S04.E03: Jayce

[Chip]

Jayce - the country song writer.

[CaughtOnTape]

I live about 10 miles away from Red Rocks.  I graduated from high school there.  I've been there 800 bajillion times.

 

I've climbed those stairs.

 

They fucking suck.

[Whimsy]

I loathe country music so I didn't know who anyone was.  My daughter likes country music and came in when Jayce met that guy on the bus and she had no idea who he was so she said he must not be "that big" so.  I definitely didn't know who that woman was that Jayce was freaking out over.  Never heard the song that he wrote for Jason Aldean (did I spell that right?).  I just FF'd all the country music. 

 

I felt bad for Jayce and all the custody stuff.  Obviously, I don't know the details and I really don't want to.  I just always feel horrible for the poor child stuck in the middle. 

 

I just realized (I know, slow), but they don't give away that huge Walmart gift card anymore.  Probably because they get the gym equipment and the three month stay in Arizona.  I hate Walmart, but for the food alone I would've liked the gift card. 

 

I don't think Jayce got skin surgery at all.  He had a lot of layers on at the finale and I think it was to cover the excess skin. 

 

Oh, and I'm not trying to be awful about somebody's fears because fear is something that you sometimes just can't get over but I REALLY didn't get the swimming thing.  I thought it was kind of strange that he would get comfortable in one pool but a different pool would set him back to day 1.  It's a pool.  They're all pretty much the same.  Also, if I had an Olympian with me trying to get me to do whatever sporting activity I would be so embarrassed that I would just kick ass to the best of my ability.  Ryan Lochte had a lot of patience and didn't seem to be judging Jayce, so my opinion of him went up a little after taking a HUUUUUGE dive (no pun intended) after the What Would Ryan Do or whatever that ridiculous show was. 

[Eeksquire]

Is it just me or does it seem like there is a much higher percentage of "This person has the opportunity to be a professional [baseball player/country musician/whatever] this season? We GET IT: being obese limits your opportunities.  But wasn't the first woman (that shared the episode with baseball boy) a nurse or something working the night shift and (after Heidi and Chris got a hold of her) a zumba instructor during the day? I'd have liked to see more of how she handles working that kind of schedule while losing weight.

 

Also: Enough with the sad puppy face when people don't meet their goals.  It is NOT a tragedy that Jayce lost 100 pounds in the first 90 days.  Just because you wanted him to lose 117 doesn't make it a failure that he missed it.  Seriously, enough.

[Ketzel]

Another basically unbelievable backstory being forced on us as if we were idiots. Clearly, Jayce has been fighting obesity (or rather, surrendering to it) since he was a child. Isn't that sad enough? Why hoke up some stupid fiction about Teh Evul Ex-Wife Who Undermined His Confidence And Robbed Him Of His Child, when it's perfectly obvious his weight was one of the contributing causes to the divorce, not the result of it? (Even he moaned that his wife called him a "fat loser.") And it's not as if we couldn't see him on camera with his son, and on the phone with his son, plus repeatedly seeing the "You deserve this!" booster speech his son made to him as he headed for the boot camp.  Frankly, the whole thing sounded like a pretty typical custody dispute, probably revolving around child support payments. I wonder what the wife's side of the story is? She sure seemed to be winning in court (and I am wondering if the "paper" she "threw" at his parents when they came to pick their grandson up for the reveal show was an injunction preventing Jayce from putting the kid on camera again.)

 

Was that country song that he kept playing every chance he got the same song he sold to Jason Aldean? It sounded like it, which makes me think if it was, it wasn't all that interesting a song and didn't he want to showcase something else? And if it wasn't, then all of his stuff sounds very similar to me, which is not so good for an aspiring songwriter.

 

But whatever, he lost a lot of weight, good for him, hope he keeps it off.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Ketzel

[Chip]

Was that country song that he kept playing every chance he got the same song he sold to Jason Aldean? It sounded like it, which makes me think if it was, it wasn't all that interesting a song and didn't he want to showcase something else? And if it wasn't, then all of his stuff sounds very similar to me, which is not so good for an aspiring songwriter.

 

 

It was. I was so sick of hearing it before the show was over. 

[CaughtOnTape]

The woman was Gretchen Wilson.  She's a decently huge name.

