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The Biggest Loser Season 7

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marigold:
An interview with Sione:

Biggest Loser’s Sione Goes From Landscaping to Body Sculpting

Even a new appetite for fitness did not deter the Biggest Loser Ranchers this week from a high-calorie binge-fest that granted one lucky contestant total control of the game. Laura won that temptation — and the power — to send home the Blue Team’s Sione Fa, 28, of Mesa, Ariz. The Tongan landscaper spoke to PEOPLE.com about his new career move as a personal trainer (Polynesian dancing anyone?), how he’s managed to lose more than 130 lbs. so far, and why he ditched Jillian. – Rebecca Gross

What was your biggest accomplishment?
Physically, pushing myself to the limit was the half marathon. Up until that point, I barely got to running 2 ½ miles without stopping. Emotionally, it was the car-pulling challenge. I just realized I need to pace myself and finish strong instead of giving it everything I’ve got and not finishing, because I saw that pattern in my life a lot.

The show portrayed Ron as this big Godfather figure. Did he really command that much respect or was it played up?
He was a father figure. I don’t know to what extent, but he was definitely a big influence on the show. A lot of the decisions he made stuck so you have to give it to him for either playing the game well or playing the Godfather role well.

Why did you leave Jillian to go train with Bob even though you were still on her Black Team?
She’s a great trainer — I don’t take anything away from that. I think emotionally we connected better with Bob and obviously that showed. On the Ranch, people don’t realize it’s just as much emotional as it is physical there.

When did you know you wanted to become a personal trainer? And did you learn anything from Bob and Jillian that you will incorporate into your own training style?
I just knew I couldn’t go back to my old life and old career, and I knew I wanted to make health and fitness part of my life forever. I learned a lot from Jillian on cardiovascular training, getting your heart and lungs in shape. And from Bob, I learned a lot of the physical strength training, but also the emotional connection. He showed us we want to be on this earth a long time and live a healthy life, not just the quick fix. I’d like to adapt these long-term goals into my training methods.

What is your typical regimen now?
I’m a morning person, so I get to the gym at 7:00 am. I do strength training for about an hour and a half, then I do cardio for another hour or hour and a half. In a regular working world, of course not everyone would be able to go to the gym for about 2 ½ hours, but we are trying to lose weight and when I get to the maintenance stage it’ll change.

What is more difficult for you–the diet or the exercise?
They have to go hand-in-hand. If I’m not making wise decisions with my eating, I can feel it in my workout. Food is now a fuel for me. It’s not just something that’s going to occupy my time while I’m watching a movie or because I’m bored, it’s actually something that’s going to help me get through the day or make me feel better.

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/04/09/biggest-losers-sione-goes-from-landscaping-to-body-sculpting/

marigold:
An interview with Sione:

“I was surprised at how emotional it got”

In the weeks that Sione Fa was on the ranch, he emerged as a fierce competitor — and a very hot guy! Regarding all the new attention from ladies, “I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it,” he admits. “My wife and I just laugh about it and I guess I’m flattered. It’s a compliment and hopefully it’ll get me somewhere!” He and his cousin and partner, Filipe, also made a dramatic defection from Jillian’s team to Bob's in week 10, after several tearful outbursts. “We worked out six to eight hours a day on the physical side of it, but the emotional side is just as intense," says Sione. “You’re away from your kids, you’re away from your wife, you’re away from your family. You have to rely on your partner. Filipe and I were close — just like brothers — before but we became even closer. I was surprised at how emotional it got, but sometimes it just takes that. Looking back on it, I’d do it in a heartbeat again.”

Why do you think you lost only three pounds this week?
I think everybody just has their weeks when they have a low number. I mean, obviously this was the first time I fell below the yellow line. It was just my week.

Do you regret eating so much during the temptation?
It was kind of crazy. But it was a lot of power being handed out. Obviously when you look back, I ate all that stuff and maybe that affected the weight because I basically got kicked off by a pound. And, yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have. But I’d probably do it again.

Why did you and Filipe leave Jillian to train with Bob?
Her training style is awesome. I don’t take anything away from that. When we did train together, I gave it everything I had physical-wise. It’s just, emotionally we connected better with Bob. And obviously that showed. With Jillian, it was just a conflict in personal issues more than anything.

