The TV Chick

The Biggest Loser has its 10th season premiere tomorrow night, and as usual, it totally delivers. The theme of this season is “Paying It Forward,” so the trainers will not only be helping the contestants get in shape, but they will bring it home to their communities in some way as well. The premiere features cities across the country where people show up for a work out day. We then meet three potential contestants — many of which have gone through a very hard time in their lives. However, it’s not Biggest Loser without a challenge. Three contestants in each city have to compete for two spots to go to the ranch, and then they become a team.

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: The Biggest Loser Season 10 Premiere: Meet The Contestants & Video Preview” »

As The Biggest Loser slowly wraps up the season (next week is makeover week), I have noticed that this group of people (minus Melissa) has really been one of the nicest groups of contestants I have ever seen on the show. Everyone seems to be rooting for each other and while there is always some game play involved, it seems mostly minimal. These contestants seem more like a family than a group of strangers, and while I love someone to root against on any reality show, I have really been enjoying this season of The Biggest Loser. I recently had the chance to chat with O’Neal Hampton, (or “Uncle” as he’s called on the show) and he was one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to. He talked about his emotional sendoff, his knee problems, and his bond with fellow contestant (and his daughter) Sunshine.

So last night’s episode had a very emotional sendoff for you and I wanted to know just a little bit of what that was like for you.
Well it was – it was quite daunting. I mean, I was on the one hand I always tried to make it crystal clear that if I ever fell below the yellow line with Sunshine that I would definitely, definitely, definitely want to go before she because I don’t know, it’s just – I just always felt it was my place as a father. You know, really I was a father first and a contestant second I guess and because that’s how I was before I went to the show, during and after. So I’ve fallen below the yellow line with her and having to leave it was, you know, it was a – it was a bittersweet thing; the bitterness was the fact I had to leave but the sweet part of it that it was me instead of her.

And I wanted to know what was the most important lesson you learned on the ranch that you took home with you?
I think the most important lesson I learned on the ranch was to always be truthful to yourself – to myself. I think before I came on the ranch I’m looking at myself as, you know, almost 400 pounds and, you know, it was like an unspoken passion about how bad it really was. And I should have been more true to myself and done something about it sooner. But I think for every, you know, for every season, you know, there’s a time and for every time there’s a season. And I think this was both my time and my season for it to happen right then and there.

I was just wondering if you could tell us how you met your wife?
Wow. I met – we met in college. We met at college and she asked me to a Sadie Hawkins Day dance. And believe it or not I wasn’t always as humble as I am now; she made me that humble over 30 years. She asked me to the dance and I told her – I was a big football star on campus and I looked her I said, why should I go to a Sadie Hawkins Day dance with you? I can go out with any girl on this campus. And she left crying. o then the person who I wanted to ask me to the dance was the captain of the cheerleaders. She asked the quarterback. The captain of the cheerleaders didn’t ask me. So I’m sitting up in my room and my wife came knocking on my door and she said I thought you could go out with any girl on campus, how come you’re sitting here by yourself? I said do you want go out for a coffee or a beer? She said a beer but I said coffee. I said well yeah, I will and we’ve been together ever since. Yeah, yeah, I’m so glad she came back to my room. And gave me a second chance. So this is kind of a second time I had a second chance in life. That’s how I met her. Yeah, we met in college and it was a Sadie Hawkins Day dance she asked me to.

Now have your good habits rubbed off on her since you’ve been home?
Yes they have. And she’s been totally supportive of me and Sunshine as well as she’s just been totally supportive of us through the whole process. And her good habits – it didn’t initially when we came home the first time when we got, you know, kicked off the first day, her habits were still the habits, well we were only gone for not even, you know, for a day. So but then as the season went on and she seen us change she changed within too. And I’ll tell you it’s just the – it’s nice to have – to be united under the roof, you know, everyone’s on the same thing going the same direction.

I wanted to know how your knee has been holding up with all the exercise?
Well my knee is very bad, it’s bone on bone and I’m definitely getting it replaced after this whole process is over. I’m just not sure where but I’m definitely getting – well I have to because it’s incredibly, incredibly bad. But like I said before my – I guess my desire – my desire to change far outweighed the pain in my knee. And they just, you know, Dr. H just can’t believe that I make it through with the pain and with my knee condition. Because, you know, when I fell on building that tower – when I fell they did an MRI on my knee and they seen how bad it was and they were just shocked. They said, “O’Neal we don’t know how you’re in this game, we don’t know how you’re exercising daily,” but, you know, but like – that’s nothing to do with my desire to change. And my knee is – it’s – I’ve been used to this pain for 30 years, I had it through football, through when I was a Green Beret, through all the things so it’s – the good and bad of it is is that as the weight came off it hurt less – it hurt less but I started doing more on it so it was kind of a balance there. But the best thing of it all is the recovery time. Like now I can recover, you know, overnight or the next day. Before if I did any of the things I’m doing now weighing almost 400 pounds I’d be out for a month. But now it’s the next day I’m back at it again. So the knee definitely has to get replaced for my, you know, to complete this journey and I’m definitely getting it replaced.