 

Casey James was playing the Taste of Colorado, I recognized the set up as well as where the stage was located downtown.  I don't necessarily think huge names play there, but it's decent enough in terms of recognition.

 

I think the ex-wife did a good enough job on her own of making it look like she was the "Evul ex-wife".  Throwing things at people (even if it was just paper)?  Refusing to allow the man to see his son and making it extra hard to talk to him on the phone (which looked to be happening way before the cameras showed up)?  Calling him a fat loser?  If the story was embellished they didn't have to try too hard with all of that evidence.  I can honestly say I didn't feel any sympathy for her as being misunderstood or painted in a bad light.  Just sounded like they used what she gave them.   A typical custody dispute, probably.  But that doesn't make her any less a bitch. 

 

Ryan Lochte is hot.  Good Lord!

Edited June 18, 2014 by CaughtOnTape

[Whimsy]

The woman was Gretchen Wilson.  She's a decently huge name.

 

Ryan Lochte is hot.  Good Lord!

 

I'm not saying she wasn't a huge name, I just know nothing about country music, didn't know who she was so I wasn't excited by her being on my television. 

 

And yes, Ryan Lochte is hot.  Dim, but hot.

[Ketzel]

 

I think the ex-wife did a good enough job on her own of making it look like she was the "Evul ex-wife".

But she didn't do anything on camera, or say anything on camera or even appear on camera making gestures like the "bad father" from that other episode I can't remember at the moment. We only heard what Jayce and his parents described as her behavior, and while that definitely played into the Evul Ex-Wife storyline, they aren't exactly the most unbiased, credible sources under the circumstances.

[ramble]

Being somone who was taken by to court by my ex for entertainment & target practice I didn't completely buy the evil ex storyline. It's rarely so clear cut. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but I'm not taking their word. The fact that she didn't try to share her two cents & grab a portion of her ex's reflected 15 minutes gives her a couple of automatic points in my book.

I'm sorry Jayce but I doubt if you got down to 5% body fat & were leader of the gym's 6 pack gang that you'd be filling places like Red Rocks. You aren't the hottest & your song(s) weren't the greatest. It has to all come together at the perfect time & I think that ship has sailed buddy. Btw, does Chris always call the dudes buddy so annoyingly?

I may sound mean & I know swimming can be a legitimate fear but geez Louise that was boring. The swim lessons were boring enough but watching a guy hang on a small festively decorated dock while "conquering" his fear was mind-numbingly boring. If not for how pretty the Lochte looked I would FFed it all.

I don't remember what I was Googling to stumble upon the info, but this article is an interesting read about the Anschutz Center & how they got involved in the show. I do like the fact that the show is more clearly acknowledging medical guidance during the first 3 months at least. We all know it happens, if nothing else to cover their butts, so they might as well admit it.

[CaughtOnTape]

No one knows who this woman is anyway.  So I'm not sure why it matters whether or not she was painted as a bitch who's responsible for his weight gain or not.  She's safely anonymous unless someone sees her with the kid and puts two and two together....which would be really far fetched IMO

[ari333]

Did they play the recorded phone call between Jayce and the ex? I was walking in and out and maybe missed a bit.

 

Maybe the mom didn't want her kid on tv. If so, I totally get that.

 

No one knows who this woman is anyway.  So I'm not sure why it matters whether or not she was painted as a bitch who's responsible for his weight gain or not.  She's safely anonymous unless someone sees her with the kid and puts two and two together....which would be really far fetched IMO

 

People who know her, the kid, and/or Jayce know who is who, so it kind of does matter, imo, how she was painted. She could be the wicked witch of the west, but I didn't see any real proof of that. Jayce and his parents have their own side to tell, which may be the total truth... or not. That's just it. I couldn't tell from what we were given.

[jonesingjay]

Did they play the recorded phone call between Jayce and the ex? 

 

They only played the beginning of the phone call. Chris explained for legal reasons that they weren't able to show anymore than that. 

