I think Dolvett might be up for sainthood after this episode - even though he's still very much alive and even if he's not Catholic.
I'll start off by saying that even though this week's show was shortened due to the State of the Union address, NBC sure packed a lot into that hour. Unfortunately, it was mostly comprised of whining, crying, complaining and moaning. All in the season of NO EXCUSES!
Let's move past the muddy battering ram challenge right into the heart of the episode. Both Bob and Dolvett had to deal with people who would rather complain than do the work they need to do to lose the weight. Bob's problem child was Gail, who seemed to be giving very little effort combined with a whole lot of talk and tears. Bob's explanation of her crying fit over her shoelaces becoming untied would have made Tonya Harding proud. (Now, how much fun would it have been to have Bob Harper at the 1994 Olympics to whip Tonya into shape?) No matter what Gail was asked to do, she gave every excuse in the book, plus a few that she probably invented herself.
Now, I do understand the fine art of excuses. I've made them myself in the past...obviously they, along with fear, played a part in my obesity. But even in my worst season of excuses I didn't act like this. (Or like Conda, who we'll get to in a moment.) How long can a person go on complaining before they're fed up and finally just do it? Most of us have a lower threshold for our own B.S. than Gail or the other two players do, thank God.
Now to poor Dolvett. He had two whiners on his team. Nancy managed to sass him every chance she got, including giving Dolvett the business because he'd never given birth. Really - she went there. I've been through childbirth, which included 21 hours of labor and anethesia that somehow wore off on one side of my body but not the other. (The anesthesiologist put the epideral in crooked, so it sent most of the meds to my right side and not my left. It was an interesting labor!) Yes, it is a lot of work and takes all of your strength. But that only makes me realize that if we can do childbirth, we can do anything. And after both giving birth and hard training, you have something precious to show for it. In one case, your baby - in the other case, your health!
Then there's Conda. (In the Olympic realm, she would be the one trying to club her opponent on the knee instead of just working her butt off for the title.) I'm trying to like her...I really am. I'm sure there are some deep issues within her that are making her act like a spoiled brat, and that we will find out more about them soon. But have you ever heard someone talk to their trainer that way? Mouthing off, shouting NO! at him when he asks you to do something, even if it's only going to take two minutes...and complaining to the producer that Dolvett is picking on her. He was right to make her go outside until she was ready to come in and do the work. He needed to focus on the rest of his team that wanted to be there and were giving all of the effort. She finally apologized when he asked if she had something to say to him, and like the class act he is, he even apologized to her as well. I certainly didn't see anything he did that he needed to say he was sorry for. But he did what was needed to get her back to work.
Before the weigh-in, Conda was heard already making excuses before she got on the scale. If she had a bad number, she was going to blame Dolvett for giving her a hard time all week. Now THAT is ridiculous. Everything he did was to help her - she was the one holding everything up. I know some people like Conda, and unfortunately you probably do too. Everything that goes wrong is someone else's fault other than their own. They often blame the very people who try to encourage them. Luckily for the Red Team, Conda pulled a good number on the scale. Her 10 pound loss was not in spite of Dolvett...it was BECAUSE of him. (Time to send a message to the Pope - Dolvett should at least get some special blessing for putting up with this!)
It had to be beyond frustrating for Bob when his team hit the scale. Megan worked her butt off and lost only two pounds, while Gail did very little and still lost five. And you know it was even more mind-boggling for Megan! I predict that next week the scale will make it up to her. At least I sure hope so.
The elimination for the Black Team came down to the two people I thought it would. Earlier in the week, Chris broke down and said, among other things, that she wanted to go home. Fear makes you do funny things, especially when you usually keep to yourself and you're thrown into a house full of strangers who overwhelm you. But I don't blame her team for being nervous that she would leave. After all, Joe already did and they didn't want any more problems like that. Gail, as previously mentioned, complained a lot and didn't do the work. By one vote, Gail was sent home. She seems to be doing OK at home, even with tendonitis in her hips. Good thing she's swimming a lot.
By the way, congratulations to Buddy and his wife on the birth of their son! Now here's a man who flew home, witnessed his son being born, flew back in time for the weigh-in...and still lost 10 pounds! Talk about no excuses!
Next week the Aqua Team comes back. If they've lost at least 50 pounds at home they get to come back on the ranch. I'm really pulling for them to make it. I'm ready to watch people who want to make the most of their opportunities and really want to be there. How about you?
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