The results are in: It’s payday for Michelle Aguilar, who has been deemed the biggest loser on television. With her winnings, she won’t be needing payday loans anytime soon.
Aguilar won the grand prize on NBC’s popular show “The Biggest Loser: Families.” Aguilar lost 110 pounds, was reunited with her mother and won $250,000. She also won the favor of many viewers with her attitude and kindness. Her final weight was 132 pounds.
Honorable mentions
Second place went to Vicky Vilcan, who lost 101 pounds and fell short of the grand prize by only one pound. Many fans believe this twist is karma. Viewers regarded Vilcan as a schemer and a manipulator. She is still receiving death threats and hate mail.
Competing for the third spot were husband and wife Ed Brantley and Heba Salama. The choice was up to the audience, and Ed won by a landslide 84 percent margin for the opportunity to weigh in for the grand prize. Heba was also very unpopular with fans of the show, who viewed her as a bully and a loudmouth.
Family reunion
Aguilar entered the competition alongside her mother, Renee Wilson. Aguilar and Wilson had been estranged following Wilson’s divorce from Aguilar’s father. They had not spoken to one another for six years.
The mother-daughter pair got to spend plenty of time together. Wilson was the last contestant to be eliminated before the finale. Wilson began giving motivational speeches to various groups after the show, and she says she never could have done it without her daughter.
Aguilar also says having her mother there was a huge factor in her victory. On keeping the weight off after the show, she said she is not worried because she knows she has the support of her family.
The antagonists
Message boards and blogs aplenty have nothing but venom for finalists Vilcan and Salama. Perhaps most irksome to many fans is that Salama, who urged voters to grant her a victory over her husband, took home a $100,000 payday for losing the most weight among eliminated contestants. If she’s careful with her winnings she won’t be needing payday loans before she embarks on her next television venture.
The fans had no problem with Salama’s husband Brantley, though. Brantley urged the audience to vote for his wife when they were pitted against each other for third place. His humility and unselfishness won him the spot.
Inspiration to the nation
In six seasons, this weight-loss show has not only gained followers of the show, it has gained followers of the lifestyle. The Biggest Loser Club (www.thebiggestloserclub.com) invites people who are trying to lose weight to share tips and success stories. It’s a digital way of holding people accountable to motivate them to do well.
In video clips, available at nbc.com, of Wilson’s speeches, audience members say they’ve been inspired by the show and have started their own weight loss program. This season seemed to encourage people to join forces, recruiting the help and support of family members to provide motivation and accountability.
Future losers
Fans of the show don’t have to wait long for a new season. NBC’s next installment of the series, “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” premieres Jan. 6, 2009. Viewers will no doubt be tuning in to find out which loser avoids needing payday loans by winning the next big payday.
This is a great motivator to try harder!
Very inspirational. I would like a payday of lost weight too.
Vicky came in 3rd place, not 2nd. She lost to Ed by 1 pound. If Michelle hadn’t won, Ed would have.
It really doesn’t matter what place they come in, these people are all an inspiration to others for their hard work in loosing weight.