[WhineandCheez]

I was laughing my ass off during the show.  Chris' dramatic "We hired a private investigator" (who is proably the sound guy's cousin or something) and, unlike what most private investigators who nab cheating husbands or find long lost mothers, this one snaps Jayce lighting up by a chain link fence and--SHOCKINGLY--skipping his gym workouts.  That one slayed me:

dramatic voiceover--"well its 6 am and he hasn't left his house....Me again, it 6:22 and no sign of him...Well it 7:30 and he's at the gym... Oh Hell, he only stayed for 45 minutes!!!!"  It was hysterical.

 

Also, I have never been married but still, as an avid watcher of Disney movies, dream of my wedding day and my groom at the ceremony  reading his vows to me, in a monotone voice, OFF OF AN IPAD.

 

At this point can I digress and bitch about how on this show, and so often in real life, you can find a really fat guy (even without money) with a cute, thin girlfriend. Off the top of my head I think of that Middle Eastern DJ and the guy from Jersey who owned his own company with a stone-faced wife. But people, does it EVER happen the other way? Fat girl, cute thin guy?  N. O. (no, that's not why I was never married!!)

 

I don't beleive this guy was told over and over ad infintium that he could be a star if he lost weight.  Maybe younger but not as this age. Also, I vote for the back child support being the reason he keeps losing custody. Isnt it usually?

[AV8n]

Regarding the Eeevul Ex, there are always two sides to the story.  The show definitely hinted that she was emotionally abusive to our dear landlubber Jayce during the marriage, calling him a "fat loser".  He also mentions the cops being called out, so it may have even gotten physical.  What isn't clear is if she was always the instigator. 

 

"Country Boy's World" is a decent song, but was it ever released as a single?  Seems like they kept showing him sing the same song.  I guess that limits royalties.  Not sure weight loss really helped his singing voice.

 

It was interesting going back in time to when Heidi was pregnant.  I wonder how many contestants they took to Tahiti.

[jonesingjay]

 

 

At this point can I digress and bitch about how on this show, and so often in real life, you can find a really fat guy (even without money) with a cute, thin girlfriend. Off the top of my head I think of that Middle Eastern DJ and the guy from Jersey who owned his own company with a stone-faced wife. But people, does it EVER happen the other way? Fat girl, cute thin guy?  N. O. (no, that's not why I was never married!!)

 

I thought his girlfriend was a chubby chaser. I expected the angle to be that she liked big men, and wasn't going to be supportive of Jayce losing weight. Alas, I was sadly mistaken, and the storyline was the custody issue. 

 

Maybe, he's got a great personality? I didn't happen to see it. 

 

I live in a military town, and see tons of young fit guys with heavyset wives and girlfriends. It happens. 

Edited June 18, 2014 by jonesingjay

[ramble]

dramatic voiceover--"well its 6 am and he hasn't left his house....Me again, it 6:22 and no sign of him...Well it 7:30 and he's at the gym... Oh Hell, he only stayed for 45 minutes!!!!" It was hysterical.

I actually have a video similar to that. A duo of PIs who took 2-3 hour shifts sitting in a car outside a hotel villa. Every 30 minutes or so they'd turn on the camera & do a check in, "1:30 a.m. - subjects still inside". They sat outside for over 12 hours. I didn't even get a few snarky comments for comic relief.

reading his vows to me, in a monotone voice, OFF OF AN IPAD

Could it be more romantic than that? Lit by the warm glow of the touch screen my love recited his promises...

Maybe, he's got a great personality? I didn't happen to see it.

I didn't see it either & I was trying to see it.

[legaleagle53]

Yeah, a large part of my job involves work in Family Law, and it's taught me that there are always (at least) two sides to every dispute. Therefore, I'm not ready to demonize Jayce's ex-wife as the ultimate Bitch from Hell who ruined his life; there's undoubtedly a reason that the Court ruled in her favor, and we simply don't know, and unless she chooses to comment on the episode, will never know, all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the custody battle.

 

That said, I can understand how stress over the custody battle slowed Jayce's progress down.  It's a known fact that stress causes the body to produce cortisol in response, which is a hormone that tends to inhibit weight loss by promoting the storage of fat rather than permitting it to be burned off.  Had Jayce been able to manage his stress levels better (which is not to say that he shouldn't have cared about the outcome of the custody battle; he should simply have accepted that he could only do so much to influence the outcome and that the Court's decision was ultimately out of his control), he might not have had so many setbacks (and incidentally, the fact that he did ultimately succeed in cutting his body weight nearly in half speaks volumes about his ability to overcome those setbacks and put them in perspective).