How much have you lost so far?
A little over 130 pounds right now. I’m currently at about 235.

When did you realize you wanted to be a trainer yourself ?
It’s just I knew that I couldn’t go back to my old life and my old career. I wanted to make health and fitness a part of my life forever. I’m still in the process of taking the test to get certified, but my plan is to create a business.

What did you learn from Bob and Jillian that you’ll use as a trainer?
I’d like to take some from both. I learned a lot from Jillian on the cardio — getting your lungs and your heart in shape. And then with Bob, a lot of strength training. But on Bob’s side I’d like to take a lot of the emotional: we always kept our families in mind, the idea that we want to be here as long as we can on this Earth, living a healthy life and not just the quick fix. I’d love to adapt that into my training methods. This is not “buy ten training sessions and then it’s over,” this is a lifestyle change.

What have you done to pass along the things you’ve learned to your family and why is that so important to you?
At one point in time, everybody in my family had been thinner. We weren’t always this overweight. And just being able to show my journey through weight loss on TV, it’s just kind of opened their eyes and seen the hard work that it really takes. I haven’t really had to hound my sisters or my brother. They’ve actually come to me. They’ve had some pretty touching moments where they say, “You motivate me and I just want to know is it really that hard and can I do it?” Just to be able to tell them, you know, “It is the hardest thing probably you’ll ever have to do, but it’s worth it.” It’s been great because they’re doing it. Since I started the show, my brother has lost about 40 pounds. My sister, from the time we aired the little boot camp style thing on the episode last night, she’s lost 12. It just seems like they really want it.

There’s been a lot of talk on the show about how much eating is a part of your Polynesian culture. Has it been hard to break through that?
Yeah. When we get together obviously as a family and culture, you don’t count calories. You just pile your plate as high as you can get it and go at it. And a lot more people, when I go to those gatherings, are a lot more conscious on what they’re eating. Weight is a big issue in the culture, but with me and Filipe doing this journey together, they’re seeing it that we’re happier. And culture or not, when you’re overweight you’re overweight and you have to deal with the problems of being overweight and all the diseases out there and possibly dying young. I think it’s finally clicked with them. It’s fun: I’ve actually been to a luau where they baked a lot of chicken, made brown rice and that is unheard of! So this is a lot of people being affected by it.

Has it been easier to do ceremonial dances now that you’re more fit?
My brother and I were just messing around the other day going through some of the dances and you have to be a little limber in a lot of these dances. I notice a big difference just cardio-wise. It just feels better doing it. You’re not focusing all the fat jiggling on the dances; you focus more on the dance.

Would you incorporate them into your training?
I’d love to not only share this with my culture, but share my culture with others. I had the idea the other day of doing a Polynesian workout!

http://www.intouchweekly.com/2009/04/biggest_loser.php

marigold:
An interview with Sione:

The Biggest Loser Exit Interview: Sione Talks About His Rifts with Jillian, Tara, and Ron

Fan favorite Sione Fa might not win The Biggest Loser, but for Sione, he’s already won. Along with his cousin Filipe, he lost 116 pounds at the ranch. And now that he’s home, the Tongan is now hell-bent on training his overweight family on how to be fit and healthy. Throughout the show, Sione formed some, let’s say, interesting relationships. His idolization of Bob compelled him to leave Jillian’s team, his insistence on beating Tara at everything caused some less-than friendly competition, and Ron wasn’t shy about his desire to vote Sione off. Despite all the drama, Sione came out of the house with a fire in his belly. Read on to find out his plans for life after The Biggest Loser.

Why do you think you only lost four pounds this week? Do you regret participating in the temptation?

I think everybody just has their weeks when they have a low number. This was the first time I fell below the yellow line. I kind of felt like it was just my week. I just had that feeling. And the temptation— it was kind of crazy. When you look back, I ate all that stuff… maybe that affected the pound because I basically got kicked off by a pound. But being in that moment if I was to get put back into that moment again I’d probably do it again.

Why did you leave Jillian to train with Bob?

