due to temperature shifts & then I think of chocolate, Chocolate, CHOCOLATE!

  • Love 1
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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

Ten bucks on Dolvett's first thought when the "new" teams came in was, "Crap.  I still have Felicia."

 

I knew that Richard Hatch would stay in this game as long as there wasn't a red line.  He could have maneuvered himself to be safe in a vote, but not when it came down to pure percentages.  He just didn't have the same amount of fat to lose as the other guys and most of the women.  Of course, I was sad to see him go (and I really can't believe I just said that).

 

You know what I wish this show would do?  Keep the team idea, but not assign a trainer to a team.  Instead, have both trainers train both teams equally.  This dependence that contestants form on their trainers is not only not helpful but really tiring for the audience to watch over and over again.  I also don't like the competition aspect of this show being between the trainers and not the contestants.

  • Love 4
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chocolatine

chocolatine

(edited)

I didn't know Richard Hatch was gay. 

 

Really? I've never seen Survivor or any of the other shows he's been on, but as soon as he gave his first talking head on this show I knew he was gay. He comes across much "gayer" than Bob IMO.

 

I gave up on TBL a couple of years ago when Pepperoni Tits won, but started watching again because I was curious about the revamped format. Bob is really terrible as the host. I think the only way he can relate to the hamsters is by training them, and with that aspect taken away, he's lost. TPTB should never have let Allison go.

 

I remember liking Dolvett when he first started on TBL - "it hurts to look good, and I hurt every day" - but now he seems off. Maybe because of people like Felicia on his team, but he needs to pull himself together and not indulge anyone's drama.

 

Jen seems to be the anti-Jillian, so I took to her immediately, tacky weigh-in attire and all. I actually felt for Sarah, since I too would much rather train with Jen than Dolvett. She has a far better track record in terms of winning weigh-ins as well, so what she's doing is obviously working. I think the switch-up was done to avoid Team Jen wiping out Team Dolvett, but she still won the weigh-in.

 

I like that in her at-home package Sarah was working out with her hubby. It's always great to see a hamster's family get on board with the lifestyle changes, and I think it's huge factor in successful maintenance.

Edited by chocolatine
  • Love 1
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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

She had the chance to star in a TV movie series; what could they have done?

Plus I don't see how hosting what is essentially a game show would provide any growth for her as an actress.  It was probably a smart career move on her part to leave TBL behind.

 

That being said, TPTB could have found SOMEONE other than Bob to host.  He's really terrible.  Heck, they could have pulled one of their past (and successful) contestants--they may not have been a stellar host, but they would have been better than Bob.

  • Love 4
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bigskygirl

bigskygirl

I do agree Bob is not my first choice for hosting duties, but the thought of a few former contestants being the host would be worse. Yes, Bob is a famewhore, but some of the contestants can be or end up being as bad as CultBobbyBoy.

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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

I do agree Bob is not my first choice for hosting duties, but the thought of a few former contestants being the host would be worse. Yes, Bob is a famewhore, but some of the contestants can be or end up being as bad as CultBobbyBoy.

 

Oh, I agree some of the former contestants should be no where near hosting.  However, there are some other ones who probably would be an improvement over Bob (I'm thinking...Allie?  Is that her name?  The first female winner?  and Tara...)

  • Love 1
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bigskygirl

bigskygirl

No Allie or Tara, but I would like to see Abby, Coach Moe, or the one dad who went home so his daughter could stay, and he did a great job at home. Sorry, I cannot remember which season he was in or what his name is. I do remember he was a law enforcement officer.

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Jersey Guy 87

Jersey Guy 87

That being said, TPTB could have found SOMEONE other than Bob to host.  He's really terrible.  Heck, they could have pulled one of their past (and successful) contestants--they may not have been a stellar host, but they would have been better than Bob.

 

Going without a host would be better than Bob.