 

One thing I missed, however, was the explanation for why Jayce was so terrified of water that even getting into a pool at waist level set off major panic attacks in him before he finally learned how to swim.  Did he nearly drown as a child or something?

[ramble]

@legaleagle53 when Jayce was a child he was in a canoe with his dad & a friend & it tipped over or he fell in on his own. I'm not entirely sure. Apparently it was a near drowning or scary enough to feel like one to him. I wasn't listening with complete attention because something about Jayce bored me no matter what he said or did.

[legaleagle53]

Ah, thanks for the clarification, @ramble (are we allowed to do the @ thing here?).

[Ketzel]

Yeah, the swimming phobia was another WTF part of the storyline. If I recall correctly, when Jayce arrived at the boot camp, Chris gave him the usual lecture about a new start, a new opportunity and ended by asking Jayce if there was anything he had really really wanted to do that his weight prevented him from doing? And Jayce responded (with apparent enthusiasm) "Swimming!" And Chris promised Jayce would get his chance to learn to swim. So I took that to mean swimming was something Jayce thought he would really enjoy, but self-consciousness about his weight, or actual issues with his weight, like joint pain (?) had prevented him from learning.  I was expecting him to be scared-but-happy to learn to swim.

 

And with no warning, we are suddenly switched from "Jayce gets to try something he always wanted to do, but couldn't because - fat" storyline to "Jayce must confront his most feared obstacle in order to move forward in his life" storyline, complete with Jayce weeping over his traumatic childhood water accident experience. And dragging the guy out into the open ocean in Bora Bora or wherever they were came across as just cruel, even with Ryan Lochte as a cheerleader, which led me to wonder if the producers started the swimming storyline with the same expectations that I had, only to have Jayce fall apart in the middle of it all. Because if swimming was a goal, not a fearsome obstacle, then it made sense to give him the experience of swimming in beautiful ocean waters accompanied by an Olympic champion. If a fearsome obstacle, then, well, not so much.

 

I'm not saying Jayce wasn't traumatized by a water accident as a child. I am saying the show couldn't get its act together enough to present a coherent, comprehensible storyline. Even if the story changed in the middle, couldn't the editing keep up?

Edited June 20, 2014 by Ketzel

[backformore]

Yeah, a large part of my job involves work in Family Law, and it's taught me that there are always (at least) two sides to every dispute. Therefore, I'm not ready to demonize Jayce's ex-wife as the ultimate Bitch from Hell who ruined his life; there's undoubtedly a reason that the Court ruled in her favor, and we simply don't know, and unless she chooses to comment on the episode, will never know, all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the custody battle.

 

I FF'ed a lot during this show, but I did catch Jayce saying that the ex-wife was "found not guilty"  in court, and then it was said that he had lost his court battle.  That confused me, because a criminal court would be where someone's guilt is decided, but not custody.  

 

You know what bugs me -  the initial weigh-in, when people have to take off their shirts in front of an audience to get weighed.   Jayce ONSTAGE, the mother-son duo at The VIew, another woman on a crowded street.  Bad enough that they broadcast the weight, to have people show off their rolls of fat seems to have no purpose other than humiliation.

[Eeksquire]

 

I FF'ed a lot during this show, but I did catch Jayce saying that the ex-wife was "found not guilty"  in court, and then it was said that he had lost his court battle.  That confused me, because a criminal court would be where someone's guilt is decided, but not custody.

I figured this was just Jayce's own personal views of the circumstances - probably not technically a legally correct view of what happened, but how he thinks of it.  I think we could probably have done with a lot less of that anyway - "I'm engaged in a custody battle; it's very difficult; I turn to food and cigarettes for comfort" DONE.  Even if it's an ongoing issue in his life (which it obviously is, and will be), there was no reason to show even his side of the phone call, etc.  If nothing else, it exacerbates the custody issues and makes it harder for the kid (who will see this on tv, and so will all of his friends).

[DangerousMinds]

Thanks to you all who watched this episode so I don't have to!