Her training style is awesome; she’s a great trainer. I don’t take anything away from that. When we did train together I gave it everything I had physical-wise. I think emotionally we connected better with Bob. And obviously that showed. On Biggest Loser a lot of things that people don’t realize being on the ranch is it’s just as much emotional as physical there; we can’t talk to our families, we can’t talk to our kids, we can’t talk to, you know, what I like to call normal people. It was just a conflict in personal issues.

What was your relationship with Tara like, considering she was one of your biggest competitors?

She’s a great competitor; she works her butt off. And she was a motivator for me and she had actually told me that watching me workout that motivated her. And it turned into the little competition in every challenge. As you can see, she’s awesome and she works hard. I think we’re in the same relationship right now just mostly she’s somebody that drives me and then I’m somebody that drives her.

Was it hard breaking the tradition of eating in your culture?

Yeah, when we get together as a family you don’t count calories at our get-togethers… you just pile your plate as high as you can get it and just go at it. And a lot more people, when I go to those gatherings, they’re a lot more conscious on what they’re eating. Weight is a big issue in the culture but I think with me and Filipe doing this journey together they’re seeing it that we’re happier. And culture or not, when you’re overweight you’re overweight and you have to deal with the problems of being overweight and all the diseases out there and possibly dying young and heart problems. And I think it’s finally clicked with them. And it’s fun. I’ve actually been to a luau where they baked a lot of chicken, made brown rice. That’s unheard of.

What was your favorite milestone that you accomplished? Hitting the 100 pound mark? The half marathon?

Physically-wise pushing myself to the limit was the half marathon definitely. Up until that point I barely got to running 2.5 miles straight through without stopping. That was a huge physical milestone for me. Emotionally it would be the car-pulling challenge where I just realized that I need to pace myself and finish strong instead of just giving everything I got and not finishing because I saw that pattern in my life a lot. So those are probably the biggest two breakthroughs that I had.

What was Ron really like? Was he really as bossy as he seemed?

He was a father figure. I don’t know necessarily like to what extent to some people. But he’s definitely a big influence in the show and a lot of the decisions he made stuck. And you’ve just got to give it to him for playing the godfather role well. He really did control a lot of that game. We were going to stick it through and stick it all the way to the end. And as you get closer to that those dollar signs and you get close to the title of the Biggest Loser some of those alliances go astray. And we felt it a couple weeks prior that the alliance to us really wasn’t that strong. Like it showed in the last episode true feelings towards us kind of came out. I don’t hold anything against him. You get in this weird state of mind on the ranch and it feels like you’re trapped in a bubble. When it all comes down to it, it should be about you and your personal journey there.

http://www.fancast.com/blogs/interviews/the-biggest-loser-exit-interview-sione-talks-about-his-rifts-with-jillian-tara-and-ron/

RealityFreakWill:
The Biggest Loser Couples 2
Makeover Week Is Here!

Tim Gunn of Project Runway and Tabatha Coffey star of Bravo's Shear Genius and Tabatha's Salon Takeover, and Brandon Martinez, formerly of Blow Out will guest star on one of the most eagerly-anticipated events of each Biggest Loser season – the makeover episode.

This week challenge will have our contestants crossing a 10-story canyon on a 700 foot zipline.  The prize will be a $25,000 kitchen makeover. After the challenge, our contestants and Alison Sweeney (who is also getting a makeover), will be off to Macy's where Tim Gunn will help them pick out their new outfits to show off their new bodies.  Word has it that Tara mistakes Tim Gunn for a perfume counter person, and Helen becomes emotional when she looks at all the clothes that she can now wear with her new body.

Last season, Biggest Loser contestant makeovers were revealed on The Tyra Banks show.  This season may prove to be even better as they will be revealed with their very own Hollywood premiere.  They will arrive in limos, walk the red carpet then descend the staircase into the arms of a loved one.  The premiere they will be attending - a movie featuring their emotional journey of weight loss.

I'm hearing that when they get back to the campus, a visit with Dr. Huizenga will reveal that one player is sidelined with a medical injury that will have a dramatic impact on the last chance workouts – and could affect her future on the show. And at this week's weigh-in, one player, (I'm betting it's Mike) breaks the Biggest Loser record for most weight ever lost at the ranch.