 

I do agree Bob is not my first choice for hosting duties, but the thought of a few former contestants being the host would be worse. Yes, Bob is a famewhore, but some of the contestants can be or end up being as bad as CultBobbyBoy.

 

There are plenty of former contestants who would make horrible hosts.  Plus, making that seem like  a viable career path for a Biggest Loser contestant would make far too many of them even more unbearable.  It's bad enough how many of them already aspire to being motivational speakers/trainers.

  • Love 2
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camom

camom

It's sad that there are no contestants this time that I really can root for.  I liked Richard, but now he's gone.  And the crying when people leave!  You'd think they're being sent off to a firing squad.  Drives me nuts.

 

There is only one former contestant that I ever think about and wonder how she is doing -- and I don't even remember her name!  She was the woman whose husband and two children (one of them a tiny infant) were killed in a car crash.  I really liked her and hope she is doing well.  She deserved much happiness.

  • Love 1
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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

It's sad that there are no contestants this time that I really can root for.  I liked Richard, but now he's gone.  And the crying when people leave!  You'd think they're being sent off to a firing squad.  Drives me nuts.

 

There is only one former contestant that I ever think about and wonder how she is doing -- and I don't even remember her name!  She was the woman whose husband and two children (one of them a tiny infant) were killed in a car crash.  I really liked her and hope she is doing well.  She deserved much happiness.

 

That was Abby...I quite liked her as well--not only because she was a genuinely nice person who had gone through something horrible, but also because she refused to get into the gameplay.  While her backstory was dramatic, she was one of the least dramatic contestants they've had.

  • Love 3
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LoneHaranguer

LoneHaranguer

 

TPTB could have found SOMEONE other than Bob to host.  He's really terrible.

I suspect they didn't look. Somebody decided that since Bob was already on contract, rather than pay somebody new to host the show, they'd have Bob split his time between hosting and coaching. At the start of the season, Bob said he'd be doing both, but I don't think things have worked out the way somebody envisioned. His hosting and shilling haven't left much time for coaching.

  • Love 1
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Saylii

Saylii

I suspect they didn't look. Somebody decided that since Bob was already on contract, rather than pay somebody new to host the show, they'd have Bob split his time between hosting and coaching. At the start of the season, Bob said he'd be doing both, but I don't think things have worked out the way somebody envisioned. His hosting and shilling haven't left much time for coaching.

I think the "coaching" he's doing was supposed to be more in line with the emotional round table he was doing on night one. He could be at some of the workouts we don't see either. The quasi-two episodes in one night is really killing his role.

I kind of wish Jessie was the host this season if we had to pick from the four from last season. He was crappy as a trainer, but had a sweeter quality to him then Bob. I also suspect that TPTB couldn't get rid of Bob as easily as they wanted and hosting was better then the last chance camp.

  • Love 1
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Noirprncess

Noirprncess

I have a feeling Bob will become a coach when they switch to the at home portion.

Honestly, I think the season we had that last chance trainer save in the "hidden" gym was the shows way of auditioning/training Bob as a host. He did the weigh ins and dismissals there too.

I don't think he's all that bad. But I also think NBC was not willing to renew TBL without Bob. The shows have been sinking a bit in the ratings and they didn't do well during the seasons Bob and/or Jillian left.

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auntjess

auntjess

 

I do agree Bob is not my first choice for hosting duties, but the thought of a few former contestants being the host would be worse. Yes, Bob is a famewhore, but some of the contestants can be or end up being as bad as CultBobbyBoy.

Yes, because probably the most likely contestants would be the ones I really disliked, like Tara and Olivia.

I'd like someone not intrusive, like some out of work game show host.

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silverspoons

silverspoons

I'm sorry if this has been asked, I tried to read through a few threads, how long have the contestants that have been eliminated been at home when they show them? It seems like they are only losing 20-30lbs at home. Have they only been home a month? When did filming start?

 

I'm liking Bob as the host more then I thought I would. I miss Ali, No Sami or BL now.

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