Biggest Loser Finale Motivates America

The Biggest Loser Finale is what everyone that has been watching the show waits for. After fifteen weeks of grueling challenges and six hour per day workouts, the contestants come together to show off how much weight they have lost. For the last four seasons of the show, the Finale has shown how people can take their lives back and become fit and healthy by just making some life-changing decisions and sticking to them. There was one difference this year though that I didn't particularly agree with. A

t the end of last week's show, Ali and Kelly had stayed above the yellow line and put Roger and Mark below it. The girls had been fighting all season to knock out the bigger threats of the men, and that show didn't disappoint. There was a twist though, the last four contestants were surprised when it was revealed that America would be voting on-line for who they wanted to go up against the girls in the Finale. Last night's show revealed in the first five minutes that America had voted for Roger to stay in the Finale and Mark to be one of the "at-home" (people voted off the show) finalists.

I didn't personally agree with this tactic by NBC. Throughout the show, the other contestants are asked to vote for the person that they want to send home, and I didn't think that a live vote was very fair to the other contestants that were left on the show. Ali and Kelly had pushed themselves to the limits so that they could send Roger home, as he was the bigger threat, and I feel that they lost some of the reward for working that hard by allowing America to take away their decision.

The show is ultimately about weight loss though, not about the monetary reward at the end of the season. I was very happy with the results of the show because I really felt that both the "at-home" winner and the Finale winner embodied the spirit of the show very well. Yes, ultimately, the person who loses the biggest percentage of weight wins money, but the show is more about changing the people's lifestyles and motivating those at home to make healthy changes . Curtis, one of the "at-home" finalists, had to lose enough weight so that he could receive insurance, so that was a big motivator for him.

A few of the contestants had major health issues that stemmed from obesity, so those were also motivators. Ali, the Finale winner of $250,000, had many issues from her past that were overcome by her motivation to lose weight and prove that she could do anything that she put her mind to. Bernie, who won the "at-home' prize of $100,000, had struggled all season to lose enough weight to keep him above the yellow line.

The Finale is always inspiring and motivating to me. This season wasn't any different. It's amazing to me to see them change drastically all season long. The show has been motivating America for five seasons now, and I hope that it continues to motivate people to make healthy changes in their lives. It is really wonderful to see a show that is helping people that are overweight and dealing with the issues that have gotten them to that point instead of just ridiculing them like the rest of society does. I hope that there will be many Biggest Loser Finales in the future.