[Kromm]

I was laughing my ass off during the show.  Chris' dramatic "We hired a private investigator" (who is proably the sound guy's cousin or something) and, unlike what most private investigators who nab cheating husbands or find long lost mothers, this one snaps Jayce lighting up by a chain link fence and--SHOCKINGLY--skipping his gym workouts.  

Every year with this show there's some over the top dramatic device.  I think on-air private investigator mentions/scares is this year's gimmick (I consider the reveal in the previous episode with the kid who was the baseball player with the con-artist agent making false promises to be the first instance of this--since the show pretended they'd JUST found it out from an investigator but almost certainly had to have known it from the investigations they do on people before they even cast them).

Edited June 21, 2014 by Kromm

[ari333]

I really have a huge problem with the airing of the super personal laundry. Even if the ex wife is not great, she is his son's mother. The kid goes to school.... and people have tvs.

 

That is all.

[ramble]

Ah, thanks for the clarification, @ramble (are we allowed to do the @ thing here?).

@legaleagle53 you're welcome! The way I understand the @ here on P.TV is that it will notify the person of a mention. It's another thing I'm loving about this place. A little more relaxed, friendlier, but still snarky & fun.

[Kromm]

I really have a huge problem with the airing of the super personal laundry. Even if the ex wife is not great, she is his son's mother. The kid goes to school.... and people have tvs.

 

That is all.

Yeah, even if what they're saying about her is true (who knows?), she doesn't have any method to defend herself or give her side of the story.  That's low.  Then again, this is a JD Roth production (so not exactly obsessed with either the truth, or fairness).

[demarti]

I had never heard of this show before until I happened to turn on the Jayce episode. I thought it was really low for them to try to blame the ex-wife for Jayce becoming morbidly obese. And it does matter that she was publicly blamed because anybody who knows him knows her too. She should have been given a chance to tell her side of the story, because I'm sure she's got one and I'm sure it's vastly different from the one Jayce is spouting.

 

 

They showed his wedding pic and he was clearly very overweight already when he got married. Blaming the ex for that was ridiculous.

[ari333]

I wouldn't care if the ex did get to air her side on the show like Jayce airing his side, as he did. The kid still has to go to school and walk around the neighborhood for cryin out loud.

 

Also they need to stop weighing these people in front of a live audience and family members, especially the children, imo. It's hard enough to be stripped and weighed and have it televised. Sheesh.

Edited June 23, 2014 by ari333

[CaughtOnTape]

I don't have a problem with them dropping trou and weighing themselves in front of people.  These people are pros at sticking their heads in the sand and denying what's right in front of their face.  They just got a HUUUUUGE gift that will most likely end up saving their lives in the end.  Maybe standing in your skivvies in front of a live TV audience will remind you not to go back to eating like shit and laying on the couch again.  

 

I frequently look at pictures of myself from when I was heavier.  I also have been known to post them to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (which isn't much different than standing in front of a live TV audience).  These pictures aren't embarrassing to me anymore.  They give me strength.  Look how far I've come and nothing got in my way.  It's a badge of honor now.

[Random thoughts]

Hey guys! I am a personal friend of Jayce's and wanted to address some of the posts in this forum. Yes, Jayce has been big all of his life, but he really started putting on the weight during his marriage. A lot of you on here have made the assumption that the story line of his ex and son was exaggerated or falsified bc only one side of the story was told and heard. The truth is his ex was confronted face to face with one of the producers and asked for her side of the story. She declined and ran away. Literally. Silence speaks volumes. If I had the potential to be shown in a bad light in front of millions of people, you can bet that I would speak up and tell my side of the story. She couldn't because everything that was said about her was true. We are talking about a woman who tried to kill him with a butcher knife. Stabbing him and going thru a bathroom door 17 times. The "court" hearing...Jayce and those that know what is going on concerning his son were disappointed and upset that the show labeled it as a custody hearing. It had nothing to do with custody. Nor did it have anything to do with child support. The show edited it like that to stir up drama. Now, his big milestone...swimming...again, that was something he didn't want to do bc he is terrified of water. To stir the drama pot, the show put him in a situation that they knew he would be extremely uncomfortable. Now for the finale taping that was done in L.A., the producers arranged for it to be done on Jayce's weekend visitation with his son so that he would be there. They went by the court papers to make sure he would arrive in L.A. and return to his home by the court appointed times. His ex was notified and given the information about it beginning in January and continued up until the week of the finale by phone calls, texts, and certified letters. The night his parents went to pick up his son for the flight, his ex became belligerent and yelling obscenities at them in their vehicle with his son present in the backseat of the car she came in. The paper that she dropped was a handwritten letter denying any knowledge of the L.A. trip and that TSA had been notified of a kidnapping if he were to board the plane. This experience was a life changer for Jayce and he is a better man now because of it. He has a ton of support and love from his friends & family and that's what is important.

