# The Biggest Loser Nov 29 Finale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307 "2005-11-30T01:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/1 "2005-11-30T01:07:57Z")
Post your thoughts and comments here. (the people are just coming on stage…) ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/2 "2005-11-30T01:10:00Z")
Of course Nick isn’t here 😛 (Lots of controversy about him!) ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/3 "2005-11-30T03:10:56Z")
Just saw this show for the first time and I have a question: Why is total body weight the metric used to decide the winner rather than body fat percentage? By using weight doesn’t that discourage contestants to build their muscles? ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/4 "2005-11-30T05:04:08Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > Just saw this show for the first time and I have a question: Why is total body weight the metric used to decide the winner rather than body fat percentage? By using weight doesn’t that discourage contestants to build their muscles? I think the first season used body fat in the finale. WAGs: The show is trying to foster healthy weight loss. More muscle is better in the long run. Heck if I know. I was surprised it was only pounds lost. A lot of people were saying it would have a 2nd factor in the finale. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/5 "2005-11-30T05:57:54Z")
> [@Shadez](#): > > Of course Nick isn’t here 😛 (Lots of controversy about him!) Educate me. What was the deal with Nick? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/6 "2005-11-30T06:50:29Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > Just saw this show for the first time and I have a question: Why is total body weight the metric used to decide the winner rather than body fat percentage? By using weight doesn’t that discourage contestants to build their muscles? …wait… I thought it _was_ the percentage not the actual weight. Did I miss something. What was with them showing the percentages then? ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/7 "2005-11-30T12:00:50Z")
This was the first season I watched regularly. Were the weight losses so dramatic in past seasons? I was in total awe at the transformations. I only saw one lady (she was voted off early, I think her name was Katheryn??) who didn’t really seem to look any different. The others, especially Dr. Jeff, Pete, and the winner Mark, looked like totally different people. This is one reality show I don’t feel guilty watching. Good for them. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/8 "2005-11-30T15:48:53Z")
I love that they’re not pushing any gimmicks – it’s just plain old “control how many calories you eat” plus “lotsa exercise.” I almost inspires me to exercise. Almost. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/9 "2005-11-30T15:56:19Z")
> [@](#): > > she was voted off early, I think her name was Katheryn??) That was Susan. She was like the 2nd or 3rd voted off. She looked exactly the same as when she started the show and only lost a total of 17lbs. I felt so bad for her when she came out on stage. The audince almost stopped claping! Great show tho. Pete was unbelievable…just amazing stuff. Im glad all the finalists got something. They deserved it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/10 "2005-11-30T17:03:38Z")
I’m not a regular viewer either, but I watched this one because it was the finale. Definitely inspiring. Did the winners leave the “camp” looking like that? Or did they go home for awhile and lose more weight? The woman with the least weight loss who was voted off early – it’s understandable, because it’s gotta take time to change your lifestyle. It’s almost not fair to vote people off after just a week or two. What does the show prove? That people can change, or that they can change with a lot of professional guidance and peer support and after living in a totally different environment? ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/11 "2005-11-30T18:15:23Z")
> [@](#): > > The woman with the least weight loss who was voted off early – it’s understandable, because it’s gotta take time to change your lifestyle. It’s almost not fair to vote people off after just a week or two. > > What does the show prove? That people can change, or that they can change with a lot of professional guidance and peer support and after living in a totally different environment? To be fair tho, Ruben was the first person voted off in week one, and he lost some 98 pounds and looked great. He was the first man weighed last night. So its not all about the professional guidance and peer support. ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/12 "2005-11-30T19:01:21Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > …wait… I thought it _was_ the percentage not the actual weight. Did I miss something. What was with them showing the percentages then? Percentages were so it would be fair no matter how much weight you started with, and whether you were male or female. > [@AuntiePam](#): > > What does the show prove? That people can change, or that they can change with a lot of professional guidance and peer support and after living in a totally different environment? Even the three finalists went home for five months before they came back. So they had to live in both worlds. Kathryn was the one who barely lost any weight, I know that for sure. Basically the issue with Nick was he refused to exercise and was trying to teach the other contestants bad habits. When he went home, on his ‘how are they now’ photo, he actually looked like he gained weight. Some (very random) links about Nick: [realityblurred.com](http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_biggest_loser_2/2005_Sep_28_nick_eliminated) [another link (go to the bottom)](http://www.happycrumb.com/2005/09/29/nick-loves-to-contridict-himself-episode-3/) Etc. ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-loser-nov-29-finale/333307/13 "2005-11-30T22:17:59Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I love that they’re not pushing any gimmicks – it’s just plain old “control how many calories you eat” plus “lotsa exercise.” That’s exactly why I can watch this show and not feel like the idiot that I do with other reality shows. There’s no way to edit this one to death and make the outcome what the producers want it to be. Sure they can edit the personal interactions and storylines, but you can’t cover up the fact that a 300 pound man now weighs only 168. It’s very obvious these people worked their butt’s off. Literally! 😉