Heroes of The Biggest Loser
I mentioned a few days ago that I am a reluctant fan of The Biggest Loser. I think it has the potential to be inspiring; more often than not, I think it is just an excuse for people greedy for money to go on a reality show and pretend that the only way they can lose weight is on The Biggest Loser.
Part of that really makes me angry. There are THOUSANDS of us who lose weight without the crutch of The Biggest Loser. I’d really respect a contestant if they’d just say, “You know what, I could do this at home, but I want to win the money, so I’m going to do everything I can to stay here.” I’d even respect the dirtiest game play EVER if someone would just say that. Not do it, because a lot have done it under the “but I can’t lose weight at home” sobfest. I mean actually come out and say, “I want to win the money.”
But God help me, I still like this show. Every season, I tend to pick one person who just appeals to me. They’re my heroes of The Biggest Loser. I did not watch every season; seasons three, four, and six are forever lost. The rest I did watch, and I’ll be honest – I really enjoy it. So I now present to you my list of the heroes (as I see them) of The Biggest Loser’s various seasons (that I’ve watched).
Oh, and if you don’t really know me that well, you may not know that I’m pretty much a bigger feminist than some women I know and yes, this list will be very female-centric. There have been guys on TBL that I’ve liked, too, but they won’t tend to show up too much on this list.
Season One – Kelly MacFarland
Maybe I liked her because she was a comedian. She was funny. She was a fighter. She had a bit of a sarcastic edge to her that some contestants didn’t care for, but unlike others in her season, she wasn’t mean about it. And unlike the winner of that season, she kept the weight off.
Season Two – Suzy Preston
She was the sweetheart of this season, and she placed in the top three. Actually, for this season, I really liked all three of the final contestants, but Suzy was my favorite. While she has shared her public struggles with her weight, she has clearly remained dedicated to at least living a healthy lifestyle.
Season Five – Ali Vincent
Ali Vincent was a big favorite by the end of the season, but she was gone for over seven weeks. That’s what really makes her win amazing, and why she remains one of my favorites. She succeeded OFF the ranch.
Season Seven – Tara Costa
Tara Costa is how I picture when I think of The Biggest Loser. She is an amazing athlete, she’s freaking hot (that’s probably not a very feminist statement, is it?), and she didn’t starve herself down to unrealistic numbers just to win. I’m still very pleased to see her pop up in TBL-themed promos here and there. I don’t think I’m alone in finding her an amazing contestant.
Season Eight – Amanda Arlauskas
Season eight is one of my least favorites the show has EVER had. However, there were a few shining gems, and one of them was Amanda. She made it to the final three, and she was sweet. In a season filled with such ugliness, she was a shining beacon.
Season Nine – Stephanie Anderson
I was blown away when Stephanie was voted off, because I really thought she might win it. Although this season has the reputation for being the season with “no game play,” I personally believe she was eliminated as a game play move. While she may not have won the big prize, she did find the love of her life on the show. I find it interesting that a show about weight loss is racking up much better numbers of romantic hookups than any of the disgusting “romance” reality shows out there.
Season Ten – Ada the Terminator Wong
This was another season that I didn’t particularly care for, just because the triumvirate of evil of Frado, Brendan, and Patrick (I still don’t get why some people view him as a good guy – I thought he was as evil as any player EVER on the show) almost ruined it for me. I barely finished this season on Hulu. However, I did like Ada, and I would have LOVED to see her win. She was a Tara Costa-level athlete and she was just fun to watch. It pained me to watch the family struggles she had to endure, and I really loved seeing her fellow contestants be her surrogate family.
Season Eleven – Courtney Crozier
She’s far and away my favorite of the current season. There are other contestants that I like, but she’s just got the right attitude. She drops big numbers pretty consistently, and you never hear her crying, “But I only lost eight pounds! I should have lost seventeen!” She was a loser before the show, and she’s continuing to be a loser on the show. I hope she wins the grand prize.
I’m realizing, looking at this list, that I’m going to need to come back and write a list of my favorite guys from The Biggest Loser. There are guys in each season that I like, and after I write my Biggest Loser Villains post, I’ll come back to it.
Who do you like? Any glaring omissions from my list?
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