[Kromm]

Assuming the above from @Random thoughts is all true, it makes that scumbag J.D. Roth look even worse.  I think the point was made by several people above that if there were touchy custody issues (and I'd think other legal issues relating to the marriage) it would have been far more ethical of the show to leave them (and any mention of the kid at all) out of the show totally.  Even putting aside if the mother would have had anything intelligent or defensible to say (again, if the above is true than... not), I just can't see how the show putting a deliberately half-true/half-complete version into the public record will do that kid any good (and likely lots of bad instead). 

 

@Random thoughts, just to be clear, it's not that I'm doubting what you say all that much. In theory, this IS the Internet and anyone could say anything without verification.  However, at the same time, I'm aware there's the "why bother" aspect to this.  There's no reason at all why some random person would come along a month after the rest of us had finished talking about this to make up a story.  Occam's razor and all that--the most simple explanation since you posted here after that time gap is that you are totally legit.  

 

My main problem, as always with this show (and it's sister show, The Biggest Loser) is how Roth mines the worst possible versions of people's tragedies for his purposes.  Jayce's story was already powerful and inspirational enough without having to go near any of this stuff with an ex with legal issues, or a child caught in the middle.  

[Random thoughts]

Kromm, I didn't even know that this website existed, much less this forum, until a couple of days ago when a friend of mine came across it. I probably shouldn't of even posted bc of the time gap and and whatnots, but the negativity bothered me and I felt that I should at least share what I know.

JD, reality TV....they are a massive machine that needs to be fed...and unfortunately, the bits and pieces that are fed are usually twisted and not completely accurated for the sake of the show or the individual person. Jayce had no idea what spin or story line they were going to use. Watching the night it aired was the first time he had seen his episode. He was filmed for an entire year....that's a whole lot of footage and hours to edit and decide which avenue his episode would take. I assume that they used his son and ex as the go-to bc of the drama factor. In the end, the machine could care less of who you are and who gets hurt. It's a numbers game to them.

[Kromm]

Kromm, I didn't even know that this website existed, much less this forum, until a couple of days ago when a friend of mine came across it. I probably shouldn't of even posted bc of the time gap and and whatnots, but the negativity bothered me and I felt that I should at least share what I know.

No, I meant the time gap makes you more credible, not less.  This topic was sunk under a month's worth of being ignored, ergo if someone bothered to post here after all that time with claims of being an insider, it makes sense they probably ARE, because some random Internet troublemaker (anonymous people DO go on websites and pretend to know more than they do just for chuckles occasionally) might pop up on an active topic, but why would anyone bother for an INACTIVE one?  

 

The part about how Jayce had no idea what approach/tact the show would use certainly matches with what other people who have been on both this show, and The Biggest Loser, say about how Mr. Roth and his 3Ball/Eyeworks USA Productions work. It's always a deal with the Devil with them, even if it occasionally works out well relative to the material and coaching support for the weight loss, the free surgery, and in previous seasons the nice fat Walmart gift card (which they seem to have done away with now).

Edited July 20, 2014 by Kromm

[ali59]

I'm watching the Jayce episode right now and this swimming thing is driving me crazy.  My daughter is a lifeguard and a swim instructor.  She had to swim in open water once and it was way different and much more difficult than swimming in a pool.  There are waves and depth and birds and currents.  How is someone who can't even really swim supposed to do an open water swim?  Of course what they call open water swimming is hardly more than swimming in a pool.

 

I totally agree with those who have said that they wished the show would tell the person's height.  It makes a big difference in what their ending weight should be.

[ramble]

Oops my bad.

Edited September 19, 2014 by ramble