Finally, check your newsstands - Tara is on the cover of OK Magazine, along with Helen and they are giving their diet secrets!

Make sure you have your box of tissues next to you as the makeover show is always super emotional as the families see our contestants for the first time in weeks.  The Biggest Loser Couples 2 airs at 8/7c on NBC, Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

http://www.tvgrapevine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3467%3Athe-biggest-loser-couples-2-makeover-week-is-here&catid=71%3Abiggest-loser-couples-2009&Itemid=1

RealityFreakWill:
The Biggest Loser: Couples Episode Recap "Week 15"

After Sione exited the competition last week, his cousin, Filipe, is left to fight for his community and a win for Bob's team. He's sick of Jillian winning at the finales and believes the battle is now on.

Alison meets the contestants on top of a mountain where there are two wires hanging 110 feet in the air at the highest point. The contestants must traverse the canyon on the two ropes, and the first one across receives an awesome $25,000 kitchen makeover. Ron sits this one out while the rest fight the wind to cross the wire. Filipe and Mike start out strong, but once Tara figures out a strategy, she catches up to take the win. But her kitchen isn't the only thing to get a makeover. It's actually makeover week on The Biggest Loser!

The contestants head to Macy's where Tim Gunn (love my Timmy) is awaiting them to help dress their new bodies for the Hollywood movie premiere they're going to attend. Afterwards, they go over to the hair salon where Tabitha from Tabitha's Salon Takeover (talk about Bravo cross-promotion) gives them a new look.

Turns out the night is actually everyone's own premiere of his or her new look to family. First to come out is a stunning Helen, who is greeted by her balling husband, Russ. Next, Tara comes down the steps and sees her mom who has also lost weight. "This is you, inside and out," her mom tells her. Filipe comes out, looking sharp in an eggplant-colored suit to meet his wife. Next is Kristin, with her new dark hair. She is reunited with her husband, Nick, and then Laura, who greets her best friend with a new red 'do of her own.. Last to debut their new looks are Ron and Mike, who looks awesome. Mike's brother Max immediately started crying when he realized he'd be the only big one in the family. My heart broke for him, but Mike vowed to give him the tools he needs to lose weight upon his return. And hey producers, maybe you can cast him on your next season. Just a suggestion. When all the reveals are complete, the movie begins, but it's actually a montage of the contestants' journey thus far. Heartwarming as always.

On to the last-chance workout. Because they lost a lot of time "under hair dryers when they should've been on treadmills," the trainers whoop their butts. But for Laura, her ongoing hip problem leads her to Dr. H's office. He tells her she has a stress fracture, and it's the most severe sports related injury they've seen in seven seasons. If she continues to push hard, she'll have to get surgery.

At the weigh-in, Alison informs Mike that he's only pounds away from Roger Schultz's record of the most weight lost on campus in 15 weeks. With a five-pound loss this week, he breaks the record, bringing his total loss to 145 pounds overall. His dad Ron is up next. He loses six pounds and 1.95 percent, and says he hasn't been this weight since his early teens. Tara loses four pounds, 2.15 percent; Filipe loses five pounds, 1.98 percent; and Helen loses a big seven pounds, 4.14 percent. Kristin only loses two pounds, .82 percent and Laura, with her injury, actually gains three pounds and 1.46 percent. Jillian gets upset, and they all start to cry. With Kristin and Laura below the yellow line, a tough decision must be made.

Laura tells the group that although she might need surgery if she doesn't take care of her hip, she wants to be there. She urges everyone to vote as if she's not injured. Kristin claims (rightfully so) that there's a huge game play decision: If Laura stays, she'll struggle and be less of a threat. She begs them to not take the "cowardly way out." In the end, only Tara and Helen vote Kristin while Ron, Mike and Filipe vote Laura. She may be going home, but she will not be alone, as Alison tells her The Biggest Loser is sending her with doctors who will take care of her issue. And she has gone from 285 pounds to 208, which is no small feat.

http://www.tvguide.com/Episode-Recaps/biggest-loser/Biggest-Loser-Couples-1005057.aspx

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