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The Biggest Loser is getting quite intense lately, and almost down to the final 4 who go to the finale. With the competition so fierce, contestants will do just about anything to get ahead. Last week, there was a temptation challenge, and Koli ate around 4,000 calories just so he could be the only vote in the elimination room. When it came down to it, Sunshine and Vicky fell below the yellow line. Sunshine had been there much longer than Vicky had (even though she had spent some time at home as well), and despite what Koli said to Vicky, I think his vote reflected his ties to Sunshine. I was sad to see Vicky go. She was great, and I was so happy she had the chance to return to the ranch. I recently had the chance to participate in a conference call with Vicky, where she talked about Koli’s accusations, what the big differences are between home and the ranch, and what he proudest moment was on the ranch.

Well I’m sorry to be talking to you but it’s still good for me because people are really curious, especially about what the reason that Koli gave you for, for choosing to send you home instead of, I’m sorry my brain is freezing this morning, instead of keeping you. So can you talk a little bit, I mean because, I mean and also when we were watching the show they did show times when it didn’t look like you were working out…really hard in the gym. Was that editing or?
You know what, it is, it is a show and everything that is seen on TV is wrapped in a pretty bow so you can, they can edit it whatever way they’d like. But I know that I worked hard, you know, and we all take breaks and if you would’ve looked at the other people, you know, when we were all working out everybody stops to get water, everybody stops to take a break and so if I did that then I do apologize. But you know, I would say that I worked really hard and I have no regrets, none at all. As far as Koli is concerned, he had to make his decision and like he said before he went in there he said I have to make it for myself. And there’s a lot of other things that I think played into his decision, but I believe that he eliminated me because I was the biggest threat, and he knew how hard I worked, you know. But he had to give, he had to give an explanation of why he was voting me off and so to say that I needed to kick it into another gear like basically saying that I didn’t work hard wasn’t true, but I mean it is a game and so the game was played.

And do you feel that maybe you were at a disadvantage because you started the game at home and you came back to the ranch later?
You know what there’s no excuses. I was given this opportunity and I’m so grateful for it and you know, I was thrown in late in the game, I felt like I was a single coming into a couples game. But I knew that coming in and I knew that there were twists and turns associated with the show and I believe that no matter when I came in I was going to give my, my best, so it didn’t really matter to me when I was in, I was just grateful to have the opportunity.

Out of your whole experience in the Biggest Loser Ranch what would you say was your proudest moment?
I think my proudest moment was when I woke up at the ranch, I mean you know I started my journey at home so I was waking up in my own bed every day. So when I got a chance to wake up at the ranch and to actually be in it and to say that I was doing it you know, I was losing weight. And when I woke up and I was not the 350 pound girl that I used to be, you know, before I started I used to wake up every morning and tell myself, okay today is the day. And when I was able to wake up at the ranch and tell myself, you know what, today is the day that you are actually 90 pounds lighter, you are actually 70 pounds lighter, you know, that, those were the moments that I truly remember and that I truly appreciate.

Well do you think it was harder for you to leave the ranch knowing kind of the experience that you had, because you had such a different road to getting there than pretty much anyone else on the show?
Right. No. You know when it was my time to go I felt like that’s exactly what it was is my time. It was nothing I could do about it and I just knew that from then on I would have to, you know, continue my journey at home. And it wasn’t a – it was a bittersweet moment because – it was bitter because obviously I was leaving and I didn’t get the time or the – yeah, the time that I would have liked on the show. But the time that I had was priceless, so I really appreciated it but I knew that I could do it at home because I had already been there.

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The  competition is getting fierce on The Biggest Loser, as the number of contestants continues to dwindle down. Last week, two contestants returned to the ranch: one by vote, and one by winning a physical challenge. Melissa Morgan was the contestant who won the challenge and returned to the ranch much to the dismay of the other contestants. On the ranch, she was constantly concerned about game play, so much so that there was a big fight between her and the trainers where they accused her of throwing the weigh in. I recently had the chance to chat with Melissa who addressed the game play rumors, talked about returning to the ranch (and then leaving), and her relationship with Lance and what they are doing to stay in shape.

So how was your experience this time on the ranch different from before?
Well, I mean, this time, you know, I went back and the house was just different. I mean the dynamic in the house was completely different. I had been gone for a while. And, you know, there were some new friendships. There were some new alliances. And so it was, you know, coming in – I think this was harder to come into than Day 1, because Day 1 no one knew anyone. So it was a struggle.

And did you think that your competitors would be gunning to get rid of you like they did? And sort of saw you as maybe the villain this season?
You know, I don’t know that they – I don’t know that my competitors saw me as a villain. Until I watched the episode last night, I didn’t really see it that way while I was there. You know, clearly once you saw last night, I was like oh. But the thing that makes me kind of giggle a little bit is wow they really wanted me gone didn’t they? Wow, why?

I don’t know. I guess you were a threat.
I guess. That makes me feel good. I like it.

Now I’m wondering, how did you feel after no one helped you in the water challenge? Were your feelings hurt?
I can’t say that my feelings were hurt. I mean here’s the thing. For me, everything is logical. And there’s no logic in helping (Michael) send (Kim) home. Are you kidding me? She’s one of your biggest threats. And so I don’t take it personally. I just – it wasn’t logical to me. So I was a little bit frustrated. But I didn’t take it personally. I mean everybody’s out there to do what they think is best for them and, you know, I wasn’t it. And so I don’t take that personally, no.

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